Shiftr Swipe Left for Love (Hope Valley BBW Online Dating App Romance #5)(8)
When they were done with shopping for the day, they went to Valentina’s, their favorite cocktail bar, for early evening drinks. The other three seemed happy with their purchases. Dina was a little nervous about her dress. She often picked bold colors, hence the red number that featured on her Shiftr profile, but tended to stick with classic, understated styles, so this was something new for her. When she’d seen the dress in the store, she’d had a fantasy of herself as a fairy princess, floating around the garden party, looking mysterious and ethereal. But now she wondered if it would just look stupid.
“Not at all,” the girls chorused when she voiced her doubts.
“You look so elegant, and delicate,” Melissa said. Dina snorted. She could count on the fingers of one hand the number of times someone had called her delicate, and that was all before she’d turned 12.
“That dress is attention-grabbing, in all the right ways,” Kristin assured her.
One cocktail turned into two, and then three, as the girls chatted excitedly about the upcoming party. Dina was joining in too, but her thoughts were all about next weekend’s Shiftr party. Lauren flashed her conspiratorial glances when the others weren’t looking, knowing exactly what was on her mind.
“Let’s hope there’ll be some hot guys there!” Lauren said. “They won’t know what’s hit them when you ladies walk in!”
“Honey, there are no hot guys in Hope Valley. I think we’ve established that,” Kristin said drily.
“Hey, things change. People move to other towns.”
“Uh huh. And in Hope Valley, everyone knows there’s someone new in town before they’ve even had time to empty out their U-Haul. Trust me, no eligible bachelors have arrived in town in the past several months!” Kristin continued.
“Well, people also come to the summer party from towns all over the county,” Lauren said. “It’s become quite a big deal in recent years.”
“Lauren, you’re a sweetheart, and I know you’re trying hard for us because you’re all loved up with Connor, but I’m not expecting to meet anyone there,” Melissa said, patting Lauren’s hand. “I feel like my marriage was my one shot at lasting happiness. It didn’t work out, after our stillbirth broke us up. I think I’m destined to be alone now, and I’m ok with that.” Dina glanced at Lauren, who shot her a look of exasperation. Dina grinned, painfully aware that she’d be saying the same type of thing if she didn’t have the Shiftr party to be excited about.
“I just want someone decent, you know,” Kristin said, breaking through a pause in the conversation. “I’m about ready to settle now.”
“No!” Lauren almost shouted. “You deserve someone as amazing as you are!”
“Babe, the chances of me being able to have kids is very small. If I can find a guy who doesn’t mind being childless, and is not a total slob, and treats me decently, well, maybe that’s all I’ve got a right to expect.”
“Ladies! Where did this lack-of-self-esteem avalanche come from?” Lauren said, looking appalled. “I thought me finding Connor would give you all hope that there are great guys out there. Now, no-one is going to settle or be an eternal spinster. We’re going to go to the ball, all looking amazing, and we’re going to have fun, and chat to lots of men. And I’m certain that, within six months, you’re all going to be with someone incredible. And I don’t want to hear any more negativity from any of you!” With that, she stalked over to the bar to get another drink.
The following week passed in a blur for Dina. She snuck onto the app a couple of times, checking her alerts. Each day, there were at least three more guys wanting to know if she could be their perfect match, but she was determined to hold off on replying before she’d been to the garden party. The sexy bear shifter was on her mind more often than not. The thought of his hot, naked torso turned her mind to mush. While she was teaching her elementary school classes, her mind was far away, concocting all kinds of fantasies about the things they could get up to together. Her ex-boyfriend hadn’t been very adventurous in bed, which had been a constant frustration to her. She was a red-blooded woman, with strong appetites and urges, and the sex drought she’d suffered since Trey dumped her had driven her half-crazy. She loved the thought of being dominated in bed; of being overpowered by a really big, strong guy, who was capable of pinning both her wrists in one hand, while he pleasured every part of her body. When she lay in bed alone, she imagined the bear-guy doing exactly this to her – holding her down and taking her roughly, while he gazed at her with those dark, fathomless pools of eyes.
Although she’d only seen his photo for a moment, his image was burned into her brain. It was weird – she usually had to meet someone a few times before she could recall every feature of their face. But she remembered him as if she knew him intimately. And she had the strangest sense that those brown eyes were calling to her, across space and time. She pictured them as tender and insistent, telling her that she was the one. But as she tossed and turned, unable to sleep, the thought gnawed at her that he would have thought she’d rejected him, and already gone onto someone else.
“Relax, Little Miss Stresshead!” Lauren said, answering Dina’s early morning call after one of those anxiety-ridden nights. “Even if he has started dating someone else, if you’re the one, it won’t matter. You’ll be his destined mate.”