Page 24 of Ready, Willing and Abel

“I understand. Just know that all of those jackasses are mean and deserve speeding tickets and to step in gum.”

“Whoa, both?” I tease.

It doesn’t take me long to find out what’s on the internet that I’m not supposed to see. Pictures from my date with Abel. All of the images are good ones, not weird angles, not me with food hanging out of my mouth.

But it’s the comments that are the problem.

Snakeboi: Dude, why you with a fattie?

RR485_jfk: He lost his weight and she found it.

MelLovesJason: No! He’s too hot for her.

North_Bellamy: Moooove out of the way!

RoundMama: Be nice. She’s beautiful no matter what size.

DethStR88: Abel, what are you doing? You can do so much better.

Jenny2004: I’m here Abel and I’m hot!

There are pages and pages—or rather screens and screens of them. On every site I visit.

“They’re not very creative, are they?”

“They’re barely literate.”

“Still stings. Not gonna lie. And I know we don’t match. I’m not blind. But he thinks I’m sexy. At least that’s what he said.”

“Of course he thinks you’re sexy. You’re a stone cold fox.”

That makes me laugh. “You are ridiculous.”

“Have you seen his accounts?” she asks.

I shake my head and pull them up. One by one. They’ve all gone dark except for a single post: Going Live Soon. Then there’s a countdown.

“What is he going to do?” I ask.

“I don’t know,” Mia says. “But it’s happening in less than two hours. And we’ll be ready no matter what.”

A knock sounds on my front door, startling both of us.

I stand and walk to the door, Mia on my heels. When I open it, I find Marley, the veterinarian.

“Oh my God, did I have an appointment for the goats today?” I ask.

She smiles and shakes her head. “No, Evan and I are here to get you. He got distracted with the goats.”

Then Evan appears. He gives me a friendly grin. “I don’t think we’ve actually met. I’m Evan, Abel’s handsome brother.”

And he is. Very handsome. But he doesn’t have those grey eyes and the sweet smile. Evan is affable, that much is easy to see.

“I’m Mia, the sister.” She reaches around me to shake Evan’s hand. “So where are we going?”

“Over to Dane Whitmore’s. He’s got the best audio and visual set up of anyone I know,” Evan says.

“Oh, is this about the announcement on Abel’s sites?” Mia asks.