Page 2 of Love Letter Lost
“I’m pretty sure she set us up because we’re both single, Bruce is connected to one of her book club friends, and she loved the idea of teaming up with her friend to plan the wedding.”
“Where are you ranking this one on your List?” Chloe asked. Our lists of worst dates helped us find humor in the slew of bad dates we’d recently experienced. Occasionally, we went on good dates that left us hopeful about our chances of someday having a healthy relationship. My date with Bruce was not one of those dates.
I tapped my finger on my chin, considering. “I think Kevin, the guy who took me axe throwing and kept telling me how fast his pet snake could eat me while comparing me to his ex-wives, still holds the title for my worst date ever. But Bruce might be second place.”
“Kevin? I thought the guy who wouldn’t say a word to you the entire date and then made you walk home was in first,” Audrey said.
“What about the online guy who wanted to go night hiking up American Fork Canyon?” Chloe asked.
“I never actually went on a date with Night Hike Guy, seeing as I didn’t want to be murdered. Silent Guy gets an honorable mention, but I still have nightmares about Kevin’s snake.”
I rested my head on the back of the couch and stared up at the ceiling, grateful I’d taken the time last year to remove the old popcorn effect. The smooth, white finish that greeted me was much more pleasant to look at when pondering my dating quandaries.
My phone buzzed, and I looked at the screen. I had five texts from my mother, no doubt asking about my date. I assured her I was fine and promised to tell her more later before shoving the phone back in my pocket. I needed to process the day a bit more before adding my mother’s anxieties to the mix.
“I know everyone means well with all these date setups, but I think I’m declaring this summer a no date zone. I need a break.”
“Attracting weirdos is better than attracting jerks,” Audrey whispered. I looked over to find her hugging Ruby to her chest, the dog staring back at me with liquid brown eyes that seemed to concur with her owner.
I reached over and gave Audrey’s hand a squeeze.
Last summer, Audrey and I had had near identical dating experiences. Audrey had dated her last boyfriend, Lyle, for nearly a year, to the point that she had been anticipating a proposal. But a family emergency had come up, and Audrey had dropped everything to go home and help her mom. It had been the beginning of summer, so she’d taken leave from work, promising Lyle she’d be back as soon as she could. Three weeks later, Audrey had come back, expecting to find Lyle waiting for her with a hug and the reassurance everything would be okay. Instead, she’d found him at his apartment kissing her former best friend. At the time, I’d been her shoulder to cry on promising that everything would work out for the best, blissfully unaware that my fiancé had also had another woman in his life.
About a week after Audrey had made her discovery, I’d decided to surprise Matt with an early wedding present. I’d shown up at his office to find him sitting in his car getting cozy with the new receptionist. I’d thrown the wedding present, a framed engagement photo for his desk, at the car, scratching his shiny black Lexus. I’d then driven home, canceled the wedding, and sold the ring online. That money currently sat in a savings account, waiting to fund my dream side-hustle: property management. Purchasing the fourplex I called home from my dad would be the first step.
Chloe broke into my thoughts. “You’ve sufficiently spilled your guts. I vote for ice cream! It’s my turn to buy, and I think Ben and Jerry’s is on sale.”
I put in a request for something loaded with caramel and chocolate but bowed out of going to the store. Between the terrible date and saying goodbye to my students, I needed a moment to change into sweats and unwind.
While they drove to the store, I slipped into my room and dug out my bright blue joggers with pockets and my favorite t-shirt which read: “I teach children, what’s your superpower?” I’d just settled back onto the couch to wait for the promised ice cream when my phone buzzed with a text.
I glanced at the screen, expecting another message from my mother. Instead, my lips stretched into a grin when a message from my cousin, Livvy, greeted me. Livvy was getting married next week, and as one of her bridesmaids, I received near-daily panic-driven texts verifying details. Curious to see what had Livvy stressed this time, I opened the message and began to read.
LIVVY: How would you feel if I told you a mystery-man from your past was about to make a reappearance in your life at my wedding?
This was too good to pass up. I considered how to respond before settling on the obscure.
ME: Is it Seth? Please, tell me it’s Seth.
LIVVY: Who’s Seth?
ME: That kid who used to live down the street from you. He had a neon green bike and he smelled like grass stains.
LIVVY: No. I haven’t thought about that kid in years. I think he moved before junior high. Also, how do you smell like grass stains?
ME: It’s like fresh cut grass but mixed with BO. I give up. Who?
LIVVY: Ridge Matthews.
I froze as I read the words. Of course it would be Ridge.
CHAPTERTWO
I foundmyself lost in memories: Friday evenings playing night games, the damp air filling my lungs, summer days floating the Provo River with the smell of sunscreen lingering in my nose as my legs went numb from the cold water. I could picture Ridge in high school. He’d had short brown hair, bright blue eyes, and an infectious grin. He’d used his smarts and confidence to win student body elections, though being on the basketball team hadn’t hurt either. Ridge had been my cousin Kyle’s best friend growing up, and because Kyle’s twin Livvy and I were close, I’d spent a lot of time with him over the years. We’d watched movies, hiked to waterfalls, set off fireworks, and countless other exploits in our time together. I’d grown up all over the Wasatch front, but between family parties, where Ridge had always been welcome, and sleepovers at Livvy’s house, we’d become friends. I’d even thought we could be more, but Ridge had shattered that hope.
The slamming of the front door pulled me from my thoughts.
“We got you something with caramel, but they had some new flavors we thought we could try together. This one involves oatmeal cookies and sounds divine.” Chloe walked in, a plastic grocery bag in one hand and a pint of ice cream in the other. Audrey followed behind her at a slower pace as she bent to pick up Ruby.
