Love Bug (The Prescotts Book 3) by Tara Wyatt (electric book reader .TXT) 📗

She pulled her phone out of her clutch, saw a text message from Elliott that said “ok” and then opened the app, showing it to Dori.

“Any interesting matches?” Dori asked, waggling her eyebrows.

Willa smiled and shrugged. “I have a handful so far. I might get more as people fill out the questionnaire. But I’m not using it to find a date. I’m testing it. You know, usability, functionality. Stuff like that.”

“Who says you couldn’t do both? When was the last time you went out with someone? When was the last time you had sex?”

At the mention of sex, Willa flushed, fidgeting with her phone. “It’s been a while since I went on a date,” she said, avoiding the topic of sex. She hadn’t told anyone about her night with Max, not even Lauren and Kayla. “The last boyfriend I had was Justin, the photographer, and we broke up…over a year ago now,” she said, wincing slightly. She’d dated Justin for about a year and the breakup had been mutual—the relationship had petered out and they’d both been ready to go their separate ways. She’d taken a little time to regroup and by the time she’d felt ready to start dating again, she’d been in the throes of her uncontrollable crush on her emotionally unavailable boss.

A crush she was determined to get over, she reminded herself.

Biting her lip, she scrolled to the tab that held her matches. So far, she’d matched with four users—SilverFox44, DashingDeveloper, TechieDude, and YourMrRight. They all had compatibility scores in the seventies, except for SilverFox44, who she’d scored an 82% with. She hadn’t messaged any of them yet, but maybe she would. Later. After a little liquid courage.

Dori nodded, nudging her gently. “Right, so that’s a long time that you haven’t really been dating. So maybe you shouldn’t just brush off these matches. After all, they’re scientifically vetted, or whatever, right? Maybe you should test how compatibility rankings translate to real life connections.”

Willa pursed her lips, thinking. Dori had a point. It had been a while since she’d put herself out there, and if she did meet someone, it might help her move on from Max.

She spotted Elliott’s tall frame as he made his way up the stairs, dressed in a dark green T-shirt, jeans, and scuffed up boots. Honestly, they were probably the fanciest clothes he owned, and at least they weren’t covered in a layer of sawdust and wood resin. She rose from her chair and closed the distance between them, flinging her arms around him in a hug.

“Hey, bro,” she said, giving him a squeeze. “Glad you made it.”

He glanced around uncertainly and then nodded. “I’m here.” From the way he said it, it was pretty clear he’d rather be anywhere else. She grabbed his hand and led him back to their table before he could bolt.

“Just try to have fun,” she called over her shoulder. “Have a drink or two. Maybe dance. Enjoy yourself.”

“I have whiskey at home, and I hate dancing.”

She ignored his comment and dragged him back to the table, not sitting down until he’d folded himself into the chair across from her. She introduced him to Dori, whose mouth fell open as she stared at Elliott. It was a common occurrence when she introduced her brother to women. With his thick, light brown hair, model-worthy good looks and broad, muscled frame, he was never lacking for female attention.

“Um. Yeah. Hi,” shouted Dori, fiddling with her hair. “You are extremely good looking.” Her cheeks turned red and she shook her head. “I mean, you and Willa look alike. Not that I have a crush on Willa, I just mean you have good genes, and…”

Willa looped an arm around Dori’s shoulders and pulled her close. “Aw, thanks Dor. Also, Elliott is gay, so you can chill.”

Dori slumped a little. “Oh. Ha. I’m both relieved and disappointed.”

Willa spotted Brandon returning, a bottle of champagne and several glasses in his hands. His steps slowed as he approached the table, his eyes on Elliott. He narrowed his gaze, his mouth pulling down in a frown.

“Oh. It’s you.” Brandon’s lip curled up in a slight sneer.

Elliott’s eyes went wide as he stared at Brandon and he rubbed a hand over his mouth. “Oh. Uh, hey,” he said awkwardly, his blush obvious even in the club’s low lighting.

“You two know each other?” asked Willa, her eyes bouncing back and forth between her friend and her brother.

Brandon started working on the cork of the champagne bottle. “We met on a dating app….what? Six months ago? And we went on two dates and then your brother ghosted me.”

Willa tilted her head, giving Elliott what she hoped was a mildly disappointed look. “Elliott!”

Elliott’s gaze shifted between her and Brandon and he shrugged. “I wasn’t in a good place. I’m sorry.”

Brandon licked his lips and studied him and then shook his head. “Whatever.” He popped the cork, champagne foaming over his fingers. “Let’s just forget about it.” He then poured everyone a glass of champagne, even Elliott.

Willa raised her glass. “To Brandon and his meeting tomorrow, and to my new roommate Dori. And to my brother, for showing his face.”

Brandon raised his glass, too. “To Willa on her successful beta launch, to Dori for being adorable as shit, and to Elliott, who I’d assumed was dead.”

The corner of Elliott’s mouth kicked up and Willa took a long sip of her champagne, letting the bubbles work their magic. A catchy Dua Lipa song started playing and Willa drained the rest of her champagne, then stood up and pulled Dori to her feet.

“Come on, let’s go dance.” She felt more than saw Elliott’s dirty look at leaving him alone with Brandon, but she wasn’t responsible for his bad dating etiquette.

The next couple of hours passed in a blur of loud music, dancing, drinks, and laughter. Willa wasn’t drunk but she had a nice buzz humming through her system, making her feel warm and happy. The endorphins from the dancing coupled with the champagne