Eveline
She’d tried the usual dating scene, and all the apps and websites one could think of, but most men changed their minds once they saw the chair.
She’d been lonely for quite some time. Feeling the need for strong arms to hold her, she’d gone on a hunt for a male escort, willing to pay the price to be seen for the woman she was for even just a few hours.
Since she had the room for the night, she raided the snacks and curled up in the oversized bed. As she made herself comfortable, she kicked up a cloud of Renley’s scent. God, he smelled good, mouthwatering .
Though none of that bothered her. It was exactly what she’d signed up for, and everything she needed.
She dozed off to his scent around her and only awoke in time for check-out.
She drove home, immediately greeted by her two cats.
Flake jumped on her lap while Luna knocked her empty food bowl around the floor noisily.
“Yes, yes,” she laughed, feeding them quickly before she ended up on their bad side—she’d already left them overnight.
That cozy feeling stayed with her throughout the day. As usual, she spent her Sunday cleaning the house and preparing her meals for the week. Eveline was nowhere near a fitness guru, but she was simply too busy to cook most evenings given her long work hours.
Her sister called that evening, giving her the chance to have her regular video chat with her nephews. Once Mathew and Drew were occupied by their father, Laira found a quiet spot to interrogate her. “How was it last night?”
She’d told her sister what she was doing in the event that things went south. “Good.”
“He wasn’t a weirdo?”
“No. Thank you for not making me feel weird about it.”
“You know I just want the best for you and judging by the smile on your face, it was good for you. Just spare me the details—I might get jealous.”
“Why is that? Is everything alright with you and Tod?”
“Just parenthood, I guess. Mathew and Drew keep crawling into bed with us and it’s ruining the mood quite a bit.”
“Maybe shove them off to Dad for an afternoon. And when I come visit, you can have as much alone time as you like.”
“He’s taking them next weekend actually.”
“The light at the end of the tunnel.”
Laira laughed. “Yeah. Now tell me at least if this ominous man was handsome?”
“He was.”
“Good, what a waste of money it would’ve been if he wasn’t.”
Flake jumped into her lap, and Eveline combed her fingers through his white fur. “It was anything but a waste.”
“But you’re not thinking of doing it again are you?”
Eveline sighed. “No.”
“You’ll find the right one, soon enough.”
“I know. I just needed a little pick me up until he shows up.” Then her cheeks flushed. “Quite literally: he picked me up and carried me to the bathtub.”
“He’d better have, you paid good money to be treated like a queen.”
They laughed, spending the night talking about their weeks, venting about their frustrations and sharing the small and big victories.