Plump & Pretty Page 10

  When I walked into Bite Me! I was happy to see friendly faces and smell Charlie’s delicious cupcakes. I needed the break after worrying non-stop about my job situation and Jamie. I couldn’t implement too many new ideas at READ until it was officially mine, but I was planning.

  Charlie handed me my cupcakes and coffee when I reached the counter. “I haven’t had any visitors in a few days. How was your date?”

  I groaned and rolled my eyes. I didn’t want to talk about Connor, but I knew it was inevitable. “I’ll tell everyone at once. Are you going to join us tonight?”

  Charlie nodded. “Yeah. Kendall’s here. I just figured I’d ask before everyone else in case there was something I needed to help you hide.”

  I shook my head. “Nothing to hide. I just think we’re done.”

  Charlie followed me to the table and sat next to me. Everyone except Mandy and Carrie were there. Sam was back from her honeymoon so we all jumped in on how it was. She looked beautiful with her long brown hair lightened from the California sun, her golden skin just a little darker than normal. Her signature red glasses were perched on her nose with a red sweater that went all the way up to her chin. Dark jeans and black boots completed her look, reminding me of the stylish photographer I’d met months ago.

  “Did you have fun?” Addi asked.

  “Oh, my God, we had such a great time. I still can’t believe he took me to California. It was beautiful there,” Sam gushed.

  “You make it sound like you guys left the hotel,” Lexi teased.

  “Ha ha. We left the hotel, just not for long periods of time. Brady insisted on being active so we walked the city, toured a few vineyards, and rode bikes over the Golden Gate Bridge. It was so different than I’d expected.”

  “What, like more Californian?” Claire joked.

  Sam shot her a dirty look and pressed on. “No, it was very laid back. When we flew in all you saw was sky-scrapers. Well, beyond the ocean at least. I guess I expected a little more metropolitan sort of place from the way it looked, but it was pretty chill. The city impressed me with the public transportation and the variety to do. It put Winterville to shame, that’s for sure.”

  “Everything puts Winterville to shame,” Charlie laughed. “This town is so small we barely have our own zip code.”

  “True,” Sam agreed. “But California was nice. I sort of wished we’d gone to more vineyards than we did, but we had fun. The hotel was gorgeous and the bay was amazing. Of course then we came back to the frozen tundra. God, I think it’s colder here with a tan. My warm skin is revolting against me, begging me to go back to where the heat is.”

  We all laughed, jealous and happy for Sam at the same time. Even though I didn’t know Sam long before Brady was part of her life, I could tell she was happier with him. He was a good guy, a little damaged, but he adored Sam. I couldn’t ask for anything more for my friend.

  “It’s nice that you guys could get away for a while. How did Dave’s Gym hold up without Brady?” Addi asked. Being a teacher she was quick to point out to everyone that she didn’t have to work summers, but she worked like crazy the other nine months of the year. Picking up and taking a vacation anytime she wanted wasn’t something Addi could do.

  Sam took a bite of her raspberry lemonade cupcake and nodded. “Brady went in this morning. He said things are going well. Greg handled everything without a problem. He’s looking to give Greg a bit more responsibility too so he can enjoy married life.”

  Sam wagged her eyebrows, none of us missing the innuendo. I was happy for her. Sam was the first of the group I’d met when she came into READ one day. She was broken down from the harsh way her ex broke up with her, but once Brady showed her how much she was wanted and loved she got her spark back.

  Carrie and Mandy joined us while Sam was talking so our table was complete with eight. I always found it strange how some weeks none of the men showed up, as though they could sense we needed some women only time. With Sam just back from her honeymoon I assumed they all knew we needed a no men allowed night.

  “Did you ever decide what to do about Connor, Riles?” Addi asked once everyone moved on from Sam’s honeymoon.

  “Who’s Connor?” Sam asked in a sing-song voice.

  “From your wedding,” Addi declared. “Some hottie she went to high school with is friends with Brady now.”

  Sam’s eyes flicked back to me. “Wait, do you mean Connor Lee? Brady said he interviewed him for some radio show. I think Connor is a member at Dave’s Gym.”

  “He has a morning radio show called ‘No Girls Allowed’ for men about sports, women, and whatever else he wants to talk about. It makes sense that Brady was on it.”

  “So what’s going on with you guys? Did he ask you out?”

  Seven pairs of eyes focused on me, waiting for the story from the beginning so Sam could be filled in. I told Sam about what happened at her wedding then Connor showing up at READ, twice, and ended with our date Friday night.

  “When are you going out with him again?” Lexi asked.

  I shrugged and sipped my coffee to stall for time. I was the latest project, the one going through the whole new love thing. Letting them down by telling them it wasn’t going to happen was harder than I thought it’d be.

  “Are you going out with him again?” Carrie jumped in.

  I shook my head. “I don’t think so.”

  “Good for you.”

  “Why not?”

  “But he’s so hot!”

  “He doesn’t deserve you.”

  I smiled at my friends, knowing I could count on their honesty and support. “I don’t want that life. If Connor’s all about showing off and kissing ass, I’m not interested. Besides, he hasn’t called me since our date. I think he felt the same way I did. We just didn’t click.”

  “One date isn’t going to tell you if you click. I thought Brady was a creepy asshole for about a week,” Sam said with a laugh.

  “Yeah, I blew Xander off when we first met, but he kept trying,” Mandy added.

  “I wouldn’t date Joey at first because I didn’t want a relationship. He gave me another chance,” Addi put in.

  “Aidan had to ask me out for over a year before I agreed. I thought he was joking, but he kept trying. Maybe Connor was trying to impress you,” Claire suggested.

  “He didn’t do a very good job if he was trying to impress me. I felt like he was ignoring me half the time.”

  “What did you talk about?” Charlie asked.

  “Him. He told me all about his radio show, a little about college and his sports, and he introduced me to the people he spoke to. He asked very little about me and our conversation was totally one-sided.”

  The more I thought about it, the less I wanted to see him again. Why would I? He wasn’t interested in me enough to ask about my life, he just wanted me to see his life. Nothing said conceited jerk like a night full of talking about yourself and sucking up to everyone in sight.

  “I think Claire’s right,” Sam suggested. “It sounds like he was trying to impress you. Show you what a big deal he is and how great he is. You knew him in high school? What was he like back then?”

  “I didn’t know him well, I just knew of him. He was the sports god of my high school. The guy every girl wanted to look her way and every guy wanted to be friends with. He seemed nice enough, but we never spoke in high school.”

  Sam tapped her lips with her finger and regarded me thoughtfully, reading my thoughts was what it felt like.

  “You had a crush on him, didn’t you?”

  “Everyone did. I was no exception.”

  “Brady doesn’t know him well, but he told me he felt like they were similar. He got the feeling Connor didn’t have a good childhood either, that’s why they stayed in touch after the interview. You guys know Brady doesn’t let people in easily, but with Connor he said it was different, like he was the little brother Brady never had.”

  Confused didn’t begin to describe how I was feelin
g. From the outside it seemed Connor had a great childhood. How could you not when you were the most popular person in high school? Then again, there were rumors that his parents barely acknowledged him. Maybe his life wasn’t as perfect as I thought it was.

  “I guess all I’m saying is, if he’s like Brady, it’s going to be hard for him to let you in. Maybe he was trying to show you off, or impress you. Maybe he’s a pompous ass. Either way, you might not want to write him off just yet. Give him a call and do something more casual next time.”

  With a shake of my head I dismissed the idea of calling him, but if he called, I’d consider giving him another chance. It blew my mind to think Connor Lee had a bad childhood, or at least not a good one. I was convinced his life was perfect, but I trusted Brady. He wouldn’t have told Sam all that if he wasn’t certain about Connor’s past. I just had to figure out how to handle it.

  ~*~

  The next day at work I was swamped with details for our author signing. I’d managed to snag Amber Monaco, a bestselling women’s fiction author who lived nearby. She was coming in ten days to do a book signing and reading. I couldn’t believe she’d agreed to come by, but her assistant, Piper, said Amber was excited about the event.

  I flipped through my notes to figure out exactly what I needed. Amber had requested bottled water in a cooler, pens for the signing, and books. I knew we would also do light refreshments and drinks.

  Before I got anything set for that, I needed to talk to Piper. “Amber Monaco’s office, this is Piper.”

  “Hi Piper, this is Riley Williams from READ. How are you?”

  “Hey Riley. I was going to call you this week. Are we still set for next weekend?”

  “Yes. That’s what I was calling about. I was looking through my notes and realized I didn’t have anything about what you guys want to eat. We’ll do snacks and drinks for the event, just to keep people hanging around. Do you have any requests?”

  “Hmmm,” Piper said. I heard papers shuffling on her end and I waited. I knew I could just get whatever I thought would work, but Amber was arriving just after lunch. I didn’t want her to be starving or miserable when she arrived.

  “Okay, here it is. Amber wants to get lunch in town before the signing. She’s been looking up places online and found a few she wants to try out. She likes to get a feel for the town before she does a signing. Even though we’re close, she still likes to be able to tell an anecdote about the town during her talk. Do you have any restaurants you’d recommend?”

  I thought about her question for a second, knowing I could give her a number of options. “Well, I guess it depends what you guys are looking for. There’s a great soup and sandwich place called Soup’s On. There’s Sandy’s Wiches that I like. Thai This is great food if you’re looking for something a little more substantial. I just went to Kobe last weekend. It’s a steak place and was very good.”

  I paused, my mind flashing back to my date with Connor. It bugged me that he hadn’t bothered to call me yet, but I knew better than to dwell on it. Connor Lee was out of my league. I’d said it before and there was no reason to change my mind just because he’d asked me out.

  “I think some of those were on Amber’s list. I’ll have to check with her. But um, yeah, if we’re going to lunch I don’t think we’ll need anything. Amber likes to have water on hand when she’s going to be talking. She’s pretty low maintenance to be honest with you.”

  I laughed. There seemed to be two kinds of authors. One kind was laid back and casual, the other kind… wasn’t. I was glad to hear Amber was the first kind. “I have a friend who owns a bakery here so I was going to ask her to get us some cupcakes. The books are already on order and should be here within a couple of days. I have a few signs in my office and we’ve been promoting the event online for a few weeks. I think we’re going to have a great turnout.”

  “That sounds wonderful, Riley. We really appreciate you doing all this. Amber’s husband is probably going to be there too if that’s okay.”

  “Oh, of course,” I assured her. “I’ve contacted a local author’s group about setting up events here in the future and invited them to come also. I think a few of them have signed up.”

  “That sounds like a great idea,” Piper gushed. “Amber loves meeting other authors and having them in the audience when she’s doing a talk. Authors usually ask questions that readers don’t think to ask or questions that they’ve been asked and most readers want to know the answer to. She’ll be excited to hear there’s a local group coming.”

  “Excellent. Then I think we’re all set for next Saturday. Oh, and I’m not sure if you know, but Pam and George, the owners of READ, are retiring in a couple months, but nothing has changed. You’ll still get the same service we’ve provided.”

  “Huh. I honestly thought you owned READ. What’s going to happen to the store when they retire?”

  For some reason I wanted to tell that stranger what was going on. “Actually, I’m buying the store.”

  “Oh, wow, that’s excellent. It definitely won’t change then. Congratulations!”

  “Thanks. It’s not finalized yet, but I’ve met with the bank and it shouldn’t be an issue.”

  “Very cool. You’ve been awesome to work with so I have no doubt you’ll continue to make READ a great place. I can’t wait to meet you.”

  “Me too, Piper. Thanks for all your help.”

  Piper and I said goodbye and I made notes of our conversation. I was excited to meet her and Amber, and to keep moving READ forward. Especially since my personal life had stalled. Again.

  Fourteen

  I’d just sat down to lunch when my phone rang. Connor.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi Riley. How are you?”

  Casual. He sounded like we talked every day instead of not speaking in days.

  “Um, I’m okay. How about you?” I could play along.

  “I’m good, but I’ll be even better if you agree to go out with me again Friday night.”

  Damn, there it was. He ignored me for almost five days and wanted another date without explanation. I tried to remember what Sam said, but a bad childhood didn’t give a person the right to be a shitty adult.

  “I don’t know, Connor. Maybe it’s not such a good idea.”

  I heard him suck in a breath then he paused. I could almost picture him running his hand through his thick brown hair and looking up at the ceiling as though it held the answers. I wish my ceiling held answers.

  “Why not, Riley? Didn’t you enjoy the dinner Friday night?”

  “I just think we’re too different. You live this life that I’m not really interested in. I don’t go to restaurants like that, where money is practically dripping from the walls. I wasn’t comfortable there, and, well honestly, I felt like I was just there so you weren’t alone trying to schmooze all those people.”

  He whispered something that sounded a lot like ‘fuck’ and paused. I wanted to trust Sam and Brady, and I did, but I couldn’t go out with someone who only wanted me around when it was convenient for him. Either we were dating and told each other the truth or we weren’t.

  “You’re the only woman I’ve ever taken there that didn’t want to go back immediately.”

  “Connor, I’m not like the women you date, assuming you still date stick figures with little else going for them. I like to be comfortable, a casual dinner and maybe a movie or something. I’m not made for expensive restaurants and kissing ass.”

  He was quiet for a few minutes, long enough that I checked my phone to make sure the call hadn’t dropped. “Are you still there?” I finally asked.

  “Yeah, I’m here. I wasn’t trying to make you uncomfortable Riley. We won’t go back there. You’re kind of throwing me here. I don’t know what to do.”

  I sighed heavily, simultaneously hating myself for not seeing him again and cheering myself on for being strong. It was Connor Lee for crying out loud! Whatever I did, I would end up broken-hearted, of that I was cert
ain. He sounded miserable, but it wasn’t up to me to make him happy. I wasn’t looking for a relationship where I had to be everything to the other person. If I was going to get involved with someone, it would be a partnership.

  “Maybe it’s best if we don’t do anything then. I like you Connor, what I know of you, but we really don’t know each other. We don’t know the same people, we don’t hang out the same places, we don’t have anything in common. I just don’t think it’s going to work.”

  “Riley, please don’t say that. That place is not me, not the real me. I took you there because I thought you’d like it. Give me another chance. I’ll show you the real me.”

  “It’s not just the restaurant. It’s been five days since we went out, and you never called me. I figured you didn’t want to see me again.”

  He exhaled loudly. “Please tell me you’re not seeing someone else already.”

  “What? No!” I nearly shouted, exasperated that he would think that.

  “I didn’t know what to say,” he said softly. With a heavy sigh he admitted, “I wasn’t sure you’d want to see me again. I knew you didn’t have a good time. I just thought maybe if I took you out again I could figure something out.”

  “Where did you want to go?” I asked, knowing he would screw it up again.

  “I was thinking about going to the hockey game Friday night. I can get good tickets.”

  I shook my head. Wrong answer.

  “I don’t know much about sports, Connor. I know it’s your world and that’s another reason why I just don’t think things will work-“

  “One chance, Riley. That’s all I’m asking you for. Give me one more chance. Friday night. I’ll pick you up at seven. Casual. I promise. One more chance Riley.”

  I didn’t know how to say no to him pleading with me. Connor Lee was practically begging me for a date. Connor Lee. I was having trouble believing it, or understanding it. It didn’t make sense. Guys like him could have any woman they wanted. For him to be interested in me, at all, was overwhelming and crazy.