At which point maybe I’ll set up a Game, Set, Match profile of my own and . . . nope. Nope nope nope. Keep it professional, Zoey. Enjoy the opportunity to check him out IRL and leave it at that. Your rent depends on it.

Luckily, she enjoyed Cheese the first time (minus their outside bottle policy) and was happy to go back. She told me to hide in a booth at the back. I don’t need a disguise, but it made us feel better about me tagging along. If I’m incognito, she can more easily pretend I’m not there and/or that we don’t know each other.

Her signal for an intervention will be if she loudly asks their server for a Monster Mozzarella to go. But if she orders the Ricotta Mousse with Balsamic Pepper Cherries to split for dessert, that means she’s having a good time and I should skedaddle.

* * *

The back of Jude’s head is sexy. It’s the only part of him I can see from my vantage point, but it’s excellent. It has a high fade, with adorably messy textures and flow on top. Sort of like if Miles-High put a little effort in, instead of his patented “I slept wrong, oh well, guess I’ll go out in public!” look. (I still can’t believe we shared a table last week. I’ve been checking my weather app each morning and it’s clear skies ahead, thank God.)

You can tell Jude works out a lot, but not because he’s huge; he’s streamlined. He probably has abs like a washboard. And yet, he’s not a meathead or gym rat, not even remotely. His texts are funny and clever and his profession is, dare I say, altruistic—using his superior knowledge of the human body to help others attain their goals. There’s something noble about a job like that.

I wonder if he has any female clients....

Bree looks great. Her hair falls softly down her back, and her crop top and linen pants are casual yet flirty. Was it my imagination, or did Jude look relieved at her choice of outfit and hairstyle?

Right now she’s telling him about her last visit: “They made me pay sixty bucks to open my bottle of wine. Can you believe it?”

Actually, they made me pay sixty bucks, but she’s allowed to embellish for a better story.

“Once we get to know each other better, assuming I don’t make a guddle of this date, I hope you’ll pick out some wine pairings with me sometime, because I’m hopeless at that. My area of knowledge is strictly beer.”