Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 69858 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 349(@200wpm)___ 279(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69858 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 349(@200wpm)___ 279(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
She turns uncharacteristically serious. Even a little sad. “It’s possible I could be wrong about some things. It happens. What about you, baby girl? Ever been wrong about some things?”
I cross my arms. “I know what you’re getting at. Who you’re getting at. And it’s going to take more than a few ancient Meg Ryan movies to convince me that Thomas and I will be anything other than incompatible opposites.”
“Ancient!” She places a hand on her chest. “Ouch! Fair enough, but if not Thomas, then at least get yourself a rebound.”
There. That sounds a bit more like my mother. I relax slightly.
“What about that dating app that you always said turned up some pretty great hotties?” she says.
“Well, hotties is your word,” I say. “But TapThat? Hmm. I haven’t been on in . . . a while.”
“Before Thomas” is what I mean to say and don’t, and my mom must sense it because she sighs and picks up my phone, handing it to me.
“I’m going to try my hand at some tough love, Mackenzie Rochelle Austin: Put on your big girl pants and get the hell back out there.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Thursday, December 1
I don’t get back on TapThat.
I think about it—not just because of my mom’s pep talk, but because I really do want a cure for this malaise that’s not like anything I’ve experienced before.
I’m okay at work. I love the new job, and luckily, my team seems to love me in the new job too, which is more important than my bosses approving (though they seem pleased as well, go me!).
But while work should be a total distraction from missing Thomas, it also makes me think of him. Whenever something good or annoying happens, my first inclination is to text him. And whether I leave the remote office (I’m still doing final touches on C&S) or the main office, my feet always seem to want to turn in the direction of his place rather than home.
Because he feels like home.
The weekends are even worse. I still say yes to brunch invitations, still put on my pushup bra and heels when I get a tipsy text message from Sadie at 11pm on Saturday to come dancing. And I still have fun, but I also find myself wanting just a bit more.
Someone to share it all with.
And let’s face it, the advice to get back out there came from my mom. Based on her track record, it’s probable that she and this Richard will fizzle out by tomorrow, and she’ll resume her semi-regular booty calls with the bouncer at a strip club named Donko.
Mostly though, I haven’t bothered to get on the app, because I’m stalling. I’m stalling having to talk to someone who isn’t Thomas, to kiss someone who doesn’t have his gray eyes. I need more time to get him out of my system, and since it’s the first time I’ve ever had to do that with a guy, I’m trying to be patient with myself.
However, my time’s run out. My mom wants me to meet Richard and her for dinner this weekend, and it’s “highly suggested” that I bring a date.
I could ignore the suggestion, obviously, but I’m also choosing to use this as the kick in the butt I need to get back out there. I used to recruit guys to be my plus-one like it was nobody’s business. It’s time to put old Mac back into circulation.
I pull a beer out of the fridge and open TapThat.
The first three guys are hard nos. One is wearing some sort of weird handkerchief situation. The other has a tattoo on half his face that I think is a scorpion? I love tattoos, but this guy has mugshot vibes.
The third dude is, I think, doing an Elvis impression?
The fourth is a no as well. He looks like he’d have bad breath.
The fifth, no. He’s not smiling, and not in the sexy way, but the mugshot way.
I almost tap yes on number eight, but he reminds me a tiny bit too much of Thomas, only he isn’t Thomas.
God. I take a swig of beer and look at the ceiling. This isn’t working.
I take another drink and eye the Surprise Me! button at the bottom of the app.
It’s a relatively new feature of the app that I haven’t used yet. It displays your matches, not with their face but by location. It brings up a map of your area, and displays green dots for any potential matches that are “out on the town” and looking to meet up.
A digital booty call, basically, except the app uses your GPS location, only showing you what the other person looks like when you arrive at the actual location. It’s the ultimate wild card, straddling the line between exciting and nuts, and leaning towards the latter.