Mister Romance by Amelia Simone (the reading list .txt) 📕

Gina grinned. “That sounds like fun. What kind of dancing? Are you thinking a class or just a night out? I know a country western bar in town.”

I shuddered. I couldn’t imagine myself at a bar. I enjoyed the music, but the steps always seemed so complicated. And, double shudder, that type of dancing usually required a partner. Gina would have Vicki, and I couldn’t imagine a place I’d feel more of an outsider.

“Um, no. Not western. I was thinking, um pole dancing.”

“Like stripping? Tamra, I guess when you push yourself, you push it real good.”

Me, who struggled to feel comfortable undressing in changing rooms at the mall, disrobing in front of others? I laughed. “Not stripping. I don’t think I’m quite that adventurous. Yet. But I was looking into a local dance studio that offers pole dancing fitness classes. I saw a few videos on their Facebook page, and it looks amazing. Very beautiful and athletic.”

Gina nodded encouragingly. “Well, now seems like a good time to try it. I say go for it. So, you’ve got starting an online friendship and dance classes. That’s two goals. How about making it three new things for big three-oh? Is there something else you’ve been thinking about?”

“Not really. Those two feel like enough for now. Maybe I’ll come up with something later.”

Gina seemed reluctant to let it go. We’d had enough pre-weekend chats where she bemoaned my lack of social life that I should have known she’d keep pushing. She looked at me closely before snapping her fingers. “I’ve got it. Get laid.” She folded her hands in front of herself and nodded. “That’s it—that’s my advice. Get laid. Now I’m your life coach.”

I shook my head and swallowed the last bite of my cupcake. Gina blew out a sigh. She knew my hermit-like habits.

“Fine, fine. Where’s your sense of adventure? I’ll go easy on you. You should take a romantic risk.”

“Like what?” I asked cautiously. That sounded much safer.

She shrugged and gave me a wicked grin. “Sometime this year, I challenge you to take a romantic risk and do something wild. Maybe look to one of your novels for inspiration. Find someone who makes you want to run naked and talk dirty. You’ll recognize what it is when you see it.” She nodded in satisfaction at her own suggestion. “You know; kiss a few frogs or something.”

With my romantic history, I could probably count sitting at the bar by myself as a romantic risk. Arriving at a bar after work meant it would be near closing time, which would make me an immediate target for the drunk and desperate. At least until they realized I was stone-cold sober and not ready to go home with one of them. Though the grizzled older man who’d once asked if I had an inhaler because I took his breath away at least made me smile.

But nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? What would it hurt to accept Gina’s challenge? I’d prove to myself that I wasn’t a quitter. Hobbies. Friends. A life outside of work. They could be mine. And maybe I’d surrender my long-standing single status in the process.

“Sure, Gina. I’ll take a romantic risk. I’ll reach out to my favorite author, and I’ll take a dance class.” I ticked off a finger for every item on my list, like a pledge.

Saddest. Pledge. Ever.

She smiled in delight. “I can’t wait. I can feel it, Tamra. This is going to be your year to bloom. Trust your life coach.”

I held back my groan. There was no backing out now. Life coach. At the time I was naïve enough to not dispute her claim. I knew Gina was teasing ... mostly. Was it too late to trade her life coaching advice for a bottle of wine? It was a toss-up which would help me make better decisions.

Chapter 2 - Tamra

My townhome complex near the hospital was dark when I pulled into my spot. Aside from a dog barking, everything appeared peaceful. Quiet. My workday usually started at three in the afternoon and ended a little after eleven thirty. I loved working second shift, but working odd hours meant that I leaned into my night owl tendencies, going to sleep around three a.m. and waking in the late morning. It was another reason my love life had been less than stellar since graduating from nursing school. Most socializing seemed to happen in the evenings, and I often volunteered for extra shifts to help pay off my student loans, which meant my opportunities to spend time with anyone outside the hospital were rare. Most of my free time happened mid-day when everyone else was at work.

I loved the convenience of my apartment’s location, and during the summer months, I spent a lot of my afternoons reading by the pool. Being free to enjoy the mid-afternoon sun was the one biggest perk of working second shift. Just thinking of the pool’s turquoise water had me aching to soak in it.

“Hey.”

My heart seized. I’d been so focused on pool time, I’d lost track of my surroundings. A tall, dark-haired and dusky-skinned woman stepped out of the shadows on the next porch. Eva. My shoulders relaxed. So, not an axe murderer. Only my beautiful, domestic goddess next-door neighbor.

“Eva. You scared me.”

“Sorry, Tamra.”

Eva stepped out from under her porch. She had a fluffy robe on to ward off the evening chill, but it did nothing to disguise her lithe figure and the long, deep brown hair that framed her face. “Just needed a little ‘me’ time. Maddy is teething. It took forever to get her to sleep.”

Judging from Eva’s haggard look, I was glad to have missed it.

“Well, at least you’re free of the little monster now.”

Eva’s eyes widened. Right. Don’t call kids “little monsters.” I mentally added that along with sharing gory birth stories to the list of things that should not to discussed outside of the hospital. I ran