Page 1 of Wounded Fox
PROLOGUE
Months Ago
Valerie
Why in the hell was I doing this?
Oh, that’s right, I let Bee talk me into it. Just like she talked a lot of folks into doing things around town that they didn't want to do. She was the queen of manipulation but in a good way.
Speak of the devil.
"There's my favorite girl!" the gray-haired woman who was like a grandmother to everyone in town said as she shuffled her way across the Crazy Fox diner where the speed dating—the event I was practically forced into—was taking place.
"You probably say that about every woman in town," I joked while rolling my eyes. I loved Bee just like everyone else did but how I let her talk me into things some days was still a mystery to me. It was obvious I needed to learn to say no in life.
"I would never." Bee winked with a devious chuckle. The old lady might be in her eighties but she had the sense of humor of a twenty-year-old. "Are you ready? It's almost time to get started."
I groaned at the thought as my stomach did a flip. "Remind me again why I let you talk me into this?"
Willow Creek was a small town and I've known everyone in it since I was born. Well, except for the few new guys that Aaron brought with him, but I doubted they would be attending speed dating. From the little I had seen of them, they didn't seem like the type who needed assistance finding a woman. I mean, I didn’t needed assistance finding a man either. I was happy as a clam being single.
Just the thought of Aaron made my blood boil. A day didn't go by lately that I didn't wish he had stayed away.
"I know that look," Bee interrupted my spiraling thoughts. "And that's exactly why I want you to do this. You need to get over that man once and for all or screw him senseless. One of the two."
I almost choked on my spit. "Bee!" I chided. "You can't just go around saying things like that without giving a gal a warning."
Bee waved me off. "At my age I can do whatever I want."
That was for damn sure and the people of Willow Creek let her get away with it. Hell, she could probably commit murder and the townsfolk would look the other way. The sheriff and his officers definitely would. They weren’t corrupt or anything, Bee just had that way about her. People looked at her and her age and they gave her leeway.
"I'm going to go take my seat. Thanks for letting me come in early and not making me wait outside with the rest of the group."
This was already embarrassing enough. The thought of standing outside in public with the chance of Aaron seeing me was too much for me to handle.
"My pleasure, darlin', and thank you for your help. I don't know what I would've done without you."
I didn't believe her for one second, but for the sake of keeping face, I smiled. I knew without a shadow of a doubtBee would've found a way to get things together without me. She was resourceful like that. But I did enjoy helping, even if party planning wasn't my specialty. I owned a clothing boutique. It was my dream and something I was proud to call my own. Hopefully soon I would be able to take it online and be more than just a small-town business owner.
I’d just gotten comfortable in my seat when Bee opened the doors and several folks I knew walked through. I inwardly groaned for what felt like the millionth time tonight. How Bee thought speed dating in a small town would be a good idea was beyond me. There wasn't a single person in the place that didn't know everyone else. And their business. Gossip ran rampant in a town like this.
Maybe she was hoping it would be a good opportunity to talk with people we normally wouldn't but even that was a far stretch. There weren't enough people in Willow Creek to really ignore anyone.
Believe me, I’ve tried and failed.
As the women checked in, they were given an assigned table number. From what Bee had explained to me earlier, it would be the men who rotated amongst tables.
I zoned out as a few more people entered the diner. A quick observation proved there were more single women in town than men. Or maybe it was just the fact that the men didn't want to admit they needed help finding their forever person.
Not that I expected to find “the one” either. Not in this crowd.
Negative talk like that won't be getting me anywhere.
I shook off the pessimistic mindset and plastered a smile on my face. It didn't take long for it to turn into a genuine smile when an old friend sat across from me.
"Hey, Valerie." Tim Jr. and his boy-next-door charm put me at ease.
"Hey, Tim. Did you get coerced into doing this too?"
