Page 16 of Blind Date with a #Doctor
Nan smirks. “Before you flee, sweetheart, I have an invitation for you both.”
Kendra freezes mid-sip. “Oh?”
“Book club tonight,” Nan says sweetly. “We’d love for you to join.”
I open my mouth, but Kendra is already shaking her head. “Can’t. Emergency.”
Nan squints at her. “What kind of emergency?”
“The kind that requires me to be not at book club.”
Nan rolls her eyes. “Fine, fine. Aspen, darling, you’ll come, though, won’t you?”
I hesitate and that’s how I get caught.
Nan’s smirk deepens. “Oh, yay, you’re coming.”
Kendra snickers. “You hesitated.”
“I did not.”
“You so did.”
Nan leans in, resting her chin on her hands. “Sweetheart, you’re coming. You need this meeting.”
I narrow my eyes. “I don’t need anything.”
Nan just pats my hand. “Sure, dear.”
And that’s how I end up at book club that night, whether I like it or not.
* * *
The bookstore is already buzzing when I walk in. Nan, Sally, and Marie are waiting. Wine is poured. Chairs are pulled up. And before I can even sit, Nan gives me a look.
“So,” she says, all knowing and smug. “Carter, huh?”
I sigh dramatically, dropping into the chair. “Are we talking about a book? Or is this meeting about my love life first?”
Sally waves a dismissive hand. “Oh, we’ll get to the book later. More importantly—you like him.”
Marie grins. “We knew it. We called it.”
I groan, taking a long sip of wine.
“Fine,” I admit. “I do like him.”
Nan looks positively delighted. “And what’s the problem, dear?”
I shift uncomfortably. “It’s just… different.”
They all exchange knowing glances. “And ‘different’ is bad because…?” Sally prompts.
I stare at my glass, swirling the wine absently. “Because I’ve done this before. Thought I had something good. Thought I could trust someone.”
They all get quiet, because they know. They know about Ryan. About how I trusted him, believed in him, let myself fall. Only for him to turn around and cheat, then act like it was my fault for not being ‘enough’.
I don’t talk about it much, because, honestly? I don’t like remembering how stupid I was. But Nan just reaches across the table and squeezes my hand.
