Page 17 of Seeking Her Studs
“Mm,” Lacey looks reflective now as she observes me. “And is that why you came back here? Because you feel like you’re drowning?”
I take a big breath. “Wow, Lace, I’m barely two sips into this beer and we’ve already covered dick and desperation.”
“Dick and desperation.” She grins. “Sounds like my memoir.”
I laugh. “I’ll write the follow-up,” I say, lifting my pint glass in cheers. “Dick and Desperation: The Sequel.”
Our glasses clink, but she looks at me with skeptical eyes.
“Come on B, how desperate can you really be?” She says before taking a long drink.
I swallow and audibly hum in approval at the fizzy refreshing sip. Damn, it’s been so long since I’ve had a nice cold beer.
“I’ll tell you exactly how desperate,” I wince. “I’m out here risking my own safety by being in public without bodyguards because I’m hoping to find three guys that I’m obsessed with but have only ever talked to on the internet and, to make matters worse, have actually blocked me.”
Lacey chokes on her drink and covers her mouth to prevent herself from spitting all over the table. Her choking eventually turns into laughing.
“I’m sorry. What?” She finally composes herself enough to ask me.
“I like to meet people on the internet. It’s a thing.” I shrug. “So I joined a chatroom and I got along with three guys in it. I don’t know where they live in Wyoming exactly, but somewhere nearby here because they like to go hiking at all the local mountains. We’ve been talking for a really long time and there’s a part of me that feels like maybe…”
My cheeks are red hot now. It’s one thing to admit I met someone on the internet. It’s totally different to admit that there are three men I met on the internet.
“Maybe there’s something real between us.”
“Damn,” Lacey says. Her face is hard to read. “That’s…”
“Desperate?” I offer.
She offers me a soft smile and shakes her head. “No, B. It’s sentimental. More sentimental than you usually are, I’ll be honest.”
“Yeah,” I nod. “Sentimental isn’t my thing. I know it’s a long shot. I guess a part of me is hoping I’ll see them and just know.”
“So you really have no idea who they are?” Lacey asks.
I shake my head. “Nope, but let me know if you know three guys who love to spend time in the mountains.”
Before Lacey can respond, a tall thin man appears at the end of our booth. He looks around my age, maybe a bit older.
“Evening ladies,” he tips his head in my direction. “Would you be kind enough to join a guy like me for the next dance?”
Lacey kicks me under the table, and her message is clear. For all we know, this could be one of my internet boyfriends. He’s not necessarily noticeable with a plain face and a casual blue t-shirt, but he doesn’t have any glaring red flags. And I came here with the full expectation that I might not be physically attracted to my internet crushes at first, anyway. That doesn’t change my interest in them.
“Yeah, sure.” I smile politely and slide out of the booth.
He shakes my hand firmly. “Wyatt,” he says, but before I can answer, he is taking my outstretched hand and dragging me towards the dancefloor.
Okay, not a great start. But maybe I’m misunderstanding him.
The band is playing a sped up version of a country song I recognize from the radio. The dancefloor has gotten even more full of couples seamlessly doing the two-step. It’s been a while, but Gram made sure Lacey and I knew how to “dance like cowgirls” as she would say.
But Wyatt doesn’t ask me if I know how and instead he pulls me in tight against him. If I’m expecting to feel a spark, then this is not it. In fact, it’s whatever the opposite of a spark is. A damp dull thud. His hands are clammy as they find their way to my bare back.
I look up at him to see what his intentions are with that bold hand placement, but he’s not even looking at me. Instead, his eyes glance nervously behind me.
I turn to see what he’s looking at and notice a group of guys with their phones out, waving their fists in the air like Wyatt has just crossed a finish line.
My heart drops. That explains why he didn’t even ask me my name. He knows who I am, and this is just a game to him. I thought the people of Solace Springs wouldn’t treat me like a freak show. But things change and this town doesn’t seem to be on my team anymore.
