Page 3 of Blind Date with a #FORMERPLAYER
My stomach knots, clasping my paperback ofFight My Firein front of me like a shield, I slow my steps. “Yeah, we should go home. We can grab our own wine and talk about Luke coming to put out my fire.”
Chloe bursts out laughing and slings her arm around my neck, dragging me towards the front doors of the small indie romance bookstore. “We’re already here.”
“What about ax throwing?” I point next door.
She shakes her head, her long, dark hair flying around her while I let her tug me inside. “Remember, you love book club.”
“Of course I do. Where else can you go and share something in common with someone who’s barely out of high school, a mom with a full house and a grandmother in her eighties? My only hope is it stays that way.”
“A blind date wouldn’t change that,” she insists, but I remain silent as we make our way towards the back of the store. The room is already full of mostly women, along with Scotty sitting on a couch near Chloe’s grandmother talking animatedly. “There’s more people here every time I come.”
“You’re right,” I agree, my brown eyes skimming over the crowd, every face familiar.
Scotty spots us and grins, waving us over. “Let’s go,” Chloe urges, tipping her head towards him. We weave through everyone seated in plush chairs or curled up on beanbags on the floor with a glass of wine or a cup of tea already in hand.
“Hi,” we greet them both as we approach.
Nora looks at me with wide eyes and claps her hands in delight. “You’re here.” She glances at Chloe. “I’m so happy you two made it.”
My stomach plummets. “I’m going to grab some wine.”
Scotty jumps up. “Oh, you two sit. I’ll go to the bar and get us all some wine. I need to show off my glittery nails some more. They’re perfect for the firefighter book tonight, don’t you think?” He wiggles his fingers in front of us, his nails painted with orange and red glitter, giving them a look of fire.
“They look fabulous,” Chloe agrees, grinning.
“I love them, but I’ll go with you and help you carry the glasses,” I offer.
Scotty plants his hands on his hip and flutters his eyelashes. “I’ll be just fine, while you stay here and stop avoiding your impending setup.” A soft gasp escapes my lips and my eyes widen causing him to chuckle. “Chloe told me what she thinks is going to happen tonight. It’s one of the reasons I’m here. You need to sit back and soak up every second of it before we tie you to your seat.”
Chloe laughs and I collapse next to her with a huff.
Tanith tries to get everyone’s attention the moment he walks away. “We’re going to go ahead and get started on tonight’s book, Fight My Fire. What did we all think about Luke andAli’s story?”
“Makes me want to start a fire,” Nora responds.
“Nana!” Chloe retorts as we all burst out laughing.
Breathing a sigh of relief as we dive into the book, I relax against the cushions, getting comfortable. Scotty returns, handing Chloe and I each a glass of wine before sitting on my other side. Licking my lips, I savor the taste of the sweet grape, and listen to everyone’s thoughts on the book, remaining quiet.
I’m on my second glass of wine and believe I’m out of the woods for the night when Nora throws me under the bus. “I think it should be Layla’s turn to pick a book off the book boyfriend shelf.”
Instantly, my back goes ramrod straight. “My turn? What do you mean?” My stomach drops and I glare at Chloe, biting her lips to keep from laughing.
Waving my hand, I flippantly say, “You can skip me.”
“We don’t skip anyone,” Kim, a young mom, claims.
“And the decision was already made at the last meeting,” Clara, a friend of Nora argues.
“Too bad we weren’t here,” Chloe whispers, no longer able to hide her amusement.
“Layla never joins in,” one of the three women sitting behind us mumbles, loud enough for us to hear. I’m not sure if it was Rachel, Sacha, or Cilia, but it doesn’t matter. None of them have ever been nice to me. At least during breaks or summers, I had Chloe with me like I do now.
Why would they start now?
We turn in unison, Chloe opening her mouth to defend me when I put my hand on her arm to stop her. “Not worth it. We just need more wine. A lot more wine.”
“Come on up here, Layla and pick a book off the shelf,” Clara insists.
