The sky was solid gray. There were no individual clouds; it was just a jelled block of achromatic gray. As we walked along the ocean's edge, the water seemed strangely calm as it lapped against the sandy beach. It was almost as if the sea was expending its energy elsewhere. It seemed possible, as according to the resort's weather report the storm was still safely north and supposed to miss the entire island completely.Up ahead, I could see a boy playing fetch with a dog, the two of them bounding through the waves and spraying water under their feet. The boy looked familiar, and as I came closer, I realized it was Tyler. I hadn't seen him since breakfast, where we had decided that neither one of us was really interested in snorkeling with the sky so dark. Without the sunshine, the colors of the fish and coral would be muted and dull. There were plenty of other things that we each wanted to do more than look at gray fish.“Tyler?” I called out to the boy as I came closer. When his head
“I have to run to the bathroom real quick,” I told Tyler as we approached the resort’s main building. “If you want, you can talk to the concierge and see if she knows a place where Spock can stay the night.”Tyler's brows pinched together slightly. He hated talking to strangers. “Okay.”I hurried across the lobby, fairly sure that he wasn't going to talk to the concierge. Tyler was incredibly shy. He had trouble answering the door for pizza, let alone talking to the hotel concierge. My sigh echoed off the marble surfaces in the bathroom. I quickly finished and washed my hands, prepping the mental speech to convince the concierge to help us find a place for Spock.When I came out of the bathroom, I didn't see Tyler or Spock in the lobby. Glancing outside, I didn’t see them there either, but the wind was picking up. I wondered if the storm was swinging further South than expected.“Are you looking for Tyler and his dog?” the concierge asked, coming up behind me. I turned quickly to see
Two years agoAfter our meeting earlier today, I couldn't stop thinking about Logan. The warm caramel swirls of his eyes. That one golden curl that I wanted to sweep off his forehead. That smile that made me purr like a cat in sunshine. Just thinking about him had me flustered in the best way. There was a connection between the two of us that wasn't just strictly business. At least, I really, really hoped there was.Especially because I had already picked out a backless black dress to wear out tonight.My phone buzzed, and I held my breath as I looked at the caller ID. It was a number I didn't recognize. Please, please, please...“Hello?” I sounded far more breathless than I had intended.“Olivia?” It was Logan. A little shiver of anticipation went down my spine. I liked the way my name sounded in his rich, masculine voice.“This is she,” I replied, trying to sound like I didn't recognize the voice. I didn't want to appear too eager.“Hi, it's Logan. From earlier today,” he said with
Two years earlierWe stepped out the back door and walked past the limo driver, who was flirting with one of the club's waitresses. He started to follow after us, but Logan waved him off. The driver shrugged and returned to smiling at the pretty girl as we hurried across the dark parking lot to the limo.Logan opened the door, tucking his free arm behind him and standing at attention as if he were escorting royalty. I giggled and slid across the leather seats into the vehicle. I had never been in a limo before, and it took me a moment to soak it all in. The seats were made of white leather and wrapped three-quarters of the limo in comfort. The fourth side was a bar, complete with champagne, glasses, and an assortment of mixers and booze. The ceiling was composed of blue lights and mirrors that cast the entire back seat in sexy shadows.Giddy butterflies danced around in my stomach. It had been a while since I had been with a man, and an even longer while since I had been this attracte
Present Day“Coming up at seven, news from the Middle East...”I clicked the TV off. I had exactly fifteen minutes before Logan was supposed to arrive. Butterflies danced in my stomach, and I couldn't keep the smile off my face as I slid on my favorite cotton sundress. It was a deep red that darkened to purple as it descended to just above my knees. I had no reason to look forward to dinner with Logan, but I couldn't help it. My body and brain remembered two very different Logans, and right now, my body was remembering harder. I could almost feel his fingers on my skin again, the way his body had felt pressed against mine. I wanted to believe he hadn't meant to hurt me, that all the heartache had been an accident. I wanted to believe that it could turn out better this time.My cellphone started to ring on my nightstand. Since this was a business trip, I had left it on. I was intending to leave it in my room for dinner, but as I still had a few minutes to wait, I picked it up.“Olivia?
2 Years Earlier...I stretched out, surprised to find myself in my own bed. I vaguely remembered Logan asking me about my keys, but I didn't remember putting myself under the covers. I lifted the sheet and found I was still wearing my dress from the night before.I stumbled out of bed and into the kitchen. For a moment, I hoped I would find Logan asleep on my couch, but the living room was empty. However, sitting on the kitchen counter was a piece of paper. Logan's messy handwriting filled the page.Dear Olivia,Thank you for the wonderful evening. I can't remember the last time I had so much fun with someone. It was one of the best nights of my life.Here is my personal phone number. Feel free to call me anytime.-LoganI smiled down at the note. Warm, fuzzy feelings floated through me like marshmallows in hot chocolate. For once, things seemed to be working out the way they were supposed to. I could finally feel success coming my way.I turned on the coffee machine and went to start
2 Years Earlier...I looked up from the computer screen and blinked. The sun was already setting, and the room was getting dark. I hadn't realized how much time had passed while I worked. I had been so engrossed in my laptop and making improvements that I had completely lost track of time. I quickly checked my phone, wondering if I had somehow missed Logan's call. He should have heard something back from his father by this time of day. I had honestly thought I would be a proud employee of Travel, Inc. by now.No calls. No texts. No emails. I frowned slightly. This wasn't exactly how I had envisioned things, but then I had never been bought by a billion-dollar company before. Maybe it took more time than I thought.“Yeah, that's it,” I said to no one in particular. “These things just take time. No reason to be nervous.”I nearly jumped out of my skin when the phone started ringing, vibrating in my hands. I grinned as I recognized the number as one of the extensions of Travel, Inc.“Hel
Present DayBang, bang, BANG!I brought my fist down hard on the wood of Logan's hotel door. I was so angry I could barely see straight. How dare he take my employees!He opened the door, confusion shifting into a welcoming smile as soon as he saw me. His hair was wet, and he was obviously in the middle of attempting to smooth it. Little droplets of water darkened the pale blue shoulders of his dress shirt. Maybe he had just gotten out of the shower, I thought.“I thought I was picking you up...” he greeted me, opening the door wider to allow me in.“What the hell is this?” I thrust the printed resignation letters into his chest. I couldn't believe he was still planning on taking me out for dinner. He fumbled with them for a moment as I crossed my arms and waited angrily for a response.“Um...” Logan turned the sheets in his hands and did a very good job at looking legitimately confused. “They look like resignation letters? I'm afraid I don't understand what's going on.”“Like hell yo
I never thought this day would come.Maybe when I was a little girl, I had hoped that someday it would. But I never actually believed it. It feels like a dream, but I know it’s not because it’s even better than anything I could have dreamt up.I’m marrying Gabe Honors. In just a few moments, I’ll be wed to the love of my life.I’m beyond nervous, but also ready. I’ve spent the last twenty minutes looking at myself in the mirror, making sure that my hair and makeup look absolutely perfect for him.“Hey, it’s almost time,” Cora says, as she steps beside me. “You look perfect, Harper. Seriously, you look gorgeous. Gabe is going to melt.”I hope she’s right.“Well, let’s do this,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “I’m ready.”Just outside, my mom is standing there, holding my little nephew’s hand. He breaks away and runs up to give me a quick hug before she tells him to go take his seat. Mom looks almost more nervous than I am. She can’t keep her hands still and she’s tapping her t
The following week I finally sat down to prepare for my final blog post. My decision was made. It was time to say goodbye and pass the reigns onto a new owner. It made sense and it felt right.Gabe had told me to sleep on the decision, and for most of the week I had made my home at his house, which made sleeping really easy. But the truth was that it really hadn’t taken much deliberation; the blog seemed like a thing of the past, something that opened the door to new writing feats, and I was ready to walk through that door.During our time together I had allowed the blog to slip even further off my mind, which was entirely okay with me. I had checked in periodically and had found a quick selection for Worst Wednesday. But besides that, and for the first time in a long time, I hadn’t paid it much attention. It seemed that the blog and I had finally begun to outgrow each other. At one time it had been my baby, but now it was moving out, and Cora was the perfect guide.If there was anyth
I had been fairly sure that I would never see the inside of Gabe's house ever again, but now I was standing on the deck watching the ocean once more. Not that I was complaining, though. I was happy to be there. In fact, the view of the ocean with the sun overhead never looked so good.“I’m glad you came over today. We need to talk. I’m ready to work through this and make things right again. But first, we both have to come clean with each other,” Gabe said, leaning against the railing of his deck.“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea,” I agreed. My palms were sweating, but I felt calmer than I had in weeks.His surprise visit at the restaurant had happened just the night before and this was the first time we had really had a chance to hash things out. This conversation needed to happen. It had been a long time coming.“Where should we start?” he asked. The breeze from the ocean ruffled his dark hair.“I guess what I really don’t understand is why you hid it from me?” I asked, starting th
“So all of your readers think you’re out with Brian right now?” Cora asked.I nodded. “Yep, I’ve duped them all into thinking Brian is a real person that loves me just the way I should be loved. It’s too bad I had to make all that up, though, isn’t it.”“Whatever. I think it’s fine.” Cora just shrugged. “But I have to ask you an important question, Harper.”“What is it?” I asked, a little nervous.Cora turned to the side and set her jaw, making a serious face. “Do I look like a Brian to you?”I busted out laughing. Her goofy antics got me every time.“You know, you actually do!” I exclaimed. “You make a perfect Brian! Wow, I’m one lucky girl to be on a date with such a handsome man.”“Aw, thanks!” she said, as she turned back to face me and grinned. “If I talk like this does it make me sound like a Brian, too?”She lowered her voice as much as possible and crinkled her eyebrows together. I was laughing so hard that tears were streaming down my face. The good kind of tears, though, not
I sat down at my computer and clicked on the Internet. It was always the first step in starting a new blog post and I could almost feel the writer’s block start to set in as a blank window popped up on the screen and began loading.It had been just over two months since the breakup and about a month and a half since I had introduced Brian.Brian was a tall guy with a toned body, dark hair and eyes bluer than an open sky on a summer’s day. He was funny, smart, a hard worker in his career as a physical trainer, a huge sports fan and… completely fake.I had decided to create Brian in order to appease my Mother and to use as a marketing tool for the blog. After my readers had obsessed over my relationship with Gabe, Brian was designed to be Gabe 2.0 and to carry the burden of a new and passionate relationship. And completely fabricating a fake relationship was much easier than actually getting consumed by one.Brian took me on elaborate dates to all the exciting places around town without
I took a break from watching my blog to make some belated dinner. I heated up some left over lasagna and made a milkshake with some of the ice cream still left in the fridge as post-breakup comfort food. I couldn’t help but make fun of myself and my current state of affairs. It felt only fitting to throw on an episode of Grey’s Anatomy on Netflix.After about a half hour I heard the phone ring.Immediately my heart skipped a beat. I had posted my blog late at night and had done so purposefully to avoid an instant reaction from Rosie or my Mom. But with as late as it was, realistically they were the only ones that would be calling.I checked the caller I.D. on the phone before answering. It was Rosie, which was better than Mom. I took a deep breath and clicked to accept the call.“Hey, Rosie,” I attempted cheerfully.“Hey, Big Sis!” she exclaimed.“What are you doing up so late?” I asked.“I fell asleep kind of early, and then the baby woke me up. My sleep schedule is so crazy now, thi
Well, the time has come. Every beginning has an end, and my relationship has found its end. Two weeks ago, Mr. Perfect Match and I broke up and it is time for the corresponding blog post (because blogging about breakups is the best way to move on, right??)It’s not the typical kind of post I’m used to writing. My life is filled with many more bad dates than bad breakups, and maybe that’s a good thing. But it also means that I’m entering new territory without the right map to guide me. They say it’s better to have loved and lost than never to have lovedI stopped writing and glared at the screen. I highlighted the last sentence and hit delete as if the force of my click would hurt the words as they left the page. Love. It was like a bad word, something I had been conditioned not to say. And Gabe deserved no exception, even if it would appease an old stupid cliché about breakups.After a few moments of contemplation I picked up again where I left off.Time is a weird thing. It has the a
The plane ride to Orlando only took less than an hour, but it felt like an eternity. I spent the entire trip trying to hide my sobs, but of course it was impossible. Luckily, I had sat in the window seat and was able to face away from everyone while I cried, but I still knew that people were looking at me. The older lady sitting next to me even asked if there was anything she could do to help. I responded with, “If you can make men honest, that would help.” She just laughed and said, “I don’t think there’s anything I can do about that one.”My makeup was ruined, my hair was a mess and the clothes I had on were a day old. Needless to say, I wasn’t looking like I was ready to hit the town when I crawled off of the plane. It didn’t matter, though. Cora didn’t care what I looked like. She wouldn’t judge me. That was why I had come to see her in the first place.I had only taken a few steps out of the front doors of the airport before I heard Cora calling out my name. I hadn’t even gotten
After storming out of Gabe’s office, I went back to the bedroom and got dressed as quickly as possible. I was teeming with emotion, but I didn’t want to let out a single sob. I could save that for later, when I could enjoy a pint if ice cream and a few days of binge watching my favorite TV show. But for now, I needed to keep it together and act tough.So once I was dressed, I gathered my makeup from his countertop in his bathroom and tossed everything into my overnight bag. To think, I was considering what it would be like to spend my life with the guy and now I was doing everything possible to speed up the process of leaving his house for good.I can’t believe this. I should have known that it would only be a matter of time before something like this would happen to me, I thought. Why did I fool myself into thinking I could actually meet a decent guy?I zipped up my bag and tossed it over my shoulder. Before leaving the bedroom, I took one last look at the bed, where the blankets wer