Healing Hearts by Catherine Winchester

Author:Catherine Winchester [Winchester, Catherine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kindle Press
Published: 2018-01-01T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

I was a nervous wreck the next day, desperate to make the night go off without a hitch but vacillating on how best to do that.

Simple food or fancy food? Chicken or beef? Candles, or was he joking? Romantic music? What constituted romantic? Barry White? Oh God!

I hadn’t dated in over a decade! And if that wasn’t enough to drive me crazy, Darren’s insults kept popping into my head at inopportune moments!

I was becoming rather frazzled. Buttons watched me with ill-concealed contempt for interrupting his dozing by nervously pacing around my own home.

Oh! Maybe we just should order in! That would take all the cooking pressure off me.

“Then he’ll see you for the loser you are—can’t even cook a meal!” Darren’s nasty little voice nagged at me.

Okay, so I was cooking. But what? Something simple, like fish-finger sandwiches?

“I can’t believe you still eat those abominations!”

Shut up, Darren!

My favorite comfort food dish probably wasn’t the best choice anyway. I could go all-out and make beef Wellington. My parents had loved it.

“It’s pathetic how desperate you are to please him!”

Yes, and who exactly beat that trait into me, Darren?

I sighed and decided to move on to what I would wear. My new dresses were nice.

“You’ll look desperate. Then again, you are desperate.”

Oh, fuck off, Darren! Go spin in your grave or something!

I was about ready to commit myself to the nuthouse for a few days when I decided to write a list. No matter how impulsive the choice, I told myself I wouldn’t break it.

Food? Breaded chicken, hand-cut chips—posh oven chips, I’m not going to that much trouble, nor am I risking a lot of hot oil in my nervous state! Served with . . . Mediterranean vegetables and coleslaw? Yes.

“Does it matter? You’ll only burn it anyw—”

Shut up, Darren!

Candles? Yes, but lighting too.

“Talk about—”

Nope!

Music? Set to my “chill out” playlist. God, I hoped that would be romantic enough. Shit! Maybe I should . . . no, stick to the list, idiot!

“You are an idio—”

Not today, Satan! Not today!

Clothes? Smart casual. It’d have to be one of my black maxi dresses again. Besides, I didn’t want to come off as slutty, and it covered me pretty well.

Slowly but surely, I planned everything out and even found time for a shower before he came.

I was wearing a sparkly cardigan over my maxi dress and some pretty jewelry—not too smart, but far nicer than what I usually wore when I was with Tom.

Doubts had continued to plague me all day, my negativity narrated in Darren’s prissy voice, but I had managed to ignore them, mostly, and usually cut them off midthought. It had taken me a while to learn the trick of replacing the negative thoughts with positive ones, but the skill came back easily enough.

That didn’t stop me from making silly mistakes, however, like putting my knickers on back to front! I took a deep breath. I’m allowed to be nervous. I’m allowed to make silly mistakes, just like anyone else.

The doorbell went, and I made myself walk calmly to let him in.

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