Page 5 of Curves of Steel

My eyes travel back to the television. Michelle Sincero’s still on there, talking about some old skating injury that her eyes tell me she’s long since tired of discussing.

I’d love to go out on the town, such as it is out here in small-town Colorado, if it involved a woman like the one on the television. She looks equal parts succulent and in need of a man to hold her close through her troubles.

A man like me.

Laughing at myself, I reach and switch the T.V. off. Maybe Ash is right. Maybe I do need something new or a night out. It can’t be a good sign to think such things about a woman I’ve only seen on a gritty-screened television.

And yet as I pack up my gear, her beautiful face seems to be the only thing I can think about.

Michelle

Isquint at the app my friend has pulled up on my phone, frowning.Curve Connection, I read in a swooping font.

We’re perched on two stools at a busy bar, sipping cocktails and trying to fix my life. I’d told Bea about this morning’s interview and my new resolution, and she’d told me about the app.

“You’re sure this is where I should start?” I pop a skeptical eyebrow at Bea, my bestie from way back.

She puts a hand over her heart and nods solemnly, blonde ringlets bouncing. “It all started with Donny, right? When things fell apart?”

“I guess . . .”

Her mouth forms a thin line. “You were on top of your game until you found out how many other women he was on top of, if you know what I mean.”

I wince. “Geez, way to sugarcoat it.”

“Sorry, but you know it’s true,” Bea says in a matter-of-fact tone.

The sad part? I do know. I never doubted myself until Donny forced me to.

To my frustration, I haven’t been able to stop doubting myself ever since.

“The best part about this app,” she says after sipping her drink, “is that it weeds the most awful guys out automatically.”

“How does it do that exactly?” I ask doubtfully.

“It’s called Curve Connection, right?”

I nod.

“Well,” Bea continues, cheeks growing pink from her excitement, “that means that the most shallow guys who don’t like a lady with a little extra meat will avoid it — leaving less shitty assholes for you to deal with.”

I lean my head to the side, pulling a face. “Isthat what it means though?”

Bea shrugs. “It worked for me, right?”

Damn. She’s got me there. Just like me, Bea is young and curvy, and she met her boyfriend of five months through the app she just installed on my phone.

She elbows me gently. “It can’t hurt, right? To get back out there?”

I roll my eyes with a little snort. “It could definitely hurt.”

“That’s the risk of love,” Bea declares. Then she softens. “You haven’t been with anybody since Donny — not casual dates, not hookups, nothing. I’m worried about you.”

I purse my lips. “I’m fine—“ I begin.

“I know you are.” She presses a supportive hand against my forearm. “But I also know that you deserve better than the emotional fallout Donny left for you to clean up. I want you to be happy.”

I open my mouth to protest that I am happy — and then slowly close it without saying a word.

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