Behind His Eyes

by Claire Kingsley

  Her blond hair hangs around her shoulders, held back by sunglasses perched on her head. She’s in a pretty cream blouse, a pair of light slacks, and cute baby blue heels that let her painted toenails show. Nicole always looks professional and put together. I glance down at my jeans and plain black t-shirt. I have flip-flops on my feet. But, meh, I’m not going to worry about it. It’s not like I have anyone to impress.

  “Hey,” she says, flashing me her sunny smile. I love seeing her so happy. It makes up for her fiancé almost screwing things up.

  We hug and go inside. After ordering our coffee, we pick a little table next to the window overlooking the street.

  “So what’s up with you?” I ask.

  “You know, wedding stuff, work,” she says. “The usual. How about you?”

  “School supplies,” I say, my tone wry.

  “So exciting,” she says.

  “It’s really not,” I say. Nothing about my life is exciting lately.

  “Met anyone recently?” she asks.

  “Like, a guy?” I ask. “No, unfortunately. My social life includes you, Ryan, his brothers—who are nice enough guys, but not really my type—and … yeah, that’s it. I hang out with you guys.”

  Nicole laughs as the waitress sets down our coffee. “You need to get out more,” she says.

  “Not everyone is going to fall down in front of the love of their life in a parking lot,” I say. That’s how Nicole first ran into Ryan. “Although maybe I should just go out and get drunk tonight. It’s not like I have anything else going on.”

  “Melissa, stop being so pitiful,” she says.

  “I am not pitiful.”

  “Yes, you are. What about one of those dating websites? You should make a profile. I can help if you want.”

  I groan. “Oh my god, do not even suggest that. I’m not going to try to meet a guy online. Are you serious?”

  “Why not?” she asks. “It’s not like you’re going to meet someone down at Danny’s Tavern.”

  “I might.”

  She arches an eyebrow. “Well, you can’t exactly count on it.”

  “What’s wrong with being single, anyway?” I ask.

  “Nothing,” she says. “You’re the one who keeps complaining that your life is boring.”

  “Okay, fair enough,” I say. “I’m just in a rut, I guess. I’m restless because I’m off work. Maybe I need a new hobby.”

  “That’s a good idea,” she says.

  “What the fuck kind of hobby would I have?” I say, laughing. “I don’t think drinking Scotch qualifies.”

  Nicole laughs. Her phone makes a noise that sounds like wind chimes and she glances at the screen. “Hang on,” she says while she types. “I’m just telling Ryan I’ll be home in time to go to his parents’ place for dinner.”

  I watch out the window, gazing at the people walking by. An elderly couple goes past, arm in arm. She’s wearing a tacky fanny pack and they both have bright white sneakers. Across the street, a young couple stands next to a tree. The girl tilts her face up to the guy and he leans in to kiss her.

  I sigh. I’m not much of a romantic, but I also haven’t dated anyone in over a year. I miss being kissed.

  I miss other stuff, too. A lot.

  “Maybe I should ask Cody if he knows anyone who’s single,” Nicole says.

  Cody is her fiancé’s older brother. “I don’t know, that’s kind of weird,” I say.

  “He’s a doctor,” she says. “Maybe he has some hot doctor friends.”

  “They’re probably all married,” I say.

  Nicole rolls her eyes. “Fine, since you don’t want my help…”

  “I’m sorry,” I say. “Don’t listen to me, I get restless every summer. Life is just always … the same. I work my ass off all school year, which is fine. And then summer comes and goes. Work picks up again, and pretty soon another year is over. I’m going to wake up one day, realize I’m fifty, and I’ve never done anything.”

  “You need to get laid,” she says.

  “Fuck yeah, I do,” I say. I love that I can talk to Nicole without holding back. “I need to get the shit fucked out of me hard core, but I don’t see that happening anytime soon.”

  Nicole laughs, but I don’t faze her. We’ve been friends since we were kids, so she’s used to me. “Either that or I’m going to get you like, five cats, and you can resign yourself to being the crazy cat lady.”

  “I think the cats are more likely,” I say. Nicole scowls at me. “Okay, okay, I’ll stop moping. You know what, I’ll even look at the online thing. I think it’s probably a fucking terrible idea, but I’ll look at it.”

  “Yeah?” she says, her face brightening. “If it’s dumb, you can just delete your profile.”

  “It has to at least be good for some laughs,” I say.

  LATER THAT EVENING, I settle down on my couch with some takeout Chinese and my laptop. I already regret telling Nicole I’ll set up a profile on some dating site. But I know she’ll call me tomorrow and ask if I did it. And what the fuck do I have to lose, anyway?

  I pick a site at random and fill in my information. I choose a profile picture that barely shows my face. I don’t do social media at all—it feels too weird to have my personal information on the Internet. But I figure I can keep it vague enough to give it a try, and delete everything if I need to. It doesn’t make me put in my last name, so I’ll stay fairly anonymous.

  I set up my profile, struggling to answer some of the questions. Interests? I’m a teacher, sure, but that’s work. It isn’t like I enjoy giving fifth grade math lessons in my spare time. I don’t actually want to list drinking—that would send the wrong message, although I do enjoy a nice beverage. I throw in a few random things, like reading, beachcombing, and watching movies. I press enter, and it asks me to make sure my information is correct. It all looks kind of stupid, if you ask me, but I hit enter again.

  I turn on a random reality show and eat my dinner on the couch. The sun starts to go down and the sound of seagulls carries through the windows. I glance at my laptop screen. The little notifications tab is highlighted on the dating site, so I click to see what it is.

  Three replies to my new profile. That’s interesting. I open the first one.

  Hey, you’re really gorgeous. Is that your real picture? Will you send me more pics? I need to know if that’s really you. Are you fat?

  I laugh so hard that I snort, and have to put my dinner down so I don’t spill everywhere. Is this guy serious? I click on his profile. His username is godsgifttowomen69. This can’t be real. It has to be a fake account, designed to punk people. His profile picture shows a heavyset man, probably in his thirties, with thick glasses and an awkward smile. He’s so cliché, there’s no way he’s legit. I delete his message and open the next one.

  Hi. I think we might have things of which are common. Fun times? Send me phone numbers. I text you.

  Oh my god. I click on this guy. He has a shaved head and a tattoo on his face, just below his eye socket. His expression makes me wonder if he just murdered someone. He looks like a serial killer. I figure maybe he doesn’t speak English very well, but his crazy eyes creep me the fuck out. I delete his message, too.

  I open the third one and shriek, closing my laptop as fast as I can. The dude sent me a picture of his dick. His fucking dick. I shudder and push my laptop to the other side of the couch.

  I am officially done with online dating.

  I finish my dinner and clean up. I don’t want to spend the night sitting around at home, so I grab my purse, slip on my flip-flops, and head out. I can walk to Danny’s Tavern; it’s only a few blocks away. It might not be a glamorous Friday night, but it beats sitting home alone—again.

  And I need to get away from my laptop. I still don’t want to open it. Some things you can’t unsee.

  KEEP READING One Crazy Week

  AFTERWORD

  Dear Reader,

  I’m an overthinker by nature, and I thought about
this book for a long time before I started writing it.

  I knew I wanted to venture into a new genre, and romance was a natural fit. My favorite part of any story is usually the love story, whether it features heavily in the plot or not. I’m a sucker for a good will-they-or-won’t-they, or will-it-work-or-won’t-it story. But when it came to writing my own romance, I wasn’t sure where to start.

  I thought about whether I’d be able to write believable characters who were single and dating in their late twenties. I married my high school sweetheart, so my personal experience in the dating pool is pretty limited.

  And that’s when it hit me. What if my relationship hadn’t worked? What if I’d dated my boyfriend for years, but we hadn’t gotten married? And what if I found myself suddenly single, without much experience in the world of dating?

  That’s how I discovered Nicole. She’s a woman who believed her life was headed in a certain direction—a very linear direction. When that reality comes crashing down, she’s faced with navigating a world she didn’t think she’d be a part of. She’s insecure about the world of dating, and isn’t sure how to handle a fledgling relationship.

  I knew Ryan would be a photographer, and when I created his backstory, I knew he had suffered. Depression is a very serious illness, one that has touched people I love. I wanted to explore what happens when someone finds themselves relapsing, despite the presence of good things in their life. Part of Ryan’s struggle is the feeling that he shouldn’t be sad and listless because he has Nicole. The juxtaposition of the good with the dark makes his relapse deeper. He berates himself for not being happy, when the truth is, depression isn’t about happiness. It’s much more serious than a bad mood or feeling down. Ryan has to acknowledge this in order to take the steps necessary to pull himself out of the darkness again.

  I raise a glass to anyone who has slogged through the mud of depression. The fact that you get up, day after day, working, playing, socializing, loving—even when it’s so hard you’re not sure you can—is a feat. You’re brave as fuck and I salute you.

  I hope you enjoyed this story. I loved writing it and already find myself missing these characters. The good news is, you’ll get to see a little more of them in the next few Jetty Beach romances. I don’t want to give too much away, but they did get engaged, so there will be a wedding down the road…

  Thanks for reading!

  CK

  ALSO BY CLAIRE KINGSLEY

  For a full and up-to-date listing of Claire Kingsley books visit www.clairekingsleybooks.com

  Dirty Martini Running Club

  Sexy, fun stand-alone romantic comedies with huge… hearts.

  Everly Dalton’s Dating Disasters

  Free Faking Ms. Right prequel

  Faking Ms. Right

  A hot fake relationship romantic comedy

  Love According to Science

  A hot enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy

  The Miles Family Series

  Sexy, sweet, funny, and heartfelt family series. Messy family. Epic bromance. Super romantic.

  Broken Miles

  Forbidden Miles

  Reckless Miles

  Hidden Miles

  Gaining Miles: A Miles Family Novella

  Bluewater Billionaires

  Hot, stand-alone romantic comedies. Lady billionaire BFFs and the badass heroes who love them.

  The Mogul and the Muscle

  A billionaire and her bodyguard hot romantic comedy.

  The Price of Scandal, Wild Open Hearts, and Crazy for Loving You

  More Bluewater Billionaire shared-world stand-alone romantic comedies by Lucy Score, Kathryn Nolan, and Pippa Grant

  Bootleg Springs

  by Claire Kingsley and Lucy Score

  Hot and hilarious small-town romcom series with a dash of mystery and suspense. Best read in order.

  Whiskey Chaser

  Sidecar Crush

  Moonshine Kiss

  Bourbon Bliss

  Gin Fling

  Highball Rush

  Book Boyfriends

  Hot romcoms that will make you laugh and make you swoon.

  Book Boyfriend

  Cocky Roommate

  Hot Single Dad

  Remembering Ivy

  A unique contemporary romance with a hint of mystery.

  His Heart

  A poignant and emotionally intense story about grief, loss, and the transcendent power of love.

  The Always Series

  Smoking hot, dirty talking bad boys with some angsty intensity.

  Always Have

  Always Will

  Always Ever After

  The Jetty Beach Series

  Sexy small-town romance series with swoony heroes, romantic HEAs, and lots of big feels.

  Behind His Eyes

  One Crazy Week

  Messy Perfect Love

  Operation Get Her Back

  Weekend Fling

  Good Girl Next Door

  The Path to You

  The Jetty Beach Box Set Books 1-4

  Sign up to be the first to hear about new releases, as well as exclusive content, the Ask Cooper Miles advice column, and more!

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Claire Kingsley is a Top 10 Amazon bestselling author of sexy, heartfelt contemporary romance and romantic comedies. She writes sassy, quirky heroines, swoony heroes who love their women hard, panty-melting sexytimes, romantic happily ever afters, and all the big feels.

  She can’t imagine life without coffee, her Kindle, and the sexy heroes who inhabit her imagination. She’s living out her own happily ever after in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and three kids.

  www.clairekingsleybooks.com

  Sign up to be the first to hear about new releases, plus exclusive content and the Ask Cooper Miles advice column. Cooper’s very good at advice. Trust him.

  Join Claire’s Facebook reader group Alpha Ever After for book talk, man candy, inappropriate humor, exclusive teasers, and lots of shenanigans.

  You can also join Claire’s Spoiler Room on Facebook for book talk with all the spoilers.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Contents

  About This Book

  1. Nicole

  2. Nicole

  3. Ryan

  4. Nicole

  5. Ryan

  6. Nicole

  7. Nicole

  8. Ryan

  9. Nicole

  10. Nicole

  11. Ryan

  12. Nicole

  13. Ryan

  14. Nicole

  15. Ryan

  16. Ryan

  17. Nicole

  18. Ryan

  19. Ryan

  20. Nicole

  21. Nicole

  22. Ryan

  23. Nicole

  24. Nicole

  25. Ryan

  26. Nicole

  Epilogue

  One Crazy Week: Chapter 1

  Afterword

  Also by Claire Kingsley

  About the Author