Chapter 13

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Rose

I HAD GONE BACK and forth all day long with my decision to make an appearance at Starbucks, still having doubts as I stood outside the door readying to enter. Lucy was the only one I had confided my plans to. Even though I was fairly certain she may have blabbed it to a few people at work, it made me feel better to know at least someone knew where I was going to be in case he was a serial killer leading me into a trap.

Me: Going in.

Lucy: Okay. Don’t forget to text the code if things get weird. And text me when you’re out of there.

Me: Will do.

I placed my hand on the door handle and closed my eyes. This was crazy. I really thought my Prince Charming was inside. Someone I’d never met and only spoken to online, and here I was picking out china patterns in my mind, just because he had money and a villa in Tuscany. My head was telling me to turn around and leave, but I rarely ever listened to that logical voice that sometimes tried to veer me on to the right path. He may be a dud, or he may have fallen for her lies of undying love, throwing my whole plan off course, but I was going to at least go inside and see what I was up against. I owed that much to myself. Plus, I wanted to escape from the heat of the warm and humid August evening and into the refuge of some air-conditioning.

I walked up to the counter once I entered and ordered myself an iced coffee. Turning my head nonchalantly to check out the patrons, trying to figure out if any of them matched the description of Confused & Unhappy, not that I even had a description of him. But how hard could it be to spot someone who was young, successful, and rich out of all the people who filled these seats?

“Here you go, miss.” The barista broke me from my daydreaming and handed me my drink.

“Thanks,” I replied, carefully choosing a seat where I could have full view of all the customers. My eyes scanned the area for my possible target. A younger couple both wearing wedding bands, a teenage girl and her dad, three girls around my age, and a business-type woman on her laptop. None of them fit the description of my Prince Charming. I shook my head over my own stupidity. Ridiculous didn’t even sum up how I was feeling. I started to get up, catching a glimpse of the nice-looking man sitting in the corner—dirty-blond closely cropped hair, sharp dresser, and appearing to be just a little older than me. How did I not notice him in my initial observation? Could this be him? If it was, I hit the jackpot. But where was the girl? Had she already broken his heart and left? Was she a no-show? I needed to find out…but how? I chewed on my straw, thinking of a way to introduce myself to my potential husband without looking obvious. I pulled out my phone and put it in airplane mode, walking over to where he was sitting and taking a seat at the table next to his.

“Can I bother you for a second?”

“Yeah?” He lifted his head from his phone. His deep brown eyes locked with mine and it was like fate had collided for both of us. A slow smile etched across his face, revealing a deep dimple in his right cheek, and I couldn’t stop myself from smiling in return.

“Are you getting Wi-Fi on your phone because I just can’t seem to connect.”

“May I?” he asked.

“Oh sure.” I handed off my phone to him and he checked the settings.

“You had it on airplane mode,” he said almost immediately.

Rich, good-looking, and smart. I could definitely fall in love with him.

“Oh wow, I’m such a ditz sometimes. Thanks so much.” I tried to think of something else to say to keep the conversation going. “I’m Rose, by the way.”

“I’m Brock.”

“Oh, Brock, I like that…that’s really different.” I batted my eyelashes and tossed my hair over my left shoulder.

He seemed lost in bewilderment, making no effort to try and conceal that he was totally checking me out. “Yeah, well…” His tone was a little gruffer than when I had first sat down. He paused, giving me the once-over again. “I was wondering if you wanted to join me for some coffee,” he finished, this time in a lot gentler manner.

“I’d love to.” I couldn’t hold back my smile.

After getting to know Brock Donavan a lot better, my suspicions were confirmed he was Confused & Unhappy and I was there to help pick up the pieces after his girlfriend did indeed establish she was only after his money. Not only did he have a very successful real estate company, but he came from money as well. His father was an oil tycoon who owned a ranch in Texas worth two and a half million dollars. In addition to that, they owned property in France, Greece, and Tahiti. He was twenty-eight years old and heartbroken over his ex-girlfriend’s admission. I didn’t reveal who I was to him. Instead, I was a sounding board, and in the end, I scored a date with him the coming weekend.

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I was walking on a cloud the next day at work. Not even the fact I had to spend a few hours with Mr. Personality at a homeless shelter later could take the spring out of my step. I had hit the motherlode of men. Brock had everything on my list, including great personality. I hadn’t laughed as much as I had with him last night in a long while. Lucy and Marisa were the only two people who knew the premise of how we met. I didn’t even come clean to my aunt, sparing myself of her lecture over how he could be some psychotic serial killer. Instead, she was under the assumption we had met over coffee in Starbucks, not that it still wouldn’t preclude him from being a psychotic serial killer, but for some reason it put her mind at ease to think we met that way instead of online.

“I think we should go out for drinks to celebrate.” Lucy grinned as we sat around the small conference table in my office having a working lunch.

“Sounds like a plan to me!” I beamed.

Marisa was silent, staring down at her bowl of soup. Lucy shrugged as we exchanged glances, both wondering what had been bothering her as of late.

“Marisa, is everything—”

“Marisa, when you’re done with your lunch, can I get your help with something?” Alex interrupted, sticking his head in.

“Oh yeah, sure. I’ll be there in a sec.” Her voice cracked with emotion.

“Thanks.” He caught her gaze and stared at her questioningly, seeming as if he picked up on the same aloofness Lucy and I had.

“Don’t forget we have a date tonight,” I teased just as he turned around to exit. I looked over at Lucy and we both giggled. I could only imagine the look of dread on his face over the prospect of spending the evening with me. “Not even he could put me in a bad mood today!”

“Let me go and see what Alex needs.” Marisa stood up and gathered her things.

“Marisa, is everything okay?” I asked.

“Yeah, it’s fine.” She forced a smile. “I’ll be right back.” She pushed in her chair and made a hasty exit.

“I have no idea,” Lucy answered my question before I could even ask it. “She’s been sort of out of it all morning.” She turned her attention to the FedEx guy standing in the doorway, nearly knocking her chair over as she stood up.

“Whoa, easy there.” He laughed, causing her to blush.

“Oh, you’re here for me…let me see if I could track down that envelope I have for you.” I stood up and walked out of my office, leaving the two of them alone in hopes that my plan would work. I stood by the copier, stretching my neck around the corner, getting a glimpse inside my office at the two of them laughing. It was working.

“What are you doing?”

I jumped at the sound of Alex’s voice, sneaking up behind me.

“Oh…nothing. Just trying to find an envelope.”

He looked in my office and then back at me with the same disapproving glare I had grown so accustomed to from him.

“Jerk,” I whispered under my breath as he walked away. I continued with my spying and couldn’t contain my smile when I watched the FedEx guy take out his phone and type something into it—hopefully Lucy’s phone number. Once I was certain the connection had been made, I headed back to my office.

“It’s the weirdest thing. I don’t know what happened to that envelope,” I said as I walked in to the two of them making goo-goo eyes at each other.

“Oh, no problem,” he replied, never taking his eyes from Lucy.

“Sorry to have made you waste a trip.” I poured it on thick.

“Believe me, it wasn’t a waste.”

Lucy tried her best to stifle her giggle and failed miserably.

“I’ll talk to you soon, Lucy.” He backed his way out of my office.

“Watch the—”

He banged into the wall like a lovesick puppy dog before I could even get the words out with the grin never leaving his face.

“What did I miss?” I feigned naivety once he was gone.

“Let’s just say we have double the reason to celebrate!” Lucy exclaimed.