I’d never heard of Michael or this story before.
I moved to take the paper rose off.
“I can’t take this.”
Isabella placed her hand on mine.
“Keep it. You need it more than I do. I still have the memory of Michael to cling to. You don’t have anything.”
Rain patted the coffee shop’s glass walls, forming streaks across its surface.
If my internal emotions could affect the weather, this was how it would look.
It was dark and dingy, a cloudy sky masked with grey.
Exactly the kind of day I wished it wasn’t.
But would I feel any better if it was bright and chirpy?
No.
That would have been even worse.
It would have left me lamenting why the universe was torturing me.
“You want my advice?” Isabella said.
I don’t know why she asked.
She was going to give it to me no matter what I said.
“Grab the next guy that walks through that door, make sure he’s single, then have a crazy one-night stand with him. Go wild and lose your inhibitions. Get Jason out of your head and another guy’s cock inside you. That’s what you need. A good rebound. The more gorgeous he is, the better.”
I shook my head.
“I can’t do that.”
“Sure you can. You just won’t.”
The idea of screwing around was never a very attractive proposition to me.
I needed stability, knowledge I was important to him, that he wouldn’t just toss me aside.
But hadn’t that happened anyway?
Every guy I dated treated me the same way.
So what difference did a one-night stand make?
Isabella must have noticed the quirk in my eye.
She beamed at me, mildly surprised.
“You’re game?”
“What? No. Of course not!”
“You’re game. I can sense it. Hopefully, the next guy that walks through that door is as hot as hell.”
She peered over my shoulder at the glass door and the electronic bell rang.
The Last Sip was hip, trendy, and spread over two levels.
It had high ceilings with cross beams that were the only remaining original feature.
“Let’s see who you’ll be hooking up with today, shall we?” Isabella grinned.
I rolled my eyes but couldn’t help glancing over my shoulder and peering in the direction of the door.
It was fun to play the game, even if I had no intention of taking part.
The rain hissed and grew in volume as the shop’s latest patron opened the door.
The man that stepped inside was tall and skinny, with a long face and a pinched mouth that wasn’t accustomed to smiling.
He peered around as if looking for someone.
My hopes sank.
I turned to Isabella and shook my head pleadingly.
Isabella shook her head, reflecting my disappointment back at me.
“The universe has spoken…”
She shifted her weight to get to her feet and approach my apparent white knight in shining armor when the guy raised his hand and waved at a couple of nerdy friends at a table on the other side of the bustling shop.
He headed over to them, removed his frenched anorak, and hung it over the back of his chair, the water sloshing onto the wooden floor.
He leaned over and kissed the only female at the table on the cheek.
Isabella eased back onto the chair.
“Lucky escape. The next guy it is then.”
I rolled my eyes.
“I don’t like this game.”
“You will if the right guy walks through those doors.”
The right guy.
There was no ‘right guy.’
I thought over my short-lived relationship with Jason and wondered if it wasn’t my fault.
Maybe it wasn’t my pheromones but something much deeper.
Maybe the guys I went with were what I deserved.
If the universe was determined to present me with losers, who was I to complain?
Maybe I should just hold my nose and accept they were to be my lot in life.
I’d grown up watching my parents arguing and knew I didn’t want to end up like them.
I wanted something better, something I had never seen growing up.
At least, not in my household.
But it was there in Annie, my childhood friend’s, home.
I grew up jealous of the warmth and easy relationship her parents shared.
Annie always rolled her eyes when they hugged and kissed and laughed, sharing personal jokes, the bond strong and almost visible.
I would watch them, wishing I had something like that waiting for me back home.
Maybe that was the problem, I thought.
I always chased that same perfection.
Maybe their relationship wasn’t as good as it looked.
Maybe there were problems just beneath the surface I wasn’t privy to.
Maybe I only ever saw them after their Friday night of lovemaking when everything was rosy and full of possibility.
And maybe I was only desperate.
My chin slumped back onto my arms.
I fingered a pool of froth on the tabletop from where Isabella had spilled her coffee.
I drew an unhappy face.
“Hold the phone,” Isabella said. “Oh boy. It looks like the universe has some meaty plans in store for you today.”
I didn’t even lift my head.
“Who is he? One of the Clampetts?”
“He’s not a Clampett. A crumpet, more like.”
Her eyes were wide and bulging.
They slid along one glass wall as the object of her interest approached the front door.
The electronic bell sounded.
“Have a gander,” Isabella said. “Trust me, in years to come, you’ll recall the first time you laid eyes on him and your future changed for good.”
Despite myself, I was intrigued.
I slowly turned around in the direction of the door.
My mouth dropped open and stared after the guy.
I could understand Isabella’s reaction.
He was tall and broad.
The rain had soaked his clothes, making his shirt cling to his muscular torso.
His wavy hair lay plastered across his forehead and droplets dripped to the floor.
Standing there, drenched head to foot, but looking none the worse for it, stood one of the most gorgeous creatures I had ever laid eyes on.
His eyes surveyed the room, sweeping over it methodically.
Probably looking for someone, I thought.
And boy, do I wish it was me.
Nothing appeared to hold much interest for him.
His eyes finally came to mine…
And stopped.
His eyes glinted golden.
Unable to look away, they pinned me
