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I shake my head. “I told you, out of respect to Rick, I wanted to wait until the divorce was finalized.”
“Well, it’s finalized. Get back on the horse. You’remore than emotionally ready to meet another man. You have been for a long time.”
“It’s not like I can snap my fingers and make a man appear.”
“Have you looked in a mirror? You probably could.”
I let out a laugh. “You’re full of compliments tonight, Dr. Pearl.”
She smiles. “You’re an attractive, compassionate, intelligent woman. You just need to put yourself out there. You can’t stay hidden in your house painting and expect to find someone. I can’t imagine you’ll have much trouble drawing attention.”
“I plan to. I’m not sure how, it’s been a while, but I’ll try.”
“Have you thought about contactinghim?”
“Who?”
“You know who.
“Beckett Windsor?”
My kiss with Beckett was the impetus for originally contacting Dr. Pearl for myself. I was conflicted over both my kissing him and how I felt about it.
“Yes. Beckett.”
“You don’t just call a man like Beckett Windsor.” After our encounter, I looked him up and realized who he was. I had no clue at the time that he was the wealthiest man in America.
“You never know unless you try.”
I sigh. “He’s probably dating someone anyway. A man like him doesn’t stay single for long.” From what I saw online, before he met his wife, he didn’t lack in the dating department. There are thousands of pictures of him with drop dead gorgeous models.
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a Google alert set tohim. Though I’ve never seen anything of his dating life since that night. There’s plenty from before he got married, but nothing since his wife passed.
“You shared an intimate moment that deeply impacted you. It might be worth finding out.”
“It impacted me because it was adulterous. I cheated on my husband.” And it was the best kiss of my life.
“You told Rick right away and he moved on from it very quickly. He forgave you. You need to forgive yourself.”
“It’s not exactly how fairytales begin.I met a sexy man while I was married to another man and was so weak that I kissed him.I don’t think Disney has done that story yet.”
She straightens her already stiff shoulders just a bit more. “Do you really want to get into a conversation about Disney fairytales? Belle fell in love with an animal before she knew he was human. Ananimal. That’s actually against the law in most states. Oh, and he was her abductor, holding her against her will. Cinderella’s prince couldn’tpossiblyrecognize her when she went from a fancy dress into more drab clothing. He had to check her shoe size to confirm her identity. What a narcissistic moron. Sleeping Beauty was told one simple thingnotto do her entire life and yet she still managed to be stupid enough to do it.Andthe prince, a complete stranger, kissed her while she was asleep. That’s a consent issue. It’s a violation. A felony.”
Dr. Pearl crosses her arms and continues her rant. “Snow White lived alone with seven strange men as their housekeeper and cook, with no pay, and then ate poisonous fruit she received from a strange witch. How dumb do you have to be? Ariel couldn’t even engage in conversation with her prince, yet he supposedly fell in love with her. For what? Her body? That’s nothing but superficial. Oh, and she was afish.”
I let out a laugh. “Wow. That’s a really fucking depressing way to look at fairytales. Thanks for ruining my childhood for me, Dr. Pearl.”
She smiles. “It’s the truth, so don’t talk to me about perfect fairytale journeys. They’reallimperfect. Every single one of them are fucked up in their own way. But in the end, they all get their happily ever afters. Isn’t that what you’re really seeking?”
“I never looked at it that way.”
“Every love story has its own unique journey. No couple has an idealistically perfect road, void of bumps. Not even the couples in fairytales.”
“You’re kind of blowing up my world, Dr. Pearl.”
“Just saying it how it is.”
I let out a breath. “I hear you. My friends want to fix me up. Let me get back in the saddle. I haven’t gone on a first date in nearly a decade. Give me a minute before I jump into the deep end.”
