Page 11 of Pretty Desperate (Pine Village #6)

JILLIAN

“ E xcuse me, what’s this I hear about you having dinner with Kameron?”

I sigh into the phone. I shouldn’t be surprised to be receiving this call, but I am a little shocked it took almost twenty-four whole hours to get it. The Pine Village grapevine is legendary for its swift action in spreading any sort of gossip, and why I thought I would be immune is beyond me.

“It was just dinner,” I insist to my newest friend, Ryan Marcotte. Ryan and I met earlier this summer, when she rented Marcus’s cabin for a month-long getaway. Turns out, Ryan is the Ryan Marcotte from the popular TV show Ryan’s Reality . Plus, she has her own YouTube channel and makeup line.

But that’s not why we love her. She’s a great friend.

While she was hiding away in the woods, we got to know the real Ryan, not the one the media portrays or the one she pretends to be on television.

She’s sassy, yes, but so kind and caring.

We’ve really gotten to know her over the last few months, and I’m so glad she’s here to stay.

Very recently, she moved in with her boyfriend, Marcus, who owns the auto repair shop in town, and she’s running her business and making YouTube videos from here.

“I had just dinner with Marcus once. There was sex, Jillian. Lots of sex.”

I roll my eyes, even though she can’t see it. “Stop it. We’re friends,” I insist, adjusting the phone on my shoulder while I start the dishwasher.

“Mmhmm,” she sings.

Then I think about the lie we’re about to tell, and I know I can’t keep this “friends” facade in place too much longer. In a matter of days, it’ll be all over town that Kameron and I are dating.

Clearing my throat, I decide to stick to the truth as much as I possibly can. That’s the only way I’ll get through this. “He’s…cute.”

“Uhh, yeah! He has that whole smoldering intensity thing going, but with an easy smile. He’s like The Rock in that Jumanji remake. It’s practically one of Kameron’s superpowers!” she proclaims, yelling into the phone.

“Lord, woman, chill out. All I said was he’s cute.”

“And you’d be right. But I also caught the underlying words you didn’t say.”

“And those would be?” I ask, almost afraid to hear the answer.

“That you love him and want to make babies!”

I laugh. Hard. “You’re nuts.”

“Yeah, that’s true,” she agrees easily with a giggle. “Listen, Jillian, I don’t know him well, but he seems like a nice guy. Marcus talks highly of him, so I put a lot of stock into that. Marcus doesn’t like many people. All I’m saying is if you want to date him, you should.”

“I’ll take that under consideration,” I reply with a small smile. I’m glad my friends approve.

“I think you should do one of those dating profiles.”

“What?” I bark out a laugh. “I’m not doing online dating.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s…”

Embarrassing?

Not necessary?

How do I answer that?

“I get it,” she replies without me actually giving an answer. “It’s not for everyone.”

“Says the woman who has a ton of online presence,” I tease.

“Yeah, but that’s different. My face is all over social media, but not in regard to dating. Though, I’ve had plenty of guys—and a few girls—slide into my DMs. And I’m pretty sure I’ve been catfished a few times too. My face shows up on dating profiles, but it’s not actually me.”

“That’s…creepy.”

“Totally. I don’t even check my direct messages anymore. There are a fuck ton of weirdos out there, Jillian.”

I snort. “And yet, you thought I should give online dating a try,” I reply dryly.

“Only if you wanted to. Some people find forever love on those sites.”

“Very true, but I won’t be one of them. Besides, who needs online dating when your parents just send you eligible bachelors to your place of business.”

I’m met with silence.

After a few very long seconds, she finally asks, “Are you serious?”

“Unfortunately,” I grumble. “My parents—I love them—but they, well, they’re ready to be grandparents, and I think they believe if they send me single men, I’ll fall madly in love with one of them and start popping out grandbabies.”

“Wow, that?—”

“Yep,” I reply, popping the P. “I don’t know if you knew this or not, but I was married before,” I say, taking a seat on my couch and getting comfortable. Even though my other friends know, I’ve not had this conversation with Ryan, so I expect she’s going to want to hear all the dirty details.

“Tell me,” she encourages.

“You sure you have time for this story?” I ask.

“Yes. Marcus is on a tow call, so it’s just me and Buddy here. I’ll put you on speaker, so he can hear too. He loves it when he’s included on phone calls.”

I blink slowly, gauging her seriousness. “Umm, okay.”

“You’re on speaker. Say hi to Buddy!”

“Hi, Buddy,” I greet Marcus’s rescue dog.

“His tail is wagging. He says hello. Now go on.”

“All right, anyway, I was married in my mid-twenties, but it only lasted about nine months.”

“Really? Why? Did he cheat? Was he a dirty, lying cheater who slept with your best friend?”

“What? No.”

“Oh. Good.”

“You watch too much reality TV,” I insist.

“Yeah, it’s probably the fact I grew up around all that drama. Sorry. Go on.”

“His name was Davis, and we met while I was working as a receptionist at a medical office in Hudson.”

“You worked as a receptionist at a medical office?” she asks, genuinely surprised.

“I’ve pretty much worked everywhere,” I tell her.

“I didn’t really like school, and never really knew what I wanted to do with my life, so I did it all.

Anyway, he worked at the insurance agency next door, and we’d see each other all the time on the sidewalk and at the deli right down the block.

We started talking, and eventually, dating. ”

“Okay, seems normal so far. Then what happened?”

“We seemed to have a lot in common and dated for about a year and a half when he proposed. I accepted, and we were married almost a year later. I never once pushed him for a baby. He knew my dreams were to eventually become a mother. We had discussed it before we ever got married, but almost nine months into our marriage, he decided he didn’t want kids. ”

“Shut the front door,” she proclaims, earning a bark from Buddy. “See? Even Buddy says that’s bullshit.”

I can’t help but smile. “I wanted to discuss it, but it was useless. He— and I quote — changed his mind. That was that.”

“How do you change your mind?” she asks, almost absently, as if she’s trying to understand.

“He thought the urge to become a father would magically appear after we were married. It was the most logical next step, right? But it never happened, and the longer we were together, the stronger his desire to not become a dad grew.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah. So, he moved back to Hudson, and I stayed in Pine Village in our house. I ended up quitting my job over there, since I really didn’t want to run into him all the time and found one here.”

“When did you open your bakery?”

“It’ll be five years this December.”

“I’m so proud of you,” she says. I can hear the smile in her voice.

My throat is suddenly dry, and it’s hard to swallow over the lump. “You are? Why?”

“Because you didn’t back down from one dream, even if it meant starting over. And then you put on your sassy big girl panties and went after your other dream. You’re a total badass, Jillian Kirby.”

A smile spreads across my face. “I am?”

“Totally. That Davis guy doesn’t know what he’s missing, but lucky for you, that just means he’s out of the way so you can date hotties in the area. Like Kameron.”

A snicker slips past my lips. “We’ll see.”

“Yeah, we will see. So, you were married once before, dangled the grandbaby carrot in front of your parents’ faces, and then ripped it away. That’s not your fault, you know.”

I sigh. “Yeah, I know, but they’re getting anxious, and since they think I can’t find a man on my own, they’ve decided to send them to the bakery. Their first attempt at insta-love was their accountant.”

“Oh my God,” she replies with a groan. “That’s embarrassing.”

“It really was. I think he was too, since my parents conveniently forgot to mention it to me. So there we both were, sitting there in awkward silence, trying to figure out what to say.”

“Did you tell your parents not to do that again?”

“I still have to make that call. I’ve been avoiding it.”

“Well, you better unavoid it, or they’ll send bachelor number two down to your bakery.”

“That’s not a word.”

“Bakery? Of course it is,” she states.

“Unavoid. It’s not a word.”

“Well, it should be,” she insists with a huff. “And quit deflecting. Call them and tell them to stop it. If my parents did that, I…well, I don’t know what I’d do. I mean, my parents did help Marcus get to LA and surprise me at my party.”

“That’s because he was in love with you. It wasn’t some random dude they were trying to set you up with.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Still, you need to tell them to stop.”

I exhale and close my eyes, picturing that awkward conversation. “You’re right.”

“Of course I am.” I hear Buddy bark, his nails hitting the floor as he takes off running.

“Marcus is home, so I’ll let you go. Oh, before I forget, I’m coming by tomorrow morning.

I’m doing a video for my YouTube channel, and I want to get an iced coffee drink.

I’ll have it on my desk, logo to the camera. It’s visual advertising, my friend.”

My eyes fill with tears at what she’s doing for me. “You don’t have to do that.”

“Yes, I do. I mean, all these people are flocking to town because of me, so they might as well stop by and support you while they’re here.”

“Thank you,” I whisper, overcome with emotions.

“Hey, princess,” I hear as the screened door opens and closes through the phone line.

“Welcome home,” she greets, the happiness evident in her voice. It’s followed by the sound of a kiss, one that goes on longer than it should in the presence of a phone friend.

“Excuse me, stop making out while you’re on the phone!” I holler, earning a chuckle and a giggle.