“Adulting is hard,” I whine. “I’m already a quarter into another year of my life. I’ll be thirty before you know it. What if I’m still in the same spot at thirty as I am now?”
At this point, I don’t even care that Austin is witnessing my emotional breakdown. If I’m not sad, then it’s like I wasted my time with Finn. In one of my searches, I read an article that stated the average age to meet your life partner is twenty-five. I’ve passed that milestone. So now what?
With patience, they listen as I lament about my many faults as a girlfriend—
I lied about what I like, subconsciously setting myself up for failure.
I’m selfish and salad-dressing shamed them in my head, instead of appreciating the meal.
I secretly hoped Jacqueline would slip and fall into the gutter in her bougie shoes.
I’m jealous of his tiny house.
They listen as I continue to lament about my weaknesses as a woman—
I’m slacking on my career plans.
I overanalyze things.
I’m slightly neurotic.
Can’t keep a boyfriend because of aforementioned flaws.
It’s a vicious cycle of doomed relationships caused by yours truly.
Of course my friends reject all my criticism. “You are SuperPerfect,” Charlotte tells me. “Just the way you are.”
There’s no point in continuing to wallow; I don’t miss him or want him back. And I’ve tortured them enough for one day, so I change the subject. “Did you find a roommate?” I ask Austin.
“Not yet.” He grins. “Finn fell through.”
I smile. “Sorry about that. He was a tad obsessed with you.” As am I. But, I realize, less than before Finn came along. Huh. Well, that makes the Finn fiasco a tad easier to endure. As Granny Mae likes to say, “Look hard enough and you’ll always find something to appreciate in the shit life hands you.” With that in mind, I shovel through the poo and find more good. I relinquished the fear of dating and put myself out there. That accomplishment deserves applause. My inhibitions took a hike, and I tried new things, like wall sex and spanking outdoors. I toured a tiny house. See, I’ve grown from this experience in ways that aren’t all bad.
Hopefully. Time will tell.
Like I said, my track record is pitiful.
As Charlotte and Austin discuss her move-out date, it hits me—how will this work?
I won’t be hanging out here anymore without Charlotte living here. I hadn’t really considered that part of Charlotte’s new life. I’m sure we’ll all get together, attend craft fairs and whatnot, but I won’t just drop by after work. Austin is my good friend, but not my best friend. What’s the etiquette if Charlotte’s not here? Change isn’t easy for me, and this is monumental.
More depressed than before, I scan the rooms. The cool kitchen full of Austin’s cooking gadgets where we’ve laughed and had too many meals to count. The oversized living room with cathedral ceilings that hold secrets confessed over wine. The tall windows that showcase a view of the mountains. The cute blue door with a quacking doorbell.
“So no Lucy moving in?” Charlotte asks while I deal with my panic.
“No.” Once again, he doesn’t elaborate. “I’ll probably run an ad, unless you know someone.”
“Yeah, hm, I don’t,” Charlotte says. “How about you, Chloe? Know anyone?”
I tear my gaze from the light in the corner that would make an excellent spot for doing pottery, and impulsively volunteer, “Me.”
Chloe’s dating adventures continue in Summer Rebound:
Summer is for throwing caution to the wind, and Dune’s a bad boy that lives for danger.
Colorado is heating up, much like my newly re-discovered libido, and I’m hoping like hell that my new blind date’s hot, too. Fate ( and my bestie) truly deliver a doozy:
He rides motorcycles.
His tattoos are insanely hot.
The mystery of his life is all but unsolvable.
This good girl is about to get a little bit bolder in search of truth, justice, and a rebellious phase.
Get Summer Rebound
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Also by Laurelin Paige
Visit my website for a more detailed reading order.
Dating Season
Spring Fling | Summer Rebound | Fall Hard
Winter Bloom | Spring Fever | Summer Lov'n
Also written with Kayti McGee under the name Laurelin McGee
Miss Match | Love Struck | MisTaken | Holiday for Hire
The Dirty Universe
Dirty Filthy Rich Boys - READ FREE
Dirty Duet (Donovan Kincaid)
Dirty Filthy Rich Men | Dirty Filthy Rich Love
Dirty Games Duet (Weston King)
Dirty Sexy Player| Dirty Sexy Games
Dirty Sweet Duet (Dylan Locke)
Sweet Liar | Sweet Fate
(Nate Sinclair) Dirty Filthy Fix (a spinoff novella)
Dirty Wild Trilogy (Cade Warren)
Wild Rebel | Wild War | Wild Heart
Man in Charge Duet
Man in Charge
Man in Love
Man for Me (a spinoff novella)
The Fixed Universe
Fixed Series (Hudson & Alayna)
Fixed on You | Found in You | Forever with You | Hudson | Fixed Forever
Found Duet (Gwen & JC) Free Me | Find Me
(Chandler & Genevieve) Chandler (a spinoff novella)
(Norma & Boyd) Falling Under You (a spinoff novella)
(Nate & Trish) Dirty Filthy Fix (a spinoff novella)
Slay Series (Celia & Edward)
Rivalry | Ruin | Revenge | Rising
(Gwen & JC) The Open Door (a spinoff novella)
(Camilla & Hendrix) Slash (a spinoff novella)
First and Last
First Touch | Last Kiss
Hollywood Standalones
One More Time
Close
Sex Symbol
Star Struck
Written with Sierra Simone
Porn Star | Hot Cop
Also by Kayti McGee
Dating Season
Spring Fling | Summer Rebound | Fall Hard
Winter Bloom | Spring Fever | Summer Lov'n
Written with M. Pierce
By Any Other Name
Written with Laurelin Paige as Laurelin McGee
Holiday for Hire
Miss Match
Love Struck
MisTaken: A Novella
Under the Covers novels
UnderCovers
Topped
Long Shot
Hands Off
Standalone
Screwmates
That Thing You Do
About Laurelin Paige
With millions of books sold, Laurelin Paige is the NY Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling Author of the Fixed Trilogy. She's a sucker for a good romance and gets giddy anytime there's kissing, much to the embarrassment of her three daughters. Her husband doesn't seem to complain, however. When she isn't reading or writing sexy stories, she's probably singing, watching shows like Killing Eve, Letterkenny, and Discovery of Witches, or dreaming of Michael Fassbender. She's also a proud member of Mensa International though she doesn't do anything with the organization except use it as material for her bio.
www.laurelinpaige.com
laurelinpaigeauthor@gmail.com
About Kayti McGee
Kayti McGee is livin’ deliciously in beautiful Kansas City, Missouri. Go Royals!
She also writes as the
latter half of Laurelin McGee. Like her co-author Laurelin Paige, she joined Mensa for no other reason than to make their bios more interesting. Sometimes they podcast as IRL.
Stalk away at:
www.kaytimcgee.com
KaytiMcGee@gmail.com