Summer: I’ll set it up.
Me: Oh my God, you guys placed a bet, didn’t you?
I sigh and take another gulp of wine. Our group is known to do this. Last Christmas the three of us placed bets on Bella and Hardy falling in love. Our DM has gone suspiciously quiet, and I know I’m not getting anything else out of them, so I finish my wine, resigned to my fate.
Me: Fine, set it up.
Summer: Yay! You should make a list!
Me: What kind of list?
Raven: How about a list of desirable traits you’re looking for in a man in case this one doesn’t work out?
Bella: Boring! Make a sex list!
I think over their suggestions. Bella is the only one I’ve shared much about my past with, all the shitty men that have let me down. I’ve been called fat, boring in bed, forgettable. I sure know how to pick ’em, huh?
But the thought of making a list is pretty tempting. I rip a slip of paper out of one of the half-colored-in notebooks the boys have destroyed and start jotting down some ideas. If I’m going to jump back into the dating world, I might as well be clear about what I want, even if I’m the only one who will ever see this.
Lucy’s Get Lucky List
1. Be less boring in bed
2. Role-play
3. Have multiple orgasms
4. Tie someone up
5. Sit on someone’s face
6. Spankings?
7. Hook up with a guy with an accent. Mr. March? I wish!
CHAPTER 2
MIKE
Acall comes into dispatch for medical up at the school. It’s never the kind of call you want to get, but at least it’s not life-threatening, so there’s comfort in that.
When we pull up on the scene, Principal Adams directs us to the playground. It’s one of those rare fifty-degree days in Chestnut Mountain where you forget you’re in the middle of February. Much different from the mild temperatures of Ireland.
I spot Bella, and she waves me over. She’s sitting on the ground in the empty playground next to a little boy clutching his arm against his chest. “Hey, Mike.”
“Who’s your friend?” I ask as I squat beside them.
“This is Micah.”
“Hey, Micah, I’m Mike. It’s nice to meet you.”
Micah doesn’t move, just pulls his arm tighter against his body.
I look at Bella. “Is he shy?”
Bella leans closer to me, lowering her voice. “He’s not a big fan of men.”
I nod at her, letting her know I’ve got this. “Do you want to check out my ambulance over there?”
