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I wanted to do some soul searching, to find the true me and shed the façade I’d created all those years ago. The town called to me on such a deep level, and I knew it would change me for the better. Even if it was only for a short time.
I found out Sarah needed help, and I jumped at the opportunity because I’d really enjoyed working as a massage therapist. I had to verify my license since it was issued in New York and take a few qualifying classes and tests, but after a few months, I had a license in the state of North Carolina and started picking up shifts.
Sarah knocked on my door twice, letting me know someone was here. I took one last look around the room, then cracked my neck and headed to the front to retrieve my client. It was time to get my mind on work.
Chapter 2
SID
“THIS IS THE DRESS, and this is what my hair will look like. What do you think?” Joy, my third online date for the month, asked.
I threw back the old fashioned I’d been nursing and looked for the waiter. He appeared just in time, and I tipped my glass toward him to indicate I wanted a refill. He nodded and disappeared again.
“I think it will look great.” I tugged at the collar of my button-up shirt.
Joy’s face lit up like a kid on Christmas morning, and my stomach headed for the floor.Oh no.
She squealed, drawing attention from the patrons near us. “I’m so glad you like it. Let me show you the groom’s attire.” She dug around her oversized bag and pulled out a thin black binder. The huge bag on her shoulder when she arrived should have been my first clue that I needed to get the hell out of Dodge.
This was my nightmare. To add insult to injury, my mom had been pressuring me about finding someone I could settle down with. I had been fielding her calls all morning. I wasn’t ever getting married, and I thought she’d understand that, given what had happened to me. She said enough time had passed and I deserved love and happiness, but that wasn’t true. I didn’t deserve any of that.
The waiter dropped off my drink, and I grabbed his wrist to keep him there while I drained the glass. “One more,” I croaked out around the burn in my throat and chest.
But that burn quickly turned to ice when I noticed that the groom in her binder had my face. I tilted my head to make sure I was seeing it correctly. It was me, all right, except my beard was shorter, and my long hair was pulled back in a bun. I never wore my hair in a bun because it wasn’t quite long enough. Plus, my friends would make fun of me.
“Where did you get this picture?” I asked.
“Oh, this? It’s your face from your profile, but I used Photoshop to trim your beard and fix the hair. Speaking of, would you be willing to cut it?”
My eyes widened, and my blood ran cold. This had gone too far. My hair had been long since I was a kid. My mom didn’t want to cut it, especially after my older brother Will threw a massive tantrum about his hair.
When I got older and my dad begged me to cut it off, I kept it long just to screw with him. Now it was part of who I was, and no one would ever change that.
The waiter returned, and I handed him my card. “I’d like to pay the bill.”
“We haven’t had dinner yet,” Joy whined.
The waiter looked down at the table, and his eyes widened. When he looked back up at me, they were filled with sympathy, but they also said, “Better you than me, buddy.”
“You’re right. What would you like?” I asked her.
“I’m not sure. I haven’t looked over the menu yet. We’ve only ordered drinks.”
Another reminder that this had to end.
“Tell you what. You order whatever you’d like. On me. I’m heading to the bar.”
“Are you seriously walking out on our date?” she screeched.
I stood. “Don’t you mean wedding planning?”
She looked affronted, and a few gasps rang out from the tables near us. I rolled my eyes.
“It’s our first date. No need to be judgmental,” I said to the crowd. “Joy, it was a pleasure meeting you, and I’m sure someone will be very happy to marry you, but it’s not me.”
I turned and headed to the bar, done with online dating. They’d all gone the same way. Disastrously.
“SHE TRIED TO PLAN your wedding?” Frank asked. He barked out a laugh and slapped a hand on the bar.
