Page 70 of Snowed In with You

Anthony nodded furiously. ‘Totally. And it’s not like I haven’t tried, babe. Why do you think I took you to Lee’s wedding? I thought you might start to think of me as more than just some guy you fuck.’

‘Wait,’ said Marco, sitting up. ‘You went to a wedding with this guy, but you wouldn’t go to Paris with me?’

Lucy started to laugh. ‘Please don’t fight. It was a favour.’ The heartfelt respect of these two warmed her fragile heart – even if it was just sex, she’d chosen two genuinely good men.

‘So what are you saying?’ asked Anthony. ‘That you’re ready to, like, date properly?’

‘I think so,’ said Lucy, pushing aside the inevitable thoughts of Nate. ‘I’m ready to give it a try, anyway.’

‘Are either of us on the list?’ asked Marco. ‘Because I would like to apply for this position.’

‘How would she choose, though?’ asked Anthony, his brow furrowed.

‘Hmm,’ said Marco thoughtfully. ‘Some kind of competition? I am very good at chess.’

‘I’m a boxer, mate,’ said Anthony. ‘But I’d love to learn to play chess.’

‘When you’re both finished,’ Lucy cut in, feeling like a weight had lifted already. ‘Neither of you is on the list, I’m afraid. I need to start again. A fresh page, no history.’ Again she thought of Nate, and whether she’d apply the same rules if he were sitting on the other side of the table, asking her to love him. Almost certainly not.

‘Fair enough,’ said Anthony. ‘As long as you promise to call if you change your mind.’

‘Same,’ said Marco with a grin. ‘And I will miss being naked with you.’

‘Yeah, me too,’ said Lucy. ‘Thanks for coming today, both of you. I really appreciate it.’

‘What do we do now?’ said Anthony. ‘You’ve dumped us both before the food has even arrived.’

‘Chat? Enjoy each other’s company?’ said Lucy. ‘We can still do that, for today at least.’

‘Yeah, I s’pose,’ said Anthony, turning to Marco. ‘What do you do for a living, then?’

Lucy smiled as Marco launched into a monologue about the importance of insurance for heritage buildings. The next part of her plan started this afternoon, when she planned to sign up for some dating apps. She waved at the waiter and pointed to her empty glass, working on the basis that some things should never, ever be done sober.

‘I need your help,’ said Lucy, pushing in her earbuds as she rummaged in the fridge for snacks and more wine. ‘What do you know about dating apps?’

‘Why are you asking me?’ said Jonno. ‘I’m in Wagamama for a birthday lunch with sixteen fourteen-year-old girls. I’ve been married to the same woman for over twenty years, and she would cut off my balls if I so much as looked at a dating app.’

‘OK, but you probably have lots of friends who do this kind of thing,’ said Lucy. ‘I need one that’s going to filter out the fuckboys and ghosters. I want all members screened for emotional intelligence and basic human decency.’

‘And dashing good looks, obviously.’

‘Well, obviously,’ said Lucy.

‘How much are you prepared to pay?’

‘I’m not sure. Quite a bit, probably.’

‘There are definitely member-only sites, for sure,’ said Jonno. ‘Like, exclusive dating clubs where all the members are vetted and you have to meet certain criteria, or something. But it means you don’t have to wade through all the dross.’

‘I want that,’ said Lucy, despite having no idea if she would meet the criteria.

‘Hold fire then,’ said Jonno. ‘I’m going to message a woman called Tamsyn. She’s a friend of Marcia’s, very high up in tech. Met a guy through one of these sites, they’re getting married in July.’

‘Excellent,’ said Lucy. ‘Can you ask her to call me?’

‘Yeah,’ said Jonno. ‘Leave it with me.’

‘You’re a babe,’ said Lucy. ‘Good luck with Wagamama.’