Romancing the Grump (Appies, #4)

by Jenny Proctor

“What do you think?” I nudge Nathan, who is sitting next to me in the back booth of the pizza place Felix recommended. I point toward a table of women sitting a few yards away. “Are they staring because they’re hockey fans and they recognize you, or are they staring because there are five of you and one of me, and they think this is an episode of The Bachelorette?” “The what?” Nathan asks. “You’ve never heard of The Bachelorette?” Dumbo asks from across the table. “Twenty guys all vying for the same woman?” Nathan’s eyes widen. “That sounds horrible.” The look of utter horror crossing his face is so blatant, I have to lift my hand to my mouth to keep from laughing. Dumbo shrugs. “Makes for good TV though. She dates them all at once, slowly eliminating the ones she isn’t interested in.” “So, like, you actually watch it?” Tucker asks. “I know what it is because I don’t live under a rock like some people we know”—he tilts his head in a sideways nod toward Nathan—“but I don’t watch it.” “So what if I do? I’m not ashamed.” Dumbo takes another slice of pizza from the center of the table. “I’ve learned a lot about dating from that show.” “Like what?” Nathan asks around a mouthful of salad. “How to date multiple people at once? You could just ask Van for advice about that.” “I heard that,” Van says from Nathan’s other side. “And I don’t deserve it. I might date a lot, but I follow the rules.” The rest of the guys don’t respond to this comment at all, which makes me think Van is ta...