Sweet Sunshine

by Jessica Prince

  “I’ll have you know, I’ve been taking weekly self-defense classes for the past four years. I’m more than capable of defending myself.”

  And because I was clearly on a roll with all the stupid, I laughed. “Pfft, not likely. You’re a pixie for Christ’s sake.”

  I barely got the last word out when I was suddenly choking on my own tongue, unable to take a proper breath as the kitchen floor came at my face at a startling pace only to be stopped by the force of something slamming into my chest, deflating both my lungs and sending me careening backward.

  I gasped for air as I writhed on the floor in pain. “What—” I wheezed. “What just—” I sucked in a breath, getting nowhere near enough oxygen in my collapsed lungs, “happened?”

  “You just got your ass handed to you by a girl!” Noah hooted before collapsing in a fit of uncontrollable laughter. “Oh God! You should have…” he stopped to wipe a tear from his eye, “…you should have seen your face! Classic! That was classic! Chloe, do it again so I can record it this time.”

  As I lay on the kitchen floor, dying, I cursed Noah Murphy. I had no friends.

  Chloe

  “THIS IS A bad idea. This is a stupid, stupid, stupid idea,” I said to my reflection in the mirror as I swiped my hands over my stomach, brushing out any wrinkles in my dress while trying to soothe my frayed nerves at the same time.

  “It’s not a stupid idea!” Harlow called from my bedroom where she was sprawled out on the bed, scrolling through Pinterest on her phone. “It’s a brilliant idea. Time to get on one horse to get your mind off another.”

  “That’s not even a saying!” I argued back, walking out of the bathroom to find her laying on her back, her legs stretched out. “And get your nasty feet off my pillows!”

  “They aren’t nasty! See?” she shoved her foot in my face when I got close enough to yank my pillows out from under her bare feet.

  “Gross! Stop,” I laughed, batting her foot away. “God, Harlow,” I harrumphed, collapsing onto the bed next to her. “What the hell am I doing? I don’t even know this guy? We’ve only been talking on-line for a couple of days, he could be a total creeper.”

  “Or,” she paused long enough to roll to her side and prop her head in her hand. “He could be totally great. You’ll never know unless you try. Besides, it’s just dinner. And you said you thought he sounded nice when you guys talked. You’ll be in a public place so you won’t have to worry about him knocking you out to harvest your kidney, and you get a free meal out of it. That’s a win-win in my book.”

  I let out a sigh as I stared up at my ceiling. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I mean, we agreed to meet at the restaurant so it’s not like I’m stranded if he turns out of be a psychopath or something.”

  “Exactly! And hopefully he’s taking you somewhere fancy.”

  I stood from the bed and grabbed my phone from the nightstand. “I don’t know, I’ve never heard of it.” I scrolled through the text messages between me and Austin, the man I met on one of the gazillion dating websites Harlow set me up on. “It’s some place called The Peak?”

  Harlow shrugged and shook her head. “Never heard of it.”

  “I hope it’s good. I haven’t eaten all day. I’m starving.”

  “Why haven’t you eaten?” Harlow asked in a stern, motherly voice.

  “Because I’ve been nervous!” I threw my hands up at my sides. “I can’t remember the last time I went on a date. I’ve been crushing on Derrick for what feels like forever. I haven’t even thought about dating.”

  Harlow grunted with exertion as she scooted across the mattress and tried to get her big, pregnant self out of the bed. “Listen,” she spoke once on her feet, placing her hands on my shoulders, “if worst comes to worst and the food sucks, you can stop at a drive-thru on the way home. And if you’re feeling generous, pick up a couple extra cheeseburgers for me while you’re at it.” I remained silent, waiting for her to say more. She didn’t.

  “That’s it? That’s your pep-talk?”

  Her forehead wrinkled in confusion. “Who said anything about a pep-talk? I just want cheeseburgers.”

  “You made it seem like you were going for a big, motivational speech! You got off the bed and held my shoulders and everything. What the hell? I’m freaking out here and all you can think about is cheeseburgers?”

  “Stop. Freaking. Out.” She punctuated each word with a shake, making my teeth clack together painfully. “Your hair looks fabulous, your makeup is flawless, and your body is rocking the hell out of that little black dress. You’re hot. I’d totally hit that. Be confident. This guy needs to impress you, not the other way around. He’s freaking lucky you agreed to go out with him in the first place.”

  “Now that’s what I’m talking about!” I shouted, pumped up from her speech. “That’s a pep-talk!” She was right, I was a total catch and it was long past time I started realizing it. I was over being the self-conscious girl, always down on herself, taking the smallest flaw and making it into something I hated about myself. I knew my worth and it was about time I started acting like it. Austin was the lucky one.

  “Okay,” Harlow said with a clap of her hands. “Breath check.” I leaned forward and breathed in her face. “Minty fresh. Panty lines?” I spun around, showing her the back of the formfitting dress. “You’re good. Deodorant stains?” I tilted from side to side so she could check for any white streaks on my dress I might have missed. “Nope,” she declared. “You’re golden, pony boy. Now get out of here or you’re going to be late. Jackson Hole’s a twenty-minute drive. Go on, git!” she finished with a hard smack on my butt, sending a sharp flare of pain through my skin. Rubbing at the offended cheek, I shot her a glare as I made my way out of the bedroom.

  “And have fun! Don’t get pregnant on the first date, it’s bad form! I’ll just let myself out after I’m done ordering movies from On Demand!”

  As I climbed into my car, I laughed, knowing damn good and well she wouldn’t be able to get past the password I set up on the parental controls after the last time. No way in hell was I shelling out another hundred bucks in On Demand movie rentals because of her.

  “I’M A CATCH, he’s the lucky one. I’m a catch, he’s the lucky one. I’m a catch, he’s the lucky one,” I repeated as I climbed from my car and headed across the street toward The Peak. From the outside, it looked really nice. Fancy, upscale, and judging from the number of people waiting outside, the food must have been outstanding. My stomach rumbled in thanks. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could go without food.

  “Chloe?” I heard a man call my name once I reached the sidewalk outside the restaurant. Plastering a smile on my face, I watched as Austin — or at least I was pretty sure it was Austin, based on the one and only picture I’d seen of him — came toward me. He looked different than his picture, not outrageously so, but enough that the difference was noticeable.

  He told me he was a nutritionist and personal trainer so I knew he’d more than likely be in shape, but it looked like he’d packed on at least another twenty pounds of pure muscle since the picture he’d posted on the website. And most of that seemed to be in his neck. Seriously, his traps almost went up to his ears. It was disconcerting to look at. He wore a nice button down and black slacks, but the closer he got, the more I feared for the durability of the seams. He looked like one wrong move and he’d Hulk right out of his clothes.

  “I knew that was you the minute you walked up.” He smiled, placing his hands on my upper arms and leaning in to kiss my cheek. It was a polite, friendly gesture, and I immediately felt like an ass for judging a book by its cover. So he was overly muscled, so what? It was part of his job, right? It was bound to happen. That didn’t mean he wasn’t a nice guy, and despite the muscles, he was cute, really cute. Blonde hair, smiling brown eyes, and nice, straight white teeth. I could totally work with this, I told myself as he placed his hand on the small of my back and guided me through the crowd of people.

  “Wo
w, this place is packed,” I stated as we pushed through the front door and attempted to squeeze through the swarm to get to the hostess station.

  “Yeah,” Austin spoke loudly to be heard over the crowd. “It’s opening night. Apparently it’s a pretty big deal. Grand opening celebration and all that.”

  My back went stiff at that. Oh God, I prayed. Please don’t let this be the same place Derrick’s coming to with Carla. What were the odds that Jackson Hole was having two grand opening celebrations for two brand new, super trendy restaurants on the exact same night? I really didn’t like those odds, but I prayed that was the case.

  “May I help you?” the hostess asked, her pitch black hair slicked back in a severe yet stylish bun. With her sharp features and piercing blue eyes, she would have been stunning… had she not been staring down her nose at us in disdain once we got to her, as if she were above interacting with mere mortals.

  I never understood why high-end restaurants hired people like that. It didn’t give the atmosphere a feeling of class, it just made you feel like you were trapped in a room for an hour-and-a-half with the mean girls in high school. Not something I was a fan of.

  “Uh, yeah. Table for two?” Austin spoke, leaning in to be heard clearly.

  “And the name on the reservation?”

  “Oh…” His cheeks grew flush as he reached up and scratched the back of his neck, testing the limits of his shirt sleeves. “I don’t… I mean, I didn’t make a reservation.”

  Okay, he didn’t make a reservation at a restaurant that he knew would be buzzing, for a date he’d asked me on. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t a deal breaker necessarily, but it didn’t really show his dedication when it came to planning something either.

  “Sir,” the hostess snorted with derision. “This is opening night, as you can see, we’re quite full already.”

  “Oh, that’s okay. We don’t mind waiting.” Austin smiled down at me as my stomach let out a low growl, or maybe that was a cry of agony at the thought of having to wait any longer. Seriously, what did a girl have to do to get a bread basket, for crying out loud?

  The hostess’s face pinched in an unattractive scowl. “I’m sorry, sir. We’re booked solid for the next two months. Might I suggest the Applebee’s down the street? I’m sure they’ll have a table for you.”

  At that moment, I couldn’t decide if I wanted to slap the resting-bitch-face right off her or leap over the station and kiss her for her suggestion. Yes, I was that hungry. Applebee’s sounded fantastic.

  “Austin,” I started, placing my hand on his arm. His expression was a mixture of embarrassment and agitation; I couldn’t help but feel bad for the guy… even though he was the one who didn’t make reservations. “It’s okay. We can just go somewhere else.” I smiled up at him to show it wasn’t a big deal.

  He turned back to the hostess and that red on his cheeks darkened, this time, in frustration, not embarrassment. “You mean to tell me you don’t have one single table you can sit us at? Really?”

  “That’s exactly what I’m saying. Now, if you’ll kindly step aside—”

  “I will not step aside!” Austin slapped his hand down on the top of the hostess stand, causing me and bitch-face to jump. “I want to speak to your manager. Now.”

  I put pressure on his arm, first hoping to calm him down, but also because I wasn’t sure he could even feel my touch through the six extra inches of muscle wrapping around his bicep. “Seriously. I love Applebee’s. We can just go—”

  “What are you still doing here?” he bit at the woman. “Didn’t I ask to see your manager? Go,” he waved his hand like she was a dog. If I were a betting woman, I’d lay my money on this being ‘roid rage at its finest. No person was that big without chemical assistance, it just wasn’t natural to have legs for arms. It was safe to say a second date wouldn’t be happening. Harlow’s suggestion of bailing early and grabbing drive-thru was looking more and more appealing with every passing second.

  “Chloe?”

  Oh, God. Why me? What did I ever do to you?

  I clenched my eyes shut, hoping against hope that I was just hearing things, that the noisy crowd around us was playing tricks on my ears, no such luck.

  “Chloe? That you?”

  “Derrick, hey,” I said with false enthusiasm as I looked over my shoulder at him and Carla.

  Derrick’s grin was much more open and enthusiastic than mine was, and it was a struggle to ignore the way my stomach fluttered at the sight of it. It didn’t mean anything other than he was happy to see a friend. He had another woman on his arm, after all. And besides, I was no longer Sad Sack Chloe, who moped around feeling sorry for herself. I was on a date. With Austin. Who was lucky I agreed. I just wouldn’t think about the fact that said date already seemed to be going horribly wrong.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked with genuine curiosity as he leaned — away from Carla — and placed a feather light kiss on my cheek. I couldn’t help but notice the way Carla’s eyes narrowed into angry slits as she took me in, top to toe, before she looked at the hostess and blew her a kiss. In everything that had been going on, I’d forgotten she mentioned she was friends with Bitch-Face, and that’s how she’d gotten the table.

  “I’m… uh, well,” I coughed uncomfortably as Austin turned away from the bitch-faced hostess and noticed we had company. He placed his hand possessively around my waist in a way I did not like as he gave Derrick the same look Carla had just given me. “I’m actually on a date.”

  Derrick’s gaze bounced between me and Austin, and I wasn’t positive, but if the tick in his jaw and the pulsing vein in his forehead was anything to go on, he was not happy. And I wasn’t too proud to admit that gave me a little thrill.

  “A guy from the internet?” Derrick asked through clenched teeth.

  I ignored his question, choosing instead to get introductions out of the way. “Um, Derrick, this is Austin. Austin, my friend Derrick. We were actually just leaving. Turns out we couldn’t get a table.” I reached back and took Austin’s hand, not in an affectionate way, but in one that would hopefully spur his ass to move. Derrick’s gaze honed in on our clasped hands before he shot a look at the hostess.

  “They can sit with us.”

  “What?” I squeaked.

  “What?” Carla snapped.

  “What?” the hostess sneered.

  “Derrick,” Carla purred, placing her hand on his chest as she batted her eyes up at him. This is supposed to be a really romantic place. Don’t you want it to just be the two of us?”

  Ignoring her question, he looked back at Bitch-Face. “Does our table seat four?”

  “Well…” she sputtered. “Yes, but—”

  He cut her off. “Perfect. Then we’ll all fit. We’re ready to be seated now.”

  Bitch-Face collected our menus and led us all back to the table. It was official, I was in hell.

  Chloe

  THE SEATING ARRANGEMENTS at our small round table were less than ideal, with me sandwiched between Austin and Derrick and Carla staring daggers at me from across the table. And the tension couldn’t have been any worse if my parents had somehow materialized out of thin air and told the story of the time they walked in on Brandon Adame and me grinding against each other while fully clothed.

  “So, Austin,” Derrick started. Oh damn. “What is it that you do?”

  “I’m a personal trainer and nutritionist,” he answered brightly. I smiled over at him just so I wouldn’t seem like a bitch. Just because I had no intention of going on another date with Austin… ever… didn’t mean I needed to be rude.

  Derrick picked up his glass of water and took a sip. “So, you spend your days working out and telling people what to eat.” It wasn’t a question. “Explains the muscles,” he finished, his voice dripping with condescension.

  “I help people discover their very best selves,” he defended. “It’s really fulfilling work. What do you do?”

  Oh sweet Lord, here we go. Where
was our breadbasket? I swear to God, I saw a few tables with them as we walked through the dining area.

  Carla chose that moment to lean in and place her hand on Derrick’s thigh, looking up at him adoringly as she answered, “He’s a deputy at the Pembrooke Sherriff’s Department. Such admirable work,” she finished on a sigh. I struggled to keep from rolling my eyes.

  I chugged down some water as the animosity between Derrick and Austin continued to grow, thickening the air to an uncomfortable level. Derrick was really taking the whole “protective friend” thing too far. Spotting our waiter a few feet away, I slammed my glass down on the table and waved him over excitedly. My stomach made a gurgling sound in approval.

  “Excuse me, hi, yes. Is there any way we can get one of those breadbasket thingies?”

  “Certainly, ma’am. I’ll have that out right away.”

  My stomach protested. “You know what? Make it two, thanks.”

  “Chloe,” Austin said, leaning over and touching my hand gently, his face soft, I thought he looked sweet… until he opened his mouth. “Do you have any idea how many calories are in a piece of bread? I always warn my clients away from eating such things. Maybe it’s best you wait for the main course, that way you don’t gorge on useless calories.” Carla made a choking noise from the other side of the table and I glanced over to see her smiling smugly behind her water glass. I shot her a look that screamed, “You can just go straight to hell, you skinny slut!” before turning back to Austin.

  Typically, a comment like that would have offended me, hell, it might have even made me cry, but he was the lucky one to have me in his presence. And no way in hell was I going to be offended by a man who literally had no neck.

  Before I could open my mouth to reply, Derrick chimed in. “I think she looks fantastic. A woman with curves like hers shouldn’t watch what she eats, it gives a real man something to hold onto.”