Eyes squarely on my chest, Dax passed me the phone. “What did the guys say?”
“I don’t know. I only read two of the messages, both rejections, thank you very much.” I stepped over to my dresser and buried the phone under a pile of my underwear where it would live for eternity. I grabbed my robe and wrapped it around my nearly naked body.
“You’re not going to look at them?”
“What’s the point, Dax?” I said. “If I don’t look at them, I’ll never know. I’ll go buy a new phone today and get a new number, and then I’ll move to Wyoming or something and everything will be fine.”
“Or you can look at them,” he said. “Maybe one of the guys is on the same page, and this could be a funny story you tell at your wedding.”
The lead balloon still hung out in my chest. “Nobody worth considering would respond to a message like that. If anyone wrote back saying they’d be up for settling down with me after one drunken text, that would be a huge red flag to avoid them.”
“Or…not.” Dax’s eyes softened. “Remember what I said last night?”
I folded my arms. “I don’t remember much about last night.”
“Well.” He stepped over to my drawer and opened it. I nearly chastised him for invading my personal space and going into my underwear drawer, but he’d already seen me in my skivvies. There weren’t many secrets anymore between me and this random bartender who slept on my couch last night. “I told you that part of your problem is rejecting out of hand the guys you meet—they show up five minutes late or they order their burger well-done or they drink Miller Lite. You’re always finding reasons not to be with someone.” He handed me my phone. “Maybe, if any of these guys has the courage to tell you point-blank he’s in the same head space you are, don’t reject him out of hand.” He grinned. “You were the one who sent that text, after all. You should probably get off your high horse right about now.”
I stared at the phone, the red circle with an “8” over my message icon. Dax had no idea what he was talking about. Kelly had met her new fiancé in a chance encounter at the wine shop he owned. Yessi had met her wife, Polly, during the Illinois bar exam. I could not and would not allow my fairy tale meet cute to be “I sent a drunk text to a million guys and this one responded.” I shoved my phone back into my drawer, hiding it under my pile of granny panties. “I appreciate your thoughts on the matter, Dax, but I simply want to put last night behind me and move on.”
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Acknowledgments
Thank you so much to everyone who helped make this book a reality. I started writing the first draft back in March 2020, so it has truly been my quarantine project (along with bread baking and reorganizing my sock drawer).
Thank you, Louise and everyone at The Bent Agency, for your support and encouragement. And thank you for your keen eyes when it came to the cover!
Thank you so much, Stacy, for helping me shape this story. As M.C. Bradford can attest, writing is a lonely endeavor, especially during a pandemic, and your notes in the margins always brightened my mood while editing.
Much love and appreciation to everyone at Entangled Publishing for believing in this book. Thank you so much, Elizabeth, for the gorgeous cover and for enduring the battle of the upside-down man.
As I mentioned, I wrote this book under less than normal circumstances, but I was able to finish it thanks to the support of my family. John, it’s been nice sharing my home office with you since March. Your presence in the house definitely keeps me on task and away from the internet and Homescapes. Mostly. Kids, thank you for keeping yourselves occupied when I required it and for being the best possible distraction when I needed time away from work. Bucky, thank you for your cute face and for being a great walking partner. I’m less grateful, however, for when you put your paw on my arm when I’m trying to type. Nobody’s perfect!
One more big thank-you to the essential workers who have kept us safe and healthy all these months. I want to especially acknowledge all the teachers out there, for whom the 2020-2021 school year has been and will continue to be like no other. Thank you so much for all you do for your students!
About the Author
USA Today bestselling, RITA® nominated author Julie Hammerle writes romantic comedies for adults and teens. Before settling down to write “for real,” she studied opera, taught Latin, and held her real estate license for one hot minute. Currently, when not writing, she ropes people into conversations about Game of Thrones and makes excuses to avoid the gym. Her favorite YA-centric TV shows include 90210 (original spice), Felicity, and Freaks and Geeks. Her music playlist reads like a 1997 Lilith Fair set list. Visit her online at juliehammerle.com.
Also by Julie Hammerle…
Knocked-Up Cinderella
It’s Raining Men
For Teen readers
The Sound of Us
Any Boy But You
Artificial Sweethearts
Approximately Yours
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