“There you are,” Paris said, setting her enormous paper planner down beside her. The thing seemed to increase in size every time I looked at it, and I couldn’t help but hold back a smile.
“I promised I’d be here. Hello, Paris. And Paris’s planner.”
“Are you making fun of my planner?” Paris asked in her most haughty tone.
“Maybe.” I took a seat across the booth from her.
My friend narrowed her eyes at me. “Beware, I will write down in my planner that I will have to smite you if you continue to do so.”
Hazel took a sip of her drink and snorted some foam. “Smite?” she asked, and I shook my head, doing my best not to let my lips twitch.
“Is it smote? Or smoted?” I asked, playing along to annoy Paris.
“Please stop trying to make up words when you don’t understand.” Paris scrunched her nose.
“You just threatened to smite me, so I’m not exactly sure you have a leg to stand on,” I said.
“Speaking of promises, I’m glad you came.” Dakota set an herbal tea in front of me. It smelled lovely and was already made perfectly with a dash of honey and a dollop of cream.
“Oh, thank you.” I brought it to my nose to inhale its scent. “It smells divine.”
Paris sighed. “If you’re done making love to your tea, let’s talk about that promise you made. A pact, indeed.”
I narrowed my eyes into slits as I stared at Paris and casually took a sip of my drink. It was the perfect temperature.
Dakota was a genius.
“Scooch,” Dakota said, and I sighed, setting down my cup and sliding across the booth.
“Shouldn’t you be working?” I asked.
“I have been, but I’m not allowed to be on my leg for too many hours a day or Macon starts growling.”
I winced, having been so entirely focused on myself that I had forgotten that Dakota had been injured. “I’m so sorry. Are you okay? What can I do? Do I need to get you coffee?”
Dakota laughed, shaking her head. “No, I got myself some earlier. And don’t worry, I’m fine. This is my allotted break time, though. And it is time for the final straw.”
Hazel clapped her hands in front of her. “Yes. Just wait until you see the list I have for you.”
“Me, too!” Paris said, clapping her hands together.
“You have lists?” I asked, wondering why I felt nauseous and excited at the same time.
I had thought maybe they’d try to put me together with Nate. It only made sense. Everybody could tell something was going on between us. The girls liked to joke that it may sound like hate, but it had to be sexual attraction.
I was not sexually attracted to Nathan Brady.
There.
And since we were all in the same group, four men and four women, and with three couples already paired up, it would only make sense for me to be with Nate.
But it didn’t make sense. At all. I was not going to be with Nathan Brady.
And I had to stop saying his name like that, or every memory I had of him would come back to me, and I would likely throw up.
“I have a list, too.” Dakota smiled
“I’m really worried about this. I thought we exhausted our lists with Paris. There were a lot of men on that list,” I said dryly.
Paris discreetly flipped me off. “They were all duds, and the guy we set Hazel up with originally is back with his wife. However, we have been waiting for this. You are the perfect person for the men we couldn’t be with,” Paris added and blinked as her words caught up with her.
I sighed. “Thanks for that. All of your rejects are for me.”
“No, not rejects. Simply not perfect matches. I do believe we can find your perfect match,” Hazel corrected.
I’d thought I already found it.
I ignored that thought once again. What was wrong with me? I had gone years without thinking of Nate like this. Apparently, having him in my life daily and trying to talk to one another and not fight all the time just put him on the periphery more.
I couldn’t ignore him. I couldn’t overlook the memories.
I couldn’t forget that I knew what he felt like hovering over me as he gently kissed me, taking me to sensual places I’d never been before.
But then the memories overlapped one another. The idea that I knew what he looked like when he lost all faith. Or the betrayal that slid over a person when they realized that the one they thought they loved more than anything didn’t trust them.
No, I wasn’t going to think about that.
“So, what you’re saying is that I have a lot of men to choose from?” I asked. Yes, I needed to do this. Because the more I thought about Nate, the worse it would be for everybody. Nate and I needed to learn to be friends. We hadn’t exactly been that before, and somehow, we needed to figure it out now.
Because I could not be Nate’s.
And he certainly wasn’t mine.
I had lost that hope long ago, given up on that promise. I would make a new one. To anyone that I could. Anyone but Nate.
“Okay, girls, sign me up,” I blurted.
They all stared at me, blinking.
“Really?” Paris asked. She let out an oof as Hazel elbowed her.
“What Paris means is that it took you a lot to get here, and now you’re about to lean into it. You aren’t going to forget to show up for these dates, right? Because that would be rude. And you are not rude.” Hazel paused. “Okay, you can be rude sometimes, but not to strangers.” She paused again. “Okay, what I mean is—”
I cut her off, holding up my hand. “No, no. I think I know where you’re going with this, and the more you keep digging that hole, the harder it is for me to remain your friend.”
“Sorry,” she mumbled.
“No, I understand. I’m the icy bitch queen. It gets me where I need to be. However, we talked about promises. And I’m not going back on that.”
Plus, I needed a future—an idea of a promise that wasn’t with Nate. So, I would do this. I was going on some dates and maybe I’d find the one. Or perhaps just get Nate out of my mind.
“Okay, so we have a list,” Dakota said.
“I might not be looking for forever,” I began and cut the others off before they could say anything. “You all got lucky. I understand that forever might not be for everyone. However, I do agree to this, so I’m in. Let the dating begin.”
And, once again, I ignored the slight twinge in my heart.
I had once thought I’d found my happily ever after, but it wasn’t meant to be.
I had learned the hard way, and that was fine. Because now I had a second chance. Maybe not at true happiness, but at least at contentment.
As I looked around at my friends, pure joy and satisfaction radiating off them, I knew I needed to find something. Because I had been alone for long enough.
And I was afraid if I didn’t take this chance, I would be forever.
Chapter 2
Nate
“You want me to what?” I asked, staring at my brother.
“I want you to go on a date,” Prior said, steepling his hands in front of himself.
“You aren’t Professor X. You don’t need to give me that look.”