“Of course not. I’ve already forgotten about him.”
“Good.” She folded her hands in her lap and waited for my full attention.
I laughed, knowing she was about to propose some outlandish plan. “You want to give me advice. I can see it in your eyes.”
“You’re right.” She had a huge smile on her face, and I got the feeling she’d been thinking about this for some time. “I know the perfect guy to set you up with.”
I considered her proposition for all of two seconds and then shook my head. “No, thank you. I’m done with dating for now.”
“You can’t give up just because you had one bad date. If you fall off the bike, you have to get back on or you’ll always be scared to try again.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “Who is the guy?”
“I’m not sharing details because I want you to go without expectations.”
“You can’t even show me a picture?”
“No. Like I said…no expectations. But don’t worry, he’s good-looking.” She smirked as if she knew something I didn’t. “At least, most women think so.”
“But you don’t?”
“It’s not about me. It’s about you, and I think you and this guy would be great together.”
That didn’t sound promising. Charlotte and I had often found the same men attractive, so if she didn’t think this guy was for her… I sat up straighter. “What’s wrong with him? Why aren’t you interested?”
She winced and glanced away. “He has a heart of gold, but you have to get through his rough exterior to see it.”
“You’d better not be setting me up with your brother.” I laughed, knowing she would never do that to me. Over the years, I’d seen Easton at Charlotte’s birthday parties, but we’d always managed to steer clear of each other. He was a jerk back in high school and based on what I’d observed, he hadn’t changed much. Charlotte had never tried to get us to talk to each other, so I wasn’t too worried on that account.
There was silence for a long moment and then she took a breath. “If I did something like that, I’d be in the doghouse. Besides, Easton just got out of a difficult break-up.”
“Oh, really?” I picked a piece of lint off my blouse. “It didn’t work out with the blonde? What was her name?”
“Lila.” She shook her head. “No, it didn’t work out between them.”
“That’s too bad.”
Truth be told, I didn’t dwell on Easton’s love life when I could barely manage my own. I’d met Lila in passing at a get-together Charlotte had at her house, and she’d hardly acknowledged me, not that it had bothered me too much. I didn’t care who Easton spent his time with as long as it wasn’t me.
He’d always gone out with high maintenance women, so it was no surprise it didn’t work out, but then again, his personality was probably the bigger problem. I shook my head to clear it. Charlotte would never set me up with her brother. She just wouldn’t do that to me. Whoever this guy was, she must think highly of him since she’d never tried to arrange a date for me in all the years we’d known each other.
“Aren’t you going to tell me more about this guy?”
“Nope. I want you to go into it blind. No expectations. Nothing to color your opinion. Just give him a chance.”
I shrugged. “Fine. I’ll go on your blind date. He can’t be as bad as Greg.”
She clapped her hands together with glee. “That’s wonderful. I thought it would take more to convince you, but I’m so glad you’re open to new experiences.”
“You’ve never tried to set me up before, so I figured this guy must be special, whoever he is. No worries. I’ll go without expectations.”
“Thank you. You won’t regret this. I’ll give you the details once I have them.”
Her dog, Scarlet, jumped up on the couch and sat in my lap. I ran my hand through her soft hair and felt immediately comforted. A dog like this would do a world of good in my life. Having a pet would ground me and help me not to focus on my fears so much.
She was a miniature toy poodle with a teddy bear cut, and the first time I’d seen her I’d thought she was so stinking cute. One day I’d get a dog just like her, and Charlotte and I would arrange play dates for our little doggies. The only obstacle was the money since I was currently funneling everything I had towards paying off student loans. That was another reason I had to get a better job. I needed a higher salary to make ends meet.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to buy you a toy poodle?” Charlotte asked, glancing between me and Scarlett. Her dog had cost fifteen hundred dollars, which was a drop in the bucket for her, but I just couldn’t afford it right now.
“You know how I feel about that.” Charlotte came from a wealthy family, but I never wanted to take advantage of that or make her feel like we were only friends because of what she could provide financially. I made it my rule not to accept expensive gifts from her and to always pay my fair share. She was the type who would give you the shirt off her back, so it was frustrating for her, but she understood where I was coming from.
She shrugged. “Just thought I’d give it a try.”
“You’re a good friend, Charlotte. I hope you know how much I appreciate you.”
She winced. “I hope you still feel that way after your date.”
I knew she wouldn’t set me up with someone awful, so I was unconcerned. “Don’t worry, I’m sure it will be great.”
Chapter 3
Easton
I pulled into the parking lot of Mario’s, the restaurant my sister told me to be at for the blind date, just as my phone rang and Charlotte’s face popped up on the screen. I parked and turned off the engine. “Hey.”
“She’s already there, sitting at a table to the left when you walk in. She’s wearing a white blouse.”
“Oh, that makes it easy,” I said sarcastically. “Like twenty other women won’t have on the same thing.”
“Don’t be a jerk. You’ll know her when you see her.”
“You haven’t even told me her name.” I got out and clicked my key fob to lock the vehicle.
“She’ll tell you her name once you introduce yourself. Call me if you can’t figure it out.”
“Wow, you’re a wealth of information. I’m supposed to look for someone wearing a white blouse, and I don’t have a physical description or a name.” I paused. “Why so cryptic, Charlotte? Is there something wrong with this woman?”
“Not at all. She’s an angel, but if you need a description, she has brown hair and brown eyes. She said no one is sitting around her, so that should make it easy.”
“Just so you know, I’m not in a good mood. Hope this chick doesn’t have high hopes for a flourishing romance.”
“I told her to come with no expectations.” She let out a breath, and I got the feeling I was testing her patience. “Please be on your best behavior. You’ll like her if you give her a chance.”