This audiobook is narrated by a digital voice.

Maya Chen had always believed that coffee shops were safe spaces for first dates. They were public, casual, and offered multiple escape routes if things went south. What she hadn't anticipated was that the coffee itself might become a weapon of romantic destruction.

She arrived at Brew & Bean fifteen minutes early, as was her custom. Maya was nothing if not punctual, a trait that her best friend Zoe often claimed would either land her the perfect husband or drive away every potential suitor in the greater Seattle area. Today, she wore her lucky burgundy sweater and had spent forty-five minutes perfecting what she called "effortlessly tousled" hair, which was actually anything but effortless.

Her date, David, was someone she'd met through the law firm where she worked as a paralegal. He was an associate attorney, tall, conventionally handsome, and possessed what appeared to be a full set of teeth and a steady income. On paper, he checked all the boxes that her mother had been helpfully listing since Maya turned twenty-five three months ago.

David arrived precisely on time, which Maya appreciated, wearing a crisp navy suit that suggested he'd come straight from the office. He spotted her immediately and approached with a confident smile that made her stomach flutter with what she hoped was anticipation rather than the breakfast burrito she'd nervously consumed at ten-thirty.

"Maya, you look lovely," he said, leaning in for what she assumed would be a brief, polite hug. However, David apparently favored the European double-cheek kiss, while Maya had prepared for a standard American side-hug. The result was an awkward dance where she turned left as he leaned right, causing their foreheads to collide with an audible thunk that made several nearby coffee shop patrons look up from their laptops.