Married This Year 4: Ticket To Ride Read online

  He’d brought his dog along, which she’d thought was a nice touch, until he’d insisted they sit right near the window so his “baby” could see him. He’d gotten up no less than ten times to get items for the dog. First it was water, and then a request to Cindy for something the dog could eat. After that, he’d moved the dog into the shade, went out to check that its collar wasn’t too tight, and chased off a small boy who wanted to pat the animal. By that point, Jordan had had enough and she excused herself, citing another appointment. Her date had cheerfully grinned at her, said goodbye, and rushed out to the dog. The last she saw of him, he was carrying it up the street and letting it lick his mouth.

  Eww…

  She settled herself now at her favourite table and ignored Cindy’s questioning stare. After pulling up a book on her Kindle, she kept herself busy reading while she waited for victim number four to show up.

  She was engrossed in the story a few minutes later, when she heard a soft cough beside her table. Jordan looked up into the most stunning green eyes she’d ever seen as the hand with the Kindle fell onto her lap.

  She didn’t speak as she gazed up at her date, and he eventually stuck out his hand, “Hi, I’m Richard. You’re Jordan?” She took his hand and nodded mutely, unable to believe those eyes.

  His Tinder photos do not do him justice.

  “Can I get you a drink?”

  She snapped herself out of her stupor and smiled up at him with what she hoped was an engaging grin. “Yes, please. I’ll have a black coffee.” He smiled and turned away to place his order with Cindy, and Jordan’s eyes crept down his back.

  Damn, those jeans fit him well. So far, so good.

  He returned with the drinks and settled himself opposite her. “So, Jordan, what do you do for work?” He wasted no time getting to the questions—or maybe he was trying to put her at ease.

  “I run a website. I write the articles, organise advertising, and that sort of thing. How about you?”

  “I’m an advertising executive. We run all the big campaigns you see on television—mostly for beer companies or soft drink brands.”

  “That sounds interesting.”

  “It’s alright. It pays well, and there are loads of perks, like not working on Saturdays.” He smiled and she relaxed for the first time that day.

  Maybe my luck has finally changed.

  They chatted for the next thirty minutes, or so, and Jordan had decided she was quite comfortable with him when he started checking his watch. She was in the middle of telling him about some of the funniest spam messages she’d received on her website when he suddenly held up his hand, looking uncomfortable. “Is everything okay?” she asked.

  “It is, but Jordan, I’m afraid I’m going to have to run.” Her eyes narrowed and he placed his hand over hers on the table. “It’s not what you think, I promise. I made plans with a mate to go to the football this afternoon. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy myself with you so much.” He realised what he’d said and frowned at himself. “Sorry, that didn’t come out right. I thought I’d be here for thirty minutes and then I’d be able to escape. You’re fun, though, and I’d like to see you again, if that’s okay.”

  She smiled at him as she thought about the warmth of his hand on hers. He was someone she’d definitely like to see again. “Sure, that’d be great. Do you want to make a time, or do you want to call me?”

  “How about I walk you to your car and we can check our calendars? Mine’s pretty free, to be honest.”

  They rose from the table as Jordan realised she was going to have to go to her car, as though she didn’t live directly upstairs. As they moved to the door, he placed his hand on the small of her back; for a nanosecond, she considered confessing, but something stopped her. It was too soon to tell him where she lived, no matter how much she liked him. It was also kind of weird to have to tell him she lived upstairs and had scheduled her dates an hour apart downstairs. After a day of meeting odd men, she wasn’t ready to be thought of as the weird girl from Tinder.

  She led him to her car, kicking herself mentally for not considering this possibility. They walked to the side street where it was parked, and he suggested they meet in two weeks on a Tuesday night for dinner. She popped it in her calendar and shook his hand before sliding into her car and giggling to herself.

  Where should she go? She didn’t have any errands to run, and she knew everyone else was off doing their thing. She put the car in gear and pulled out onto the street. When she stopped at the corner to turn right, she noticed Richard getting into a late model, red sports car.

  Tick off another item from the list. He’s doing pretty well.

  Jordan turned onto the street and again at the next intersection. She drove for a block or two, trying to decide what she should do with herself. As she stopped at the next intersection with her right indicator on, she knew exactly where she would go. She turned, turned right again, and before she knew it, she was sliding into the parking spot she’d vacated a few minutes earlier. Chuckling to herself, she locked up the car and returned to the coffee shop, heading for the stairs. Cindy’s questioning stare followed her through the store as she swept past.

  ***

  Her dinner date with Richard rolled around faster than Jordan expected. She was working on a big project to revamp her website, and several times in the next two weeks, she found herself hunched over in front of the computer at two in the morning. Sleeping in the next day meant the days passed quickly, and before she knew it, she was getting ready to meet Richard at the restaurant he’d texted her about.

  She was ready early, so she sat on the couch and checked her messages to pass the time. In the weeks since she’d met Richard, she’d signed up with eHarmony and match.com, and she’d had quite a large response from the men of the world. Too many, in fact, and she’d had to cheat a little bit on the rule that, if they asked her out, she had to say yes. Men who messaged through dating apps weren’t the same as men you met in a restaurant or in a club, it seemed, and in the end, she’d said no to quite a few of them.

  A man named Peter had asked her to go out with him on his boat on the weekend and she still couldn’t decide whether to say yes. Going alone on a boat did not sound like a safe idea for a first date, no matter how she tried to spin it in her head. She messaged him to tell him she didn’t feel comfortable about it, and he replied almost instantly.

  SORRY, MY MISTAKE. WE AREN’T GOING TO BE ALONE; THERE’S A BOAT CREW AND OTHER GUESTS. TAKE A CHANCE?

  She read the message and frowned. It couldn’t be that bad, if others were coming along, too, could it? Taking the bull by the horns seemed to be what was required of her these days, so she quickly accepted, and he gave her the details for their weekend meet up. She didn’t have long to think about it, as it was time to get herself to the restaurant to meet Richard.

  This whole dating thing has definitely improved my social life, if nothing else.

  ***

  Richard met her outside the restaurant, looking dapper in a dark green shirt and black pants. His eyes sparkled whenever he looked at her, and Jordan felt a tiny trickle of desire creep down her spine. If he kept this up, Richard might wipe the competition out of the running. She had to admit that she’d like that a lot. Agreeing to dates and scheduling them into her calendar was proving to kill some of the romance she expected when meeting men.

  Insisting the guys on her list all had their own cars was pointless, too, since she wasn’t giving out her home address to any of them. Either they picked her up from somewhere else, or she drove herself. When she drove it took away all the chances for mindless chatter in the car. She’d always been convinced that the conversations that helped you get to know someone were the ones that occurred when people were the most relaxed. She felt like her dates were on their best behaviour whenever she spent time with them; it wasn’t exactly perfect for meeting your soul mate or getting to know what made someone tick.

  The waiter showed them to their table and they m
ade small talk as Richard told her about his day. She didn’t have much to share; she’d written two blog posts, booked the next month’s advertising, and spent the rest of the day on social media. It was hardly scintillating stuff to a big ad executive.

  He was nice, though, and he made her feel like he was interested in her and what she had to say. They discussed the upcoming election and laughed together as the couple at the next table had a row right there in the restaurant before both storming out. The waiter running after them and demanding that someone pay for the meal had them both in stitches again as they waited for their dessert to arrive.

  Jordan was happy and relaxed when Richard broached the subject of what they should do next. “So, I have a question for you.” His finger ran along the back of her hand as he looked at her. “Are you interested in taking this further with me?”

  She laughed awkwardly—talking about her feelings was not her strong suit. “I’d like to. You’re one of the few normal people on Tinder, it seems. One of the other guys asked me for sex before he’d even finished his coffee.”

  “Wow. That’s keen.”

  “Yeah. Obviously, my answer was no. I’m really looking for something more long-term.” She sighed, “Tinder definitely appears to be a place for hook-ups more than serious relationships.”

  “You’re right. I’ve had my share of hook-ups on there.” He signalled the waiter to bring them more coffee. “So, want to catch a movie on the weekend? Maybe on Sunday?”

  “Sure. What should we see?”

  “You choose. I’ll pay.” He grinned as the waiter put his cup in front of him, and he thanked him. You could learn a lot from how people treated wait staff in restaurants, and Richard was shaping up to be a real keeper.

  “So, spill,” he said, pulling her attention to his face. “I want to hear every crazy Tinder story you have.”

  “Oh, you’ll be here all night. I only joined up on New Year’s Day, which means a month of the madness. I could already write a book.”

  “Come on, then. Tell me, what’s your record for meeting up in one day?

  “Honestly?”

  “Yes. I’ll go first. I met four girls on the same day. It was exhausting.”

  She laughed at the look on his face and decided to be brave and tell him. “Well, my record is four, as well. The Saturday we met, you were number four.”

  “Ooh, and you kept me around! I’m flattered.”

  “Sorry to rain on your parade, but you shouldn’t be flattered. Two of the first three were insane, and one didn’t show up.”

  “Wow. How to deflate my ego in a matter of seconds!”

  “Sorry.”

  “It must be because I walked you to your car, huh? Chivalry and all that?”

  She snickered as she thought of the last two Saturdays and the five separate occasions that one of her dates had insisted on walking her to her car. She’d been round and round the block in the last few weeks—so many times that she could probably name each of her neighbours on different streets, by now. “It’s definitely not that.”

  “So, you’ve had dates in the last few weeks. How’d they turn out?”

  “I’m here with you, aren’t I?” she asked as he started to laugh.

  “Who would have thought I’d be the most normal from a big bunch?” He chuckled again and she joined in until they were both giggling like children.

  She laughed even harder when she realised she could never tell him that Cindy had bailed her up on the third Saturday and asked her if she was sleeping with each of the men she’d left the café with!

  ***

  “What the hell do you mean we’re going shark diving?” Adrenaline rushed through Jordan’s body as she stared at Peter with a horrified look on her face. “Why didn’t you tell me this was your plan?”

  He looked guilty, but not guilty enough to convince her that this wasn’t part of his regular routine to screen his dates. “My last girlfriend never did what I wanted to do. She wasn’t into extreme sports or anything more exciting than a trip to a different supermarket than the one she usually visited. I want more than that this time around.” He pointed at the shark cage being lowered into the water as Jordan’s fingers clenched tightly around the metal railing. “I want to see how you handle extreme stress before I go any further with this relationship.” He smiled at her, willing her to understand.

  “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” She flicked her eyes up to the clouds above, fighting back tears of fury and fear. “You didn’t think to put on your profile that you wanted someone who was into extreme sports, as well? Wouldn’t that have been simpler than this charade?”

  She glared at him as she thought about the start of their morning. He’d met her at the boat, complimented her on her outfit, and they’d come aboard and met the other couples. Jordan thought they’d all been dressed fairly casually, and she’d definitely been confused when the captain had them all get into wetsuits. It wasn’t until the shark cage was winched over from God knew where that she realised she’d been tricked. Now there was no way out of taking her turn without causing a scene. She turned away from him as she examined the cage sloshing around in the choppy ocean.

  “Sorry. I thought it would be fun.”

  “Well, are you having fun now, knowing that we’re not compatible, but that we have to spend the rest of the afternoon together? Didn’t you think for one second how I might feel about this?”

  “I guess not.”

  “You’re a dick. I’m deleting Tinder the second I get home,” she muttered to herself as she watched a couple listen to the instructions from the staff and then climb into the cage. They both looked terrified, and Jordan wondered what had caused them to book this tour. Her heart sat in her throat as she watched the captain stir up the water and throw some fish in to get the sharks to come closer. This was the last place she ever expected to be today.

  Pushing thoughts aside of what would happen to them if their boat were to sink after they’d attracted all these sharks to the area, she considered her options. She knew she could sit this out if she insisted. Peter would sulk, but she didn’t owe him an explanation. He’d paid for this trip, though, and it might be the only chance in her life she ever got to do something as crazy as this.

  It might be the only time, because you might die today. She squeezed her eyes shut and summoned the courage to go through with it. Opening them and looking around at the boat decked out with safety equipment eased her mind slightly, and she was tempted to give it a try. Decide, either way. Stop being a baby. You’re either in or out.

  Peter had assumed that she wouldn’t be joining him and was standing, waiting for the safety brief. She walked over to stand beside him, careful to keep her footing as the boat moved up and down on the waves.

  He glanced at her and hope filled his eyes. “Don’t get any ideas. I’m doing this because it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You and I are not going to see each other again after today—this was a really shitty thing to do.”

  ***

  Emily, Andrea, and Shelly stared at her as she told the story of her shark experience. They’d alternated between squeals of terror and eye rolling disgust at Peter’s assumptions, and had now been silenced as she described her terror in the cage.

  “I’ve never had scuba diving gear on before—never been stuck in a cage of any sort, on land or under water. I was sure I was going to die. The sharks were so close, and all I could think about was those online videos where the day goes wrong and the shark gets into the cage. Peter, on the other hand, seemed to be having way too much fun. I swear I could hear his gleeful squealing underwater. I can’t believe he would reject a totally suitable date because she didn’t want to scare the crap out of herself every weekend.”

  “Well, if you go by the list we made, you’ll be rejecting guys who don’t have cars or who aren’t taller than you. It’s kind of the same thing, isn’t it?” Andrea was never one to hide her thoughts.

  “I guess it is,
but jeez, Andrea, you said the list was a good idea!” She pushed her friend’s arm and they all laughed. Jordan waved her phone at them. “I’ve deleted Tinder, too, thank you very much. It’s been shit since day one.”

  “Oh no, you didn’t,” Andrea said. “What about that hot guy from the café you told us about?”

  “It wasn’t him, remember? Someone else used his pic, although I’m still not convinced he wasn’t lying about that.” She crinkled her eyebrows as she thought about Luke. Every so often, his model good looks popped into her head, and she remembered she’d been unable to find his card. She then remembered the pushbike and all thoughts of him went away.

  Emily tried next. “What about Richard? You like him, don’t you?”

  “I do, but I don’t need Tinder, now that I’ve met him. He was the only normal one to come out of that whole bunch. I tried for weeks and went on eight dates, three of which stood me up. I think that’s enough, don’t you?”

  “What are you going to do now? It’s only the end of January—are you giving up already?”

  “No, I’m not giving up. Nothing has changed about my plan. I still hate being single, and I still want to walk down the aisle. I’ll have to get creative about meeting Mr Right, that’s all. Trust me, he is not on Tinder.”

  “Maybe it’s Richard.” It was Shelly’s turn to speak up. “You might still be looking, but he’s right there in front of you.”

  “You could be right. We have another date tomorrow night, and I do really like him. So, we’ll see. I’m just worried that, if I settle down and assume we’ll eventually be exclusive, I’ll be jumping the gun.”

  “Maybe you should go on one of those wedding shows,” she suggested.