“Hi,” she said as she approached. “Bryce?”
He nodded his head and they shook hands, which was a little awkward but not too bad. “You’re Becca, right?” he asked as they sat. “I don’t use that app very much anymore, but when I saw your photos, I couldn’t resist.”
She blushed slightly, still smiling as she looked at him. They sat across the table from each other so they could take each other in and give each other space. Becca was grateful that he hadn’t chosen one of the booths that also lined the walls. “Yeah, I’ve been trying to be casual about it, but when I saw your message, I was happy.” She didn’t know how else to put it. It wasn’t as if it had been groundbreaking to her or anything, but she was pleased that he’d taken an interest in her.
The waitress soon came over and they ordered some drinks. Becca ordered water, trying to watch her sugar and caffeine intake. He ordered a soda, which she thought was fine. She was glad he wasn’t having a giant margarita, as she might have imagined. As soon as the waitress was gone again, they could continue their light banter. Becca still didn’t really know much about Bryce, but she was eager to know more.
“What is it that you do?” she asked him, being sure to sit up straight in her chair instead of leaning against one elbow like she usually did in situations like this one. “Your profile didn’t say, or maybe I missed it.”
He shook his head vaguely. “You didn’t. I don’t feel comfortable sharing that type of information on dating apps. It’s not really relevant, is it? I mean, it’s not like you’re planning on hiring me, right?” He smirked a little but she could tell that he wasn’t kidding.
“Well, no, that’d be silly,” Becca said a bit warily. “But part of getting to know someone and seeing if they’re a good match for you is knowing what they do for a living, or what their professional interests are.” She hated to think it, but she was beginning to suspect that he didn’t actually have a job.
Bryce arched an eyebrow. “Professional interests?”
Oh boy.
“Yeah, like what you want to do with your life, what job positions interest you, what fields. The kind of stuff you figure out in college, I guess.” Becca hazarded a smile at him.
“Oh well, I don’t know,” he replied. “I guess I’m interested in computers and that sort of stuff. Software, games, technology…”
But interested in doesn’t mean the same thing as currently doing, Becca thought. “Those are all worthwhile things. Tech is big nowadays, one of those things that gets bigger every year, seemingly. Do you do something related to that?”
“Eh, not really,” he replied, evading her question again. “Enough about me. What is it that you do? Are you a career counselor?”
She had to laugh a little at that. “No. I’m a veterinarian a few towns over, in Meridian.”
“Nice,” he said, nodding his head. “Does that pay well? It’s like a doctor, basically, right?”
“Indeed it is,” she said. “An animal doctor. It pays well enough. I love my job.” She smiled a more genuine smile now, mostly because she really did love her job and not because she was trying to show off to him.
Bryce looked at her thoughtfully. “What made you want to become a vet? Did you want to be a real doctor but then got squeamish or something?”
Great, Becca thought with a sigh. The food hasn’t even arrived yet and I’m already ready to stop talking to him. “No, I never wanted to be a human doctor. I’ve always just preferred animals.”
“Huh,” he said.
Fortunately, the food arrived soon after that so they could be distracted by eating and she didn’t have to force herself to talk much. The enchiladas were excellent and she was able to eat her fill while she listened to Bryce go on and on about some video game. It was hard for her to believe that he was in his early thirties. She wouldn’t have had a problem if he’d been able to talk to her about jobs and stuff with as much enthusiasm as he had when he talked about Fortnite.
When the check arrived at their table, he even had the nerve to look at her expectantly. She rolled her eyes, smirking at him as if he was just joking but he really wasn’t. Looking at the check, she did some quick math in her head and put cash in the folder for her total, waiting to see what he’d do.
He looked at her sheepishly then. “Can I just Venmo you the money?”
Becca didn’t know why she was surprised by this. She was more disappointed than actually surprised. Who knew if she’d ever receive money back from him? “Sure,” she said, deftly exchanging a twenty dollar bill from the envelope for a fifty.
She made sure to get his info before they parted ways. He did have a car; she would give him that. “Do you need a lift?” he asked her, and from the look in his eyes she could tell that he hoped the answer would be no. Perhaps he had had enough of her as well, but chances were, he felt like she was out his league or some nonsense like that. For the first time in a long time, she actually felt good about herself at the end of a date. Kind of. She would’ve felt better if it hadn’t been such a disaster.
“Nah, I’m good,” she said to him. “Thanks though.”
Soon enough, a fresh Uber came for her and she went home, grateful that the driver didn’t try to talk to her. I need a break from humans at the moment.
She told her friends about the terrible date in a series of texts that would’ve been laden with heavy sighs if she’d said their contents out loud.
“Oh my gosh, he sounds atrocious,” Jaz texted her back first. “Does he not realize by his age that women want to know things like what job he’s holding?”
“Apparently he’s been coasting on his looks,” Erin chimed in soon after. “Tisk tisk. Sorry, sweetie. But good on you for trying and putting yourself out there!”
“Yeah, thanks,” Becca texted them. “I really wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, but the red flags just kept on coming.”
“You have nothing to feel bad about,” Teri added. “It sounds like he was just the pits. He’s lucky you gave him any time of day at all.”
“Like I said,” Erin texted. “Coasting. On. His. Looks. And he’s not even that attractive.”
Becca was amused and comforted by her friends’ words. She knew that they’d be there for her and understand that it certainly wasn’t always as easy as dating apps made it out to be in their relentless advertisements. “I’m looking forward to getting together with you guys for that Denver trip we’ve been talking about,” she texted her friends from the comfort of her sofa once she got home. “I don’t need a man to have fun. You ladies have shown me that. I can’t believe he thought that vets just wanted to be doctors but couldn’t handle human bodies. Has he never seen the inside of a dog’s mouth?”
“LOL,” her friends all texted back.
“Who needs him?” Erin said triumphantly, ending the conversation succinctly enough for Becca.
“Hey,” Jaz texted her later, outside of the group texts. “I know we’re heading to Denver soon, but do you want to get together for a coffee or something and talk about things beforehand? I feel like you have a lot weighing on your mind and it can be a lot to deal with all of us at once.”
Becca smiled, touched that Jaz had taken the time to think of that. She could use some one-on-one girl time with one of her friends, and Jaz was often one of the more level-headed in the group of friends, with Becca herself being the other one. “Yes please, that would be great. Thank you!”
They hammered out the details and then Becca went to sleep so she’d be up and at ‘em for work the next morning. She had dreams about helping animals in Mexico and woke up smiling, ready to greet the new day. Especially when she remembered that she was going to meet up with Jaz after work.
Her shift at the animal hospital went as usual. She got a few cat scratches, got to play with a few puppies. She enjoyed pretty much every moment of it. Of course, that didn’t mean that she wasn’t thrilled when her shift ended and it was time to meet Jaz at the coffee shop. Her friend was the
re to greet her in the parking lot, not expecting Becca to get a lift to the place.
“Hey hey,” Jaz said with a smile, the windows rolled down both to catch the breeze and also so she could talk to her.
Becca got into the car and buckled her seat belt. She was still wearing her seafoam green scrubs, but she knew that her friend didn’t really care what she was wearing. Jaz drove them both to the café and expertly parallel parked her car along the curb between two other cars. “Okay, now you’re just showing off,” Becca teasingly said.
They got out of the car and went inside. It was actually pretty small and packed full of people, but they managed to find a table in a corner anyway. They held it for themselves by placing their bags down, trusting that no one in their tiny town was going to even think about stealing it out from under them. Considering that everyone basically knew everyone else, they were safe.
Since it was a coffee shop, there weren’t many food options, but that was okay for Becca because she happened to love sandwiches and donuts. She chose an egg salad sandwich to go along with her large latte and then she went back to the table, sitting down across from Jaz there. Jaz had opted for a chocolate donut with chocolate sprinkles – also not a surprise – and a mocha coffee to go along with it. Jaz may have been practical, but she still had was known to cave in to her sweet tooth most of the time. Becca smiled at her. “Is this dinner or dessert for you?”
Jaz laughed. “I couldn’t resist. So, tell me, have you been doing? Really this time. You don’t have to lie to me. I won’t pressure you to do anything; I just want to know how you’ve been and what you’ve been up to. I know that Erin and the rest of us kind of pressured you into that awkward date.”
Becca rolled her eyes even though she was smiling, and then she took a bite of her sandwich. She swallowed and took time to “mmm” before speaking again. “I’ve been okay. I’ve just not had much luck dating lately. I haven’t really had any luck since high school. I had an amazing boyfriend back then.”
She didn’t entirely know why she was talking about this now. So many years had passed since she’d been with the guy. They’d both moved on, or at least he had likely moved on by now. He’d certainly moved away.
“You mean Ashton?” Jaz asked her, raising an eyebrow skeptically. “But he broke your heart in the end.”
Becca nodded. “Yeah,” she said slightly wistfully. “But it wouldn’t have broken my heart if he hadn’t mattered so much to me. I’m worried that I reached my peak back then and I’ll never find another man as good for me as he was. Certainly not by using dating apps. That just doesn’t work for me. Maybe I’m somehow... broken.”
Jaz put her hand on top of Becca’s on the tabletop and shook her head. “No, please don’t say that. There’s nothing wrong with you. Not everything works for everyone. If you’re more interested in meeting people organically, then you do what’s right for you. Or don’t date anyone right now if you don’t want to. It’s none of our business and we love you the same, no matter what.” She smiled encouragingly.
Becca smiled back, though she gave a sigh as she nodded her head. “I think it’s just going to take more time for me in the love department than for you guys. I’m kind of a work in progress when it comes to romance. But at least I’ve got a job I love and a roof over my head.”
Jaz removed her hand from Becca’s and lifted her cup of coffee to that. “Hear hear!”
To play along, Becca lifted her cup as well and they gently hit them together, sipping the hot, rejuvenating liquid. It did feel good to spend time with her friend like this. There was much less pressure to act a certain way, especially because she was with one of her friends instead of all three of them at the same time. When she went home once they’d finished their coffee and snacks – Jaz driving her of course – she got ready for bed, telling herself repeatedly to not make the same mistake that she’d made in the past. She wasn’t going to look Ashton up on Facebook and try to see all of the amazing times he was having in New York while she was stuck there, wondering what might have been if she’d been interesting enough to make him stay in Meridian with her. It was foolish to carry regret or to dwell on what had happened so very long ago.
Chapter Five
Adjusting back to things in Meridian was no easy task for Ashton. For one thing, he didn’t have any work to do there, so time passed much slower than he would have liked. He didn’t have a lot to keep him occupied, which he knew was meant to be a good thing because he was supposed to be relaxing. Every time he called or texted Alexa to find out how things were going back at the office, she told him that he was on vacation and therefore didn’t need to know. Either that or she just completely changed the subject while ignoring his questions and prompts. He was grateful to have a determined assistant like her, but she could also be a royal pain sometimes.
At least not having any work to do meant that Ashton could devote much of his time to Skipper. The dog wasn’t very enthusiastic about doing things, but that didn’t mean that Ashton wasn’t going to try. He went into the den and roused the old dog from sleep with some pets on the head and some gentle words. “Who’s a good boy?” he asked Skipper. “Want to go for a walk?”
It seemed a bit silly to even bother to put a leash on him, because he wasn’t likely to move much let alone run off, but Ashton still clipped the red vinyl leash to the dog’s collar. “This will be good exercise for you, buddy,” he said softly, hoisting Skipper up from his bed and carrying him up the short steps of the den so he wouldn’t fall over and give up before they had even left the house.
“Have fun,” his mom said to them as Ashton carried the old dog towards the front door. She had a sad smile on her face and he didn’t even have to wonder why. It was plain to see that the dog was ailing and this was possibly going to be his last ‘fun’ outing. Ashton did his best to not think about it because he was so tired of crying.
He carried the dog all the way outside and to the sidewalk out front that lined the road. He didn’t anticipate that this would be a long walk, but he hoped that it would be a nice one for both of them. Setting the dog down, Ashton was relieved and somewhat surprised to see that Skipper stood there next to him, wagging his tail slowly and looking up at him with a sort of startled expression on his face. Ashton reached down and patted the dog on the top of his head. Then he started slowly leading him down the street. Even though he walked slowly and was nowhere near as spry as he used to be, Skipper seemed to enjoy himself as well as he could. Ashton led him to a park at the end of the long road, making sure to carry the beagle over any terrain that seemed like it might be a challenge for him. The rolling hills covered in dandelions and clover seemed to make the dog’s day. Skipper stood there amongst the greenery, panting and looking at Ashton. Then he lowered his head and gave it a good rub against the grass, turning his white fur a bit green in the process, which only made Ashton laugh.
“Silly old boy,” he said to him, praising him for acting even a little like the dog he’d known before.
Ashton didn’t want to think about what was coming for Skipper, but as he took him on that walk, he knew that taking him to the vet to be put down was the right thing to do. It hurt, but it would be better for the old dog in the long run. He would no longer be in pain or confused. He could rest peacefully after having a good life, even if it hadn’t been as long as they’d been hoping for.
Even though he’d made the decision to take him to the vet, that didn’t mean that he was ready to say goodbye to him.
He brought Skipper back home after about an hour of slowly strolling around the park and the neighborhood, and then he lounged in the den with him, scrolling through social media on his phone. I wonder if I should get in touch with any of my old friends while I’m in town, he thought. He knew that anyone who still lived in Meridian would think that he was some kind of hot shot for moving to New York and gaining so much success, but his true friends would be happy to see him again. He searched for the friends’ names he could re
member and added them to his friends list.
“Hey man,” Kevin, one such friend, said to him in a message. “Long time no see. How have you been?”
“Whoa, are you back in town?” another friend, Matt, messaged.
Ashton smiled a bit, glad to see that at least someone remembered him. He made a group message between the three of them so they could more easily coordinate things. It helped that both Kevin and Matt had been in a small friend group with him back in high school.
“I’m back in town for a while,” Ashton messaged them. “I came for a visit because my dog is sick. Are you guys still around? Want to hang out?”
“Sure, that’d be great,” Kevin messaged.
Matt simply texted a thumbs-up emoji.
“How about tonight at six thirty at The Clock Tower Grille?” Ashton suggested.
“Perfect,” Kevin wrote.
Matt sent two more thumbs-up.
Ashton felt nervous about seeing them again, but it didn’t really seem like much had changed. Meridian was largely the same, so why shouldn’t the people be?
As soon as he made plans with his old friends, he called the animal hospital and made an appointment for Skipper. It wasn’t easy, but he made it a light sort of thing instead of mentioning that he thought it should be an end of life appointment. “He’s acting lethargic and not eating like he used to,” Ashton explained to the receptionist who was scheduling the appointment.
“I see,” she replied. “Well, definitely bring him in and we’ll let the doctor know what’s been going on with him, okay?”
Billionaire Hearts Club- The Complete Series Collection Page 4