Page 24 of Suddenly Single

“We’re here, sir.” The older man turned in his seat and winked. “Hope you get lucky.”

“Uh, thanks.” I let myself out and stood on the sidewalk, willing myself to go inside. The reason I’d never been into the bar scene, or dating apps, was how impersonal they were. That didn’t mean I hadn’t had my share of one-night-stands, but they were usually with people I had some sort of connection with. Standing in a bar, forcing myself to talk to people I didn’t know wasn’t my idea of fun.

“Asher Yates?”

I turned at the sound of my name and saw a guy I’d gone to school with, Ted Berling. At UVA we’d shared a love of horseback riding, which turned into a passion for fox hunting. Once we graduated, he’d gone on to medical school while I’d studied law.

“Ted, good to see you, man.” We did a brief bro hug, then Ted held open the door to the bar, and I strolled inside. “I’m glad you’re here. It’s been ages since I was in a gay bar.”

“It’s still the same. Men looking for love in all the wrong places.” Ted slapped my back, and we went up to the bar to place our orders. “Hey, I heard through the grapevine that you’re married now.”

“Uh, yeah. Well, it’s complicated.” I replied, then ordered a vodka on the rocks from a drag queen with violet hair and enormous boobs. Once our drinks were in front of us, Ted led me to a table.

“All relationships are complicated.” Ted grinned. “That’s why I’m relentlessly single. Don’t need the drama or the hassle of a boyfriend.”

“When did we see each other last?”

“Oh, it must have been almost ten years ago at graduation.” Ted sipped his drink. “You don’t get out much, do you?”

“No.” I muttered, then studied my old friend’s face. Ted was attractive enough, though he was one of the biggest snobs I’d ever met. “Have you ever met Carter Camden?”

“No, never heard of him.” Ted said. “Why?”

Ted was from a prominent family, and from what I remembered, he came from money, too. Just the man to make Carter jealous. I wondered if he would be the perfect so-called date? “Ted, I have a proposition for you, and if you say yes, I’ll be forever grateful.”

“Sure. What is it?”

“So you want me to be your fake date?” Ted laughed. “I’m the most anti-relationship guy you’ll ever meet, but for you? The man who got me into the most exclusive fraternity at UVA? Sure. Glad to help.”

“Oh God, thank you Ted.” For the first time in days, I felt a tiny sliver of hope. “You don’t know how much this means to me.”

Ted picked up his drink and eyed me. “So, what I want to know is why? From everything you’ve told me, Carter is a lot of drama. Like, does he have the dick of death or something?”

I drummed my fingers on the table while I tried to find the right words. “He’s the only person I’ve ever met who makes me happy. When we’re not arguing, that is. Carter is very attractive, witty, and well, he’s also amazing in the sack, though it’s been awhile. With him, it’s not just sex, it’s making love. He’s everything I’ve ever wanted in a husband. Oh, and you’ve met my family, right?”

“The eccentric Yates clan? They're a legend. I remember them driving up to Charlottesville in a Bentley, which made all our fraternity brothers jealous as hell. They were there for a fox hunt, if I remember right. But what really stands out in my mind is when your grandmother and her friends showed up at the fraternity party that night and drank all our alcoholic brothers under the table.” Ted laughed.

“Well, Carter fits in with my family like nobody else could. And you’re right, they are a bunch of lunatics.” I finished the drink and grabbed my phone to summon an Uber. “Thanks for doing this. Just meet me at L’Opossum tomorrow night at seven.” I stood up, and Ted grabbed my arm.

“Hey, so how affectionate should I act toward you? I don’t want to piss this guy off, but hey, this is my first and probably only chance to go on a date with you.” Ted winked, and I remembered how he’d once come on to me when we were in school. He did nothing for me then, and the same could be said for today.

“Just follow my lead. Whatever Carter and Cort do, we’ll do the exact same thing.”

Chapter 14

Carter

“I’m surprised you can breathe. I’ve never seen so much dust.” Georgia bitched from the dining room. I liked Florida’s sister. She was slower, but very thorough. Plus, she was handy with a needle and thread, and had hemmed a pair of slacks I’d bought for tonight’s date with Cort. They were black velvet cords with a white waistband. I was wearing them with a crimson t-shirt and a matching black velvet jacket. Shiny, black Ferragamo loafers completed the look.

I grabbed a tube of concealer off the bathroom counter, then patted some of it under my eyes, and on a tiny zit next to my left eyebrow. Whenever I had problems sleeping, I woke up the next day with the dark circles of a raccoon, and the zits of a fifteen-year-old. Normally I slept eight hours a night, like a normal person. Now that I was single again, I was lucky to get five hours, and that was with the help of sleeping pills.

“Carter, I need a brush from under the sink.” I jumped at Georgia’s voice. She was standing in the doorway, so I moved aside so she could get what she wanted. “Oh, hand me that lint brush.” She pointed to it on the counter. “You’ve got dust bunnies on your back.”

I held my arms out, and she brushed the dust off. “You nervous about your big date, sweetie?”

“A little,” I sighed. “I’m only going out with him the one time. He’s from a big-deal family, so it would look bad if I turned him down.” There was nothing I’d like to do more than call Cort up and cancel. I’d tossed and turned all night, because although Asher and I weren’t married, it felt like I was cheating on him. It was ridiculous, but I knew I wasn’t ready to date Cort, or anyone else, for that matter. Before I accepted another date from someone, I had to get over Asher first. It wasn’t fair to me, or the date if I was still in love with my former husband.

“You still got it bad for Asher?” Georgia spun me around and brushed the front of my jacket.

---