Page 22 of Bea's Book Wagon
‘Well, you’d only known him a few months.’
‘We were together for nearly six, actually!’ Bea protested.
‘That’s no time. You think every guy you meet is your perfect romantic hero and fall head over heels in a hot minute.’
‘I do not!’
‘Oh, come on, Bea, you fall in love at the drop of a hat.’
‘That’s not true!’
‘What about Dillon?’
‘Well, Dillon was different,’ said Bea, casting her mind back to the semi-pro footballer she’d dated last year. ‘Things got really intense really quickly, that’s all.’
‘And Max?’
‘That was different, too,’ Bea insisted, ‘I mean, we met on Valentine’s Day, that had to be a sign.’
‘It’s a lot of pressure…’
‘What is?’
‘To live up to your high expectations. Not everyone can be a character from a romance novel. It’s just not real life.’
‘Who said I—’
‘Come on, Bea.’
‘Okay, you may have a point,’ Bea conceded. ‘I guess I’m just looking for my happy-ever-after; there’s nothing wrong with that.’
‘No, of course there isn’t. You know what you want. Whereas I expect every man I meet to be a let-down,’ Jess laughed.
‘You’re going to have to let your guard down one of these days.’
‘Who says?’
‘The universe? The law of attraction, I don’t know. But one day, you’re going to fall head over heels; it’s bound to happen.’
‘Not if I can help it,’ said Jess, determinedly. ‘Anyway, how’s living with Archie again?’ she asked, keen to change the subject.
‘Good, I think. We haven’t killed each other yet.’
‘He’s earning mega bucks, isn’t he? What does he do again?’
‘Don’t ask me,’ laughed Bea, ‘software developer, I think. I know it’s got something to do with coding, but I haven’t got a clue, really.’
‘You and me both,’ agreed Jess.
‘Well, we can’t all be good at the same things, can we?’ laughed Bea, ‘Archie’s the IT specialist and I’m the…’
‘Literature legend?’
‘I was going to say flaky one, but literature legend sounds much better.’
‘You are, though! I mean, the book wagon idea is so creative and really leans into your skills.’
‘What do you mean?’ asked Bea.
