Page 45 of Finding New Dreams

Slowly at first then faster as he peppered me with questions, I told him about Albert F. and how he thought suspenders were high fashion, spat when he talked, and leered at the waitresses.

Flynn was mostly fine until I mentioned Albert’s hand cupping my butt as we left the restaurant.

His fist clenched around his fork as he thundered, “How is that okay? That’s harassment!”

A dark little part of my heart clapped its hands in glee at his indignation on my behalf. “While it’s certainly not the worst that can happen, it is very unpleasant. Thankfully, I always bring my own car, so I left very quickly after that. Then I reported him on the app.”

Still clutching his fork like he might stab Albert with it, Flynn growled, “What app is this, anyway?”

I told him the name, and he grunted. “I’ve had a few friends meet their partners through there.”

I sighed. “I hope that’ll be me one day. No one seems to come close to matching my list, though.”

Regret punched me in the stomach when his eyebrows shot up. “List? What list?”

Figuring to hell with it, I hopped off my stool. “If I show you, will you promise not to make fun?”

“I could never make fun of you, Rose.”

Lips pursed, I hurried to my bedside table and grabbed my little dating-life notebook. I handed it to him, hovering while he flipped open to the first page.

“This is my collection of wants, needs, and dealbreakers,” I explained.

Flynn nodded as he muttered to himself. “…want a family, biological, fostered, or adopted…supports art…willing to live in Tangled River…funny, smart, outdoorsy, kind, active. Must make me feel safe and secure.” He glanced at me once, concern flickering in his eyes, before continuing. “Gives me the romance of a lifetime.”

“I know it’s a lot,” I said quickly. “But anything less and I’d feel like I was settling, you know?”

He continued to stare at the page as if memorizing it. But that would be ridiculous. Right?

I reached for it, and he hesitated only a moment before handing it back.

“I definitely don’t think you should settle,” he said. “But I’m curious. When did you start feeling like you needed a list? Why not just see where attraction takes you?”

I clutched the notebook to my chest. Part of me wanted to tell him, to let someone else in. That part was largely being swayed by his intense gaze and his warm nearness.

The other part wanted to hide that shameful bit of my past. What if he thought less of me because of it? Everyone else seemed to think I was naïve when it came to men, and this story only confirmed that.

The dryer buzzed, making me jump.

“I’ll get it!” I squeaked.

I rushed to retrieve our now-toasty clothes. After sorting out his socks and t-shirt, I tossed the rest on my bed with the notebook.

Flynn rose from his stool as I handed over his clothes.

“Thank you,” he murmured.

For a moment, he held his clothes in his fist, staring at me with an odd expression I couldn’t quite interpret. Curiosity? Disappointment? Anticipation?

I couldn’t make heads or tails of my emotions either. They just churned like cold butter in my stomach.

He sighed and slid his shirt over his head. While he pulled his socks on, he said, “Tell you what, you give me your secret and I’ll give you mine. And I’ll even go first.”

I couldn’t help smiling and shaking my head. “Always wheeling and dealing. Fine.”

I curled up on the couch and he joined me, his arms spread wide, resting his ankle on his knee.

“You remember your winning observation from that night, that I hadn’t been in a relationship longer than six months?”

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