Dark Redemption - Charlotte Byrd Page 0,10

found out that she was pregnant after that?" Allison asks. "What if he wanted to call you but he couldn’t?"

I stare at her. She’s waiting for me to say something.

But I just shake my head. He’s a liar and he's not someone I thought he was. He's been this mystery ever since I met him and it was romantic and kind of cool at first. Not anymore.

"Maybe he's just some rich asshole who likes to have a little fun and play these little games,” I say.

Pulling away from Allison, I wipe the rest of my tears. My words resonate around the room and by the expression on her face, I can tell that I've made an impact. That was the first time I've ever considered that out loud or even in my own head and now it seems to bring answers to all of my questions.

"He's just an asshole,” Allison says.

Maybe that girl's in on it or maybe not. Maybe he got her pregnant afterward or maybe he was lying to both of us.

In any case, yes, he did pay for my mom's treatment. And for that, I will be forever grateful.

But as far as everything else goes, he's dead to me. I never want to see him again. Never want to speak to him again. Hell, I never want to think about him again.

This evening, Allison convinces me to go out and get some drinks. It’s all about taking my mind off things and I’m all for it. We head to a familiar haunt, a bar on 79th Street, where she has always managed to get lucky.

"That's why I don't go there very often," Allison says, adjusting her look in the mirror.

I'm dressed in a similar fashion, spaghetti sleeve top, a short skirt, and high heels.

We get there at around 10:30, just when the place is getting filled with enough people for a good selection. Everyone is crowding around the bar and Allison gets us two lemon drops. A martini is a serious drink for the middle of the day, but a lemon drop means that you're ready to party.

We grab a little table in the corner, one of the tall standup ones where people can approach you from any direction. She scans the room for prospects and checks her phone.

"We're out," I say, "so why are you online dating at a bar? Shouldn't you be looking for people in person?"

"Look, you can put in their GPS, so if someone's here, you can check out their whole profile and see if they're a suitable match."

I roll my eyes.

"You know that this is how it's done," she says, showing me her phone, clicking through a few options that are within a block away.

It's not that I have anything against online dating per se, I don't. It's just that I'm here to not be online.

I'm here to take a chance, to strike up a conversation with someone and to really connect.

I want to feel the same way I felt at The Redemption with… Dante.

Stop it, I say to myself. Forget about him. He’s a loser and a liar. You don’t need a replacement. You’re here to put him out of your mind completely.

"Put your phone down," I say. "I don't want to look like we're occupied."

The tone of my voice tells her that I'm serious. I pout my lips and I push my breasts together as I lean over the table, my eyes laser focused on the guy with the crew haircut on the other side of the bar.

He’s nursing a beer and as soon as our eyes meet, he points me out to his friend. On the walk over, our eyes don't break contact the whole time.

“Hi,” he says, extending his hand. "I'm Logan."

Dressed in a linen suit, he looks like he has just walked in from arguing a case in a courtroom in Louisiana.

"Hi, I'm Jacqueline," I say, extending my hand. "It's nice to meet you."

7

Jacqueline

Allison doesn't stay for long. She spots a hot guy across the room and tells me that she'll be back.

Logan takes her seat and focuses his eyes on mine. His are hazel green, a nice match to his tan skin.

As we talk, I find out that he's visiting from North Carolina. He is indeed a lawyer, and he is here for a deposition.

"Don't you need to have a license to practice law here?” I ask.

"Yeah, I do. I used to live in Connecticut, but my parents moved down to North Carolina and my mom