Dating By Numbers
What is the formula to finding true love?Life is pretty perfect for Marsie Penny—she has great friends, a career she is passionate about, plus financial security. The one thing missing is a partner to share it all with. Frustrated by the online dating scene, Marsie’s created an algorithm to help find her perfect match. Could she have gotten her formula wrong, though? Her feelings for colleague Jason Ellis just don’t add up. Jason believes in love at first sight—which is ridiculous. And he doesn’t tick off any of her boxes…except for his charm, his warm smile and his cute butt. But all it takes is one heated kiss to make her wonder if she should rethink her numbers.
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What is the formula to finding true love?
Life is pretty perfect for Marsie Pennyâshe has great friends, a career she is passionate about, plus financial security. The one thing missing is a partner to share it all with. Frustrated by the online dating scene, Marsieâs created an algorithm to help find her perfect match. Could she have gotten her formula wrong, though? Her feelings for colleague Jason Ellis just donât add up. Jason believes in love at first sightâwhich is ridiculous. And he doesnât tick off any of her boxes...except for his charm, his warm smile and his cute butt. But all it takes is one heated kiss to make her wonder if she should rethink her numbers.
âYou make my job interesting, Marsie.â His teeth glinted through his easy smile.
She knew that smile, had seen him flash it at many other people, and still it relaxed her. It also made her less interested in what might be happening in the dating app on her phone than what could happen if Jason sat down in one of her office chairs and leaned back against her desk again.
Maybe sheâd come around and sit on the edge, pull one leg up so that her skirt fell open just so...
No. Stop. Jason was too short. And that was only strike one against him. He was also too smooth and too charming and they worked at the same place. He didnât have the kind of education she was looking for in a man. Or the type of career. That was a total of six strikes when only three were needed.
âSpeaking of jobs, Iâve got to be on my way to one.â His voice was easy, but the twinkle in his eyes made her wonder if he knew what she was thinking.
Since heâd come to her first cubicle a few years ago to remove a keyboard tray sheâd banged her knees on, Jason had always made her feel like the world under her feet wasnât stable.
Like if she moved too quickly or took a wrong step, she would fall.
Books come from funny places. Dating by Numbers came about from my own forays into online dating. Sensing my nerves, a friend recommended a TED Talk by Amy Webb, who said she hacked online dating. I watched the video five times. I took notes. I was there with Amy and I, too, was going to hack online dating. I read Aziz Ansariâs Modern Romance. I read Dataclysm by the OkCupid guy (both good books). I listened to an online dating episode of the Marketplace Money podcast where an economist debated the opportunity costs of âwinkingâ versus sending an email. Perhaps I should be embarrassed to admit this, but I was Marsie in all her uptight, nervous glory.
That said, the first time I watched Amy explain her method, I thought, âOh, but the guy whoâs her hero wouldnât pass her tests. Heâd be the guy she never saw coming.â Of course, then I had to write that book.
Dating by Numbers was a fun book to write. I enjoyed playing with my own history of neurotic online dating and hope you will enjoy reading it. And, in case youâre wondering, I did find my own hero while online dating.
Enjoyâ
Jennifer
JENNIFER LOHMANN is a Rocky Mountain girl at heart, having grown up in southern Idaho and Salt Lake City. When sheâs not writing or talking with librarians around the country about reading, she cooks and laughs with her own personal Viking. Together, they wrangle three cats. (The boa constrictor is better behaved.) She currently lives in Durham, North Carolina.
To Girls Night Out dinner club. Thank you for all your encouragement to date outside my comfort zone.
And to Megan Long, for pulling Reservations for Two out of a pile of contest entries and turning me into an author. And to Karen Reid, for shaping me into the author I am now.
Contents
MARSIE PENNY GLANCED out her office door one last time before turning to her computer and entering her password into the dating website. She didnât want to be filling out the profile nowâespecially at workâbut one of her New Yearâs resolutions was finishing the stupid thing. Sheâd promised herself that sheâd have it done by today and, with the way things were looking at work, she wasnât going to get home until after midnight. She was already behind schedule at work. Being behind schedule in her personal life as well would be beyond the pale.
The temptation to close the door was strong, but she never closed her door. If she did, someone was sure to comment. So, certain the coast was clear, she turned her back on the gaping maw of her open door and hit Enter.
âI know those colors.â At the sound of Jason Ellisâs voice, Marsieâs butt left the cushion of her chair and, once it made contact again, she spun around and slid her chair so her body blocked her computer. Not that she was embarrassed to be using an online dating serviceâeveryone was doing it these days but...
