Nothing More Beautiful by Lorelai LaBelle Read Free Book Online

and
upstairs.”
    I smiled awkwardly. She was one of my best
friends, but it was still embarrassing to be caught doing something
that was probably best suited for home, if it could be helped. I
retrieved the five outfits from my car and laid them out in the
office. “So, what do you think?”
    Bridgett studied each one. “I like the
purple blouse with the white cardigan,” she concluded. I trusted
her enough to simply go with her decision. She didn’t have the best
eye for fashion, wearing fishnet stockings outside of work, which
I’d never been a fan of, but she’d been married before, and that
superseded the one poor fashion choice.
    Dressed and with my makeup all done, I
grabbed my keys. “Ready,” I said, looking in the mirror one last
time.
    She hugged me tightly, and then spanked me
as I left. “Remember to feel his junk before you throw off your
clothes. You don’t want to be disappointed later on.”
    “Thanks,” I said, feigning sincerity. I
drove west toward downtown. My mind wandered, returning to the
daydream. Why had Harry turned into the driver? Did I really desire
him that strongly? Or was it because the incident was so fresh in
my mind that it was just a coincidence? I laughed when I thought
about how silly it was.
    Arriving at the coffee shop a few minutes
late, my nerves were starting to control me. My stomach knotted, my
throat constricted, and my clothes felt too small, which made me
fidgety and uncomfortable.
    Sitting in the car, I checked my phone. I’m here, he had texted me at 5:02. I gathered up my courage
and headed for the entrance. As I opened the door, a woman squeezed
in front of me, pinching my arm. “Hey!” I shouted at her.
    She didn’t give me a second glance, running
for the bathroom. I scanned the room, but saw no one who fit the
picture. A gaggle of teenagers sat in the corner, on their phones,
no doubt playing one of those fatuous games against each other.
Sure, I enjoyed a mindless diversion from time to time, but not out
in public—not like that. Lone white women dominated the coffee
house, and men in business suits came in second. None of them were
as fit as Harry’s picture. There were also a few bald, portly men
sprinkled throughout the crowd.
    Shuffling out of the way of the door, I
opened the texts between us, my hands shaking, and sent him: Here, but I don’t see you. I was probably a little more
proper in my texts than most, but shortening words didn’t help with
filling in crosswords, and I had to keep my mind sharp for
those.
    At first I thought one of the chubby men was
heading for the door when I realized he was on a collision course
with me. “Maci?” he said, his throat deep and scratchy, a smoker’s
voice.
    “Ha—harry?”

4
WHEN MACI MET JOSH
     
    I couldn’t believe my eyes.
I couldn’t believe I was duped so badly. All my pre-date jitters
vanished in an instant, overtaken by bewilderment.
    “Pleased to meet you,” he said. He stared
hard into my eyes. “Sorry about my profile picture. I haven’t
upgraded to the digital age so well and it was the only one I could
find on my computer.” He looked nothing like his picture, except
for his blue eyes. His glabrous white head shined under the direct
ceiling light. His toned muscles had turned flabby, and his face
now included a few extra chins. His teeth bore yellow stains and
his breath was worse than mine in the morning. Where the picture
showed rosy cheeks, sun-burnt blotches now marked his face, a deep
purple at their center.
    “I got us a table over here,” he said, as
though nothing was out of the ordinary.
    In spite of my strong desire to do a
one-eighty, I followed and sat across from him; he had already
ordered a coffee. There could be no doubt my face exhibited my
surprise, but he didn’t seem to mind, not paying any attention to
my scrunched eyebrows and slanted grin. I was holding back laughter
with all my determination, retaining my composure. That didn’t last
long. I had to