with dating for now.”
“You can’t give up just because you had one bad date. If you fall off the bike, you have to get back on or you’ll always be scared to try again.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “Who is the guy?”
“I’m not sharing details because I want you to go without expectations.”
“You can’t even show me a picture?”
“No. Like I said…no expectations. But don’t worry, he’s good-looking.” She smirked as if she knew something I didn’t. “At least, most women think so.”
“But you don’t?”
“It’s not about me. It’s about you, and I think you and this guy would be great together.”
That didn’t sound promising. Charlotte and I had often found the same men attractive, so if she didn’t think this guy was for her… I sat up straighter. “What’s wrong with him? Why aren’t you interested?”
She winced and glanced away. “He has a heart of gold, but you have to get through his rough exterior to see it.”
“You’d better not be setting me up with your brother.” I laughed, knowing she would never do that to me. Over the years, I’d seen Easton at Charlotte’s birthday parties, but we’d always managed to steer clear of each other. He was a jerk back in high school and based on what I’d observed, he hadn’t changed much. Charlotte had never tried to get us to talk to each other, so I wasn’t too worried on that account.
There was silence for a long moment and then she took a breath. “If I did something like that, I’d be in the doghouse. Besides, Easton just got out of a difficult break-up.”
“Oh, really?” I picked a piece of lint off my blouse. “It didn’t work out with the blonde? What was her name?”
“Lila.” She shook her head. “No, it didn’t work out between them.”
“That’s too bad.”
Truth be told, I didn’t dwell on Easton’s love life when I could barely manage my own. I’d met Lila in passing at a get-together Charlotte had at her house, and she’d hardly acknowledged me, not that it had bothered me too much. I didn’t care who Easton spent his time with as long as it wasn’t me.
He’d always gone out with high maintenance women, so it was no surprise it didn’t work out, but then again, his personality was probably the bigger problem. I shook my head to clear it. Charlotte would never set me up with her brother. She just wouldn’t do that to me. Whoever this guy was, she must think highly of him since she’d never tried to arrange a date for me in all the years we’d known each other.
“Aren’t you going to tell me more about this guy?”
“Nope. I want you to go into it blind. No expectations. Nothing to color your opinion. Just give him a chance.”
I shrugged. “Fine. I’ll go on your blind date. He can’t be as bad as Greg.”
She clapped her hands together with glee. “That’s wonderful. I thought it would take more to convince you, but I’m so glad you’re open to new experiences.”
“You’ve never tried to set me up before, so I figured this guy must be special, whoever he is. No worries. I’ll go without expectations.”
“Thank you. You won’t regret this. I’ll give you the details once I have them.”
Her dog, Scarlet, jumped up on the couch and sat in my lap. I ran my hand through her soft hair and felt immediately comforted. A dog like this would do a world of good in my life. Having a pet would ground me and help me not to focus on my fears so much.
She was a miniature toy poodle with a teddy bear cut, and the first time I’d seen her I’d thought she was so stinking cute. One day I’d get a dog just like her, and Charlotte and I would arrange play dates for our little doggies. The only obstacle was the money since I was currently funneling everything I had towards paying off student loans. That was another reason I had to get a better job. I needed a higher salary to make ends meet.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to buy you a toy poodle?” Charlotte asked, glancing between me and Scarlett. Her dog had cost fifteen hundred dollars, which was a drop in the bucket for her, but I just couldn’t afford it right now.
“You know how I feel about that.” Charlotte came from a wealthy family, but I never wanted to take advantage of that or make her feel like