Page 5 of Scoring a Sweet Thing

“Lian,” I mimic his tone.

When the pain has subsided slightly, I lift my head to look at him and instantly regret it. His big brown eyes are blinking at me, all cute and endearing, something he does when he wants his own way. “Will you do it for me?”

I narrow my eyes in warning. “Don’t try to guilt me by giving me the look. You know I’ll do anything for you when you give me that look.”

“I know. That’s why I do it.” He grins, then twirls some of my hair around his finger. “I think it’ll be good for you. It doesn’t have to be romantic. There’s all kinds of things on there. Dog walking, school reunions, attending a sports game…”

“I’ll take the dog walking because dogs are elite, but veto the rest.”

“There’s more than just those! They were just examples.”

“Fine,” I sigh and reach into my pocket for my phone.

He lets out an excited noise as I download the app. I go through the steps of creating a profile, then begin to scroll through the different sections as Lian gets back to packing. He’s right, there are a lot of different activities that people need a plus-one for. Concerts, weddings, even going to Costco. But there’s one that stops me from scrolling, and I burst into laughter.

Lian’s head snaps toward me, his eyes widening and mouth dropping open at my sudden outburst.

“Holy shit!” I manage between laughter. “Listen to this. It says, ‘I need someone to come with me to purchase a burial slot. It’s for me, but no, I’m not sick, I just like to be prepared. Plus, I’m not a big fan of the sun, but can’t decide between a north- or south-facing spot.’”

He presses his lips together to suppress a laugh, amusement glistening in his eyes. “See? There might be something fun on there for you, and you never know who you might meet.”

I wave my phone. “Someone who might talk me into buying the plot of land next to them?”

He rolls his eyes and snatches the phone from my grip. He chews on his lip, brows furrowing slightly in concentration.

“What are you doing?”

“Finding you an activity that won’t stress me out while I’m gone.”

I snort, but I don’t move to get my phone back. I trust Lian with my life, and while I said I’d do this for him, he knows my limits.

“Okay, what about this one?” He flashes the phone. “He sounds fun.”

I lean forward so I can read the short bio on the screen.

Remington: HELP! I need a date to help protect me from grandmas touching my butt!

I can’t hold back the bubble of laughter. There’s no photo of him, but it says he’s three miles away, twenty-four years old, and his account was created six hours ago. The “plus-one requirement” says it’s a work event, but aside from the amusing yet intriguing bio, there’s nothing else about Remington.

“I love the look on your face right now,” Lian says. He’s grinning widely when I glance back his way. “Please just talk to him. You don’t have to agree to anything you don’t want to do, but I’d feel better about you being with the grandma magnet than viewing a hole in the ground.”

Letting out a long breath, I slump back against the headboard and hold my hand out for my phone. “Fine, give it here.”

He makes an excited noise and taps on my screen before handing it back.

“Let’s get connected!” flashes on the screen, letting me know Lian has already matched me with Remington.

Of course he has.

My thumbs hover over the keyboard as I think of something to say. Nerves wash over me, but I try to stamp it down. One of the reasons I don’t have many friends outside of the non-virtual variety is because I’m often misunderstood.

I’m quiet because I don’t like people’s attention to be on me. People tend to get the wrong impression because I’m covered in tattoos. And I prefer playing video games to going to a bar.

I guess I’m a bit like a cat: I’m social on my own terms.

But maybe Lian’s right. Maybe this will be good for me. Hell knows I’d like to meet someone eventually, so maybe this is the gentle nudge I need to finally put myself out there.

Sucking in a breath, I click on “send a message” and begin to type, and hope I’m not making a huge mistake.