"I'm glad you made it," I said ten minutes later, after we'd both gotten coffee and put in our orders. Friends with Eggs Benedict for me and I hope our paths croissant again for him. "I was about to give up."
"I'm sorry," Jack said, fiddling with his fork. Up close, he was different from his photo. Not in a bad way, but his face was broader, his hair shorter and he had ten pounds more of muscle. His eyes were definitely hazel, and there were a few flecks of early grey in his dark brown hair. This was common, though. In my experience, only about ten percent of people had profile pictures that accurately reflected what they looked like IRL. Mine, on the other hand, was devastatingly accurate, right down to the curl in my strawberry blonde hair that I could never get straight no matter how expensive the flat iron.
"What happened? Were the servers at work down?"
Jack gave me a crooked smile. "Do you mind trying something with me?" His voice was clear and deep over the restaurant clatter. Our original meeting time had been for ten. It was close to eleven now and the place was full, a line forming outside and trailing along the sidewalk.
"What's that?"
"Let's not talk about work. You know, all that usual conversation-what do you do? and where are you from?"
"Small talk?"
He pointed his fork at me. "Exactly. Small talk. Let's not do that."
"What should we talk about, then?"
"Hmm." He rested his hand on his chin. He was wearing a forest green checked shirt that made his eyes pop and had an almost beard. I liked the look of him. "I've put us in a box, haven't I?"
"I like boxes."
"You do? Why?"
"That would violate the whole we-can't-talk-about-work rule."
He smiled as Janie arrived with our food. As she put my eggs down, she mouthed, he's cute. I blushed and glanced at my plate. She put the rest of our things on the table and left us alone.
"She thinks I'm cute, huh?"
I met Jack's eyes with a challenge. "Guess so. You want to get her number?"
"Nope, I'm good." He reached for his croissant, which was flaky and too dark. "Your eggs look fantastic."
"Right?" I cut a bite and put it into my mouth. The sauce was thick, and the egg was cooked perfectly. "Thanks for the recommendation."
He bit into his croissant and made a face.
"Not good?"
"A bit stale." He reached toward my plate. "You don't mind, do you?"
"I probably should, but I don't. Take a whole muffin. It's so rich, I'll never finish all of it."
"Thank you." He moved the egg I hadn't touched onto his plate and tasted it. He closed his eyes in pleasure. "So good." He took another bite. "So, I know I put the rule in place, but am I allowed to try to guess what you do for a living?"
"Sure, go ahead."
"Something with boxes, so ... Amazon fulfiller?"
I felt a nervous flutter in my stomach, thinking about the vibrator shipment waiting for me at home. "Ha, no."
"Mover?"
"Wrong again." I doubted he'd be able to guess.
I work for BookBox, a curated book of the month club where I'm in charge of the rom-com selection. It wasn't a genre I read much before I took the job, and some days, the contrast between what I read, and the reality of my dating life was too stark. But I knew a book was good if I could still root for that happily-ever-after ending regardless of how many "Hey, babies" I'd received in my Insta DMs that day.
"No one ever gets it right."
"Well, now you're just challenging me to a duel."
"You forget I know what you do." I picked up my phone. "Which reminds me, I should let Kit know you arrived." I tapped out a quick text. He showed.
And? She wrote back. Was I right?
We'll see!
The servers are still down! He's going to be in the doghouse.
DOWNWARD DOGGIE STYLE.
"Are you telling Kit that I'm cute?" Jack tipped my phone toward him, trying to read what I'd written. His eyebrows rose as he caught sight of my last text.
"I can explain."
"You don't have to."
"It's this thing Kit and I do, turn ordinary words into porny titles ..."
He snapped his fingers. "Like Pulp Friction?"
"Yes."
"Game of Bones."
I suppressed a laugh. "You got it."
"Horny Potter."
"You're a natural." I put my phone away. "Probably shouldn't be the only thing we talk about, though."
"I agree."
My mind whirred. How had this conversation gotten so off track? "How about ... What's the worst date you've ever been on?"
Jack frowned. "Is that your way of saying this is the worst date you've ever been on?"
"Far from it."
"Oh?"
"Well, it's hard to pick just one, but if I put the guys who exposed themself aside, top honors probably goes to-"
"Wait, you're putting the flashers aside?"
I shrugged. "A girl has to, these days. Have you not been online for the last ten years?"
"Well, not much. But also, I don't think guys mind getting flashed. Not that I'd know." Jack stopped, flustered. "This actually happens to you? Like on a regular basis?"
"Sadly, yes."
He shook his head. "Men kind of suck, huh."
"A lot of them."
"Well, I'm sorry."
"You don't have to apologize for your gender. But I appreciate the sentiment." I took a sip of my coffee, but it had gone cold. "Your turn. Worst date ever."
Jack cocked his head to the side. "Names changed to protect the guilty?"
"Of course."
"Hmmm. Well, it was a long time ago, but probably the one where the girl-let's call her Debbie-brought her mom along."
"No."
"Yes."
I tried to imagine it and couldn't. "Wait, wait, wait. How old were you when this happened?"
His mouth twisted. "Fifteen."
"Well, now, that puts a different spin on it."
"You've obviously never been a fifteen-year-old boy."
"And thank God for that." He touched my hand, then pulled back quickly, but it was long enough to register.
I cleared my throat. "So, things didn't work out with Debbie?"
"No, they did."
"No way this counts, then."
Janie slapped the bill down on the table. "Sorry, but I need the table."
"We just got here," Jack said.
"You just got here."
"Ah, right, well, okay. We'll pay up."
She tapped her foot impatiently. I could see the people who had the 11:30 reservation glaring at us from the doorway.
"Let's split it," I said.
"No, let me." Jack patted himself down, looking for his wallet which he located in his front pocket. He pulled it out, then hesitated. "Remember how you said I wasn't the worst date?"
"Um, yes?"
"Someone charged a bunch of stuff on my card last week, and I'm waiting for a replacement. I only have enough cash to cover the meal, but not the tip."
Janie clearly wanted to retract her endorsement from earlier.
"Why don't you give me the cash and I'll put it on my card so I can tip?" I said.
"Sure, that'd be great." He handed me forty bucks and I gave Janie my card. I completed the transaction quickly, making sure to tip her 20%.
She checked the receipt as it came out and smiled. "Thank you, Chloe. You have a good day, now."
I put my card away and we stood up.
"Thank you, Chloe," Jack said. "I feel like an idiot."
"Well, I don't think Janie wants to see you back here again, but it's fine." I didn't care who paid for breakfast. He'd shown up, we'd had a nice conversation, he hadn't talked about his needs as a lover (true story) or been on his phone the whole time (also true, twice). It was enough.
As we walked toward the exit, Jack placed his hand on the small of my back. It was a gesture I normally hated, but it felt comfortable with him. It had been a long time since I'd been intimate with another person, but it wasn't just that. Something about Jack felt different, and that was a pleasant surprise.
Outside, I turned my face up to the sun. It was a beautiful day. The cherry blossoms were in bloom and the sky was a deep blue and cloudless. It had been a cold, wet spring, and it was nice to feel the sunshine. I decided to fight the temptation to return to my apartment and hermit inside for the rest of the day. Central Park wasn't far. I should walk around. Maybe Kit would meet me.
"You find something you like up there?" Jack asked.
I brought my chin down. "A beautiful day. I'm always looking for a beautiful day."
Our eyes met. He gave me a look that felt appreciative, as if he understood me. "I like that."
"Thank you for brunch, it was nice, if brief."
He touched his chest above his heart. "Ouch. I'll have to make it up to you."
"I'd like that, Jack."
A shadow passed over his face, then lifted. "This has been great, Chloe. I was having a crappy morning and ... Well, let's just leave it at that."
"Sure." I reached out my hand and he took it, then pulled me in for a hug.
I hadn't had time during our theatrical greeting to appreciate how well we fit together, but we did. I breathed in his smell of soap and the light spice of his aftershave as his arms tightened around me. I leaned in, then came to my senses and pulled away.
My dry season had gone on way too long.
"Talk soon?" I said.
He nodded and I smiled, then turned and walked away with a skip in my step. I was proud of myself for not trying to prolong the date. I felt pretty sure Jack would reach out soon, but if he didn't, that was okay too. He was a good ice breaker, and proof that dating wasn't futile.
He was the start of something, and I was excited to find out what.
***
Katie here! What do you think so far? If you're enjoying CHLOE BAKER'S LOST DATE, please consider leaving a comment below or voting for my story. Thanks so much for reading!
Read on to see what happens next!