Page 16 of The Boyfriend List
“Maybe because, like I said, it drains all the romance out of dating.”
“Raina, you married your husband because he ran into you in a coffee shop and offered you five million dollars to be his fake wife. I don’t think you have any leg to stand on when it comes to romance in dating.”
“Okay, you have a point there. But look how happily in love we are now!”
“And maybe I will fall happily in love with whatever perfect guy is out there who matches my eighteen-point dating criteria,” I protest.
“I hope you’re hearing yourself.” She shakes her head, then yawns. “I have to go to bed.”
“Thanks for picking up the phone. I miss you.”
“I miss you too, Gloria.” She smiles. “We need to hang out again soon, okay? Before I have this baby.”
I smile. We make plans to meet again and hang up.
Despite all my confidence in my dating plan, I’m suddenly a little more unsure that it’s going to work.
Chapter Six: London
Why did I agree to babysit Brooklyn’s daughters?
It’s not like Hattie and Queenie are spoiled brats or anything. They’re now peacefully snoring in the backseat after begging me to play Disney songs for them, having insisted they weren’t tired. But, I’ve never taken care of kids for this long before. What if I mess up? What if they get hurt?
Brooklyn is at the Canyon Ranch spa with his wife, getting couple’s massages, while I’m here, at anactualranch in Malibu, supervising Queenie and Hattie.
Yep. My brother carried on the family tradition and named his kids after boroughs of New York—Queens and Manhattan. I wonder what Queenie and Hattie will name their kids after. Streets? Brownstones? Central Park?
I park Brooklyn’s SUV and get out. I took his car since it has their car seats. The last thing I want is for his kids to get injured on my watch. Unbuckling Queenie and Hattie, I grab their little pink and purple unicorn-patterned backpacks. They’re seven and nine, not young enough to do something stupid and get trampled by a horse… I hope.
“Hi there, are you guys the Youngs?” asks a flannel-clad guy who approaches us with a clipboard. “I’m Eli, a trail guide and instructor here at Malibu Ranch.”
“Yep. I’m London and these are my nieces, Queenie and Hattie.” I grab both of their backpacks in one of my hands and Hattie’s hand with the other. Queenie speeds ahead of us.
“Hi!” Queenie says, the younger but bolder of the two. Her two long braids bounce against her back as she looks up at Eli. “I’m Queenie and that’s my sister, Hattie.”
Hattie smiles shyly but doesn’t say anything, clinging to my hand for dear life. I hope she opens up around more once we get on the horses.
“I’m going to need you to fill out some paperwork at the front desk, and then I can get you guys on some horses. Are you excited?” Eli says as he leads us past the dusty front gate and into the only building on the ranch.
Queenie gives an affirmative yes, and Hattie echoes her.
When I let go of Hattie’s hand to fill out the paperwork and sign several forms, releasing Malibu Ranch from any responsibility for my possible injury or death, I ponder the real reason I became secretly interested in taking my nieces horseback riding. Maybe it’s because Gloria’s boyfriend list is still stuck in my mind.
If I learned how to ride a horse, would she see me as more than a friend?
Of course equestrian ability doesn’t even belong on her list, and it’s probably only there because Raina put it there.
“C’mon, Uncle London!” Queenie tugs at the sleeve of my plaid shirt.
I take a deep breath to steel myself after handing in the consent forms to Eli. I agreed to be here, so I might as well make the most of it.
When Queenie, Hattie, and I get out of the building, we follow Eli to the stables. Several horses stand there, calmly chewing their hay or apples or whatever horses eat.
Well, calm horses are better than spooked horses. From all the Westerns I’ve seen, spooked horses always bolt or toss people from their backs.
“These are our horses,” Eli says. “The blue roan on the left is Honey,then there’s Thunder, and Ember.”
Hattie claps at the wordhorse, the first sign of excitement I’ve seen from her all day.
