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Not really.
I sigh in the dark. Okay, maybe I’ve wondered what it would be like. But only once and that was months ago. I’ve come to my senses since then. And even if I did want to be with Cole that way, it’s clear he doesn’t want me. If he did, he certainly wouldn’t be helping me find someone else. Right? So, regardless of his big speech earlier about not settling for less than I deserve, I know the truth. That was just him being a supportive friend. That’s what friends do. They hype one another up. Tonight, he was kind and supportive, and gave my dented ego a much-needed boost, but that’s all it was. I’d be a fool to try to read more into his words. He’d even said he’s not that guy for me. If that’s not a sign that he’s not interested, I don’t know what is.
I think about Piper and Luke, and I sigh. I’ve never seen two people more in love. I used to dream of having something like what they have. It took me a long time to realize how unrealistic that is. As a little girl, I grew up believing in fairy tales and happily ever after love stories. But some people aren’t meant for the big love story. And that’s fine. I’ll be happy with someone who respects me and listens to me. Someone who has the same goals in life. I need to stop focusing on what I can’t have and go after someone who’s attainable. Someone who wants what I want. I may have downplayed my own wants and needs to Cole earlier, but I know the odds of finding what he described are slim to none.
So, I’ll settle for someone who makes me reasonably happy and leave the falling in love to my sister. She was meant for the fairy tale life. I was meant for more practical things. Despite all that, I fall asleep to Cole’s words repeating in my head.
You deserve someone who thinks the sun rises and sets in your eyes.
It’s a nice dream.
Chapter 13
PresentDay
Layna
“I swear, Piper. He wasn’t even the same guy,” I say, laughing. “Not even close!”
Harlow who’s sitting next to my sister, covers her face to hide her own laughter. “How did you figure it out?”
I narrow my eyes at her. “For starters, the guy online wasn’t white! That was a bit of a clue.” I pick up my drink to take a sip. “I should have known an Idris Elba lookalike doesn’t need a dating app to find a woman.”
Harlow and Piper laugh even harder.
“Shut up,” I mutter, taking a sip from my mimosa.
The three of us are meeting for brunch today on Peach Fuzz’s back patio. It’s one of the changes Cole implemented when the outdoor seating area opened. The restaurant is open for brunch on the weekends now. As the only place in town that serves mimosas flights, I think it’s safe to say he’s got a good thing going here. We didn’t invite the guys today and I made Harlow and Piper promise me that no boys would crash our morning. Today is all about the ladies.
Piper holds out her hand. “Pull up his profile,” she says. “I need to see. For science.”
“His profile is gone,” I say. “Serves him right for lying. This man showed up looking more like Danny DeVito than Idris Elba. And I’m not trying to be rude. I’m sure that’s someone’s type. But it’s not mine. And it’s not who I thought I was meeting.”
They laugh some more at my expense before finally calming enough to talk again.
“What about the other guy?” Harlow asks. “The lawyer?”
I shrug. “I have a date with him next week. But if I get catfished again, I swear to you, I will give up. I’m going to join a convent and become celibate.”
Piper rolls her eyes. “You will not. You like sex too much for that.”
I laugh, but she’s not wrong. All the time I spent sneaking around with Cole is proof of that. Not that they can ever know about that. It’s over with now, anyway. They don’t even know that Cole is helping me with my online dating. Speaking of, he totally missed the red flags on that last guy. I need to give him shit for that. But he’s been accurate about most of the guys I’ve matched with on the app. Maybe I’ll go easy on him. The few dates I’ve been on in the last month haven’t been anywhere near as disastrous as the one with Dillon. I haven’t even needed him to bail me out. I count that as a win by itself.
I’m still surprised and happy that Cole and I have managed to maintain a normal friendship after our little fling ended. It’s been nice talking and laughing with him without sex hanging over us. Not that I haven’t missed the orgasms. I’m only human. I just try not to think about them when he's around. It’s easier that way.
“Tell me about this next date,” Piper says. “What’s he like?”
I take out my phone and pull up his profile on the dating app before handing the phone to my sister. Harlow leans close and they both look at his profile.
“His name is Michael,” I say. “He lives in Savannah. He’s an attorney at one of the mid-sized legal firms in the city.”
“He’s cute,” Harlow says. “Not my type, exactly.”
I laugh. “We all know your type is the strong, silent type with a beard and long hair.”
She smiles as she lifts her glass. “Guilty.”
“He seems nice,” Piper says, handing me back my phone.
