Page 24 of Stick Side
Shawna smiled brightly. “Not much.”
“You missed your calling as a criminal prosecutor.” Even though they were venturing close to topics she generally preferred not to discuss, she couldn’t help but be impressed by her friend’s remarkable ability to read people.
“As it happens . . .” Melody admitted, gathering her courage as she ran the pads of her fingers over the textured lace overlay of her dress “. . . you’re right. There’s more to it than just nerves surrounding dating a professional athlete.”
Her friends waited patiently for her to gather her thoughts. Their quiet support inspired her to voice her concerns.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever shared the full story,” Melody continued, “but just before moving to Chicago, I was dumped by my boyfriend of two years.” She released a gusty sigh before continuing. “I never thought Jeremy was the fairy tale ‘One’ for me, but I thought we were happy enough. Comfortable. Content. Compatible. Committed. And then, one day, out of the blue, he tells me he got a job in Australia and would be moving at the end of the month with no intention of ever coming back.”
Melody took a deep breath and tried to ease the tightness the memories of her breakup brought to her chest. “I hadn’t even known he’d been applying for jobs outside of the city,” she admitted, “let alone gone through enough rounds of interviews to actually secure one.”
Melody cringed, remembering. Not for the first time, she wondered if she’d somehow missed the signs. Had Jeremy beendissatisfied by their relationship and she just hadn’t seen it? Try as she might, she couldn’t shake the feeling there must have been something that could have given her an inkling that Jeremy was about to break up with her. But she hadn’t noticed anything amiss. She’d been blindsided.
“I don’t even know what I would have done if Jeremy had asked me to go with him,” she admitted. “I would have had to jump through so many hoops to find work in Australia, but it hurt that he didn’t even have enough regard for me or the two years we were together to even broach the topic. After two years, we were just done.”
“That’s cold,” Annie observed.
“It isn’t just that,” Melody said cautiously.In for a penny, in for a pound. “Whenever I think of dating—particularly someone like Ben, who I can only imagine has a ton of romantic experience—I can’t help but be reminded of my comparatively woeful experience, or lack thereof.”
Pam snickered. “First off, I don’t think it’s fair to say all NHL players have a lot ofromanticexperience. Secondly,” she continued, “you just got through telling us that you were in a two-year relationship, so I think it’s safe to say you aren’t a virgin.”
Melody fidgeted with her cutlery. “No, I’m not a virgin,” she confirmed as she lined up her knife and fork. “Pretty close, though,” she muttered.
“I heard that,” Shawna pounced.
Melody fought the urge to fist and rumple the fabric of her dress. She knew it wasn’t anything to feel ashamed of, but discomfort clawed at her insides nonetheless. “The fact of the matter is my relationship with Jeremy more or less comprises my entire romantic history. There hasn’t really been anyone before or after him.”
“Not even in high school?” Annie inquired curiously.
“Not really,” Melody responded. “There was the token date to things like homecoming, but that was pretty much it. Nothing even remotely serious or substantial.”
“What?” Pam exclaimed, her expression one of clear surprise. “Do you mean to tell me that you—a sweet, smart, and stunning doctor—have only ever been intimately involved with one man? And not just that, but a guy it doesn’t sound like you were even fully into?”
Melody’s face must have reflected her confusion.
“Content, compatible, and comfortable aren’t adjectives that speak of a vibrant and fulfilling relationship,” Pam observed.
Melody grimaced. Heaven knew she’d gotten more excited about Ben over the span of days than she had about Jeremy over the course of years. That was telling.
Had she and Jeremy been settling? Had they both been unwittingly passing the time together until something or someone better came around? If so, how had she been so wholly unaware of it?
“I don’t know if this is the best time to ask,” Annie spoke after a few beats of silence, “but does this mean you might consider going to speed dating with me tomorrow night?” Her clear blue eyes shone with hope. “I know I need to keep putting myself out there if I want to meet someone, but I could really use a wing woman to bolster my courage. Maybe you could, too?” Annie ventured. Eyes bright with enthusiasm, she brought her hands together into prayer position in silent entreaty.
Melody tapped a finger against her lips in consideration. Despite how betrayed she’d felt by the way Jeremy had ended their relationship, even before meeting Ben she’d been starting to think about dipping her toes back into the dating pool. She just wasn’t sure whether speed dating was the way to go about it, especially when she already had a date with Ben on the horizon.
Shawna pulled out her phone and started tapping on the keypad. “Is this it?” she asked Annie after a moment, handing over her phone.
Annie scanned the page. “Yes. That’s it.” She passed the phone back to Shawna.
Tap, tap, tap.
After a few short moments, Shawna lowered her phone to the table, glanced up, and smiled in a way that made Melody feel suddenly nervous. When Shawna spoke, she discovered why.
“Both of you are now officially signed up for speed dating tomorrow night at seven o’clock at the Brookstreet Bistro. My treat.”
“Shawna!” Melody exclaimed at the same time Annie bobbed up and down in her seat and clapped her hands together in delight.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Annie enthused.
