Page 5 of Miss Behaved
After all, you want a happy ending, I’m your guy. Just don’t expect the kind you read about in fairy tales.
3
Monica
Ineverusedtoconsider being a romantic a bad thing. Every girl dreams of the prince in a perfectly tailored three-piece suit, the kiss that brings their lady bits to life, the fairy godmother who designs their Versace dress, the pumpkin that turns into a Lexus.
But catching Steven playing naked twister with his assistant has me rethinking my faith in men.
It’s official. Carve today’s date on a headstone and lay my romantic heart to rest. I’m done with real boyfriends and sticking to fictional ones from now on. They don’t cheat unless you write them that way.
And I never do.
The Hearts Edge Writers’ Retreat couldn’t come at a better time. Warm Arizona air, sunrise breakfasts, hours of writing, imagining, dreaming. All with one big bonus—it’s far, far away from Steven. I’m putting his two-timing shenanigans in the rearview mirror and not looking back.
The car door opens, and I’m met with the heat Seattle is missing. Even in early spring it’s going from the brink of warm to scorching hot, and I can’t help but appreciate how the sunbeams reach places I’ve felt myself going cold lately.
“Monica, you made it!” Grace cheers. My editor slides up beside me and gives me a one-armed hug. “I thought you had that business thing to go to?”
Steven’s business trip to New York.
My stomach tumbles. Originally, I’d turned down the Hearts Edge retreat because the timing conflicted with Steven’s trip to New York. He’d asked me to come along and sightsee while he painted. It sounded like a dream come true. I’d even been dumb enough to think he had bigger plans for the trip—namely, a ring on my very bare left hand.
I shake my head and try to mask a frown. “Change of plans” is all I tell her.
Grace frowns but doesn’t say anything. She warned me about Steven from the start. Her and everyone else on the planet. And I foolishly thought like I always do, that just because he had a bad reputation didn’t mean I’d fall victim to it.
Look where that got you.
“Well, his loss is our gain.” She whips her platinum hair over her shoulder and hooks her arm into mine. Her face lights with a Cheshire grin. “Besides, have you seen the lineup of presenters for this week? Maybe what happens in Arizona can stay in Arizona, if you know what I mean.”
She gives me a little nudge.
In my rush to hightail it out of Seattle as fast as humanly possible, I hadn’t actually spent any time thinking of the retreat itself or who would be here. All I cared about was that it would be a distraction—and far enough away from that rainy city to give me a little space. If it hadn’t been for the Singles Ball Kennedy hosted last week, I would have left the night I walked in on Steven. But I had to be there for my friend, especially since it was the official comeback for her matchmaking company, Hearts Inc.
“No,” I admit. “But I’m not looking for a rebound anyway, so they are all yours.”
Grace’s eyes narrow, and a half smile turns up the corner of her mouth. It’s her telltale look forKeep telling yourself that, and maybe someday you’ll believe it.
“Understood.” She gives me a sharp nod. “But try not to hide away. Write, enjoy. Have a little fun.” She shimmies her shoulders.
“Isn’t this supposed to be work—”
“Gotta run, girl.” She cuts me off, spotting someone across the room. “But so glad you’re here, and we’ll catch up later. Save a margarita for me?”
“Of course.” She disappears into the crowd before I get it out.
Apparently I should have stayed home if I wanted to get any real work done this week. Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath, count to five, and then release it.
You’ve got this.
A week away is exactly what I need right now. Arizona sun, drinks with fellow writers. The Hearts Edge retreat is the romance world’s epicenter. A place for finding inspiration and starting fresh. I’ve attended every year since first topping the best-seller list, and it never disappoints.
I’ll nurse this broken heart like a pro and do what I do best: take another failed relationship and write a different ending.
I spot the large sign that readsregistrationacross the room and tug my bag over my shoulder.
Stick to the plan, Monica.
