Champagne Life by Nicole Bradshaw Read Free Book Online

some psychology session. I got enough of that from my mom, with wanting to talk about my feelings all the time.
    â€œI’ve always done that,” he said. “When I was younger, I had absolutely no confidence and now I work out and take care of myself and feel good. I want to make sure everyone understands how good I finally feel inside.”
    I put down my fry and set aside my plate. I was about to channel Mom, the psychologist, for a quick second. “I get that. I really do, but all you’re doing is pushing people away. You can have confidence without telling the world how great you are. You feel good on the inside, people will see that by how you act, authentically.”
    â€œI never told anyone this,” he said. “But, in college, I was seventy pounds overweight and let me tell you, college is not the place to be when you’re fat. Trust me on this.” He laughed nervously, finally showing an authentic emotion. “I don’t even know why I’m telling you this.”
    Jeremy didn’t seem that bad of a guy, but he was always so hot and cold. That time at the bank with old lady Pritcherd and her jar full of change, he wanted to genuinely help me out. Minutesafter that, the smug Jeremy resurfaced and he was back to making inappropriate comments.
    â€œSeventy pounds isn’t all that heavy.”
    â€œIt was bad,” he said. “And add that with being a virgin. The fellas were relentless.”
    â€œYou were a virgin in college?”
    â€œSee? Even you want to laugh.”
    â€œIt’s not that, it’s just that I never pictured…that…from you.”
    â€œI was, and right up to my senior year.”
    â€œContrary to popular belief, that’s a good thing,” I told him.
    â€œI don’t know why, but it feels good to finally tell somebody. You know what I mean?”
    I nodded. “I do.”
    â€œDo you have any deep secrets that you haven’t told anybody?” he asked.
    That I did, but unlike him, I most definitely wasn’t going to divulge any here today sitting in front of a plate full of grease and a light beer. “Maybe.”
    â€œMost people do,” he said. “I was tired of hiding my past. It wasn’t like I killed somebody. I know I shouldn’t be ashamed of being fat and a virgin throughout college, but I was a guy, and it was embarrassing.”
    The waitress came back and asked us if we would be having dessert. Jeremy looked at me and I shook my head.
    â€œNot a big dessert fan?” he asked.
    â€œI prefer to bake my own.”
    The waitress smiled, told us to have a good day and placed the bill down onto the table and left.
    Without hesitation, he grabbed the bill, reached into his wallet and placed a twenty on the table. “You bake?”
    â€œA little.”
    â€œWhat’s your favorite thing to bake?”
    â€œI’m a big fan of chocolate chip cookies.”
    â€œMe too.” He took a sip of his beer. “I mean I was, but I had to knock that out in college with my big ass.”
    I waited until he laughed before I chuckled a bit.
    â€œWell?” he asked.
    â€œWell, what?”
    â€œYou were giving me your deep dark secret.”
    I normally didn’t tell people my private business, but watching Jeremy tell me something about his past, I felt his relief. It prompted me to want to do the same. “Okay, mine’s a college secret too.”
    â€œReally? I pictured you as the homecoming queen or the captain of the cheer squad.”
    â€œI was those, too.”
    He laughed. “Should’ve known.”
    â€œBut that’s not all I was.” I had never told anyone about my college days, not even DeShaun, but it seemed okay at that point. “During my freshman year, I needed money for books so I danced as a stripper.”
    â€œYou’re lying. That sounds like a movie.”
    â€œSeriously, it’s true.”
    â€œHow the