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An empty promise. I know it and so does she. It isn’t like Tam is getting married locally or in a large city where there are lots of flights to choose from should I want to make a quick escape. She’s getting married on a fricking island that probably only has one hotel. Seeing Ben only when “absolutely necessary,” yeah, right.
“Please think about it, k? I know it’s last minute. One of Stefan’s friends has a private plane and oh, please. You just have to be there. Please.”
That last please gets to me. She knows I can’t handle seeing anyone in my life unhappy.
“Hold on,” she said. “What if you have a date? Ben will.” Tamara whispers so low I almost don’t catch it. Almost.
Hammer, mic, then my stomach—drop.
Pushing down the fear of seeing Ben with the woman he chose over me, I wrack my brain trying to come up with someone who can be my date and who can take off to a foreign country in less than a week.
Sighing, I know there is no way out of this without hurting her and that is something I would never knowingly do. “I’ll go. Of course, I’ll be there, Tam. Don’t worry about me finding someone to bring. I’ll figure it out.” I end the call, Tamara crying her thanks.
The alarm on my watch goes off. Time to get back to work, so I toss my uneaten lunch into the trash can on my way out the door, before quickly sending a text to my supervisor letting her know I’ll be using some of my vacation time after all.
Now in the changing room, I switch into a clean set of scrubs.
“Hey, why so glum?” Miranda, a fellow nurse and friend, asks.
“I need a date. Like yesterday. Tamara and Stefan are getting married.”
“That’s great! And I’m sure you’ll have a date by the time they get married, no problem.”
Ever the optimist, Miranda’s assurance settles me for the moment. Working the same shifts, we quickly became friends when we discovered that my mom and her brother were co-workers, of a sort. My mom is the executive assistant to the owner of the Idaho Outlaws, a team in the United States Baseball League, and her brother, Maverick, is one of their star pitchers. It really is a small world, or so it seems in Pineville.
“Yeah, it’s a problem. The wedding’s in six days. On Valentine’s Day. In Aruba.” Standing from the bench, I say, “And my ex is a groomsman.”
“Oh, shit.”
The look on her face makes me laugh. It helps me shake off the weight of what I’m up against. For now.
“Are you sure there’s no one you know who could help you out and pretend to be your boyfriend?” Snapping her fingers and grinning, she says, “Oh, wait. I’ve got the perfect guy.”
My head spins from how quick her brain works.
“He’s smoking hot. Makes Ben look like a six, maybe a five. Oh, please let me set you up?”
“Ugh, I don’t have much choice. Not if Ben and his girlfriend will be there.”
“Ouch. You definitely need someone on your arm. Okay, so you need a guy who can drop everything and who has a passport. I’m pretty sure he’s got that.” Miranda mumbles the last part of her sentence.
Should I worry? Do I have a choice?
“Right now, I don’t care who he is. But if you could find someone who looks like a Greek god, can carry a conversation, and is willing to pretend he’s madly in love with me you’ll have my undying devotion. And I’ll owe you big time.” And since I was listing off things I want from a non-existent fantasy man, I add, “Also, the ability to give me multiple orgasms wouldn’t hurt either. Gawd, I miss having regular sex.”
Miranda chuckles. “You and me both. It’s been a while since I’ve been with a guy who had that particular talent. Or who even wants to try.”
“I hear that.” Yeah, it would be nice to find a guy who cares more about my pleasure than his. Turning to go into the room where we scrub up before surgery, I hear Miranda calling me back.
“So, Heather, is that a yes?”
“As long as it’s not one of your brothers’ teammates. Not interested.”
“Ditto. Can you imagine if I dated a pro baseball player? Mav would make my life a living hell. No, I wouldn’t do that to you. Who I’m thinking of works for the county. I’m positive, well, almost, he’s still single. And I know he has a passport because I’ve heard him talk about Cancun. Give me a day or two to work it out and if he’s not free—”
“Then I’ll have to bring one of my cousins, if only to flirt with Ben’s girlfriend and make his life miserable. Hey, that might be a better plan—”
Stopping me, Miranda holds up her hand. “Nope. You deserve a hot guy who can’t keep his hands off you, even if it’s pretend. And who knows, it may just turn into something real, and you’ll get those multiple orgasms.”
