He brushed sand from his hands, then looked back at me. “I have an idea.”
“Yeah?” I asked, curious what it might be.
“Well, since we’re clearly not having much success on our own,” he said, watching Charlotte add sand to the bucket once more, “what do you say we try being each other’s wing people on Sunday?”
“Wing people?” I narrowed my eyes. “What exactly do you mean by that?”
“I was thinking that we could kind of keep an eye on each other throughout the date,” he said, tipping his head. “You canhelp me not be painfully awkward with Amanda, and I’ll make sure Miles doesn’t forget what an amazing woman he’s sitting next to.”
“That’s a tall order.” I chuckled, thinking it would take a lot to make me look special when Miles had hundreds, if not thousands, of women vying for his attention each week. “But sure, we can give it a shot.”
“So. Wing people?” he asked, lifting his glass of milk like he was ready to toast.
I nodded, tipping my glass against his. “Wing people.”
Hopefully, helping Theo put his best foot forward with another woman would help me remember that he definitely was off-limits where I was concerned.
15
THEO
By the timeI pulled into the lot at Eternal Springs Spa on Sunday afternoon, I’d been buzzing with nervous energy for most of the day.
Which didn’t make a whole lot of sense, considering this wasn’t even a real date. Not exactly.
Not one where anyone had gone out on a limb and actually asked someone out at least.
Still, it had been months since my last failed attempt at dating, and apparently, that was enough time for my brain to forget how any of this was supposed to work.
But ready or not, the double date was about to start.
I drew in a steady breath as I stepped inside the spa, hoping the calm ambiance would do some of the work for me. Muted colors washed the space. Soft lighting. The faint sound of water trickling from the fountain in the corner. Everything about the lobby seemed designed to slow your pulse and convince you to leave the outside world at the door.
“Hi.” I approached the front desk and cleared my throat. “My name is Theo. I have a massage booked for three o’clock. A couple’s massage with my… friend.”
I internally cringed at how awkward that sounded.
But how else was I supposed to say it? And Mileswasmy friend.
The woman behind the desk smiled politely as she clicked through her screen. “Yes, I have you right here.” She slid a clipboard across the counter. “If you could fill this out, that would be great. Just mark any areas you’d like your therapist to focus on with an X. And if there’s any you’d like them to avoid, you can note that as well.”
I took the clipboard and filled it out, marking X’s for them to focus, especially on my neck and shoulders which had been especially tight lately.
Once that was all filled out, the spa employee led me down a quiet hallway to a changing area. “There’s a robe and sandals for you just inside that stall,” she said, gesturing to the first stall on the right. “Once you’re changed, you can head to the relaxation lounge to wait for your massage therapists to come find you and your partner.”
My partner.
Did she think Miles and I were romantic partners, then? Did Amanda not clarify that this was more of a friend thing?
I considered correcting her for a second before deciding it didn’t actually matter who this woman thought I may or may not be attracted to.
Besides, if I were into men, I could definitely do worse than Miles Hawthorne.
I thanked the spa worker and went into my stall to undress, stowing my clothes in the locker. Once I had replaced my clothes with a plush white robe, I left the changing room and followed the signs until I came to the relaxation lounge the woman had mentioned.
And that was where I found Nora, seated near the windows and wrapped in a robe identical to mine.
Hello,she mouthed, smiling my way when she saw me.