Thirty five and single, p.1
Thirty-five and Single, page 1
First Edition
Copyright © 2019 Terri E. Laine
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used factiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in form or any manner whatsoever by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or a book review. Scanning, uploading and distribution of the book via the Internet or via any other means without permission is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions and do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support for the author’s rights is appreciated. For information address to SDTEL Books.
All rights reserved.
Cover design by Letitia @RBA Designs
Photo taken by Sara @ Sara Eirew Photography
Contents
Next Up
Author Note
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Epilogue
Coming Soon
Thank You
2nd Author’s Note
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Also by Terri E. Laine
COMING UP NEXT FROM TERRI E. LAINE
MONEY MAN
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Author Note
The characters in this story were first seen in a novella titled Sex, Alcohol, and My Neighbor in the Beer Googles Anthology published in April 2017.
In that story, Joel and Olivia were given a Happy For Now (HFN) and not a Happily Ever After (HEA).
This is the complete story, which now includes Joel’s POV.
If you read that story, because of the additional layer of Joel’s side of things, you can’t pick up where you left off so to speak and not be lost.
There are additional scenes from both Joel and Olivia’s POV in the middle of what used to be the original novella. Additionally, there are a multitude of other changes from additions, deletions, and alterations to dialogue, situations, scenes, and chapters to fit the expanded story.
If you aren’t a re-reader, I suggest you skim what you remember but don’t skip because of the substantial changes as referenced above.
Happy Reading! xo
Chapter One
As the flame flickers, I wonder how I ended up on the road to divorce from a man who I thought was my forever… my best friend.
Today, of all days, my lawyer has informed me I’m officially and legally separated from my soon-to-be ex-husband. I’m not sure how to feel about it.
“Liv.” I gaze up into the faces of my sisters, Amelia and Ella. “Aren’t you going to make a wish?”
“It’s not exactly my birthday yet.” I muster a smile, trying for humor.
Ella, my younger sister, glances at her watch. “You have less than an hour until b-day, and I’m hoping we’re all drunk by then.”
Amelia, my older sister, giggles. She’s already there. Then again, she doesn’t get out much. Married with three young kids, she’s a full-time mom. “Come on, Livvy. Make a wish. I bet you wish you could cut Corey’s balls off.”
There have been many times I’d wished for just that.
“Not anymore.” Soberly, I add, “He called me today.”
“For what?” Ella snorts.
She’d gladly do it for me and I inwardly smile. I’m glad for my sisters. They keep me sane, especially today.
“He got the papers that officially separate us. I can legally date anyone I want now,” I admit.
“You could have yesterday with no regrets after what that bastard did to you,” Ella says.
“I’m not even angry at him anymore.”
The truth is such a relief. I close my eyes and blow out the candle on my birthday cupcake they’d so thoughtfully brought.
Holding up my lemon drop shot, I say with the biggest smile I can manage, “Here’s to being thirty-five and single.”
My sisters toast with me, and we down the drinks. My life isn’t quite what I’d planned for myself. But here it is.
Amelia’s glazed eyes flit over to me before she speaks. “You say it like you’re dead. But you’re not. You’re hot. You look more like you’re twenty-five, not thirty-five. You’ll find someone else.”
I’m not even sure I want to date anyone else.
Ella is much younger than Amelia and I. You’d think she’s the fun one. But tonight, she’s acting way more mature than Amelia.
“Let me ask you a question.” Ella holds up both hands. “No, wait. New tradition. Truth or dare?”
“Me first,” Amelia slurs.
“No, the game is only for the birthday girl,” Ella chimes with a sly grin.
“Fine.” Amelia turns to me, swaying some in her seat. “Truth or dare?” she animatedly asks while pushing another one of the shots they’d ordered in my direction.
As drunk as my sister is, I go with the safe option. “Truth.”
“Figures,” Ella says, looking disappointed in me.
Amelia, undeterred, asks, “Do you want to get back with Corey?”
When Ella’s smile ratchets up, Amelia and she high-five each other before Ella blurts, “But remember, the birthday gods won’t answer your wish if you don’t answer truthfully.”
Not that I believe her, but the question is one I’ve asked myself a million times. Corey’s not a bad guy. I think he really loves me, despite his mistake or mistakes. And I’m thirty-five. Do I really want to start over now?
“Truth?” I ask. They both nod like bobbleheads. I drink another shot, and they reciprocate before I answer. “I don’t know.”
Ella rolls her eyes. “If you’re going to go back to him, at least have sex with someone else first.”
“Why?” I foolishly ask.
“Because.” The word comes out of Ella’s mouth like she’s put out for having to even say it. “A little payback is in order.”
“Don’t listen to her.” Amelia has always been a fan of Corey’s. “You don’t have to add to your number.”
“That’s the point,” Ella chides. “Her number is one.”
So had been his. As much as I’ve wondered, I’ve never asked Corey what his number is now.
“Fine,” Amelia says.
“Wait,” Ella cuts her off. “What’s your number, Miss High and Mighty?”
Amelia proudly holds up her hand making the okay gesture.
I must be drunk. “Do you mean okay or zero?” I ask.
“Can’t be zero.” Ella laughs. “She’s got three kids. She means three.”
Amelia nods while laughing at a joke Ella and I don’t get. We trade a glance.
“No more drinks for her.” I wave a hand in her direction.
Amelia reaches out. “Hell no, you won’t stop me. I finally stopped breastfeeding. This is my first drink in over a year.”
“A year?” Ella arches a brow.
“Duh, nine months of hell, and then breastfeeding for more than I can add right now,” Amelia slurs, lifting a hand and staring at it like it’s the fifth wonder of the world.
All the shots I’ve downed start to catch up to me. The noise of the lounge sounds louder than it had moments before. My nose perks up, and the scents all around me come into sharper focus.
“You should screw your neighbor, Joel,” Amelia announces proudly. “Do him, and then go back to Corey. He wants you back, you know.”
My jaw drops. “You’ve been talking to Corey?” As outraged as I want to be about that, I’m really deflecting her mention of my neighbor.
She shrugs. “He wants you back. Says he’s sorry.”
Ella rolls her eyes. “Of course, he is. He realizes the grass isn’t greener on the other side. The girl was what, twenty?”
“Twenty-one, if I had to guess.” I hate the reminder. “Not much older than you.” My words are directed at Ella.
“And isn’t Joel twenty-something?” Amelia asks, looking pleased with herself.
Inwardly, I groan. “Yes, and that’s the point. He’s too young for me. We’re friends. That’s it.”
“Uh-huh.” Amelia lifts her head heavenward for a second. “You guys eat dinner together once a week, and he’s your personal trainer.”
As she spouts off his stats like a news reporter, I regret telling Amelia about him.
“He’s an artist who moonlights as a personal trainer. We run and go to the gym together on occasion. But I don’t pay him.”
“Even
“Why have I not heard about him?” Amusement crinkles the corners of Ella’s eyes as they bore into me.
As much as I love her, Amelia and I have always been closer. We’re two years apart, and we’re both married. It’s just been easier to talk about my life with her.
“Oh. My. God. He’s, like, so hot. Tall, about the same height as Corey, but sexier. Thick dark hair, with scruff on his face and beautiful blue eyes. And you should see his ink.”
How had Amelia noticed so much in the few seconds she met him that one time?
“He sounds delicious.” Ella might have been responding to Amelia, but her focus is squarely on me.
He’s all that and more, I muse. He’s starred in many of my fantasies that have ended with my vibrator in my hand.
“He’s too young. Not happening. So don’t go there.”
“Fine,” Ella says. “Truth or dare?”
Shit. “I thought you gave up on that.” Ella shakes her head. “You cannot dare me to have sex with anyone.” I point my finger at her like a scolding schoolteacher.
“Agreed.” Ella sounds way more sober than Amelia and I do.
I don’t want to answer any more questions about Corey, or even Joel. Neither is here. So I boldly answer, “Dare.”
The grin my sister produces immediately tells me I’ve made the wrong choice.
“This guy has ink, right?” Ella asks, pinning me with her gaze.
“Did I mention he’s a tattoo artist too?” Amelia cuts in.
I groan.
“Don’t wimp out on us. You chose dare, and I’m daring you to get a tattoo. Do something different for once and stop being Little Miss Perfect,” Ella chides.
Doesn’t that bite when your little sister basically calls you out for being boring? Ella has some ink, though it’s hidden.
“Fine.” I take two more shots. “You’re going to have to buy a bottle to get me sufficiently drunk. I hate pain. And Joel says it hurts getting ink sometimes.”
“And where does this gorgeous specimen work?”
My big-mouthed, well-meaning sister Amelia fills her in. Now I know better than to share any secrets with her.
Ella makes the arrangements, getting us an Uber and somehow manages to talk the bartender into selling us a bottle of booze. I’m pretty sure that’s illegal, but I say nothing. Then we are on our way.
“It’s late. How do you know they’re even open?” I complain.
“It’s Friday night. Drunk people do dumb things.” Ella shrugs.
“So this is dumb.” I simplify her statement in hopes of getting out of the dare.
“Of course it is. But it’s a rite of passage. You didn’t get to do all these wonderful things, as you played house with Corey since you guys were in diapers.”
I grumble to myself when the Uber stops in front of a tattoo parlor that’s lit up from the inside. We hop out and go to the door, but it’s locked. Ella commences to beat on it until a looming figure appears on the other side of the glass and says, “We’re closed.”
“But we’re friends of Joel, and it’s my sister’s birthday,” Ella pleads.
“It’s not.” My words go unheard as the guy gives my sister the once-over.
Amelia wobbles on her heels over to me. “Yes, it’s after midnight. Happy Birthday, Livvy.”
She pulls me into a hug while hopping as if she’s twelve and we haven’t seen each other in days.
“See? Can you do us a solid?” Ella asks.
Over Amelia’s shoulder, I spy the guy continuing to check out my baby sister. Either he’s decided she’s cute or the lip-poking thing she’s doing is really working.
“Is she drunk?”
“Of course not. Are you, Livvy?” Ella glares at me.
“Nope, I’m cool.”
He eyes me for a second. “Okay. Come in. Joel’s not here.”
Disappointment clouds Ella’s face. “Great. Here is what I have in mind.”
Inside, as I listen to her explain my planned tattoo, I take the vodka from my sister’s hand. I seriously need to be a little more wasted to get through this.
Chapter Two
My dress is gone, replaced by a gag gift Ella got me. Not wanting anyone to see me, I’m in a rush to get inside my apartment. But where are my damn keys? The clutch I carry isn’t that big. Just as I start to dump everything onto the ground, I pull the damnable things out. Like a missile, they shoot out of my hands and go clattering to the floor.
“Mother sucker,” I slur, still feeling the effects of the alcohol I’ve consumed over the last few hours.
I bend in half to grab for them when I hear, “Cinnabuns?”
My ass clad in pants has been on display with the words Sin-A-Buns written across the bottom. I straighten so fast I stumble a bit and have to steady myself with a hand on the wall.
Staring into Joel’s gorgeous face, I let my other hand fall from my chest as my heart skips beats from fright.
Before I can explain my questionable wardrobe choices, he reads the words on my chest.
“My milkshakes bring all the boys to the yard.” He chuckles.
“It’s not what you think.” Then the worst possible thing happens. I let out the loudest burp known to man.
Embarrassed, I spin around, somehow managing to fit the key into my lock and turn it. But damn if my feet don’t get in the way. My open purse skitters away from my hand as I basically slide home across the floor. Then he’s there, smelling like fresh mountain air. I have no idea why, as D.C. isn’t mountainous.
“Olivia, are you okay?”
As he crouches in front of me, his head spins clockwise in my hazy vision. My head aches, and I don’t know if it’s from the many drinks I’ve had or my fall. I think he asks me a question, but I don’t answer when suddenly I’m airborne.
“I think I can fly,” I sing, feeling like I should share this knowledge with the world. But then the nerve endings on my back flare to life, and I know he’s carrying me. “You’re so strong to be able to lift these buns.”
His laughter fans my hair. “You’re light. I could keep you in my arms forever.”
I’m sure I drifted off to dreamland for a second. No way has he said something like that.
Then he sets me down on what must be a cloud.
“Wow, this is nice.” I snuggle in.
“Don’t move,” he orders and disappears out of my sight.
I close my eyes for just a second.
“Olivia, you can’t sleep.”
I slap at his hand, which prods a sore spot on my head.
“I’m tired. It’s been a long night. And today is my birthday. I should be able to do what I want.”
“You should. But you might have a concussion. Maybe we should go to the hospital.”
I shake my head, which makes everything spin more.
“I’m fine. No hospital, just sleep.” I close my eyes again.
“No sleep, or we go to the hospital.” He sighs and brushes my hair from my forehead. My eyes flutter from his gentle touch. “Why don’t you tell me what you did tonight?”
A giggle bubbles in my throat. “Let’s see. I went out with my sisters. Amelia thinks you’re hot, by the way.” I sigh. “Anyway, we played truth or dare. I took a dare and got a tattoo.”
Suddenly, he sits up, making the bed rock. “You got ink without me doing it?”
I reach up, wanting to brush the frown off his face. “It would have been you, but you weren’t at work tonight.”
Cupping the side of his face, I have the urge to touch his lips.
“Where is it?”
Confused because I’d been focused on his lips, I ask, “Where’s what?”
