Chapter 2
Remington
There were days I wished I could go back to when I was younger, not for any other reason than to feel the way I did back then—safe, loved, and protected.
When I was a kid, I didn’t know anything about the sting of rejection or the heartbreak of losing someone you love.
I certainly didn’t know anything about being on my own and fending for myself.
I had two parents who were always there, looking after me like good parents do.
No matter what mess I found myself in, they loved me and encouraged me, doing whatever they could to make sure I was okay.
If only they’d been there with me when I agreed to go out with Thomas Long.
Maybe then, they could’ve talked me out of it and saved me a whole lot of trouble.
After graduating from UT Knoxville, I moved to Nashville and started an internship with Davis and Cole, a small marketing company in the inner city.
Since my internship had gone so well, they decided to take me on as one of their marketing analysts.
It wasn’t the position I was hoping for, but there were plenty of opportunities for advancement.
It wouldn’t be easy. I’d have to spend a lot of time and effort to prove to them and myself that I could be a real asset to their firm.
At least I had Madeline to help keep me entertained.
I could still remember the day we had met.
It was my first day, and I was a nervous wreck.
I’d just started getting my desk together when she came be-bopping around the corner in her army-green, linen overalls and tank-top.
Her dark auburn hair was braided into two long pigtails, her wrists were covered with chunky bangle bracelets, and her eyes were outlined with a thick black eyeliner, making her green eyes seem even brighter.
While her appearance had been a lot to take in, her smile was warm and inviting, and the second she started talking, I knew we were going to be great friends. And I was right.
From that moment forward, Madeline and I would spend our lunch breaks talking about anything and everything, and eventually, we started meeting up after work.
It was during one of our latest excursions when she suggested I meet a friend of hers.
Acting completely innocent, she’d taken a sip of her drink and said, “I have this guy I think you should meet. His name is Thomas, and—”
“No way.” I started shaking my head. “Stop right there. Don’t even think about it.”
“Just hear me out.”
“There’s nothing for you to say. I’m not going on a blind date.”
“Why not?” she pushed. “He’s a great guy. Has a great job and a great personality.”
“Oh ... my ... God... If you say great one more time, I’m going to lose my mind.”
“Okay. Jeez.” She threw her hands up in the air with frustration. “You don’t have to be such a negative Nancy about it.”
“I’m not being a negative Nancy. I just ...”
“I know it’s not easy, but it’s time for you to put yourself out there, Remi. You’re an awesome chick, and I happen to think you and Thomas would really hit it off.”
“You’re one to talk,” I fussed. “You haven’t been dating, either.”
“Ac-tual-ly ... I have been kind of talking to someone.”
“What!” Madeline hadn’t had the best of luck with men.
In fact, she hadn’t had any luck at all.
Chuck, the last guy she’d dated, ended up cheating on her with one of her roommates, and it broke her heart.
After that, she’d sworn off men entirely, so I was surprised that she’d been seeing someone. “Since when?”
“A couple of weeks ago.” She grimaced with a shrug. “I didn’t want to jinx it by telling anyone.”
“Not even me?” I teased. “I thought you told me everything.”
“Normally, I do, but I just wanted some time to see how things went before I started talking about it.”
“Oh ... So, you really like this guy, huh?”
“Yeah, I do.” Madeline’s expression softened as she continued, “He’s really sweet and cute too. He has this little border collie named Sadie that’s just adorable.”
“What’s he do?”
“He’s a PE teacher at Polk Middle School.”
“Wow. That’s awesome. Does this guy have a name?”
“Steve.” She giggled under her breath. “I know it’s not the sexiest of names, but it suits him.”
“Not that it matters, but Steve is a great name. All that’s important is the fact you like him, and that he’s good to you.”
“He’s very good to me.”
“Well, I look forward to meeting him someday.”
A mischievous smirk crossed her face. “If you hit it off with Thomas, then maybe we could double date sometime.”
“You’re not going to let this go, are you?”
“Nope. I’ll just keep at it until you agree to at least meet him.” She took a sip of her tea, then, acting completely nonchalant, continued, “When I told him about you, he was really—”
“Wait ... You already talked to him about me?”
“Well, yeahhh. I had to make sure he was interested, and just so we’re clear ... he was very interested.”
“Okay. So, tell me about this great friend of yours.”
I listened to her go on and on about how amazing Thomas was, and after a great deal of persuasion, she finally convinced me to go on a blind date with him.
I couldn’t believe I’d let her talk me into it.
I’d heard horror stories from girls who’d gone on blind dates that ended in complete disaster.
While I hoped the same wouldn’t hold true for me, I had my doubts.
I’d never been very good at talking to complete strangers, but Madeline assured me that Thomas was easy to talk to.
Going with Madeline’s advice to dress casually, I’d decided to wear black capri pants, with a khaki summer sweater and heels.
As I sat there waiting for him to show, my mind was racing a mile a minute.
I was tempted to just get up and leave, but quickly changed my mind when I noticed a man walking in my direction.
This guy was the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome with thick, dark hair and deep brown eyes, and his white button-down shirt fit snug against his muscular build.
I was feeling pretty good about my decision to go on the date when he approached me with a warm smile and extended his hand. “Remington?”
“That’s me.” As I shook his hand, I said, “You must be Thomas.”
“I am.” He sat down in the seat across from mine. “Man, you’re even prettier than Madeline described.”
“Thank you. That’s very sweet of you to say.”
“Well, it’s true.” He settled back in the chair, and like we were old friends, he seemed perfectly at ease. “Madeline told me you were a little apprehensive about meeting me.”
“She told you that?”
“Yeah, she’s never been very good at keeping secrets.” Thomas laughed.
“I’m well aware, but I thought she might use a little discretion this time.”
“Well, I’m glad you decided to come.”
“Me too,” I replied.
The waitress came over and brought us our menus. Once we’d placed our orders, I looked over to Thomas and said, “Madeline mentioned you were in law enforcement.”
“I’m in internal investigations.”
“That sounds a little daunting.”
“It can be. I’m not exactly a fan favorite on the force, but I have a job to do and try to do it the best I can.”
“Sounds like things aren’t exactly easy at the office.” I teased, hoping to make light of his heavy tone.
When he smiled, I knew I’d pulled it off. “No, they aren’t, but I do all right.”
“I’m sure that you do.”
We continued talking about his work for several minutes, but the conversation was interrupted when the waitress bought over our food.
As we started eating, I thought back to how persistent Madeline was about me going out with Thomas.
I hated to admit it, but she was right about him.
I could definitely see myself dating a guy like him.
He was handsome, very well-spoken, extremely charming, and his smile was incredibly contagious.
Yet deep down, I had a feeling there was a catch because no guy was that perfect.
So, I settled in and waited for the red flag to reveal itself.
After swallowing a bite of his burger, he asked, “What about you? How are things at your office?”
“They’re pretty good, actually. I have Madeline there, so even when it’s bad, it’s good.” I laughed. “You know her. She has a way of putting a positive spin on just about anything.”
“That she does.” He chuckled. “I remember being all torn up when I totaled my truck in high school. I thought it was the end of the world, but Madeline was all chipper about it, convincing me that my old truck wasn’t all that great, and how I had a chance to get a new ride.
She even searched the classifieds and then handed me a list of trucks to take a look at … I ended up buying one of them.”
“I can totally see her doing that.” There was something about his tone that made me wonder if he was secretly interested in his childhood friend.
I wouldn’t have blamed him. Madeline was an amazing girl, and any man with a good head on his shoulders would be able to see that.
I didn’t want to start something with a guy who was pining for someone else, so I asked, “So, you and Madeline are pretty close, aren’t you? ”
He shrugged. “As close as two friends can be.”
“Is there a reason why you two never dated?”
“There was a time when I considered it”—his eyes drifted down to the table—“but we never seemed to be single at the same time.”
And there it was. The stupid red flag. Damn.
“So, you were interested in dating her?”
“Yeah, I guess you could say that. I don’t know. From colleges to our careers, we were always on different paths.” His eyes met mine as he continued, “But regardless, I’m a firm believer that things work out the way they’re supposed to.”