Courtney shook her head. “Anyway, we got you.”
Disney World, Christmas auctions, and a few dates…. The entire thing was crazy as hell. But I didn’t hate it anymore. I’d never admit it to them, but a very small, quiet part of me wanted to see what they could come up with. Even if I had no intention of going to Orlando or doing anything serious with their date choices. “What if I don’t like the men you pick for me?”
Blake shrugged. “Shit, I don’t care. What if you do?”
“What she means is—” Bliss rolled her eyes at her twin “—We just want you to be open to the possibility that this might work. Maybe this could be the start of something different for you. Who knows?”
Once again, Bliss had managed to make me question everything I thought I knew in that moment. Because I found myself wondering if I wanteddifferent. This journey had the potential to either destroy or reenforce the barriers I’d erected to protect myself over the years. Clearing my throat, I repeated the question in a different way, “What happenswhenI don’t like any of your choices?”
A slow smile spread across Bliss’ face, almost like she knew something I didn’t know. “I’m not worried. I’m very good at my job.”
Something shifted inside me. Perhaps it was the little flicker of hope that surged through me at her words and the realization that they were right. It was way past time to do the hard work, to reflect on my past, to deal with myself and my mistakes, to leave my marriage and my dusty ex-husband behind for good. To stop running. “Fine,” I relented. “But I have some conditions of my own.”
Blake raised her hands and shouted, “Finally.”
“No more than ten men. And I’m only giving them twenty minutes to make an impression.”
“Done,” Dallas said. “Ex-husband is not on the list, of course. But ex-boyfriends are not off limits, and we’ll make sure each date is casual.”
The fact that she’d mentioned ex-boyfriends made me think she had someone particular in mind, and I didn’t know what to think about that. Especially since I could think of no one from my past that I’d want to revisit. I couldn’t even imagine spending extended time withanyman I’d messed around with. “How about we not even call it a date?” I suggested. “One drink. That’s all.”
Blake laughed. “A shot?”
I smacked my palm on the table. “Even better. And if you’re not successful,allof you have to go to Disney with me.” A chorus of groans validated my initial reservations about the destination. “Thanks for confirming I’m not the only one who hates the thought of going there.”
We spent the next few minutes hammering out the details. By the time the plan was finished, I was sure that they would be joining me in Florida. From the moment I’d stepped into my house that evening, I’d experienced the full gamut of emotions—from sadness to happiness, anger and anxiety, disgust and amusement. Then, there was the fear. Everything about this scared the shit out of me because…What if it worked?
