Page 4 of Over Time Advantage

“Maybe we’d get matched up then,” I pull my flip phone out of my pocket, “but there are no dating apps on this sucker.”

She spits in laughter. “Oh my god, Jett, that’s not really your phone, is it?”

“Sure is. If it ain’t broke, why fix it? I can’t use those new phones. There are no buttons. What do you press? I don’t understand them. And I see all these people with their heads buried in their phones all the time. They’re missing life by looking at a screen. My son can’t make it through a meal without being on his phone and taking goofy photos of himself sticking his tongue out like an idiot. Nope,” I shake my head, “that will never be me.”

She smiles. “You’re refreshingly unaffected, Jett.”

“Some would say old school or just plain old and out of date.”

She shakes her head. “No. It’s…nice. Trust me, I would know.”

Hit with a wave of curiosity, I ask, “Can I see what else they wrote about you?”

She nods as she hands me her phone. I reach for my eyeglasses in my breast pocket and place them on my face. She watches me intently, but I shrug. “Like I said, I’m old. I can’t read anything without these.”

She runs her lower lip through her teeth as she stares at my face. “They suit you.”

We share a heated glance before I look down at her phone and see that her screen is a photo of her daughter. “She’s beautiful,” I tell her honestly.

“Thank you.”

“She looks just like you. Two gorgeous women.”

Her cheeks flush a bright shade of red. She’s too cute. And effortlessly sexy. She doesn’t try to be like most women. She just is. And it’s all natural.

I hold up the phone and admit, “I don’t know how to work this.”

She giggles as she stands. “Scooch over. I’ll help you.”

I happily shift over in my chair, a little too excited about her sitting so close to me. She removes her shoes and settles in next to me. It’s a good thing she’s small because I’m a big man, and if she were any larger, we wouldn’t fit.

The sides of our bodies are pressed together in the tight confines, and mine lights up in a way it hasn’t in years. Despite the warmth of the late summer night, I see goosebumps spread across her chest.

As she takes the phone from me, our fingers brush, and I swear I feel an electric current. Her sharp intake of air tells me she felt it too.

She hands me her glass of wine. “Hold this. Feel free to drink from it. I don’t care.”

The thought of my lips touching the spot where hers just did sends an unexpected thrill through my body. I take a sip and let the fruity taste of the unusually good German Riesling easily slide down my throat. I’m not much of a white wine fan, but this was the best bottle I could find at the bar.

She does a few weird swiping movements with her fingers, and before I know it, there are photos of her with words under them.

She sighs. “Excuse the photos. My friends chose them.”

I point to one of her in scrubs without an ounce of makeup on her pretty face and with messy hair. “I like this one.”

She scrunches her face. “You do? It’s so plain.”

I nod. “Men want to see what women really look like. Not some over-made version of them. You’re a naturally beautiful woman. You don’t need fancy clothes or makeup.” Pointing to the scrubs, I ask, “Are you a medical doctor?”

She shakes her head. “No, I’m a physical therapist. I work at Pennsylvania Hospital.”

“Hmm. I’ve been in physical therapy for most of my life. None have looked like you. I would have enjoyed my various injuries a bit more if they had.”

Her head turns, and her blue eyes meet my green ones. “Are you flirting with me, Jett?”

I remove a loose strand of hair from her delicate face, letting my finger gently caress her soft skin. “So you know, I have zero game, as my son would say. I don’t date, I never lie, and I have the unfortunate character trait of speaking my mind without thinking through the consequences. So, no, I’m not flirting. I’m shooting straight. You’re the most stunning woman here tonight. That’s me being too honest.”

With her penetrating eyes still staring at mine, she wordlessly nods before moving them back to her phone. I do the same and read the prompt aloud. “What’s your love language?”