Page 14 of Make-Believe Match

But God, I’d had fun. The most fun I’d had in a long, long time. Maybe ever. I’d never had a one-night stand before—I’d always thought sex was better when it involved emotions. But there had been something so freeing about it. I hadn’t felt any pressure or judgment or worries aboutwhat this meant. I just let go.

Dragging myself from the bed, I showered and dressed for work, moving a little slower than usual. Not so much because I was tired—although I was exhausted after so few hours of sleep—but because I kept zoning out, thinking about Devlin and last night. I ran out of time to blow out my hair, so I threw it up into a damp, messy bun. No amount of makeup was going to cover the dark circles under my eyes, but I did the best I could. And actually, I thought, scanning my reflection in the bathroom mirror, my skin did have a bit of a glow to it this morning—which caused my mind to drift away again.

By the time I left, I was running so late I didn’t have time to stop for coffee. I’d have to make it at work.

On the ten-minute drive along the service road to Snowberry’s main lodge, I decided to give Winnie a quick call. Even though it wasn’t quite eight, she was usually up early with Michael.

“Hello?”

“Are you awake?”

“I have a two-year-old, of course I’m awake.”

“Good, because I have big news.”

She gasped. “What?”

“The runaway O has returned.” I grinned all over again.

“Told you it would!” She laughed. “So was the dentist good with his drill or did she come back all on her own?”

“Neither. The dentist went home early, and I met someone else at the bar.”

“What?” she squealed. “Tell me everything!”

“The short version is that he found her in the back of his Chevy Suburban in the parking lot of The Broken Spoke. Classy, right?”

“Soclassy.” Winnie laughed. “Good for you!”

“It was good for me.” I experienced a full-body shiver.

“So what’d he do that made the difference?”

“I don’t know exactly. I mean, he definitely had some skills, but I think more than anything, he justreallycared. He was all about consent too. And he was crazy hot and seemed super into me. It made me feel good.”

“Of course he was into you,” she said fiercely. “You’re a total babe. Ten out of ten.”

I laughed. “Thanks. He definitely helped restore some confidence. I know it sounds sort of nuts, but I just felt this instant connection with him.”

“So who is he?”

“His name is Devlin,” I told her as I turned into Snowberry’s nearly empty employee lot. “He grew up in Cherry Tree Harbor, lives on the East Coast now, has eyes so blue you could make jewelry out of them, and he’s really good with his hands.”

She snickered. “I bet. What’s his last name?”

“You know what?” I pulled into a spot and put my car in park. “I don’t even know if he mentioned it. We didn’t talk that much. He took me home and stayed until four o’clock in the morning, and I could not tell you one more thing about him.”

“Seriously?”

“Wait—yes I can.” I grabbed my shoulder bag and got out of the car. “He’s an uncle, his mom died when he was nine, and he works for some organization that supports kids who have lost a parent.”

“Oh, wow! No wonder you felt such a connection to him. He sounds like a really good guy.”

“He was,” I said, heading for the lodge. “I’m kind of bummed he didn’t ask for my number or anything.”

“Why didn’t you get his? Your grandmother might be old-fashioned, but you’re a modern woman.”

“I don’t know. It was sort of understood that it was only a one-time, no-strings-attached, just-for-fun kind of thing. Plus, he lives on the East Coast,” I said. “That’s far.”