Unleashing Chaos

Chapter Four

"I did not mean to buy this much stuff," I say as Meredith and I drop bags of clothes, shoes, makeup, and hair products onto my bed. "But I left most of my belongings at my parents' house, so I think we can call the shopping spree necessary." It's not untrue; I didn't want to haul all my stuff from Infernis, but as soon as I got here, I realized my mistake. If I was going to go on dates, I had to have all the required supplies.

"A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do," Meredith says as she adds the bags she was carrying for me to the pile.

"Thank you for taking me to the mall. I would've had no idea where I was going. Back in In—" I stop short and clear my throat. "Back in my little hometown, we don't have all those stores. I'm not used to this kind of variety." I gesture for her to sit down in one of the plush armchairs across from my bed.

She sits and I do the same, crossing my legs under my butt. "Glad to help. It was fun to have a girl's day. I was serious when I said it's been a while since I had a neighbor I could gossip with. In other words, it's been a while since I had a woman neighbor I like. I've been stuck talking to Jeremy and our sons, and I'd be better off talking to a rock sometimes."

I grin. "Well, can I trouble you for a little something else?"

She nods. "Please. Anything to avoid going home to all the chores I have to do."

"I have this date tonight. I haven't been on a real date before, and I just...I need advice. How do I act? What do I say? What if he's creepy?" I have a million other questions, but I clamp my mouth shut and let her think.

"Oh girl, you have nothing to worry about. They're going to take one look at you and be invested. But I guess the best advice is to be yourself, ask questions, and listen. And oh shit, stroke his ego by laughing at his stupid jokes. I don't know why, but men love it when you think they're funny."

"Okay, I can do that. But seriously, what about the creepy part? What if we get there and he's got serious stalker vibes? What should I do? Just get up and go? I mean, I met this dude over the internet!" Kyle's pictures already had me weak in the knees with his extraordinary height, ski instructor build, hazel eyes, and blonde hair, but looks could be deceiving.

Meredith shakes her head, the dark curls whipping around her narrow face. "I'm still confused on why you are dating men off the internet when you have a perfectly scrumptious option in this house. Every time I catch Cannon sliding out of that Lexus of his, I swear I drool down the front of my shirt."

"He is handsome, but I'm not sure it's the best idea to date him or Jace."

"Please, a nun has just as a good of a chance of dating Jace as you do. He's damaged goods." My ears perk at that, but I hardly have a chance to process what it means when Meredith continues. "Sorry, I got sidetracked. If he's a creeper, talk about having babies with him. That would scare off anyone. And if it doesn't work, shoot me a text and I'll call you pretending like you have a family emergency. Just make sure you have a rideshare app on your phone so you're not stranded."

"Good plan." I take a deep breath. "All right, that seems doable." I check the time on my phone and nearly jump out of my seat. "Oh my gosh, I have to get ready! He'll be here in an hour!"

Meredith stands and runs her palms down her skinny jeans. "Well, I'll let you get to it. I'll stop by tomorrow with some goodies so we can chat about how it went."

"Sounds perfect. Thank you for everything."

Meredith nods and with a wave slips out my bedroom door. I hear her footsteps trotting down the stairs and the front door open and close.

Now that it's time to get ready, I feel sick to my stomach when I think about the part I didn't ask Meredith about. Kyle had invited me to dinner, and then he said we'd just "see where the night takes us." I had a feeling I knew what that meant, and I had to admit I was nervous about that part.