Page 68 of Scoring Chances

We walk in greeted by a young girl at the counter with long braids. Her skin is radiant and so is her smile. “Hi! Welcome to LitJava!”

I return her smile and then turn to Lillian who says hi to the girl. They chat like they know each other while I take in my surroundings. The vibe is nice here. There’s local art hanging on the walls with Houston themes. A kid’s area with their very own Kid’s cafe and cute little tables and chairs. Parker and Maddie would love it here.

I love the bright orange reading chairs mixed with cozy looking leather ones. They’re grouped in twos throughout the space.

“Hi! I’m Dee, I’m with one of the owners here.” A woman with kind eyes and a killer dress approaches me. “Are you here for speed dating night?”

I tug on my dress, nervously. “Hi! Yeah, it’s my first time doing anything like this.”

Dee laughs. “Oh, us too. We didn’t think anyone would show up but looks like we have some secret book lovers among us.” She lifts a brow toward some of the men walking in. “I’m sure it’ll be fun.”

Lillian orders our coffees and we take our seats separate from each other. According to the rules displayed on the TV above what looks like an open mic stage, the women will stay seated and the men will be rotating.

We’re all handed cards and a tiny pencil. The cards are lined for us to write down our dates’ names and any notes we want to make about them. Things like their favorite books, genres, their last five star read.

Ok, maybe this will be fun after all.

And the guys that showed up tonight look surprisingly… intriguing. There’s a man wearing an open collared shirt and slacks reading a thriller on one of the couches. He has a strong-jaw and pushes his glasses up on his nose when they start to slip. He looks up from his book and smiles at me before returning to his read.

Another guy is browsing the personal development section. He’s dressed in jeans and a black shirt that hugs his biceps and I can’t help but admire the way it stretches over a nice back.

More women arrive and take their seats one by one.

I look around. There’s such a mix of women, too. Not just in ethnicity but in style. From put together business professionals to women in yoga pants to a young girl wearing a crop top and overalls with purple hair.

But it looks like everyone here has something in common. We love books. And I love Lillian for picking this place.

I check my phone and get a little worried that Keelan still isn’t here. We’re getting started any minute now.

A text comes through.

Lillian

Focus on the hot literate males we have all around us please. Not your sleazy jock. Thank you!

I chuckle and text her back.

Me:

Quit slut-shaming my boss.

I look up to see her rolling her eyes. But she sits up straight and looks over my shoulder.

When I turn around. He’s there. My boss. My sleazy jock.

Why is he here?

He doesn’t take one look at me. Instead, he waltzes up to the coffee bar and orders himself a drink. Then peruses the book selection, chatting it up with a fellow speed dater.

I look at Lillian and she mouths “What the hell?”

I shrug, showing my hands.

Is he tailing me?

I get up from my seat and walk over to him. He’s wearing a tan short sleeved collared shirt with the first two buttons undone, a pair of navy slacks that fit him just right and some loafers–no ball cap. His hair is pushed back in a way that makes him look sophisticated but not like he’s trying too hard. This might be the most put together that I’ve ever seen Joshua Hicks outside of a Heatwave charity event.

I tap him on the shoulder and he turns around pretending to be startled to see me.