“What are you, a vampire? Told you we should have brought our garlic and our crosses.” Tiffany grinned at Carmen.
“Does this vampire sparkle?” quipped Carmen.
All three of them laughed. They were die-hard Twilight fans when the books were at the peak of their popularity.
Whoa. How long had it been since she’d laughed? Abby dropped her arms and shook her head in disbelief at herself even as she laughed. It was good that Tiffany and Carmen had stopped by. She needed their company more than they knew.
“I missed you, Abby,” Tiffany said. She closed the distance between them and drew Abby into a hug.
Carmen, not wanting to be left out, hurried over and hugged the both of them. “Group hug!”
Abby sniffled and held back tears. “I’ve missed you guys, too.”
“We’re going to make it all better,” Carmen promised. Their hug broke, but the three of them remained standing close. “You can’t punish yourself forever, you know. Staying hung up on a guy who’s as low as Tyler isn’t healthy. That’s why we’ve come up with a plan to cheer you up now that you’re back in town.”
“A plan?” Abby wiped the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand.
For as long as they’d been friends, a plan always meant some harebrained scheme that didn’t always work, but was always a lot of fun. The problem was, Abby wasn’t sure she wanted to do anything too extreme. Getting out of the house felt like a lot of effort.
“Just hear us out.” Tiffany lifted a finger, urging Abby to wait. “You have to at least listen. That’s the rule, right?”
“Right.” Abby shook her head and leaned back against the door. This was getting worse by the second. “I’m listening.”
Tiffany and Carmen exchanged glances and grins, and Abby knew she was in for trouble.
“Well,” Carmen said, then trailed off.
“Tyler cheated on you. Three months ago. You’re still young,” Tiffany continued.
Abby was getting sick of hearing about it. “I know. We talked about this on the phone already.”
“Right, but now it’s time to do something about it,” Carmen insisted. “You’ve had time to get over him, and it’s not going to be hard to find someone to replace him, so that’s what we’re going to do tonight.”
“W-what?” Abby narrowed her eyes and set her lips.
“We’re going to go to the speed-dating event at The Stripe tonight,” Tiffany announced with flourish, grinning wide. “What do you think? Am I a genius or what?” The light from the window caught in her blonde hair and made it shine like gold. The Stripe was Cub’s Cove’s bar. The three of them had been there from time to time, on the rare occasion that Abby was in town. “You and I are going to participate, and our happily married bestie, Carmen, is going to be the designated driver so we can have all the good times we need to have as the designated drinkers.”
“But we’re hoping that maybe I won’t have to drive either of you home,” said Carmen.
Abby looked between the two of them, unsure of what to say. Tiffany had been single for a couple years after having suffered from the tragic loss of her fiancé in an accident. Was she really ready to move on just to help Abby out?
“Tiffy—”
“I’m ready,” Tiffany said. “And if I’m ready after losing a good guy like Derek, then I know you have to be ready after ditching a loser like Tyler. So let’s go together. Let’s have a good time!”
“I don’t know. Speed-dating sounds like pain in the ass.” Abby remained skeptical about tonight’s chosen event. “Is that when you cram a bunch of singles in a room and you get just a few minutes to talk to your dates in rotation? It’s ridiculous. You can’t really know someone that way.”
Tiffany pouted and planted her hands on her hips. Again. “You have a better idea? Or would you rather mope all day and night in this gloomy, depressing cabin?”
“I wasn’t just moping, I’ll have you know. I work, too. In case you don’t remember, I’m a writer. I write books. Books with words. A lot of them,” Abby got defensive. Weak. Her excuse was freakin’ lame.
“Uh-oh. And how’s that going so far?”
Abby deflated instantly. “Okay, I’m pathetic. I know. You don’t have to rub it in. Geez.”
“Listen to this, the best medicine for a broken heart is new love. In order to get new love, you gotta get out and find it. It’s not like hot guys are going to magically land on your lap and ask you for a date if you’re holed up in this place. Remember that song ‘It’s Raining Men?’ It lies. If there’s no pain, no hot guys are gained.” Tiffany crossed her arms and set her jaw in determination, like she was preparing to go into battle. “So we’re both going to find love tonight at The Stripe, whether you’re ready or not.”
Abby sighed and covered her eyes with her hands, but she knew she couldn’t argue. Tiffany had the upper hand. Her friend could be very persuasive if she had set her mind on something. “Oh brother.”
“So let’s see what clothes you brought.” Carmen grinned. “’Cuz the two of us will be damned if you’re going out in your pink, polka-dot pajamas.”
“I thought pajamas were the new LBD,” said Abby wryly.
Carmen arched her eyebrow. “At church bingo, maybe. Girl, if you’re going to enchant an eligible bachelor in a pub, you have to go all out. Come on. Show us some spirit.”
“All right, all right. I’m coming with you.”
Romance Warfare: a Tigress' Guide to NOT Secure a Mate: BBW Tiger Shape Shifter Paranormal Romance Page 10