Page 1 of Her Heart's Desire

Chapter 1

Kimberly

"God. I fucking hate dating." I huff, crossing my arms over my chest as I throw myself down on the break room couch at Rose Valley Hospital. A chuckle comes from behind me and whirl to see who it could be. Colleen's grin gets bigger and bigger as I continue to glare at her. Her black messy bun distracts me slightly as it shakes as she tilts her head to ask, "Bad date?"

Rolling my eyes, I turn my back on her. "The worst."

"What happened?" she says sarcastically. "I thought Todd was different." She wiggles her fingers, adding air quotes.

I whip around to give another glare, but then her chuckles get to me too, and a laugh suddenly bursts out. Now, I can't seem to stop giggling. A stabbing feeling to my side reminds me of how much of a joke my love life is. Man, they should just make a reality TV show about me. I'm sure it would be a hit with all the losers I've dated. Every time I think maybe this will be it, maybe this one won't be so bad. But I'm never right. They're all bad.

We both suddenly stop laughing and just stare at each other. Colleen's eyes soften a bit. "What happened this time?"

Shaking my head, I clench my hands. "I saw him kissing another woman before the date even started."

"Whaat?" she shrieks. I hurry to plug my ears. Man, she's loud.

"I was running late and I didn't know his number because we've only been messaging on the app, so I tried to contact him through there. Well, I guess he didn't get my message because when I walked in ten minutes late, he was sitting at the bar with some woman on his lap and they were making out."

"Did you say anything to him?"

"No, I just left. But he responded this morning." Shrugging my shoulders, I try to be as nonchalant as possible. Though really if I'm honest, my heart aches. I thought by the time I was twenty-seven I would have met my perfect someone. That I would be married, possibly have a kid on the way. But nope, the universe doesn't work like that. Well, at least not for me.

Out of the sea of frogs I've dated, there was only one who had snagged my attention, the only man I was truly drawn to and he wasn't even someone I was dating. No, he was my, at the time boyfriend's dad. A man who was sexy as fuck and had eyes that you could drown yourself in.

A man twenty years older than me.

Whose wife had died the year before.

When my boyfriend Smith had caught me ogling his dad for the hundredth time at a family dinner, he'd practically dragged me too. Smith confronted me. His mom had just died and how could I even think I would have a chance with his dad when she was the love of his life. When I tried to lie and deny it, he saw right through me. I felt so disgusted with myself. The worst part? He was right, I would always be second with Silas Cabot. It was a pretty nasty breakup. That fight gave me the strength to walk away, or at least as far as they knew. They didn't need me to come between them. They needed each other.

I've felt nothing like the way I did when I was around Silas. Over the years, I've been trying to recreate those feelings. Trying to forget. Hoping that one of these guys on these sites will be my true love… but nothing, nada.

Colleen interrupts my walk down memory lane when she asks, "Well, what did he say?" Oh yeah, we're talking about my date from last night.

"He asked me why I stood him up. I told him I didn't stand him up, but he probably didn't see me since he had his tongue down another woman's throat."

Her brows shoot up at that, placing her elbows on her knees as she listens to my story. "What did he say to that?"

"He told me if I wasn't so selfish and showed up on time, he wouldn't have moved on. I didn't respond."

Colleen sits up and leans back in her chair. "Sorry Kimmie. Maybe the next guy will be better."

"That's just it. I don't want there to be a next time. I'm tired of these dates."

"Yeah, it's definitely difficult to find someone worth your time out there," she murmurs, leaving me with questions. But I know I have to be careful how I ask things, not pushing her too hard. She keeps things locked down tighter than Fort Knox.

"Enough about me. What about you? Are you dating anyone?" I ask, trying to keep my tone light so she doesn't think I'm prying.

Colleen lets out a huff. "No. I'm just out having fun."

Her eyes light up as she gets up from her chair, and I know I'm in trouble. When she jumps over the back of the couch, landing next to me, she wraps her arms around my shoulders. She has this glint in her dark brown eyes, causing me to take in a deep breath and brace for whatever comes out of her mouth next. "I know what will make you feel better. We should have a girls' night." she blurts out.

Letting out my breath slowly as my shoulders relax, I pull my phone out of my pocket. "That sounds good to me. Let's text the girls and see who is down."

Thank god that was it. Sometimes Colleen comes up with some crazy stuff, and because she's my ride or die, I'm always down for whatever, but sometimes her ideas are a little much, even for me. "Do you want me to text everyone or do you?"

Before Colleen responds, the alarm on my phone buzzes. Reminding me that my lunch break is over. Time to get back at it. Standing up, I tuck my phone back into my pocket. "I've got to get back, before the cardiac wing goes crazy without my presence."

---