She’d spent the morning rushing from one place to the next, looking for someone who could fix her cellphone. In the end, she was told the phone was toast. She had to buy a new one. Thankfully, her data card hadn’t bit the dust in the fall into the bathtub. She was able to download all of her data from the card to a new one and upload it into the new cellphone. All in time to text Dillon Jacobs a few minutes before noon.
While she was waiting in traffic, she remembered to call Leslie and ask if Dillon Jacobs was Emma’s brother.
At first, Leslie didn’t answer the phone. The second time she tried to call, she did.
“Online Dating Service, this is Leslie.”
“Leslie, Ariana. Are you busy?”
“Oh, sweetie, I’m glad you called. I’ve been here since midnight, trying to figure out what’s wrong with the system.”
Ariana watched a tow truck back up to one of the wrecked vehicles ahead. “Something’s wrong with BODS?”
“Apparently, the building was struck by lightning last night and suffered a powerful electrical surge. It did something to my server and the software. I can’t be sure how much was damaged yet, but it’s been glitchy ever since. Did you get a text from BODS with a potential match?”
Ariana stiffened. “As a matter of fact, I did. I’m on my way to meet him now.”
“Oh,” Leslie paused.
“Should I be worried?”
“No, dear, not worried. I vet all my clients before I allow them to join BODS. It’s just…” She cleared her throat. “I’m not sure BODS sent you an accurate match.”
Ariana studied the wrecker driver as he loaded the smashed car onto the back of his truck. “Should I call and cancel?” She glanced at her watch. Hell, she was going to be late anyway. Still, if it was Emma’s brother, she didn’t want to stand him up. Emma was her friend. Friends didn’t do that to family of friends. Ariana sighed. She wouldn’t do that to anyone. It took a lot of guts for a man to join an online dating service to get a date.
“I don’t think you have to cancel. I’m sure you’ll have a good time,” Leslie said, though she sounded distracted. “But if it doesn’t work out, don’t be disappointed. I’m going to reload the system from a backup. It’ll be up and running by the end of the day, and it’ll find you that perfect match.”
“Okay. I’ll meet him,” Ariana said. “Do you think thirty minutes at a coffee shop is enough, if we don’t have anything in common?”
“Thirty minutes should be fine. No use spending more time, if you don’t hit it off. Frankly, I think in the first fifteen minutes you’ll know if you’re compatible.”
“I can leave at fifteen?”
“Honey, you don’t have to go, but unless you both mutually agree to call it off after fifteen minutes, I’d stay for the thirty.” Leslie said something to someone in the background. “I have to go. Tag’s helping me reload the backup. I’ll have my phone if you run into any difficulties.”
“Thanks, Leslie.”
“I’m sorry about the mix-up. Hopefully, it’ll be fixed soon. Bye.” Leslie ended the call.
“In the meantime, I have a date with someone who might not be a match for me.” Ariana sighed. “Oh, goodie.”
The wrecker was just pulling away as her digital clock on the dash blinked 2:00.
And she was going to be late. Well, if he got tired of waiting for her, he’d leave. She could text and let him know she’d gotten tied up in traffic. Feeling a little better about being late for a date that shouldn’t have been, Ariana called on her Zen and drove the rest of the way to the coffee shop, parked and hurried inside.
She looked around, realizing they hadn’t arranged for a way to identify themselves to each other. If he’d had the same issues with the app as she had, he hadn’t gotten a picture of her.
Ariana walked through the place slowly, searching for a man sitting alone. Unfortunately, there were several. She walked toward one man wearing nice trousers and a white polo shirt. He had his cellphone in front of him, keying away with his thumbs. When he looked up, she gave him a tentative smile.
He frowned and looked back down at his cellphone, turning away from her.
If he was her date, he hadn’t liked what he saw.
That was depressing and rude.
Ariana chose to believe he wasn’t her date and moved on to the next man. He sat in a booth by himself. His hair was long, pulled back in a man-bun, and he wore a set of headphones. He nodded his head in time to whatever music he was listening to.
She paused in front of his table and cocked an eyebrow, hoping he would take it as, Are you my date? Without her having to say it out loud.
He looked up, his eyes narrowed, and he looked from side to side. He pulled one side of the headphones free. “What? Is my music too loud?”
“No. Sorry. I thought you were someone else.” She hurried away. The other man who sat in a booth by himself looked up as she neared. He wore a button-down shirt only half buttoned. He had several gold chains around his neck and as many rings on his fingers. He didn’t look like he’d ever been on a horse, and his lips curled in a lounge-lizard sort of smile that made the hackles stand up on the back of Ariana’s neck.
Nope.
She turned away from him and got in line behind a broad-shouldered man wearing a cowboy hat, waiting for his turn to order a cup of coffee.
The woman in front of him placed her order and moved aside.
“Coffee,” he said.
Something about his voice captured Ariana’s attention. She leaned forward and caught a whiff of
