Fifty Frogs (The Anti-Cinderella Chronicles Book 4)

by Tawdra Kandle

  But I’d underestimated Teddi’s determination.

  “Is he different because you actually care about what he thinks?” She unscrewed the cap from her water bottle and took a long drink. “Or is he different because you know that he has legitimate potential to be the one for you?”

  I kicked at some pebbles on the trail. “I’m not sure I believe in the one anymore, Teddi. Even if I did, I’m not convinced that I’m ready to find him.”

  “Because you’re scared.” It was a statement, not a question. “You’re afraid of what might happen if you open yourself up, if you’re vulnerable.”

  I could’ve argued, but I didn’t see the point. “What if I do, and I’m not enough? What if what I had with Jeremy really is the limit of what I can offer someone? Maybe I’m like Aunt Gail, and I’m not cut out for a long-term relationship.”

  “That’s bullshit,” Teddi scoffed. “You’re a loving, giving person, Vivi, and if you let yourself believe that, you have so much to offer any guy who’s worth receiving it.” She paused. “Did you see Charlie this week?”

  I nodded. “I got trapped in the backyard by a snake, and he came over to help me out. And then he came inside when I offered him a beer as a reward, and I thought . . . I was pretty sure he was about to make a move when Aunt Gail got home.”

  “What did he do? Did he just leave after that?” She offered me the water, and I accepted, making a face when I found it just this side of lukewarm.

  “No, we walked Buster and his dog Angel.” I shrugged. “And when we got back to his house, he said he’d see me around, and that was it. Nothing else.” I’d heard him come over to retrieve his shovel a little later, whistling as he walked over to our house, and I’d been tempted to go outside to see him again, but I hadn’t been able to come up with a good excuse to do it. I’d told myself that he knew where I was if he wanted to find me. I’d returned the shirt I’d borrowed from him a couple of days after I’d taken it, so I didn’t even have that reason for stopping by.

  “He sounds like a good guy.” Teddi nudged my arm. “I’d say he has more than frog potential. He might be a prince.”

  “How on earth can you know that?” I snorted. “You haven’t met him. I haven’t even told you that much about him.”

  “I can tell because your voice gets this soft quality every time you mention him, and your eyes get all glowy. You luuuuurve him.” She strung out the word, sing-songy. “Or at least you wannnnnnnnt him.”

  “Aggh!” I tossed up my hands. “What if I do? What am I going to do about it?”

  “Make your move, honey. Go get that man. Make him the final chapter in your frog story, and grab your happily ever after with both hands.”

  “What if he doesn’t feel the same, Teddi? What if he tells me he was just being friendly?” I heard the worry in my own voice and hated it. When had I become the girl who wasn’t bold enough to say what she wanted?

  “Then you tell him it’s his loss and move on with confidence, knowing that it’s absolutely true.” Teddi pulled my sweaty self toward her equally-damp body and kissed the top of my head. “But I don’t think that’s what’s going to happen.”

  “If he’s interested, why hasn’t he asked me out?” I crossed my arms and pouted out my bottom lip.

  “If you’re interested, why haven’t you asked him out? It sounds to me like this dude is putting out signals, Vivi. The next time it feels like he might be about to kiss you, maybe you need to meet him halfway. When you think he might be flirting with you, give it right back to him. You’re a strong and confident woman, Vivian Rexland. Own this.” She smiled. “Remember in our freshman year of high school, when you were totally crushing on that guy on the baseball team? God, what was his name . . . he was a senior, and he was dating that bitch Rachel Delvedico.”

  I closed my eyes. “Joey Brander.”

  “Yes! Joey fucking Brander. Do you remember how grown-up and sophisticated we felt because that’s what we called him in private?”

  “Yeah, I remember.” He’d been the most handsome guy I’d ever seen when I was fifteen, and I’d fallen deeply into infatuation with him. I’d gone to every home baseball game and sat in the top of the stands, mooning over the tall boy at second base and shooting poison arrow glances at Rachel, who’d been perky and perfect in the front row, her sleek blonde hair in a jaunty ponytail. “I was so pathetic. I was sure that one day he was going to realize how awful Rachel was and how much I loved him . . . and then we were going to be together forever. Thanks so much for bringing him up. I’d almost forgotten that particular era of humiliation.”

  “No, that’s not what I meant.” Teddi stopped and turned to face me. “Remember what you did? We were walking down the hallway on the last day of school, freshman year, and there was Joey fucking Brander, coming toward us. You strolled right up to him and said, ‘Joey, I’ve liked you for five months. I know you’re graduating tonight, but if you want to go out with me some time this summer, here’s my number.’”

  One side of my mouth curved up. “Yeah, I remember that. He looked at me like I’d lost my mind. And he never did call me, even though we heard he broke up with Rachel the next night.”

  “Yeah, and you didn’t miss anything there. He’s been married and divorced twice already, and the other day, I heard he got another girl pregnant. She was just out of high school.”

  I wrinkled my nose. “That’s so sad. My big high school crush turned out to be a raging perv.”

  Teddi shook her head. “True, but that’s not the point. The point is that you told him exactly how you felt and what you wanted. You were so proud of yourself—and you should’ve been. You took control.”

  “After I’d moped around for five months, hoping he’d notice me.”

  “Right, but you got brave eventually. Be that girl again, Vivi. But this time don’t waste the five months. Go home, find Charlie and tell him you like him a lot and you want to jump his bones.”

  I couldn’t hold back my laugh. “Sure, that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

  “Why not? Guys love it when girls are straightforward. Shane always says there’s nothing sexier than when I tell him what I want, no games and no hemming and hawing.”

  “I have a date tonight, though. And I’d feel bad about breaking it after we’ve texted all week.” I bent at the waist, stretching my back. “It would kind of be a dick move to cancel today just because I figured out that I’m interested in someone else, before I’ve even given Jon a chance.”

  “All right,” Teddi acknowledged. “I can understand that. But once you kick Jon the grandson to the curb, as I’m sure you will, come clean with Charlie. Level with him.” She giggled. “Then you can get down to getting naked with neighbor.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Nice, Teddi.”

  “Horizontal with the hunk.”

  “And I think we’re finished here. I’m going back to the car.”

  “Getting dirty with the dish next door.”

  “Bye, Teddi.”

  “Humping the hottie.”

  “Love you even though you have a sick sense of humor. Call you later.”

  The bar where I’d agreed to meet Jon the grandson, also known as frog number four, was only eleven miles away, but thanks to the killer traffic in the Orlando area, it took me half an hour to get there. By the time I found a parking space, I barely made it through the door of the bar on time.

  I scanned the tables, looking for someone who resembled Jon from four years ago . . . only older. I didn’t see any man sitting by himself, and while the place was crowded, I was fairly sure I’d be able to find him if he’d been there. It wasn’t a huge room. I lingered for a moment, hoping he would see me and come forward. But no one did.

  “Can I help you, hon?” The hostess offered me a smile. “Are you meeting someone, or do you need a table? It’s seat yourself at the bar.”

  “Ah . . . I’m supposed to be meeting someone, but I don’t see him yet. I guess I better take a table
for now.”

  She nodded. “Table for two, then? Right this way.”

  I followed her across the room to a spot against the wall, where she dropped two laminated menus on the narrow table before leaving me to sit down. I chose the chair that faced the door and settled myself there, crossing my legs and trying to look as though I sat by myself in bars all the time.

  This was the first real date I’d had since Jeremy. Although I’d kissed two frogs so far, both of those kisses had come at the end of our meeting date. While I’d thought that I’d looked all right on those evenings, this time, I’d had several days to worry about what I’d wear. I’d tried on a few different outfits before I’d settled on dark blue jeans and a silky camisole top that felt feminine and pretty. My hair was down and curly, spilling over my shoulders in a way that I hoped said carefree and casual.

  “Welcome to Lalo’s. Can I get you a drink while you’re waiting for your other party?” The server was young, with short red hair and a low-cut shirt that didn’t hide any of her assets.

  I cleared my throat. “Just a glass of your house white, please. And a glass of water with a lime.”

  She frowned. “You mean a lemon?”

  “No, a lime. I like lime in my water.” I smiled to show that there were no hard feelings. “I’ll just hold onto the menu for when my . . . date gets here.”

  “Uh huh.” She whisked away, and I swallowed a sigh before sitting back and glancing around me. The tables nearby were all filled with couples, though there were a few round ones a little bit away that were crowded with groups of women. I shifted in my seat, feeling very much alone in my single status.

  I pulled my phone from the pocket of my jeans to see if Jon the grandson had texted me that he was running late. Nope, nothing. The last message I’d had from him had come in last night, when he’d finalized these arrangements.

  See you at 6:30 at Lalo’s.

  Of course, I told myself, if he was driving or stuck in traffic, it was actually more responsible of him not to text, because it could be dangerous. I was sure I’d hear from him in a few moments, telling me that he’d just gotten here and was on his way inside.

  The waitress reappeared with my wine and water, shooting a meaningful glance at the still-empty seat across from me before she left again. I sipped my wine and flipped through my phone, hoping that I looked relaxed and confident, not nervous and worried.

  Ten minutes passed, and then twenty, then thirty. The server paused by my table again with an inquiring look, but I only shook my head, forcing a smile and lifting my still-nearly full glass of wine to my lips.

  By this time, I’d texted Teddi, who hadn’t answered. I assumed she was probably out somewhere fabulous with Shane . . . or maybe they’d stayed in and were too involved with each other to care about their poor friend who’d apparently been stood up.

  I’d also messaged my sister, who’d shot me a quick reply, apologizing for being so busy lately that she hadn’t had time for even a phone call.

  Grad school is so freaking intense. I feel like I never have enough time to sleep, eat, read or anything else. I miss you. Can we talk soon? I have a paper due at midnight tonight and I’m flipping out. I’ll call this week.

  I smiled a bit. I hadn’t realized how much I missed my little sister. The last few years, we’d lived largely separate lives, with her buried in her last couple of years of college while I was focused on my career. But we’d usually managed to get together at least once a month before I’d left on my residency. Idly, I wondered how much a plane ticket to Maine cost.

  There was still no sign of Jon the grandson, so I resorted to drastic measures. I texted my mother.

  Her response was instantaneous.

  Hi, sweetie! We’re in Tennessee, and we’re having so much fun! I hope your article research is going well. Daddy and I miss you. Maybe we can vid chat soon.

  It was sort of sad that my parents had fuller lives than I did. I wondered when that switch had occurred.

  Another text popped up, but it wasn’t from my mom or my sister. It was Kyle, the dude who never seemed to give up on that coffee date he wanted to share with me. This time, he was getting specific. He’d messaged that he was going to be out of town for a few weeks for work, but once he got back, he’d like to meet that Wednesday afternoon, if I was free after work.

  I paused, considering. Tonight seemed like it was going to be a bust, and outside of Kyle, there weren’t any other potential frogs. I wanted to finish the article sooner rather than later, before Karl forgot that he’d been interested in it. I was far from having fifty frogs to write about, but a nice solid five would be a good beginning . . . and as I’d said from the beginning, it was more about the idea than the exact number.

  I fired off an answer to Kyle, telling him that I’d love to have coffee with him that day. I made a note in my calendar app so that I wouldn’t forget. If something big happened between now and then, I could always cancel the date.

  “Vivian?”

  I glanced up, surprised that anyone here knew my name. It actually took me a few minutes to register that the guy standing next to my table, hands in his pockets as he gazed down at me, was Jon the grandson.

  “Oh!” I stood up, but it wasn’t easy, because he was hovering so close to my chair. “Um, yes, I’m Vivian. You must be Jon.” I held out my hand. “Nice to meet you in person.”

  “Yeah.” He wasn’t bad looking. That was my initial impression. He looked a little like the college graduate I’d seen in his grandmother’s picture, only . . . he was less eager and happy, more cynical and smirky. He took my outstretched hand, gave a quick squeeze and then dropped it.

  “Was traffic horrible?” I clasped my fingers together in front of me, not sure what to do with them.

  “No.” He left that single syllable hanging out there, with no follow-up or explanation.

  “Oooookay.” I pointed to the empty chair. “Well, have a seat. I’ve been nursing this one glass of wine since I got here.”

  “I know.” He sat down, slouching against the table.

  “What do you mean, you know?” I managed a smile. “Were you watching me?”

  One of his eyebrows quirked up, mocking and sardonic. “Yes. I’ve been right there at the bar since you came in. I saw you looking around, hoping to find me waiting at a table for you. And I noticed that you managed to get here just a little late, so that you didn’t have to be here alone, even though apparently, you didn’t mind making me do it.”

  “No, of course that’s not true.” My stomach twisted. “I got held up on my way—traffic was terrible—and then I had trouble finding a parking spot, but I made it right on time.” When he began to speak, I held up my hand. “No. No, you just sit there and listen, buddy. I don’t know what kind of game you think you’re playing, but sitting there at the bar, watching me, while I wasn’t sure if you were going to show or blow me off, or what the fuck you were doing—that’s not cool. It’s cruel, and—and it’s sick. Were you getting some kind of sadistic pleasure out of seeing me twist in the wind?”

  He lifted one shoulder. “It’s a good way to tell a person’s true colors. What if you’d gotten tired of waiting and decided to pick up another guy? It would’ve been nice to know that right off the bat.”

  “But I didn’t. I sat here, I sipped on one glass of wine for nearly an hour. The only person I talked to was my snippy server.”

  “And you played on your phone. What were you doing, confirming your back-up date? Telling all your girlfriends that the loser who had to get his grandmother to set him up hadn’t bothered to show?” His lip curled into a supercilious sneer.

  “If you’d like to check my phone, you can see that I texted my best friend, who didn’t answer, my sister and my mother.” For one guilty moment, I remembered the message from Kyle and my response. “But you know what—that’s actually none of your business. I was meeting you tonight as a favor.”

  “Oh, yeah. There it is. You’re doing me a b
ig favor by deigning to go out with the pathetic guy whose grandmother goes around trying to dig him up dates.” He leaned back, scowling. “You know what? You’re lucky I came over here to tell you how it is.”

  “Yeah, lucky,” I scoffed. “Are you serious? Is this your way to start off a date? Get me off-balance so I won’t notice what a jackass you are?”

  “Look, doll.” His tone was pseudo-patient. “You’re getting all worked up because I worked the angle better than you did. Here’s the thing. I was smart enough to get a leg up on this date tonight. I checked you out while you weren’t looking, I figured out you weren’t my type . . . to be honest, it didn’t take that long. I looked at you and I could tell that we weren’t going to be, ah, compatible.” His eyes dropped to my chest. “I’m really selective about the women I date. And you don’t really turn me on.”

  “Excuse me while I cry a river of tears.” Fury was building inside me, and I was on the verge of erupting like Mount Vesuvius. “Believe me when I say that the feeling is mutual. I don’t want to spend any more time with you.”

  “Sure, you don’t.” He smirked. “Look, doll . . . I get it that you’re a little hurt about this not working out. But I’ll tell you what. Even though you’re not the type of girl who turns me on, I’m willing to . . . you know, give it a go. My place isn’t that far from here, so if you want to come back with me, I can give you a good time. Call it my consolation prize.”

  “You’ve got to be out of your fucking mind.” I stood up, shoving back my chair and waving my hand to flag down the server. “I wouldn’t go to the corner with you. And you know what? Your grandmother might be very loud and pushy, and all right, some might say obnoxious, but she’s still a decent lady, and she speaks so well of you. She’d be mortified if she knew what kind of jerk you are. I hope she never finds out.”