Page 23 of Marrying Off My Husband

She shifted her gaze from me to Louise who offered her a nod then back to me. “O-okay.”

“Oh, wonderful.” Louise clapped her hands together before she pulled Eve into a hug. “You’re just going to have the best time, I know it. And now, we’re going to have to go shopping again. You need a new dress.”

“I’m sure I can find something.”

“Then, I’ll come over tomorrow and help you pick?”

I cringed a little as Louise pushed herself into the woman’s life. I wouldn’t have to worry about this relationship for long. Louise had a way of pushing friends away with her overbearing tendencies.

“I’d like that,” Eve said with a soft smile. “Thank you.”

Louise grabbed her hands and squeezed, grinning from ear to ear. Eve’s behavior surprised me. She seemed very caring toward Louise. “Perfect. Well, I’ll drive you home, and we’ll set it all up.”

“Okay,” Eve said as we all stood. She glanced at me, offering a shy wave. “Nice meeting you.”

Her eyelashes fluttered as she said it, her features crinkling. I imagined she may be thinking it sounded strange after the experience we’d just had.

“See you Friday,” I said, trying to make it sound less awkward and not succeeding.

Louise guided her from the room, chattering along the way as they left through the front door. It slammed shut, leaving me alone in the quiet house, still reeling from the experience.

I eased back into my seat, blowing out a shaky breath. My mind swirled with a mix of anxiety and intrigue. Louise had selected well. I couldn’t dismiss this woman immediately as someone I wouldn’t get along with.

Yet past experience had taught me that I couldn’t trust this. We wouldn’t connect. I’d end up hurt and reeling. I couldn’t let her get too close.

I slouched in my seat, trying to figure out the best way to handle this. Before I could come up with a suitable solution, the front door banged shut.

Louise sauntered into the room, an amused grin on her features. “Well, darlin’?”

I avoided eye contact. “Well, what?”

“What do you think?” she asked as she plopped onto the couch, kicking off her heels and pulling her legs up under her.

“I think you nearly gave that poor woman a heart attack.”

She rolled her eyes, clicking her tongue. “Oh, please, that was fixed easily with some explaining.”

“Maybe next time you should try explaining first instead of after you ask someone to ‘be with’ your husband.”

Louise puckered her lips and shrugged. “So, my delivery could have used adjustment. But…there won’t be a next time because this woman is your soul mate, I can feel it.”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” I answered.

“You’re right. We need to plan that first date. Now, I had several things in mind…”

“Louise…maybe we ought to see if she’s even going to go.”

Louise offered me a shocked glance. “What do you mean? She said yes.”

“Yeah, to escape an awkward situation. I would be surprised if she didn’t cancel tomorrow.” Part of me hoped she would, yet another part of me…well, my feelings were conflicted.

“That’s not going to happen. Now…where are you taking her?”

We spent over an hour talking about venues, finally settling on the club. I got an earful on taking her flowers, showing interest during our dinner conversation, and more dating tipsI was certain I’d forget when my mind went completely blank during the social encounter.

As the evening wound on, I found my mind distracted by the upcoming outing. On one hand, I’d found Louise’s choice surprising and maybe even pleasing, but my fear of rejection gnawed at me. It would be awful if this woman rejected me, and it would send me into a downward spiral of staying in my house forever.

I couldn’t help but feel that my date on Friday would be life changing. But would it be positive or negative?

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