My hand shook as I gripped the knife tightly. It took all my willpower not to turn around and use it on that SOBs eyes.
"Can you get her a slice of apple pie? She's never tried it before," Kyle asked me, casually bringing his new girlfriend into Lou's Inn. Of all the places in the world, he just had to take her to the diner where I worked. Seriously?
My sister was right. We had a knack for choosing the wrong men. It had only been fifty-eight hours and twenty-two minutes since Kyle dumped me, but he had already moved on. Five months of my life, wasted. And for her?
I glanced back at the girl, unable to think of a good insult for her. She was gorgeous with fiery curly hair, big green eyes, and adorable freckles dotting her creamy arms and legs. I recognized her from my precalculus class—Esme, I think her name was. This town was too small.
They sat in our corner booth, the one where Kyle and I used to share milkshakes during my breaks. Now he sat there with his tongue down her throat while running his fingers up and down her arm. He never kissed me like that. Maybe he just wasn’t that into me…
My stomach twisted painfully as I set the knife down. How dare Kyle flaunt her in front of me after tossing my heart aside like yesterday's trash?
Their loud laughter felt like a dagger in my ears, mocking me. With a surge of betrayal burning inside, I pushed my glasses up my nose and fought the urge to take the whole pie and smash it into his face.
"Hey, Everly, what's wrong?" Asha asked, appearing beside me with her thick lashes fluttering. She looked past me and noticed Kyle flaunting his shiny trophy. “Oh, honey,” she cooed, placing her brown hand on mine. “Let me take over,” she said, handing me the coffeepot. “Table six needs a refill.” She gave a playful wink.
My gaze moved from the coffeepot in my hand and out to the guy sitting at table six. To Finn Dunlap—an enigma wrapped in a blue dress shirt with a loose tie around his neck. His tousled dark hair fell into his gray-blue eyes that seemed to hold an ocean’s worth of secrets. No one knew much about Finn, aside from his name.
Maybe it was time to change that.
I straightened my spine, pushing aside my hurt and humiliation as I grabbed a stainless-steel spatula to glimpse my pale complexion.
Asha giggled and snapped her fingers. “Work it, girl.” She strutted away with Kyle’s stupid pie order.
I ran my hand through my short, dark pixie cut, making sure every strand was in place before forcing a smile onto my tense face.
If Kyle wanted to show off his new girl, I could show him I had moved on, too. Sure, Finn was older and out of my league. But there was no way Kyle could compete with that, even if it was just harmless flirting.
I waltzed over to Finn’s table, head held high, passing right by Kyle and what’s-her-face. As I approached, Finn shook his hair from his eyes. “Hey there,” I chirped cheerfully as I refilled his cup.
He nodded at me. “Thank you.” His voice was low and smooth, like melted chocolate. But almost instantly, his gaze flicked back to his newspaper. His tousled front hair gave him an air of mystery, as if he had secrets hidden up his sleeve. I couldn't shake the feeling that those secrets were darker than anything our sleepy little town had ever known—and I was determined to unravel them.
I leaned casually against the empty booth next to him, my fingers playing with my apron as I asked the obvious question. "You're not from around here, are you?"
Strike one, Sherlock.
Finn merely shrugged in response, taking a sip of coffee and avoiding eye contact with me.
"Why Graybury?" I persisted, more like a detective than a flirtatious server.
Strike two.
Finn sat down his mug, and I tried not to squirm under the intensity of his stare. “Just passing through.”
A smug grin spread across my face. Mysterious yet intriguing. "Well, it's always nice to see fresh faces around here. If you need anything at all, I'm your girl," I said with a playful squeeze of his broad shoulder. Stepping away from the table, I turned to leave, but then paused. "Hitchcock," I blurted out as an afterthought. Finn looked up from his newspaper, his expression giving nothing away. My palms suddenly felt sweaty as I continued, unsure of why I felt the need to keep talking. "You strike me as someone who appreciates the classics. And if you're looking for something to do tonight, there's this old drive-in theater on the outskirts of town showing a Hitchcock marathon."
Please be into black-and-white movies.
“Oh—no, I’m okay,” Finn said before sticking his nose back into his boring newspaper, effectively shutting down any further conversation.
Strike… Just shut up already.
Sure, his rejection stung, but I wasn’t leaving until I got something from my attempts. On tiptoes, I craned my neck to glimpse exactly what he was reading in the paper. SINGLES SCENE, the bold header read. Personal ads?
“Looking for a date?” I asked, and instantly wished I could push the REWIND button.
Finn shifted to me, his face flushing with heat. “I’m sorry, but do you mind?”
“Oh—” I sputtered, slowly taking a step back. “I’m just gonna… I’ll be over there if you need me.” I eased away from his table, my mind whirring.
The thought of him trawling through personal ads hoping someone would reply fueled an odd mix of emotions within me: jealousy, pity and—if I'm being honest—intrigue. Finn was drop dead gorgeous—how could he be single?
I slipped into the kitchen and took a sharp inhale as an idea popped into my head. Maybe there was a way for me to learn more about this handsome stranger.
Quickly grabbing Asha's wrist as she hurried past with a bottle of ketchup, I said, "I'm going to take a quick bathroom break, okay?"
Asha pouted her luscious lips and asked, "Oh no, did things not go well?" I sadly shook my head, and she gripped my shoulder in support. "Don't worry, boo, keep your head up."
Oh, I definitely would. Because I had one more trick up my sleeve.
Once locked inside the bathroom stall, I pulled out my cellphone and searched for Finn’s profile. There was only one dating site locals used to hook up: MatchBox. Though I’d never been on MatchBox before, I knew of it through my sister Lani. She used to rave about how guys would go crazy over you if you posted a slutty picture of yourself and wrote something snarky in the “About Me” section. MatchBox was Lani’s go to whenever she wanted to make a guy jealous.
Ha. Sorta like what I was doing now. I grinned smugly while swiping away profile after profile. With Graybury being such a small town and my search narrowed down by age, race, and gender, surely, I would find Finn if he was on MatchBox.
But after turning page after page with no luck, frustration simmered within me. I couldn't stay locked in that stall forever.
"Come on, there's got to be something," I whispered to myself. My heart raced, and my fingertips tingled with anticipation. Yes, it was intrusive and borderline creepy, but this was an opportunity I was not willing to pass up.
I heard my boss, Lou, calling my name from the other side of the door. I quickly stuffed my phone into my pocket and pretended to wash my hands as I rushed to respond. "Coming!" I yelled back, flushing the toilet with my foot.
"Just in time. We have a family of five waiting to be served," he sang in an annoyingly chipper tone.
I rolled my eyes and forced a fake smile before flinging open the door. "All good now," I said, patting my stomach.
Lou, an older but energetic man, was usually not too bad to work for. However, when we were busy, he cracked under pressure. But then again, he had been running this restaurant for over thirty years, so he knew what he was doing.
I followed him out to the dining area and saw the family sitting at table six. I slammed into an invisible wall.
Finn was gone.
* * *
That night, the amber glow of the streetlights filtered through my curtains, casting a warm hue over my bedroom as I stared at my laptop screen. The idea of Finn having a dating profile lingered in my mind like an itch I couldn't scratch. So back to MatchBox it was.
Then, finally, I found it. Finn, in all his mysterious glory, his profile cryptic, hinting at a dark past and an insatiable curiosity for the unknown. A few generic interests and a single photo were all that appeared on his page. Nothing else.
Are you kidding me? My head tilted to the ceiling. But wait—Finn was literally just a click away from me.
I studied his features, those brooding bedroom eyes resembling Robert Pattison. He looked so hot.
My cursor hovered over the CREATE PROFILE button—my burning desire to contact him equally matched with a fear of rejection. One look at my boring photo, and Finn wouldn’t bother responding.
My photo? What was I saying? Sixteen wasn’t even old enough for a dating site. But they didn’t have to know that…
I spun in my desk chair, my gaze drifting around the room, and then finally settling on a picture of me and Lani perched on my nightstand. The photo captured my sister's beauty perfectly: Lani's honey-blonde hair cascading over her shoulders, her almond-shaped eyes shimmering, and that effortlessly sexy smile that could make anyone weak in the knees.
"Maybe…" I whispered, an idea forming in my mind. I knew Lani had deleted her MatchBox account before going off to college. “There are bigger fish in the sea,” she had said, eager to get out of Graybury.
I’d spent countless hours listening to Lani’s stories of conquests and heartaches. I knew her like the back of my hand and was certain I could make her profile as authentic and believable as possible.
As I typed in my sister’s details, though, I couldn't help but feel a flicker of guilt. But if using Lani's image gave me a chance to connect with Finn, wasn't it worth it? Absolutely.
Taking a deep breath, I began crafting the fake profile. With every detail I filled in, I felt my anxiety ebbing away, replaced by a thrill I hadn't experienced before. It was like stepping into someone else's skin, gaining access to a world that excluded me.
"All right, Lani, let's see if you can work your magic," I said, taking a moment to review the profile one last time before uploading it to the dating site. It needed to be alluring, and, most importantly, convincing.
Journalism student by day, adventurer by night, I'm not afraid to dive into the unknown or chase after a good story. I'm drawn to mysteries, unexplained phenomena, and hidden secrets. Maybe it's the reporter in me, but I just can't resist a good puzzle.
Okay, that last bit was so me, but it fit Lani’s profile just as well. The image I chose was of Lani standing on a picturesque cliffside, the wind tousling her hair. Her half Filipino heritage dominated in this picture, those gorgeous almond-shaped eyes staring fiercely into the distance. The background was a breathtaking mix of blues and greens, but it was Lani who truly captured the essence of wild freedom.
As soon as it went live, my heart raced with anticipation. Would Finn find the profile?
My mind was in a constant frenzy as I paced my room, stealing quick glances at my laptop. Possibilities flooded my thoughts, each one more exhilarating and daunting than the last. Would this actually work? Or would it all be for nothing? What did I hope to achieve from this risky endeavor?
A sudden ping broke me out of my racing thoughts, drawing me back to the computer screen. I leaned in closer to read the notification.
TappinThat37: I’ve never dated an Asian chick before, but you look yummy sweetheart
Some middle-aged, scrawny dude with a blond Santa Claus beard tried to start a conversation.
Ugh… I dismissed his chat and almost immediately, other chat notifications popped up. One after another, random guys attempted to connect with Lani’s MatchBox profile.
6InchesOfHeaven: Hey sexy… what’s your favorite position?
BigMacT: Damn girl. That pic is fire. Got any nudies?
"Are you serious?" I squealed, my finger clicking aggressively on the mouse to dismiss the lewd chat boxes. "I'm so sorry, sis..." I muttered, feeling a twinge of guilt for exposing my sister to such vulgar comments. Did guys actually think they could hook up with girls by talking like that? It was repulsive.
I shuddered and gasped, suddenly realizing something. If Finn was also on MatchBox, did that mean he had the same crude mindset? Oh god, I hoped not. I couldn't even pinpoint why I wanted to connect with Finn. Loneliness? It had only been three days since my breakup. Or maybe it was seeing how quickly Kyle had moved on that triggered me.
Rolling my eyes, I stared at the screen, the blinking cursor mocking me. The minutes dragged on like hours, each passing second amplifying my anxiety.
"Come on, Finn. Find her already."
I willed the universe to make it happen. I couldn't focus on anything else. The waiting game consumed all my energy. My fingers hovered over the keyboard. Don’t tell me all this profile attracted were filthy-mouthed loners?
Maybe I should just message Finn first. But no, that would be too obvious, too desperate. Finn should come to Lani on his own terms. After all, I wasn’t certain he’d even take the bait. What if Lani wasn’t his type, either?
"Patience, Ev," I scolded myself, forcing my hands to stay still. After another twenty minutes, I got up from my desk chair and shifted to the comfort of my bed. Normally, I’d stalk Kyle’s social media pages for traces that he missed me. But since seeing him with that girl, I wasn’t sure I could take it. Not in the privacy of my room, where I could cry my heart out.
* * *
I couldn't sleep. The moment my head hit the pillow, thoughts of Finn discovering Lani's profile haunted me. And what he might say. My heart raced, chest tightening with each thunderous beat. It was maddening, the way my mind wouldn't let me rest.
Hours later, I gave in to my insomnia and crept out of bed. The moonlight cast eerie shadows across my bedroom floor as I moved like a ghost toward my laptop, which sat on my desk, mocking me with its silence.
With adrenaline flooding my system, I signed on to MatchBox, and there the new message sat in my inbox, from none other than Finn Dunlap.
Finn_D: Hi Lani
