Dutch Courage: a holiday romantic comedy (Love in the Lowlands Book 4) by D.E. Haggerty

Author:D.E. Haggerty [Haggerty, D.E.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-09-22T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 22

If true love hides behind every corner, I must be walking in circles.

I stare at the door to the bar. This is crazy. What am I doing here? I’m not someone who attends an Anti-Valentine’s Day party. I’m not a cynic. I believe in love.

Liar, says my heart. You believed in love. And look where it got you.

Gee, thanks for the reminder. As if I need a reminder of how I’m all alone in a foreign country on Valentine’s Day. Pathetic is what I am.

“You going inside or are you going to stare at the door all night?”

I whip around when I hear Avery’s voice. “What are you doing here? You’re all loved up. You shouldn’t be at an Anti-Valentine’s Day party.”

She holds up a finger. “One, there’s no rule saying a woman in love can’t attend this party. I checked.” She probably did. Abby doesn’t call her an uptight attorney for nothing.

She holds up a second finger. “Two, it’s not actually Valentine’s Day yet leaving me free to attend this party without missing out on the actual day itself.”

It’s the week before Valentine’s Day. You’d think an Anti-Valentine’s Day party would be held on Valentine’s Day itself but apparently not.

She holds up a third finger. “Three, Niels has a tennis tournament this weekend.”

“I thought you liked him all hot and sweaty.”

She wiggles her eyebrows. “I do. But he’s staying overnight some place up north in Groningen. I have no desire to spend my weekend with a bunch of sweaty men stinking up a vacation rental.”

I can’t blame her there.

“And four.” I roll my eyes. “Last one, I promise. Abby’s pregnant and gets queasy easily. And, trust me, you don’t want to know what Mia is up to. She will be getting a reminder on locking her phone tomorrow, though. Because no one – and I do mean no one – needs to get butt-dialed and hear what I had to hear today.”

I give in. Of course, I do. I have no interest in attending a party by myself. Besides, if I argue with her, she’ll just argue back. And be better at it. Knowing Avery, she probably has her arguments prepared and written on index cards already.

“We can go to another bar and have a drink. We don’t need to attend this party.”

She peers in the window. “Nuh-uh. I’m way too excited about attending my first Anti-Valentine’s Day party.”

She pushes me toward the door, and I rush to open it before I run into it. I don’t need a broken nose on top of a broken heart.

Yes, okay, I still have a broken heart. I’m still pining for Nico despite over a month passing since we last had contact. And by contact, I’m not including social media because following someone on social media is not stalking. I don’t care what anyone says. It’s not.

We pay the doorman our entry fee before walking inside. Avery squeals. “This is awesome!”

She’s not wrong. There’s a sign hung up as you walk in declaring ‘Love Bites’.

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