Page 9 of Kissing My Soulmate

I grab my phone after it pings and look at it. Smiling, I see it’s a text from Jake.

Jake: Hope you’re having a good day. Dinner tonight? It’s my turn to pay.

We’ve been talking, just talking, for the past two weeks since we met when I was coming out of the store. It’s just friendly, and I don’t know if it’ll ever be more, but he’s nice and we have a good time together.

Lorelei: Deal. I’m in the mood for crab cakes and an ice-cold Budweiser.

Jake: You’re the only woman I know who loves that beer. I’ll pick you up at six thirty.

Giving him a thumbs-up emoji, I set my phone to the side and start going through my emails. My mind wanders and without thinking, I grab my phone and pull up my photo app. I pull up pictures from Jasper’s and my first anniversary. We were lying on the hammock on our veranda in Puerto Rico. We are not even looking at my phone. I’d held it up and he’d whispered. “I love you so much.”

I’d turned to kiss him and caught the moment right after. To this day, I don’t know how I did it. I rub my thumb over his face. My eyes burn, but no tears fall. I think I’ve burned out my tear ducts. Maybe it’s not possible for me to cry anymore.

Quickly exiting out, I put my phone in my top drawer, I don’t need to torture myself.

By the time I get home I really want to cancel, but Jake is a nice guy and we’re taking things slowly. At this point we’re still just friends. Bob Vance greets me when I step inside.

“Meow.” He weaves between my legs and I lean down, scratching his head. “Meow. Meow.”

BV follows me into the kitchen and I get him a couple of little treats. While he eats, I head into my bedroom and strip out of my work clothes. In my bra and panties, I head into the bathroom and freshen up.

I braid my hair and touch up my blush and mascara. Back in my room, I throw on my emerald-green paisley romper and slip my feet into a pair of tan wedge sandals. I check my phone and I have about ten minutes before he gets here, so I head into the kitchen a do a quick shot of tequila to loosen myself up a bit.

My phone pings, and I see it’s a text from Jasper.

Jasper: Did the deposit for your half of the sale of the house go into your bank account okay?

Lorelei: It did, thanks. How are you?

I wait for the dots to bounce and for some kind of answer. By the time there is a knock on my door, I come to the realization he’s not interested in really talking to me anymore. It’s like a knife through my heart.

Sticking my phone in my purse, I take a deep breath and head out. Jake smiles when he sees me. “Hey,” I say, giving him a fake smile because I can’t muster up a real one right now.

“Wow. You look great.” He smiles and then leads me, with a hand on the small of my back, toward the exit of my building.

Jake talks the whole way there, which is a good distraction from my thoughts. We pull up to the Crab Shack a little bit later. We climb out and I meet him at the front end.

Chapter Six

Jasper

I’m in the middle of typing out my examination notes from the foal I checked out today. I used to send my notes out to be dictated, but I’m a bit of a perfectionist and decided to just do it myself. My phone rings and I answer. “Jasper Mitchell,” I say in way of greeting.

“Dr. Mitchell, this is Claire Kensington. We met when you came to check out our horse, Lady.”

I lean back in my chair. “I remember you. John’s daughter.”

“That’s right. How are you?”

“I’m good, thanks. Is Lady okay?” I save my file and pull up her chart.

She clears her throat. “I’m sorry, yes, Lady is fine. This is actually a personal call.”

Wow, okay, I wasn’t expecting that. “Oh yeah. What can I do for you?”

“I wanted to see if you’d be interested in maybe meeting for a drink or maybe a coffee?” She sighs. “I know that’s very forward, but I’ve never been afraid to speak my mind or go after what I want.”

I have no clue what to say right now. She’s very pretty and seems nice, but am I really ready for that? It’s been a couple of months now, maybe it’s time to test the waters a bit. “Sure, when were you thinking?”

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