That was the precise moment Angel walked into my life.
Angel Connelly was a spicy little thing. By the looks of her, you would have thought she was as innocent as her name. She was petite, with short blonde hair and bright blue eyes. She had a bit of a southern accent that gave her this shining charm, but the more you got to know her, the more you realized she’d fight like a pit bull if it came down to it. She was passionate about her job, yoga, and church — not necessarily in that order — and when she wanted something, she didn’t give up until she got it.
It didn’t take long for me to realize she wanted me.
Angel worked in the same building where my dad’s office was. She was in advertising, and we stumbled into each other in an elevator ride down to the lobby one night after work. This was back in June, back when the only woman I could see was B.
Angel tried to shoot her shot, but I turned her down, telling her I had a girlfriend.
It was technically a lie, but I’d assumed it wouldn’t be that way for long.
Even after that, though, Angel and her friends would somehow end up at the same bars as me and the guys after the work week, and I got to know a little more about her each time. She was friendly, funny, nice. I liked her.
And when B broke my heart, Angel was there to pick up the pieces.
After my sisters pulled me out of my funk, I was trying to focus on me, working out and surfing and trying to impress my dad enough to offer me partnership at the firm. I stayed late at work one night, and when I finally rode the elevator down at almost nine o’clock at night, I ran into her — she’d been staying late, too.
She asked if I wanted to grab a drink.
And even though B flooded my mind in that exact moment, even though my stomach coiled at the thought of spending time with another woman, and even though I knew I didn’t have much of myself left to give… I said yes.
It surprised me, how much fun I had with her that night. Angel was a storyteller, and she kept me laughing and enthralled until almost two in the morning. I walked her home, gave her a kiss on the cheek, and she typed her number into my phone.
I called her the very next morning and asked her on a proper date.
I knew part of letting B go meant getting back out into the dating world. And since I hadn’t really ever dated, in the sense of having a steady girlfriend and not just a woman in my bed, I was excited about the possibility.
It was all part of my plan, after all — the degree, the job, the wife, the kids. How did I expect to get the latter half of that dream if I didn’t start dating?
It was easy with Angel. We were complete opposites, which meant there was never a shortage of date ideas. I tried to teach her how to surf, which she failed at miserably, and she took me to a hot yoga class that I almost passed out in. I made her watch horror films that had her clinging to my side, and she made me watch reality TV shows that I pretended to find cheesy and dramatic, when secretly, I kind of liked them, too.
Days turned into weeks and weeks into months, until we were on the cusp of the holiday season. That was when I made things official with Angel, and for the first time since Jenna, I had a girlfriend.
It was a warm night in November, standard for South Florida, when B crashed back into my life without a warning.
Angel and I were out at a little hipster bar with her best friend, Claire, and some of the guys I worked with. After a long week at work, we reveled in letting go, the alcohol buzzing through us as Angel sat in my lap and kissed me far too inappropriately for the public eye.
I didn’t stop her though.
I loved the way she made me feel, how I never had to question that she wanted me, that she cared about me, that I was the first thing she thought of when she woke up, and the last thing before she fell asleep. She spoiled me with her attention, with her affection, and I drank up every drop of it like a kitten lapping warm milk.
I had her wrapped up in my arms, my tongue halfway down her throat when there was a crashing sound somewhere near the bar. We broke away from each other, looking toward the source of the noise, and that’s when I saw it.
All that fucking hair.
I didn’t even need a second look. I knew it was her.
“B?” I called.
But she pushed through the door without even a look in my direction.
Angel frowned when I stood, scooting her off my lap. “What’s wrong?”
“I… I just need some fresh air. I’ll be right back.”
“Want me to come with you?”
“No,” I answered quickly, and then I sighed, turning and grabbing her face between my hands. I kissed her sweetly. “I just need a sec. Be right back.”
Angel frowned again, but nodded, and let me go.
I all but ran out the door, catching up to B just as she reached her mom’s old car. She fumbled with the keys in her hands before shakily hitting the unlock button, the car lights flashing with a little beep-beep.
“B?”
My heart stopped at the sight of her, at the way she froze when she heard my voice. She was breathing heavily, but threw me a glance over her shoulder, trying to force a smile.
“Oh, hey, Jamie. Uh, yeah, I was just leaving though so—”
“Wait.”
I hooked my arm around her elbow, turning her to face me, but she wouldn’t look at me. She looked like she was one second away from crying.
I frowned. “What are you doing here?”
She closed her eyes, shaking her head slightly before she finally looked at me.
When she did, you’d have thought I’d killed her dog.
“I’m here visiting my mom. I would ask you what you’re doing, but I have eyes, so,” she snipped, her tongue pressed into her cheek as she ripped out of my grasp and gestured toward the bar.
I balked.
Did she actually have the audacity to be upset that I was with someone? After nearly four months of no contact from her? After what she last said to me?
My brows bent even more. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“Oh, I think you know exactly what it’s supposed to mean,” she seethed, folding her arms over her chest as she stepped into my space. “Tell me, did you fuck her the night before you asked me to talk? Did you feel guilty and desperate to lock me down before the pressure of long distance took you under?”
“What?” My nose flared, anger and disbelief battling inside me.
Now that I’ve read her side of the story, I know that Claire lied to her about the timing with me and Angel — which was typical Claire, to be honest. But at the time? I just thought she was crazy.
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about the little pixie blonde who was just mauling your face,” B spat. “Angel is her name, right?”
Hearing Angel’s name on her lips shocked me, and I couldn’t say anything back, couldn’t do anything but blanch.
“Oh yeah, Claire? Her BFF? She filled me in on the whole situation when I spotted you two sucking face.”
That wiped the shock from me, and I squared my shoulders, ready for the fight.
“And?” I asked, stepping right back into her space like she’d stepped into mine. “What, are you mad? Is that what you’re trying to say? Because I’d be really fucking interested to hear why you think you have any right to be.”