thousand dollars on a d

n my best friend Jamie and I. It was still wa

an get a date with someone else; I don't

er lips. A strand of her ebony hair fell

mumbled. "How did you even look at

hared basket. "He is pretty handsome, but I'm super glad

th our drinks toward the trash bins in the

d the bell at us. "Break

bbed my apron from our booth. "It doesn't ma

I didn't want to date, or marry, for money. I wanted it to be real.

ster had to wo

r and attempted to braid it before Frank

e cross the screen. Speak of the devil herself. I walked around the corner of the bat

e. "I need a huge favor,"

hadn't already don

really, r

to go on the

ating on whether to clean the wax from my ears or not.

va. I'm be

ain. "Where is Ava

h him. He was rude at the auction. I can't speak to him. I can't pretend to be you anymore.

emperature. The doctor said this strand of the

. I'm sure he'll reschedule. Plus, you want to woo him, don't you

out of town for a few weeks after this. I can't keep him waiting. Pleas

on my feet. She didn't know I was two months behind, and had several medical bills from when I w

that I

t know,

lock back in. Get out here now. A tabl

. I'll call y

opened the door. Frankie's beady eyes narrowed at me. He thought he was

, had

ard the floor. My heart hammered in my

ister's offer and got t

ay, ruining Char's chances of purs

wasn't what I wanted to do with my life. I had three pieces of artwork lining th

enus and took down

cs to speak about. He was just a man. Not some

or the sake of my

was one date. One night

outside to the parking lot. Dialing my sister's number, I

swered, her voi

ake you?

I get you in t

spot. "Frankie got over it when we got swamped. I want t

away to sneeze. "It'll be fine. You'

steering wheel. "Could you send over some topics we could

ll have the card? The date is

e, but I could ask J

l like a little girl. Wait a minut

Not gonna happen, Cha

Ava. Thank you for this. Let me know when you're co

wil

d A

ea

t blo

for that boost of confi

of the card he'd given me. His dark eyes had seared my skin as I imagined a fire-breathing drago

ld me he didn't

city, which only made me even more nervous. I could do this.

ght. One date. Wh

rabbed my things. The flickering street light zapped as I hurried t

ey, I opened the doo

s I began to shut it and

dip dried in the corner, and his glasses had smudges blocking his beady eyes. "Ava," he sai

er just sent me money to my money app," I said, showing him the funds on

n. The owner is really pissed that I have let it go on this lon

ssed lump in my throat.

before disappearin

nt gawked back at me as a silent reminder of how pathe

ng happened. My brakes went out. I got s

tips for the night. How was I supposed to escape this never-ending cy

e way out but I

the text from Charlotte. She had a lis

. "I can do this," I said to my dead plant in the far corner