Page 6 of Whatever You Need

“So,tell me again how last night was my fault,” Ava said as we sat, crammed in a small section of the cute little bistro we had chosen for our Saturday morning coffee date.

I set my latte down with a frown. “Because you are the one that suggested I take the pretty boy home for a no-strings hookup.”

She laughed, drawing attention to our table. “Well, he was definitely pretty… But I never told you to let him shackle you to the bedpost. That, my friend, is all on you.”

She had me there. What I did was stupid and reckless and so unlike me. For one night, I just wanted a little distraction, something to take my mind off of things. Instead of forgetting my problems, I ended up adding another one to my list.

“If last night’s ‘handcuffing’ wasn’t a sign from God that I was forever unlucky in the man department, I don’t know what is.”

Ava gave me a scolding look. “I think that’s being a little dramatic, don’t you think.”

“Actually, no, I don’t think so. This has been the curse that has been my love life for as long as I can remember. I’ve come to the conclusion that not all of us can have the perfect love story like yours.”

Ava’s life resembled a Hallmark movie. She met her husband Drew at a coffee shop on campus. He was a hotshot baseball player and strolled in with his teammates while she was studying for her calculus exam. He was the guy who could virtually have any girl he wanted on campus. However, the second he laid eyes on my best friend, it was love at first sight. She brushed off his advances and made him work for every date they went on. He loved the challenge and she loved the tease. Now, almost a decade later, she still keeps him on his toes and he still worships the ground she walks on.

“I think you’re overreacting a bit.”

“I completely disagree.” I sat back and folded my arms in annoyance. “Remember Calvin James?”

“Oh, Calvin.” She snorted and looked around to make sure no one was listening. “The chemistry major who didn’t know how to use his little penis.”

“Stop.” I laughed, although that was an accurate description, so it really wasn’t all that funny. “He was a sweet guy, but clearly he wasn’t for me.”

Calvin was cute and charming, but the longing was lacking during our six months together. We had zero chemistry in bed and lacked the intimacy I craved. Although I enjoyed our emotional connection, I wasn’t looking for a close friend. So, I ended things and broke his heart.

I’ll never forget when he stopped by my dorm to pick up his things. Right before he turned to walk out the door, he placed a set of 9-volt batteries on my lap and said, “Just in case you still don’t think we have a spark.”

I shook my head at the memory. “That breakup was the most awkward experience of my life.”

“Oh my God, I forgot about that.” She paused and her lips turned into a grin. “How long did he stand outside the door and wait for you to run after him?”

I sighed. “He was like a guard at Buckingham Palace. I don’t think he moved a muscle for two hours.” I felt bad for the poor guy. It was after that experience that I decided to focus on my grades and enjoy my last two years of college. Sure, I dated a couple guys briefly after that, but no one worth mentioning. Once I graduated, I threw myself into the family business. It wasn’t until I went on a blind date set up by a mutual friend that I met my next boyfriend. “And let’s not forget Chad.”

Ava made a sour face. Chad was the complete opposite of Calvin. He was a men’s fitness model who drew me in with his beautiful stupid smile. He never met a mirror he didn’t like. If he wasn’t traveling to some exotic location for a photo shoot, he was at the tanning salon or having his teeth whitened at the dentist. I was infatuated with his looks and impressed with his bedroom skills. But then again, so was he. Looking back, I was definitely more in lust with him than in love.

“Ahh… Good old Chad. The idiot that spent more money on his clothes than you did. That cheating Fabio look-alike bastard.”

“Stop.” I laughed. “He did not look like Fabio. That’s gross.” I shivered. “I would also like to point out that you didn’t always hate him.”

“Just because I appreciated his ass in a pair of fitted jeans, doesn’t make up for the fact that the guy was an asshole whose looks overcompensated for his lack of brain cells.”

“True,” I acknowledged while sipping my coffee. Speaking of fine ass, a smile touched my lips just thinking about the hot cop from last night. No matter how much I wanted to pretend that I wasn’t attracted to him, the butterflies in my stomach just wouldn’t quit.

Ava’s big brown eyes flickered across my face. “Why do you have that look?”

A blush crept up along my cheeks and I tried to hide it by acting dumb. “What look?”

God. Having a childhood friend sometimes wasn’t always fun. Ava knew my every facial expression, and sometimes it felt as though she knew my every thought. There wasn’t anything I could get past her.

She gave me a knowing grin and propped her elbow on the table, cradling her chin on the tops of her hands. “Tell me about the hot cop who came to your rescue.”

I shifted uncomfortably in my chair. “Do we really have to talk about this?”

“Yes, my life is insanely boring, I need to live vicariously through you.”

If only that were true. “Your life is far from boring, Ava. Between the moms at Madison’s school and the old ladies at the salon, you get your hands on more gossip than TMZ.”

Not only did Ava have a family life that would make any woman jealous, she was also a successful business owner. Her upscale salon was situated right next to Tiffany & Co. She had an impressive clientele that paid big bucks that helped support her jewelry obsession.

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