AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chris arched one of his golden eyebrows and pointed to the complaint on her desk. “Seriously? This guy is the best online dating has to offer?”
“Apparently. When he contacted me, and I saw his profile, it all looked good. He had a steady job, he was attractive…”
She trailed off, and he waved he hand for her to go on. “So, what happened?”
She grimaced. “He lied on his profile.”
“Shocker,” he deadpanned. “What did he say? That he was six two instead of five two?”
Kelly scowled at him. “I’m sorry, I’m looking for Chris? My fantastic, supportive best friend?”
Chris shot her a sheepish grin. “Apologies. Your S.B.F. is back.”
Kelly hesitated for a moment, studying his face to make sure he was done being a punk. When she was satisfied he would keep his sarcasm to himself, she continued.
“He lied about everything, including what he liked to do for fun! At dinner, I asked him where he liked to go dancing and he said he only put that on there because girls liked that! I could have let that go, but he was a complete douchenozzle to the waiter at the restaurant. The kid took our order, and came by to let us know that the kitchen was backed up. All he did was ask if we wanted a complimentary appetizer while we waited, and Wesley went off. I was so embarrassed and would have taken off right after that, but he left the waiter a note of apology and a nice tip, so I thought, fine. Maybe he just had a bad reaction to low blood sugar.”
“I take it that wasn’t the case?” Chris asked.
“Nope. We got to the movie and he didn’t even ask what I wanted to see, just told me he’d bought the tickets online ahead of time. I pointed out that I might have already seen the movie he picked and basically, it didn’t matter because it was the only thing he wanted to see. I was grinding my teeth by this point. The final straw though was when he put salt on the popcorn I bought after I told him I didn’t like salt on my popcorn.”
“How’d he do that? Didn’t you have control of the container?”
“I did, until I asked him to hold it while I went to the little girls’ room. We sat down in the theater, I took one bite and almost ralphed.”
“What’d he say when you called him out on it?” he asked.
“I didn’t. I handed it to him and asked if he wanted it because I wasn’t hungry anymore. Frankly, after that, I was relieved when Veronica called me and pulled me out of the movie. The way he chewed popcorn was just…disgusting. Plus, between his selfish tendencies and mood swings, I was a little freaked.”
Chris chuckled. “Ah, Kel, I love you.”
“I know.”
They shared a smile over the desk. Since the first time they’d watched a Star Wars marathon in high school, Chris and she had done the Han Sol
o and Princess Leia bit. It used to drive Ray crazy, not because he was jealous, but because he hated Star Wars. That had never stopped them, though.
“Speaking of business, have you talked to Dustin Kent about his brother’s estimate for restoring Buzzard Gulch? It seems kind of high, don’t you think?” Chris asked.
Buzzard Gulch was her friend and former employee, Marley Stevenson’s baby. She’d convinced Kelly that they could turn the old ghost town into a premier wedding venue. They’d brought Dustin Kent into the project because he held the deed to the land and was one of the biggest investors. Rylie Templeton had a stake in the deal, because Marley had convinced Kelly that having company bakers, florists, and other wedding vendors would bring in more revenue. Rylie had been an asset as a bridesmaid and now, as the exclusive wedding cake maker, was essential to Something Borrowed’s future.
“I’m going to talk to him, but honestly, I think he’s being generous with us. Building materials and permits are not cheap.”
Chris sat forward in his chair, a solemn expression on his face. “Still, I don’t want you getting in too deep. Especially if you’re going to find a trophy husband; you gotta be able to make it rain.”
“Shut up.” At his grin, Kelly leaned her head back in the chair and groaned. “Ugh, I don’t know what to do. I haven’t been dating since LFO was cool and it was only ever with one guy. I don’t know how to do this.”
“Then don’t. No one says you have to date.”
No one had to say it. Her own mind had been demanding it for almost a year, but even before that, it had been a struggle. For eleven years, she’d created beautiful, perfect memories for brides and grooms. The first few had been the most painful, always imagining what it would have looked like on Ray’s and her wedding day. After about five years, the pain had lessened, replaced by the ever-growing jealousy of others’ good fortune. She still loved what she did, but there was an envy to it now. Kelly had even created a secret Pinterest page with ideas for her own special day, when or if she ever had one.
Still, it had seemed too soon, and when she’d never developed feelings for anyone else organically, she’d finally decided to take her romantic life into her own hands.
Would Chris understand? Ray had been his best friend, but he didn’t expect her to never find love again, right?
She met his gaze sadly, but determined to be strong. “It’s time. I used to think that my future died with Ray, but the truth is, watching all my friends find love and get married, start families… it made me realize I still want those things. I’m thirty-one years old; I need to move on.”
Chris didn’t say anything for several moments and she sat forward. “Don’t you think?”
