Little Miss Lovesick Read Free Page A

only comes from colored contacts. No one aside from Paul Newman has eyes that blue.
    “Do you need any help with the shirt?” He pointed to the one he’d given me earlier, still in my hand.
    I knew it! He’s some kind of redneck gigolo. “I don’t know what you think I came up here for, but it wasn’t to be hit on by you. I’m just here to fish, okay?”
    I saw his eyebrows raise before I turned on my heel and stalked away. There. That should sho w hi m . I gave myself a mental high-five.
    “I was only going to tell you where the bathroom is,” I heard him say.
    Little Miss Lovesick sighed . It’s a pretty bad day when you confuse a gentleman with a gigolo.
     

CHAPTER 2
    WHAT was wrong with me?
    I wandered around the store moping. I just wanted to be my old self again. Have a nice man, a nice house. Heck, even a nice vacation. I didn’t need to be ecstatic. Just regular, run-of-the-mill happy. I used to be a very nice person not so long ago. Now even I didn’t like my company very much. Not since the night Dirk dumped me.
    The most horrible night of my lif e , said Little Miss Lovesick.
    A night I desperately wanted to forget. Even forgetfulness would be happiness for now.
    “Syd, isn’t this awesome?” Emily gushed as I approached. “They’ve got everything anyone could need to stay here fo r week s . There’s food, reading material, a phone , an d we’re getting fishing lessons! I am going t o freak ou t ! Oh, look at this hat! It’s like, Indiana Jones Goes Fishing!”
    Welcome to Emily-On-Sugar. I smiled as the hat nearly encompassed her whole face. She put it back and walked toward the creepy-crawler cooler.
    She took a big breath and closed her eyes, smiling in bliss. “Ah, the smell of earth and fish and worms. Doesn’t it smell wonderful? We haven’t been here an hour yet and I’m ready to stay for weeks! You brought your camera, right? W e hav e to take pictures. Hey, what happened to your shirt?”
    I shook my head and smiled. If I could package her exuberance, I could sell it and be rich. Emily didn’t have problems; she had dilemmas and challenges. She didn’t see half-full or half-empty glasses; she saw a dish cabinet full of possibilities. I sighed and looked down at my damp shirt. I only saw problems. Lately, anyway.
    “Someone bumped into me,” I said. “Personally, I’d check the expiration date on the food before I decided to stay here for weeks.”
    Emily rolled her eyes. “It’s not meant to completely feed you. It’s a supplemen t . That’s why we’re takin g fishin g lessons. We’ll learn to go back to our hunter/gatherer roots. We’ll fend for ourselves. It’s going to be great!”
    She walked along the wall of tackle. I touched a fishing lure that looked like fur. Emily examined some bug-shaped ones. “Besides, think how much money we’re saving being away from the malls and the sales flyers.”
    “What I’m thinking about, Em, is the fact that you spent twice your weekly shopping budget on the new sleeping bag—”
    Emily put on her serious face. “Necessary, didn’t have one.”
    “—the new luggage—”
    “I couldn’t bring my Louis Vuitton bags up here.” She looked appalled.
    “—the new fishing vest—”
    Emily was getting “the look.” “Whatever,” she said.
    “—the new fishing clothes—”
    She was trying not to smile now. “ What. Ever . Whatever. Talk to the hand.” She raised her hand and started walking away.
    “You’ve saved a lot of money by getting away from the malls this weekend, Em. I see what you mean.”
    She turned and gently pretend-slugged me in the shoulder. As I laughed and began to turn away, she grabbed my shoulders and turned me back to face her.
    “Oh. My. Gosh. Do not turn around,” she said.
    “What?” I tried to turn around, of course, because that’s what you do when people say “don’t look” — you look.
    “I said don’t turn around,” she said in a whisper and pulled me a little further