appointment I can’t miss.”
“With Nick?” he asked.
Kate tutted. “What Holly should have said is that Nick is the owner of the warehouse that’s hosting her art auction tomorrow night. He’s seventy-four years old and treats Holly like his granddaughter.”
“Seventy-three,” Holly said as she pulled on her jacket. “And I’m part of a group of artists who are organizing the auction.”
Daniel stood up and held Holly’s scarf out to her. “Can I call you next week to see if you want to compare ice cream flavors?”
Holly wrapped her scarf around her neck and jammed her hat on her head. “Okay, but before I go anywhere, I’ve got something for you. Wait here.”
She grabbed Kate’s hand and pulled her toward the counter. Within thirty seconds she’d paid their bill and was standing in front of Daniel.
She held a brown paper bag toward him. “Your chocolate brownie.”
“You didn’t need to pay for lunch or a brownie, but thank you. I’m paying for our ice cream next week.”
Holly held out her hand. “It’s a deal. Thank you for meeting me. I’ve had a great time.”
Daniel shook her hand. “I’m glad I came, too.”
Before Holly could lose herself in Daniel’s blue gaze, she let go of his hand. “I’ll see you next week.” She left the café with a smile on her face. Their date had been strange but enjoyable. She didn’t know much about algorithms, but she did know that Daniel Sullivan was an interesting man.
More interesting than she thought he’d be.
***
As soon as Daniel left the café he called Blake. “We need to talk.”
“I take it your date went well?”
“As well as can be expected when Holly didn’t fill the questionnaire in herself.”
He heard Blake take a deep breath. “The story of my app gets worse and worse. Did you have anything in common with her?”
“The Bee Gees, Casablanca, and Brussel sprouts.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but that’s three things you could have talked about. At least tell me you stayed in the café for long enough to finish your pancakes?”
Daniel opened the door of his truck and sat inside the cab. “You were lucky. We spent nearly an hour going over the questionnaire. Holly is an interesting person.”
“Sounds promising. Are you telling me the go-go dancer in the photo isn’t as flaky as you thought she was?”
There was nothing flaky about Holly. If anything, he had a feeling there was a whole lot more to her than he’d first thought. “The photo was taken at a fancy dress party. Her friends not only registered her for the trial, but they provided the photo and filled out the questionnaire.”
Blake sighed. “Are you telling me that I need to start again and match you with someone else?”
“Holly is okay. I’ve only got one regret. She took home the questionnaire we filled out. If I could get a copy, I’d start analyzing why the app put us together.”
“Here’s a news flash. Call her.”
Daniel rested his arm on the steering wheel. “I can’t let her know what I’m doing. She’ll think I joined the trial for the wrong reasons.”
“You did. If anyone is going to understand your motives, Holly will. At least you filled out your own questionnaire.”
“But I wasn’t honest about why I was there. Holly told me everything, including why her friends registered her. She gets nothing out of being part of the trial apart from three dates with me.”
“Are you telling me that you’re going to see her again?”
Daniel hadn’t considered not seeing her. She intrigued him and left him wondering if an artist and a computer programmer could have anything in common. “I told her I’d call her next week.”
“You should have said this weekend. My blood pressure won’t survive if you haven’t got the questionnaire she filled out.”
Daniel watched Doris Stanley and her friends leave the café. They wore thick coats and clutched party bags in their hands. He assumed everyone
“With Nick?” he asked.
Kate tutted. “What Holly should have said is that Nick is the owner of the warehouse that’s hosting her art auction tomorrow night. He’s seventy-four years old and treats Holly like his granddaughter.”
“Seventy-three,” Holly said as she pulled on her jacket. “And I’m part of a group of artists who are organizing the auction.”
Daniel stood up and held Holly’s scarf out to her. “Can I call you next week to see if you want to compare ice cream flavors?”
Holly wrapped her scarf around her neck and jammed her hat on her head. “Okay, but before I go anywhere, I’ve got something for you. Wait here.”
She grabbed Kate’s hand and pulled her toward the counter. Within thirty seconds she’d paid their bill and was standing in front of Daniel.
She held a brown paper bag toward him. “Your chocolate brownie.”
“You didn’t need to pay for lunch or a brownie, but thank you. I’m paying for our ice cream next week.”
Holly held out her hand. “It’s a deal. Thank you for meeting me. I’ve had a great time.”
Daniel shook her hand. “I’m glad I came, too.”
Before Holly could lose herself in Daniel’s blue gaze, she let go of his hand. “I’ll see you next week.” She left the café with a smile on her face. Their date had been strange but enjoyable. She didn’t know much about algorithms, but she did know that Daniel Sullivan was an interesting man.
More interesting than she thought he’d be.
***
As soon as Daniel left the café he called Blake. “We need to talk.”
“I take it your date went well?”
“As well as can be expected when Holly didn’t fill the questionnaire in herself.”
He heard Blake take a deep breath. “The story of my app gets worse and worse. Did you have anything in common with her?”
“The Bee Gees, Casablanca, and Brussel sprouts.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but that’s three things you could have talked about. At least tell me you stayed in the café for long enough to finish your pancakes?”
Daniel opened the door of his truck and sat inside the cab. “You were lucky. We spent nearly an hour going over the questionnaire. Holly is an interesting person.”
“Sounds promising. Are you telling me the go-go dancer in the photo isn’t as flaky as you thought she was?”
There was nothing flaky about Holly. If anything, he had a feeling there was a whole lot more to her than he’d first thought. “The photo was taken at a fancy dress party. Her friends not only registered her for the trial, but they provided the photo and filled out the questionnaire.”
Blake sighed. “Are you telling me that I need to start again and match you with someone else?”
“Holly is okay. I’ve only got one regret. She took home the questionnaire we filled out. If I could get a copy, I’d start analyzing why the app put us together.”
“Here’s a news flash. Call her.”
Daniel rested his arm on the steering wheel. “I can’t let her know what I’m doing. She’ll think I joined the trial for the wrong reasons.”
“You did. If anyone is going to understand your motives, Holly will. At least you filled out your own questionnaire.”
“But I wasn’t honest about why I was there. Holly told me everything, including why her friends registered her. She gets nothing out of being part of the trial apart from three dates with me.”
“Are you telling me that you’re going to see her again?”
Daniel hadn’t considered not seeing her. She intrigued him and left him wondering if an artist and a computer programmer could have anything in common. “I told her I’d call her next week.”
“You should have said this weekend. My blood pressure won’t survive if you haven’t got the questionnaire she filled out.”
Daniel watched Doris Stanley and her friends leave the café. They wore thick coats and clutched party bags in their hands. He assumed everyone
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