Chapter One
Talia Barca stared gloomily at her drink. How would she ever survive the next time she saw her ex-husband? The rat bastard.
“So what are you going to do?” her cousin, Nita Islas asked. The soft question broke through Tally’s misery.
“I don’t know,” she muttered and lifted her amaretto sour to her lips. She gripped the cold glass tightly so the shaking of her hand wouldn’t cause her to let it drop. Stupid nerves. There was no real reason to be nervous and yet she was. So what that she hadn’t seen her ex in years. Her entire family had been invited to her cousin’s upcoming wedding, a wedding he’d also attend. That meant nothing. Okay, it did mean she had to see his dumbass again. To make matters worse, if she didn’t attend she’d look like she hadn’t gotten over him. How stupid was that when she’d been the one to put in for the divorce in the first place.
“Stop thinking so hard, babe.” Nita shrugged her shoulders. Her black, wide-neck top dove to the side and showed off a sparkly bra strap over golden brown skin. “I mean our entire family should know at this point that he was a jerk to you.”
“You already know they think it was miscommunication. Makes shit worse that he’s been great to most of them. That’s why they never really pushed him out of their circle.” She swallowed a gulp of her drink, draining what was left in the glass.
“If my parents weren’t traveling most of the year they’d support you too. This isn’t fair if you ask me. I mean the guy was a dick to you.”
A dick with a small dick. That’s what she’d called him once she’d given up on trying to make shit work. She sighed. An entire week near Paul of wedding festivities was not what she was looking forward to. He had a god-complex the size of Texas. It made no sense since he didn’t have the body or equipment to back that up. Not even something a person should be proud of. He was an all-star asshole.
“I’ll think of something.” Tally sighed. She’d better think of something ASAP or she’d have to decline attending and that would look even worse. She didn’t hide from shit, but Paul was one of those people that the mere thought of him gave her a headache.
Nita slapped her drink on the table with a thump. “What about Mrs. Wilder?”
“Gerri? My neighbor?”
“Yes!” Nita leaned forward. “Didn’t she tell you as we were walking out tonight that she’s running her business from her apartment in your building?” Nita’s brown eyes widened with excitement. “If I recall, she said it’s a matchmaking or dating service or something like that.”
Tally frowned and swept a long black curl behind her ear, trying to remember the conversation. Mrs. Wilder was her older neighbor from across the hall and a lot of fun. They were the only two on her floor and so Tally visited the older woman quite often. The reason was more so she wouldn’t feel alone than Mrs. Wilder being old. Tally didn’t really get along with her family thanks to asshole Paul. Now her days were either spent with Nita or Mrs. Wilder. The older neighbor always had a ton of male visitors. She came from a huge family and she’d mentioned some of her grandsons would be moving in to the building in the next few weeks.
“She did say something like that,” Tally mused.
“Well, there you go!” Nita passed her empty glass to the waitress, grabbed a fresh one and lifted it to her lips. “Problem solved.”
Maybe. Or maybe she’d be in deeper shit if she allowed the elderly woman to mess with her personal life. When it came to men, Tally had some seriously sucky luck. She glanced around the bar that was located a few blocks from her building. The crowd was younger than she cared to be surrounded with, but in a college town, it was bound to happen. At thirty-two, she’d started to feel like a miserable old lady surrounded by hot young men. She didn’t see how her personal life could get any better.
“You need to talk to more men,” Nita said as if reading her mind.
“I’m too old for dating,” she grumbled but smiled at the waitress who’d given her a new drink. “I’m about to get my cat lady starter kit any day now. Men are too much work.”
Nita laughed. “You’re insane. You’re gorgeous! What