Page 1 of Just For Her

PART 1

JUST FOR HER

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Chapter 1

RainincentralOregonfell differently than in Portland.Or the coast, for that matter.While Portland had its showers, Kayla was more used to the constant drizzles that dotted the winter landscape. Over on the coast, which she avoided this time of year, one needed a sturdy hoodie to wearbeneaththe rain jacket. Otherwise, people were in for a soaking wet time.

Yet here in Bend, the rain was as cold as the feeling a bad date usually gave Kayla.

I should have brought my good jacket.The unfashionable one, of course. Kayla wasn’t so naïve that she didn’t expect anything but “chilly, possibly freezing” in Bend during the middle of February, but she had hoped to get by with a heavy leopard print sweater and a pair of good gloves. Hoods would only mess up her hair. Then again, so would the wind that threatened to blow the rain sideways.

Nevertheless, downtown Bend was as busy as the day before when Kayla first arrived in town. Her friend had dropped her off near the Deschutes River downtown, close enough to the grocery store that Kayla hadn’t completely put out the woman hosting her in a new development.That’s all this town is now.Kayla had heard a hundred stories about the recent history of Bend, Oregon: a town that had once been as downtrodden as the rest of the country during the 2008 recession. Yet its turnaround had not only blown up its population in the past decade but had attracted several wealthy residents who now called Central Oregon their home.

Kayla was from the Portland area. This was only her third time in Bend, and her second since it ballooned into the most expensive city in the state.

Perfect.

She courted nothing but optimism as she stood in front of a shop window and touched up her hair. The last of Kayla’s money had brought her here, siphoned into the gas tank of her cranky Ford Focus. Most of her belongings were back in Sherwood with her brother and his wife – the rest had been packed into the Ford and driven down to Bend, where Kayla hoped to completely start over.

Short-term goal? Get a job at a local brewery. Long term? Bag herself a husband worth at least one million.

I’ve heard this is the place to do that now, after all.

Satisfied with her appearance, Kayla ducked back into the drizzle and resumed her mental mapping of Bend’s old downtown. Between the usual touristy shops and taverns were outdoor stores, wine bars, and dog pubs, whatever those were. Kayla thought herself pretty savvy about all the markers of widescale gentrification, but the “dog pubs” were new. New enough for Portland to have only vaguely heard of them.

There weren’t many dogs out that day. When she walked up to the door, she realized that “dog pub” was a fancy way of saying doggy daycare with a side of pooch pampering. While purebred pugs and mixed labs pranced around the indoor turf, Kayla kept walking. She wanted to become as acquainted as possible with the layout of the land, and maybe scope out some decent places to apply for a job.

A few of the restaurants and one of the wine bars had “HELP WANTED” signs in their windows, an indication that food service jobs weren’t hard to come by down here, either. Still, Kayla didn’t immediately look any of these places up on her phone. She had enough savings to get her through the month. Taking the week off to get used to a new town shouldn’t be too bad.

You’ll find the perfect husband soon enough.Not only were Kayla’s standards low, but she was confident. Her friend Chrissy had no trouble landing herself a new money millionaire who called Bend his home.All she had to do was be at the golf course on the right day.Sounded easier said than done, but lightning had stricken multiple times in this town. It was almost like the good ol’ days of Portland, except everyone was in a much denser area!

Now Chrissy drove around Bend in a brand-new Subaru. Her four-bedroom house in that new development meant she could host her husband’s kids for the summersandKayla until she got up on her feet.

This might be a good contender…Kayla saw the sign before she recognized the name of the brewery. Already, a line formed out the door and weaved beneath a tent that feebly blocked out the drizzle. The lunch rush? No, no. It was abrunchrush, wasn’t it?

Either way, worked for Kayla! She merely needed to find a place that paid well enough to get the bills taken care of every month… but it also had to cater to a wealthier clientele.

Maybe other women would struggle to see the millionaires among the old locals, but not Kayla. Just because everyone was dressed in hoodies and jeans didn’t mean she didn’t know which brands to look for, or how the fellas wore their facial hair. If she became a waitress or hostess, she’d have direct access to those without wedding rings. Hell, even wedding rings were dubious things. Kayla had first-hand experience with boyfriends who conveniently did not wear theirs when they met the woman they inevitably cheated with – and on.

Not Kayla’s finest moment. Yet enough time had passed that she was no longer afforded the chance to care.

Brickhouse Brews…Right. She’d remember that one when she started sending out applications later that week.

Her gaze lingered on the large building by the river as she stepped out into the street. There was still a whole stretch of this block she had yet to check out.

Unfortunately for Kayla, being lost in her thoughts in the rain meant lapses in judgment. It also conspired to put her right in the path of a shiny BMW that nearly blinded her with its lights.

“Ahh!”

She had frozen in the middle of the street, hands up to protect her face from the two-ton monster that would have killed her if it were going faster than ten miles an hour. The driver slammed on the brakes and barely tapped her on the knees. It was enough force to send Kayla down to the asphalt, her bag and phone clattering beside her.

The driver’s door immediately opened.“Oh, God! Oh, fuck! Not now!”Those words ricocheted in Kayla’s head as the shock came over her and she took stock of what was hurt.Besides my pride…Her leopard print sweater had cushioned most of her fall, but it was drenched in a mudpuddle and one of her kitten heels had flown off her foot. She struggled to pull her legs up toward her chest without exposing her ass, because ofcourseher leggings had been pulled down enough that her T-shirt dress no longer covered that bit of skin.

“I’m okay…” She wiped the rainwater off her face and searched for her phone. Hands scraped with pebbles did not make this job any easier. When an umbrella popped open above her, it was too late to help.

“Thank God! You’re alive!” A man’s voice instantly caught Kayla’s attention. Although she was careful not to turn her head too quickly, she gritted her teeth and forced herself to look up, barring any pain suddenly taking hold of her neck and shoulders.

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