Page 134 of Curvy Girl Summer

I rushed to the mirror. “No!”

“Yeah, it’s like doing this”—she did a gesture with her hand that resembled a wilted flower—“and it just needs to come down a little. Actually, I think I have some lash glue in my bag if you want me to bring it down. I was on my way up to my office anyway, so I can run upstairs real quick.”

Staring at myself with my left eye looking like a professional makeup artist did one side and a small child did my right side, I was in shock.

Please let this have happened on the drive.

“Is that okay? You want me to get it?” Ramona questioned, taking a step back and pointing over her shoulder.

I shook my head. “No, I’m just…” My words trailed off as I pulled the lash strip from both eyes. “I’m just going to add some liner and call it a day.”

“Oh, okay.” She nodded sympathetically. “That’s much better.”

“Thanks,” I muttered under my breath as I dug for my makeup in my bag. It wasn’t her fault that I looked like a clown, so I looked up and flashed a small smile. “But I appreciate it.”

“Of course.” She waved me off and then put her hands on her hips. “But one of the reasons I came down here was because I was looking for you.” She took another step closer. “I wanted to talk to you about something.”

I distractedly reapplied some eyeliner to disguise the morning mishap. “What’s up?”

“So… you know how they’ve had me really busy with the new hires?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, I haven’t really spent much time catching up with friends, so, um… I just heard about Derrick.”

“Who?”

“My friend… the blind date.”

“Oh.” I made a face as I dropped the eyeliner back into my bag.

“I had no idea he didn’t show up. I figured you didn’t say anything because it didn’t go well, and I hadn’t talked to him, so I had no idea. I’m so sorry!”

I shook my head and shooed the apology off. “It’s fine.”

“He said his car broke down, and he was stranded on the side of the road. By the time roadside assistance came through, he figured you were gone. You weren’t waiting long, were you?”

Not willing to disclose that I ended up being there for a couple of hours, I simply said, “Long enough.”

“He said he didn’t mention it to me sooner because he felt like he blew it with you, and you wouldn’t be open to giving him another chance.”

I nodded, heading toward the exit. “He’s correct.”

She followed me out of the bathroom. “Really? He’s handsome and successful and—”

“I’m not interested. I don’t circle the block anymore,” I explained.

“Are you sure? It was one little misstep, and I wouldn’t want something small to derail what could be a really good pairing.” She gave me a mischievous look and pulled out her phone. “I probably shouldn’t show you his picture, but…” She turned her screen toward me. “I really do think you two would look cute together.”

She showed me a picture of a handsome man who looked like he had common sense.

“He’s cute,” I commented. “But I’m good.”

“For what it’s worth, I believe him about the car issues. He just got a new car a couple weeks ago. You should give him a chance.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Listen…” She lowered her voice. “He’s a good one. He’s good-looking, childless, never been married, and has a good job. That’s a unicorn nowadays.”

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