Page 1 of Finding my Shifter Soulmate

Chapter One – Sabrina

Another date, another disaster.

For the past two hours I’ve been listening to this Doug guy brag about his car, his job, and his family's money. He hasn’t asked me a single question about myself and he cuts me off when try to volunteer information. The only part about me he seems to care about at all is my cleavage. I always end up feeling like a piece of meat during these dates. Do I have "Sucker" written on my forehead? Where can I find a nice, normal guy who won't hurt me?

After my third drink, I'm ready to hit the road. I requested an Uber twenty minutes ago, and as soon as I get the notification that it's here, I'm out of my seat and waving goodbye to Doug. I speed walk to the entrance, but he follows me. I take a deep breath and try to keep my frustration under control.

"Sabrina, let me drive you home." He lays his hand on my shoulder, and his touch makes my stomach churn.

I shrug his hand off and then smile sweetly. "No thank you, Doug. My ride is here. Have a good night. I had fun." Liar, I think.

"Awe, come on. It's still so early."

I close my eyes and press my hand against my temple to calm the heat rising within me. He acts like an asshole all evening, and now he suddenly can't live without me.

"No thank you," I repeat firmly and march out the door. As if on cue, a dark blue Audi pulls up to the curb. I walk over, openthe back door, and start to get in when I hear Doug call my name again. "Wait!"

"Bye, Doug. Take care," I yell as I hop in. I shut the door, smile at my driver, and nod. He pulls away from the curb, and I watch in the side mirror as Doug walks back to the restaurant.

"Long night?" my driver inquires, watching me through the rearview mirror.

"You have no idea. I'm so over these dating apps. Nothing but trolls and losers. If I wasn’t so introverted I’d try this the old fashioned way."

"I feel ya," the man says, and he sounds sympathetic.

"Have you had the displeasure of using any of them?" I ask, kicking off my heels. My feet are killing me, and I sigh with relief when my bare feet hit the cool carpet.

"Nah, I stay far away from them. I tried a dating app once, and that was enough."

"Smart guy. I guess it’s taking me longer to learn my lesson."

My eyes land on the sparkling waters beyond the dark buildings dotting the coast. The sliver of white sand and the cobalt blue sea glow in the moonlight. A couple weeks ago, I spent Valentine's Day on the couch catching up my friend Jean on my love life, or lack of one. She did her best to cheer me up with pints of Ben and Jerry's. I told her about my string of horrendous dates and the drama with my ex, and the overall lack of interest with anything currently in my life. Just wait until she hears that my losing streak is still going strong.

When the driver pulls up to my house, I tuck my shoes under my arm and hand him a generous cash tip along with the fare. He checks the money and then gives me a big smile. "Have a good night, and good luck."

"You too. Thanks for listening." I return the smile and exit the car, feeling tipsy. I steady myself and walk carefully to my front door. and by the time I turn around and give the Uber a wave, he's gone. I guess that whiskey hit me harder than I thought.

I make my way inside and call Jean once I'm situated on the ouch.

"Hey girl, how did it go?" She answers on the second ring, and I picture her tapping those ridiculously long French tips she insisted on getting when we went to the salon last week.

"Oh you know, same story, different guy," I reply.

Jean sighs audibly. "What a waste of time. I don't know why you keep trying those stupid apps, Sabrina. You're a beautiful, smart, caring woman who could have any man in the world. You aren't going to find the type of man you're looking for by swiping right."

She's right, and I know it. Without another thought, I put her on speaker phone and toggle to my apps screen, deleting Tinder, Bumble, Hinge, and every other pathetic source I've used in the past six months to try to find a decent boyfriend.

"Problem solved," I announce. But then it hits me. "How am I supposed to even find a guy in this day and age without using the internet?"

"Well, have you thought about taking a break from dating in general?" she asks. "I mean, you went through a lot with Casey. Maybe your heart needs a break from men."

I hate it when she says his name. Just the sound of it makes me flinch. I rub the scar below my right eye and shudder. I spent months not sleeping or eating because of him during our relationship. And of course, I did way too much of both in the months following our breakup, too. What a toxic pair we were. It should've ended long before it did, but I was trapped. I couldn't figure out a safe way to leave, and it wasn't until I realized he'd probably kill me one day if I stayed that I started coming up with a plan to leave. After the terrifying reality of the situation set in, I packed my bags and left one night while he was working. I abandoned everything and never looked back.

But, I don't want to think about that right now. I've had a rough enough night without bringing all that up. So I avoid the topic and answer her question. "Yes, a break from dating might be nice, I guess. That leaves me with an awful lot of time on my hands, though. So what do you suggest?"

Jean is quiet for a moment. "You could take a trip."

"To where?"

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