Page 8 of Kissing My Soulmate

A hot pink dress draws my attention. I grab it off the rack and carry it over to the full-length mirror. It looks like it would hang down to my knees. It’s so bright and even a little sexy. Definitely something you wear for your man.

I wonder what Jasp… oh God. What am I doing? I need to stop this madness. He doesn’t want children, I do. End of story, yes, I love him, and yes, I want him to be the father of my children, but he doesn’t want that. I need to move on and just accept my new reality.

It’s not his fault, it’s not my fault. Things changed. Our wants changed, or at least mine did. Maybe it is time to meet new people, time to see if anyone catches my interest.

I take the dress to the fitting rooms and try it on. It highlights my tanned skin and shows off my healthier figure. Twisting to and fro, I decide I must own it. It’s just too pretty.

Changing back into my jean shorts and Beastie Boys T-shirt, I head out to the counter. I set it down and grab my wallet.

“Ohh… I bet this looked fabulous on you,” the saleswoman says as she rings me up.

“Thank you. It did, I can’t wait to wear it out.” She takes my credit card, and I sign the receipt. After I take the dress from her, I step outside.

I’m digging my keys out of my purse when I run into what feels like a solid wall. Two large hands grab my biceps to steady me. “Whoa there.” He’s got a Southern drawl that sounds like he’s from Savannah. “You okay?”

I look up into the darkest brown eyes I’ve ever seen. His brown hair is shaggy and when he smiles, he gets a twinkle in his eyes. He rights me and then steps back. He’s tall and muscular.

“Yeah—Yes, I’m okay. Sorry.” I step back. “I don’t know why I wasn’t watching where I was going.” Grabbing my keys, I give him a smile. “Sorry again.”

He looks me over and it makes me blush. “Having a beautiful woman run into me is no hardship.” Mystery man holds his hand out. “I’m Jake.”

“I’m Lorelei,” I reply as I take his hand. I don’t feel any heat, or any sort of zing, but that doesn’t mean anything.

“To make up for running into me, you should buy me a cup of coffee.” There’s a coffee shop across the street.

Do I go? Am I even ready to date again? I think it’s too soon, but maybe it’s not. I suck in a breath. “Sure, I could do that.”

His smile widens and it is a nice one. We walk in silence across the street to Buzz Coffee Haus. He holds the door open for me and we step up to the counter. He orders an iced coffee and I order a green smoothie.

I take out my wallet, and before I can pull out my card, he hands his over. “Hey, I thought I owed you.”

“My mom would kill me if she found out I let a beautiful woman pay for my coffee.”

He’s sure laying on the charm, but it’s nice and not creepy. “Well, thank you,” I say as we move to stand at the end of the counter and wait for our drinks. Neither of us speaks, but it’s not uncomfortable.

Jake pulls out my chair for me and then takes his after I sit. I take a sip of my drink as I absently rub my thumb over the spot where my wedding ring used to be. I stopped wearing it a week ago and I cried the moment I took it off my finger.

I’ve thought about getting another ring to wear in place of it, but I just can’t. The day he slipped it on my finger was one of the happiest days of my life. Did I throw us away? Could I have been happy being childless?

“Lorelei?” Jake’s voice cuts through my thoughts. His face is the look of concern. “Are you okay?”

I blow out a breath. “I’m recently separated from my husband and I’m still processing it. I am so sorry.”

He’s quiet or a moment and then shakes his head. “Damn, and I was going to propose to you after coffee.” Jake places his hand on mine. “How long were you married?”

“Three years. We both didn’t want children and then I changed my mind. He, of course, did not. It’s neither of our faults, we just both wanted different things.” I cover my face with my free hand. “Oh God, I didn’t mean to blurt that all out there like that.”

I peek at him through my fingers, and he smiles softly. “Things have a way of working out the way they’re supposed to. If it’s any consolation, I want kids.” He chuckles and then takes a sip of his coffee.

For the next two hours we talk and talk about nothing in particular. It’s nice and when we’re done, we exchange phone numbers. Whether he calls me or not remains to be seen. He might think I’ve got too much baggage. Also, do I even want him to call?

Jake walks me to my car. “We’ll talk soon.” He steps back and walks away once I drive away.

If he called, would I even go out with him?

***

Saving the design I just finished working on, I send it to the lead of the Holstead Whiskey campaign for final approval. It’s a new, high-end whiskey brand, we’ve worked with the company before, and they’ve obviously liked our work and wanted us again, we make a good team.

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