The Bookworm's Guide to Dating

to the costs of staying in this place, and it was horrifying. Unfortunately, Grandma’s bad hips meant she had limited mobility, and since both me and my parents worked, there was nobody to look after her.
But at least they had ducks.
“So when are you providing me with some great-grandchildren to snuggle with?”
I blinked at her. She was a fine one to talk about a lack of subtlety in a subject change—she went from one to sixty in half a second.
Light was jealous of her speed.
“I need a girlfriend first,” I reminded her. “So it’s gonna be a while.”
“You’d have a girlfriend if you’d tell Kinsley you love her.”
“I knew you’d find a way to come back to that.”
“Well? You didn’t deny it.”
I stared at her. “You’re not going to change your mind, so what’s the point?”
“The point is if you told her now, you’d be engaged in a year, married in two, and babies at least in four.”
“I’m sure Kinsley will be thrilled to know you’re planning out her life,” I drawled. “You only want me to marry her so you have a granddaughter-in-law who owns a bookstore.”
“Darn right I do.” Grandma chuckled. “Free books!”
“That’s what a library is for.”
“Yes, but I can’t keep those,” she pointed out. “Well? Are you going to tell her?”
All right. I was done here.
“You’re welcome for the book, Grandma, but I have to get going. It’s nearly time for your dinner.”
“Are you going to tell her now?”
“No, she has a date.” I stood and kissed her powdered cheek. “Goodbye, Grandma. Call me if you need anything.”
“Wimp,” she muttered as I opened the door to her room.
“Love you, too.” I tossed a grin over my shoulder and left her to her fantasies.
The biggest issue with her plan to marry me off to Kinsley was this: there was no guarantee that, even if I did tell her I had feelings for her, she would reciprocate them.
And Colton was an issue, too.
The biggest issue. God only knew I’d be pissed if I knew he’d slept with my sister.
Not that Piper would sleep with him.
He’d accidentally killed her hamster when she was eight, and she’d barely spoken a word to him since.
I waved goodbye to the nurses at the front desk and stepped out into the sunlight. I could hear the ducks quacking and splashing in their pool on the other side of the building.
Shit, they were noisy little fuckers.
I rubbed my hand down my face and pulled my keys out of my pocket so I could unlock my truck. I got into the cab and grabbed my phone from where I’d left it in the center console.
Kinsley’s date was in half an hour. She was meeting Jamie at Bella Italia at six-thirty, and she’d already texted me twenty times this afternoon panicking.
Mostly about what to wear.
Like I fucking knew.
I was about to lock my phone and put it back in the center console when it buzzed with a new message from her. I pinched my nose when I saw the preview said ‘view attachment,’ because I knew that meant she’d sent me a picture.
Of her clothes, no doubt.
I clicked the message and, after a few seconds for the attachments to download, I knew I was right.
Three pictures of outfits.
In the first one she was wearing a similar outfit to what she’d worn last night—jeans, heels, and a simple blazer and shirt combo, although this blazer was black. The next one was a plain red dress paired with the same jacket and heels, but it was the final one that made me groan.
A skin-tight, white dress that hugged every inch of her damn body, from the high neck to the knee-length skirt. She’d paired that one with a set of bright red heels.
If I were ten years younger, I’d have a boner on the spot.
I wasn’t sure I didn’t, to be honest.
ME: I’m really not qualified to answer this.
Mostly because if I told her not to wear the third one, it wouldn’t be because she looked bad. It would be because Jamie would take one look at her and get an erection.
Like I was currently sporting.
In my car.
In the parking lot of the old people’s home.
Fan-fuckin’-tastic.
KINSLEY: Omg you have to help me!!!!!
ME: Don’t you have friends for this????
KINSLEY: JOSSSSSHHHHHH
ME: What can I tell you that Holley, Saylor, Ivy, or Tori can’t? What did they say? Have you even asked them?
My phone rang with her name flashing on the screen. With a sigh, I answered, and it automatically connected to my car via Bluetooth, but Kinsley spoke before I had a chance.
“Of course I asked them!” she said down the line. “I’m not an idiot!”
I started the engine and backed out of my parking spot. “What did they say?”
“Holley and Saylor voted the red, Ivy said I looked more comfortable in the jeans, and Tori told me to wear the white dress and hike it up two inches.”
“That sounds like a scarily accurate representation of them all,” I mused, pulling onto the main road.
“I know, but I need a guy’s opinion and it’s not like I can ask Colton. I’m nervous enough without you making this decision harder.”
“Don’t you have to be at the restaurant in half an hour?”
“Yes! So help me!”
“Jesus, no need to shout. I’m driving, you know.”
“Good. Drive over here and help me.”
“Can’t. I just left tea with Grandma. I won’t get there in time.” I flicked the indicator in the direction of my house. “All right. What do you want me to tell you?”
“Which one should I wear?”
“Whichever one you feel most comfortable in,” I replied honestly. “There’s no point wearing the white dress if you’re worried it’s too much. The red is great, but Ivy’s right and you seem more comfortable in the jeans.”
She groaned. “Can’t I cancel it?”
“The date? No. It’s too late.”
“Damn it all to hell.”
“What would someone in your book do?”
“What?”
“If you were a character in a book, what would she do right now?”
“Well,