Wicked Love

I later found out in horror, had been married with a new baby. Fortunately, Casual Meets screened their members, which was very comforting. The man I was meeting tonight, Brian Gunderson, had never been married, didn’t have kids, and was a successful dentist. I even drove by his practice on my way to work, so he didn’t live far from me. According to his bio, his hobbies were also similar to mine—reading, hiking, and, he apparently loved to fish. Unlike many of my girlfriends, fishing was one of my favorite pastimes, even in the winter. My father, Cal Jordan, had raised me on his own after my mom died of cancer when I was six. He’d owned a lure shop and had taught me to love the sport. Unfortunately, Dad died of a stroke three years ago, which only served to deepen my love for fishing. Especially in the early mornings. During those calm moments, as I sat in his old Yamaha boat fishing for crappies, our memories together would surface and I could almost feel his loving presence. Fishing was definitely my happy place and therapeutic in more ways than one. It always made the problems I faced more manageable and less stressful.

I should have gone fishing this morning, I mused, still nervous as hell about meeting Brian. I just prayed that I wasn’t wasting my time again. I not only wanted to find a decent, successful guy without baggage, but someone with similar passions. Of course, his profile picture showed him to be very good-looking, which didn’t hurt. In fact, he slightly resembled the actor, Henry Cavill, only with a mustache and glasses.

I glanced at the time. Ten more minutes until my date.

Taking a deep breath, I pulled the visor down and checked my reflection. I still wasn’t quite used to the new blonde highlights and eyelash extensions Marcy had talked me into. I had to admit, however, I didn’t look too shabby. Sure, I could stand to lose a few pounds, but thought my new black dress hugged my curves nicely and was even a little slimming. That alone was worth the outrageous price tag I’d splurged on.

My thoughts turned to my ex-husband, Greg, who’d left me for his younger, beautiful blonde assistant, Jenna. He was a successful real estate agent who’d swept me off of my feet when we’d first met. The man had been quite a charmer and one hell of a salesman. Of course, I’d known that he’d had a reputation for being a ladies’ man when we’d first met. I had made the mistake of thinking I would be enough for him, however. That our love would make Greg faithful.

I’d been such a fool.

The worst part was that he’d left me after a miscarriage, so I’d already been in a bad place. The loss had been devastating, especially since it had taken me so long to get pregnant. I’d wanted our child desperately and the miscarriage had been a crushing blow. Meanwhile, as I’d dealt with trying to work through the terrible loss, Greg started working longer hours. Little did I know he’d been spending those evenings with Jenna and knocking her up in the process. And that was how our marriage ended—

with me miscarrying and my husband moving in with his pregnant lover.

Talk about a slap in the face.

In the end, however, I realized how lucky I’d been that we’d never had children together. Rumor had it that Greg eventually cheated on Jenna as well. The last I’d heard was that he’d joined a sex-addicts anonymous group and had even screwed around with a couple of members. I truly was so much better off without him.

My phone buzzed loudly. I checked the messages and found one from Brian.

Brian: Sorry, I’m running a few minutes late. I had a difficult patient and now just getting out of the office. I feel so awful.

I sent him a reply, telling him not to worry and to take his time.

Brian: Thanks, you’re the best. I can’t wait to meet you. I’ve been looking forward to it all week.

Me: Same.

He replied with a smiley face.

I slipped my phone into my purse and decided to go into the restaurant, which was getting busier by the moment.

After checking my reflection one last time, I got out of my car, headed inside, and told the hostess I had a reservation.

“Oh, good.” She looked down at the computer screen. “What’s the name?”

My mind went blank for a few seconds and then I remembered Brian’s last name. “I believe it’s Gunderson.”

The young woman checked the list and then gave me an apologetic smile. “I’m so sorry. Your table is almost ready. We had a huge corporate party and they haven’t quite left yet. It shouldn’t be more than another ten to fifteen minutes.”

“No problem.”

“Would you like to wait at the bar?”

I looked over and noticed a couple of empty spots. I imagined that a drink might actually calm my nerves.

“Yes. By the way, I’m still waiting for my date to arrive. Brian. If he shows up, could you direct him over to me?”

The hostess smiled again and handed me a small pager. “Of course.”

I walked over to the bar and sat down, grateful I’d found a spot. I had on new high-heels and my feet were already getting sore. Noticing a wine and cocktail list, I grabbed it and began searching for something good.

“Good evening.”

I looked up at the bartender and found myself facing a hot-as-hell, rugged lumberjack-type of guy. He had on a black and white flannel shirt, which seemed to enhance his tan, and had the bluest eyes I’d ever seen. His hair was dark brown and wavy, resting just below the collar. His smile, well it was the kind that belonged on a movie screen—sexy, disarming, and hard to look away from.

“Good evening,” I said when I finally found my voice.

His eyes widened in surprise. “What do you know? It’s you.”

I watched him roll up his sleeves, exposing muscular,