Read Online Finding Forever by Christina C Jones - Free Book Online Page B

guy you were, and I think it’s because you’re lonely.”
    “Lonely? Please. I’ve got a dozen women I could call righ—”
    “And you think that means you aren’t lonely, Avery? Those women don’t mean anything but a warm body to you. You need someone you can talk to, and care for, someone you can love .”
    I scoffed. “I need someone I can trust .”
    Leaning over the bar, Des rested her chin in her hands. “So Natalie broke your trust?”
    I didn’t look at her as I carefully measured the bourbon into my glass before I lifted it to my mouth, swallowing it in one drink. “Yeah.”
    “Oh, Avery. I’m so sorry.”
    Shrugging, I placed my glass down on the marble counter. I didn’t know how to feel now that I had admitted it to someone other than myself.
    “So, I think I have an idea.” Des covered my hand with hers. “I think you need a little third-party assistance with your dating. Just hear me out,” she said, lifting a finger to quiet my protest. “If you could have the women vetted first, so you know they’re really single, really looking for love, and really are who they say they are, it would make you feel better about opening yourself up, right?”
    “I guess. But how do I do that? I know you’re not talking about online dating, because I’m not doing that shit. People can lie like crazy when they’re on the other side of one of those stupid dating profiles.”
    Desiree shook her head. “Nope. I’m not talking about that at all. I want you to promise me you’ll at least try my suggestion. Please? I know you, Avery, and there’s no way your current lifestyle is truly making you happy. I can see it in your eyes.”
    Again, was it that obvious? I had returned from the Maldives with the intention of going right back to normal. The first night back, normal had included two women and a bottle of tequila, but I hadn’t felt satisfied. Honestly, I’d felt a little disgusted, just like I felt now. It had only taken a few hours with Tori to make my entire hedonistic lifestyle lose its appeal.
    “Fine,” I said. “I’ll let you set me up with somebody, but I can’t make any promises I’ll like her.” I still wasn’t buying it, but I was willing to humor Des.
    “ Me ?” Desiree broke into laughter, placing a hand over her belly. “Avery, are you crazy? I’m horrible at setting people up. However, I know someone who isn’t… ”
    A feeling of dread crept into my stomach as I realized what Desiree was about to suggest. “Sis, I don’t think Tori is gonn—”
    “Don’t worry about it! Tori is my friend, and she’s super professional. I think if you give her a real , sincere apology — and a hefty tip— , she’ll take you on as a client. And you’ll need to prove you aren’t an asshole too, which is probably gonna be the biggest challenge.”
    “Des, for real, I don’t thin—”
    “Avery, relax ,” Des said, offering me what was supposed to be a reassuring smile. “I can talk her into it, it won’t be a problem. I mean, it’s not like you guys slept together or anything,” she laughed. “That would be awkward!”
    I reopened the bottle of bourbon, and poured myself another drink. “Yeah. Awkward.”
    — Tori —
    “You want me to what ?” I nearly dropped my cell phone into the bucket of peas I was shelling. Even though I was drained after a week where all of my clients seemed to be hell-bent on repelling potential partners, I was keeping my commitment to my parents to join them for Sunday dinner. When I’d arrived a little over an hour ago, I had been unceremoniously handed the freshly picked peas, and told to get to work— with a smile, of course.
    Laughing, I turned on the speaker function and placed the phone on the table. “I’m sorry, Des. You’re going to have to repeat that. For a second I thought you asked me to take your brother on as a Matched client.”
    Desiree gave a loud sigh on the other end of the line. “That is what I said, and you know