I turn abruptly, hoping that will be the end of the conversation, but as I should have guessed, Raegan remains on my heels as I firmly plant myself at the back of the line.
What’s got everyone so excited for coffee all of a sudden? I never see Double Double this crowded in the middle of the afternoon.
Raegan stands next to me as we move up one person at a time. She shows me a bright pink flyer with a lot of cutesy doodles and a swirly font. “It’s just for one night,” she explains. “I’ve had you down from the start, because you’re basically the perfect participant. You’ve been single for as long as you’ve been in Shadow Hills, and you’ve got that mysterious vampire thing going for you.”
She nudges my hip, and I stiffen awkwardly at her casual show of platonic affection.
I like Raegan. She’s a good person—the perfect woman for Jamie and a great friend—but it’s not in my nature to be openly affectionate. Perhaps the problem isn’t not knowinghowto show affection, but how few people there are in my life to show it to.
“I do not have an interest in finding a partner,” I tell her honestly, though the admission stings.
“You don’t have to actually find someone,” she says hurriedly. “You just have to participate.”
I’m not budging. Raegan’s blood pressure, previously raised from excitement, lowers back to a normal level. Her face falls, then I hear her quietly say to herself, “I shouldn’t have waited until the last minute like I always do.”
She should know that I can hear her, but at this moment she seems to have forgotten about my enhanced hearing, so I act as if I haven’t.
“What happens if I don’t participate?” I ask. “Is there anyone else to fill the spot?”
She looks up at me, still under the impression she’s lost the battle, and shrugs. “I’m sure I can find someone.” Her brow scrunches as she continues to work through the problem outloud. “Maybe I should ask the mayor. It was his idea in the first place.”
That ghost is responsible for a lot of crazy ideas, but I must admit, this isn’t too far-fetched. Hosting a speed dating event for Valentine’s Day is a decent way to gain back the tourism we just lost after the holidays.
It pains me to say it, but I can’t stand to see the look of disappointment on Raegan’s face any longer. Last year, leaving an interaction like this behind would have been easy, but things have changed since I’ve grown closer to her mate, Jamie. I never used to get involved with town affairs but given my goddamn conscience having grown three sizes like the Grinch, I now give a shit, especially with Raegan. She’s been nothing but kind to me and making her upset tugs at pieces of my heart I didn’t know had feelings.
Shit. I really have to do this for her, don’t I?
“I’ll do it.”
She’s still going over alternate solutions, so it takes her a second to realize I’ve agreed. “Wait, really?!”
I roll my eyes. “Sure. What the fuck else do I have to do?”
Chapter Three
JOANNA
Inever did get that bath I wanted.
By the time I got home, took the necessary time deciding what to wear to this asinine event, and then got ready, there was no time for a long soak. Instead, I took a whore’s bath in the sink just to make sure I didn’t smell like animals from a day at the farm.
I’m not sure why I suddenly care about making an impression—it’s not as if I expect to find my soulmate at a speed dating event—but for some reason, I feel the need to look my best. Maybe wearing one of my shortest, skin-tight dresses will at least get me laid. It’s a long sleeve number that hugs the little curves I have, giving them a moment to shine. It cuts off mid-thigh, so I decide to add a pair of sheer tights for good measure—it is February, after all.
I glance in the mirror by the front door before exiting the house, giving myself a little pep talk. “You do not need a man. But you can have one, if you want.”
I decide not to grab a coat as I’m walking out the door, my logic being that I’ll be inside for the majority of the night.
It’s about a fifteen-minute drive from the farm to the center of town. I drive down main street, past Double Double and the bookstore, and loop the roundabout. As I’m making a left through the circle, someone jumps out in front of me, right in the middle of the road!
My foot slams on the break just in time, and my little hatchback comes to a screeching halt, inches from the perpetrator. I’m a bit too frazzled at first to consider what I should do next, but it’s no matter, because now there’s a knock on my passenger window.
I turn and see a familiar scowl. With eyebrows raised, Aidan’s tongue darts out to wet his lips, and he shakes his head.
“What?!” I don’t mean to bark at him as I roll down the window, but it’s just been one of those days, and his fucking judgement is pushing me to my limit.
He rears back a bit, stunned by my sudden outburst, but then I see the corner of his lip turn down. “Are you alright?” he asks, his tone gentle.
Is he actually concerned about me?
