All recognizable characters belong to Janet Evanovich, I'm just playing.

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Chapter 8: Zero 2

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My head is foggy as I shuffle forward in line. If I hadn't had my heart set on one of Cavnar's awesome breakfast sandwiches to go with my coffee, I'd have bailed as soon as I saw the Saturday morning crowd through the window. It's been an intense week at work and we're all dragging ass. Between a rash of break-ins by stupid kids being stupid kids, a couple guys being out with a stomach bug, and the bond group getting slammed with a heavier load than normal, everyone has been pitching in. Things are finally back to normal and even though I finally had last night off work, I agreed to another blind date set up by Stephanie.

I was a bit reluctant after Emily, but Binkie and even Tank seem happy. Not sure Steph can claim credit for Binkie and Maggie, but they probably wouldn't have met without him agreeing to a date. I stifle another yawn as I move forward a couple feet.

After Cal came back and said there was just no spark between him and whoever Steph set him up with, they added another category to the betting pool… just not feeling it.

Sadly, that's where my date with Charlotte fell. On paper, we were a good match. Both from the Midwest, liked simple things, Mustang lovers. She showed up for the date in a sweet cherry red ride, making for a good conversation starter. A pediatric nurse, she was nice, smart, easy on the eyes, and had a good sense of humor. We had fun, but as the evening wore down, we both knew there wouldn't be a second date. It was almost a relief when she leaned back in the booth and asked, "Am I the only one thinking this was nice, but just… nice?"

I laughed and relaxed. Truth be told, I had spent the last hour thinking she might be a perfect match for Vince, if he was looking. Which, I don't think he is yet. We've tried dragging him to a club and nudged a few women his way, but he's still on the nope train. I guess there was more to the Amy break-up than we thought. I almost told Charlotte about Vince but held off. Maybe I'd talk to him, first.

I shake my head. A slight headache is forming behind my left eye by the time I reach the front of the line. My order for a bacon, egg, and cheese croissant and a large coffee goes smoothly and I'm putting my wallet back in my pocket when I hear, "Yo, Asparagus!"

Looking to my right, I clock a gorgeous brunette with a dimple smiling at me. I blink a few times, but it finally clicks. "Jenny from Giorgio's, right?"

That gets me an even bigger smile. "That's me. Fancy seeing you here."

I laugh. "Yeah, this is my go-to for breakfast when I'm not working."

"Same."

We stand there, smiling like idiots, until a couple of kids rush past us, knocking Jenny off-kilter. I grab her arm to keep her from falling, surprised by the jolt of awareness that ripples through me. Based on the look she gives me, she feels it, too. After a moment of silence, we both speak at the same time.

"Are you—"

"Thanks, that—"

Then we laugh and speak over each other trying to get the other one to talk, before both stopping at the same time. She pantomimes zipping her lips and points to me. I shake my head no and laugh. She's also laughing, and just as she starts to say something, her order is called. She comically bulges her eyes at me before poking me in the chest. "Don't go anywhere, Asparagus."

Hadn't planned on it. Jenny's back in a flash, small bag and coffee in hand. "Here, hold this a second."

She hands me her food and grabs my free hand, dragging me over to the side and out of the way of patrons rushing to grab their order as they're called. She takes back her food but makes no move to leave. We chat for a few minutes about nothing, stupid things like the weather and last night's ballgame. I finally hear my name called out and excuse myself to grab my food. When I return to her, she takes a sip of her coffee before asking, "Jason, huh?"

Shit. "Uh, yeah. I guess I never introduced myself. Jason. My friends call me Zero."

She transfers her food bag to the hand holding her coffee and extends her free one. "Jenny. My friends call me Jenny."

I take her hand, another big smile on my face. Her hand is tiny in mine, but her handshake is strong and confident. I like that. I like her. I debate about what to say next, before thinking, fuck it. Nothing ventured nothing gained, right? "I'm going to take my food outside. Interested?"

"Lead on."

We make our way through the crowd, and I suck in a breath when she grabs one of my belt loops to keep from being separated. Once clear of the door, I lead her to my truck down the block. I get the tailgate dropped and set down my coffee. She follows suit and pulls out a delicious looking muffin. Between bites, we shoot the shit and I note how easy it is to talk to her. The conversation isn't heavy, but it never lags. By the time I'm done eating, I'm hooked... on her, that dimple, that smile. That's the only reason I can think why I blurt out, "Want to go out sometime? Today, maybe?"

Jenny blinks once, then smiles. "Sure. I've already got plans for today, though."

"Oh." Yeah, that's my brilliant comeback, and I can admit it's tinged with disappointment.

She pokes my arm. "I was planning to take the train into Philly for a street festival that's going on. Art, music, food trucks." She tilts her head and parrots back my inquiry. "Interested?"

"Yes." Since she's going, it's actually hell, yes, but I figure I should chill a little.

"Cool. I'm the Camry over there. Meet you at the train station?" At my nod, she laughs. "Good. It's a date, then."

Her eyes widen, like she didn't quite mean how it sounded, but I like the idea. "It definitely is. I'll follow you over."

With slightly pink cheeks, she gives me one more smile and flash of dimple before she grabs her trash. She drops it in a can on the way, turning to look at me again. She shakes her head before getting in her car. The entire drive to the station, I'm wiping sweaty hands on my jeans. It's just a date. Getting to know each other. A date with someone whose company I've enjoyed more than I have in a long time. Don't screw this up, asshole.

We park near each other and meet in an aisle and walk toward the station. We're quiet, but it's not an awkward quiet. By the time we've bought tickets and headed to the platform, we've started chatting again. Little things, like favorite movies. I can't help but laugh when she says hers is Babe. Not what I was expecting. I mean, I've seen it, years ago. It was cute, and it's hard to go wrong with James Cromwell, but it's about a pig. When I raise an eyebrow, she just shrugs and says, "I like what I like."

Fair enough.

We have a fun discussion about aliens when I admit my favorite movie is Battleship. It's a stupid popcorn movie, but when I sit down to watch something, I want to forget real life bad shit and just be entertained. I can tell by the way she puts a hand on my arm that she gets that.

The music from the street festival can be heard blocks before we get there. The crowd starts to get thick, and Jenny wraps a hand around my arm. I don't mind. At all. Forward momentum is slow as we shove our way forward but once we get past the fringe lining up for a donut food truck, things thin out. We meander past artists displaying their wares and stop to watch a guy splatter a canvas with a spinning bucket full of paint. An hour in, Jenny's stopped holding on to my arm and we're holding hands. Again, I don't mind.

As we walk away from an artist painting a sunset on a large piece of Plexiglass, she says, "I take it your date didn't end well."

A snort laugh escapes me. "Not really. I'm a simple guy. I drive a truck, don't own a suit, can't see the point dropping $500 on dinner." Shit. That last part was probably dickish, since she works at the place with $500 dinners. "Sorry. I didn't mean to offend—"

"No worries. I only eat there because I work there. Food's good, but way out of my budget. Tips are great, though, and that's what I need until I finish my master's."

"In?"

"Civil engineering. I've got a semester left before I finish and defend my thesis."

"Nice. That's got to be hard, studying and working."

"I was offered a research project with tuition as payment, and I really couldn't pass that up. So, classes, being a TA, and research project during the day, and Giorgio's to pay the bills at night."

"Now I'm really impressed."

She makes a face. "I've got one roommate that is up to her neck in debt, and another that started stripping to pay for school and is making more doing that than she'll probably make with her degree. I'd like to think I'm somewhere in the middle." She laughs and the melodic sound washes over me. She shrugs her shoulders, with a smile still on her face. "Especially since I have absolutely no rhythm for dancing of any kind."

She follows it up with an exaggerated eyebrow wiggle and I join her in laughing while willing certain parts of my body to stand down. The more I find out about Jenny, the more I like her. We stop to look at some statues made of recycled oil drums. "So, you're a simple guy, and your date wasn't into simple?"

I shake my head. "No. It was a set up. Turns out, she had rules and a pretty specific idea of what she wanted and someone like me didn't fit into that idea."

"Sucks."

"Yeah."

She knocks my shoulder with hers. "Well, her loss is my gain." That stops me in my tracks. She's right. If things hadn't gone so wrong with Emily, or no spark with Charlotte, then I wouldn't be here now, enjoying myself more than I have in a long time. She's a few steps ahead of me when she turns. "Come on, I'm starved. I've been thinking about shawarma all week!"

Like a puppy, I follow along in her wake, more than happy to go wherever she wants. Jenny tries to argue over me paying for lunch, but in the end, she allows it. Shawarma is followed by rolled ice cream and eventually some bubble tea. I've had fun today, and I don't want the day to end. We slowly meander our way back through the area to the train. I can't think of a reason to beat around the bush, so I go for it. "I'd like to see you again."

"Yes."

Nice and simple, no games. Just like that, I fall a little more. On a whim, I tug her hand and lead her over to a vendor. Pulling out my wallet, I pull out some cash and exchange it for small, carved wooden pig. Jenny accepts it with a smile. "You'll do, Asparagus, you'll do."