Page 44 of Mine Again
Now I wonder if she was onto something.
I try again.
“Family-oriented woman with complicated extended relatives. Fond of lemon trees, espresso, and not dying young. Likes quiet mornings and honest conversations. Dislikes liars, bounty hunters, and being used as mafioso bait.”
Okay, that’s… borderline poetic. Though I should lose the last line. No need to terrify the decent ones.
I read through it again. Hmm, maybe not.
I might attract thrill-seekers. The kind of man who sees “complicated relatives” as a code for “call me, I like danger.”
A normal, boring man would be better, right?
Someone who pays taxes. Gets excited about air fryers. Believes a “family secret” is how Nonna makes her cookies chewy, not where the bodies are buried.
I run my hands through my hair, thinking.
Okay, here we go again.
“Warm-hearted woman who enjoys beach walks, Italian novels, and owning fewer than three burner phones. Looking for a man who prefers conversation over conflict, has a working relationship with law enforcement (not as a suspect), and considers stability an attractive personality trait.”
God, I sound boring… and at the same time somewhat unhinged.
I groan. I really suck at this.
What would Luca write?
It’d be quite short.
“Don’t even think about looking at my girl. She’s mine alone.”
A giggle breaks loose, but it fades as quickly as it came, leaving that familiar hollowness in its place. Joy never lasts long when it’s tied tomio falco. Not anymore.
But I’m not giving up. If I have to give myself another pep talk, so be it.
Funny how even eight weeks after deciding to move on, I still have to talk myself into it every single day. Like moving on is a job I keep failing at, no matter how determined I sound.
I have to banish Luca from my mind. Remembering him only makes me want to slam this laptop shut and reach for my bow, anything to feel control in my hands again.
I need to think of someone else.
I stare at the screen, swiping through profiles, but nothing sparks.
Then blue eyes drift into my mind. Sebastian.
What would his profile say?
I close my eyes and imagine it.
Sebastian, 28. Irresistible brooding face with sapphire blue eyes you’ll never forget. Can cook, drive stick, and keep a secret.
Introvert pretending to be an extrovert. Loyal to a fault, unless you betray me. Then I disappear from your life, and you’ll regret it for the rest of yours.
Enjoys books with morally gray characters, coffee at midnight, and the kind of silence that says everything.
Turn-offs: dishonesty, pineapple on pizza, and small talk.
Looking for someone who sees through the armor and doesn’t run. Bonus points if you can parallelpark.
