How to Look Happy by Stacey Wiedower

Author:Stacey Wiedower [Stacey Wiedower]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance, EBF, Chick-Lit, Contemporary
ISBN: 9781523257157
Publisher: CreateSpace Publishing
Published: 2016-01-06T23:00:00+00:00

* * *

“Can I come in for a few minutes?”

I’m kneeling on my front porch, getting licked within an inch of my life and almost being toppled over by one jubilant miniature schnauzer. “Ooh, I’ve missed you too, Buddy,” I say. I keep scratching Simon behind his ears and cooing to him, pretending I don’t hear Jeremy talking.

He says it again, louder. “Can I come in?”

I laugh as Simon manages to plant a wet doggie kiss across my right cheek. And then my expression changes as I look up to meet Jeremy’s eyes.

“Why?” My voice is suspicious.

He’s immediately defensive. “Geez. You don’t have to get confrontational about it.” He glances around to check who might be watching. No one is, of course. Not even the woman walking her dog on the sidewalk directly in front of my house glances over at us.

I roll my eyes. So much for a truce.

His voice is softer, and his eyes are pleading when he continues, “I just want to talk to you about some things. I don’t want to argue.”

I stare at him for another second and then turn my attention back to Simon, who has his front paws on my bent knees and is still craning his furry little neck to lick my face. I gather him into my arms and stand, then motion with my head for Jeremy to follow me inside. Meanwhile, my thoughts are twisting in a messy jumble. What could he want to talk to me about? Are things over with Brianna? Does he want me back? Could he still want to get married?

That last thought comes with a wistful twinge that pierces through my stomach and makes me weak in the knees. And I’m utterly disgusted with myself for feeling this way. Until this moment, I didn’t realize how much I want Jeremy back—or at least, how much I want Jeremy to want me. What is wrong with me that I’m always the dumpee, never the dumper?

At this I think of Brandon, and for a moment I’m even more torn up inside. But then in the next moment Jeremy and I are sitting close to each other on my sofa with Simon settled contentedly between us, and I can’t think of anything except Jeremy’s presence and how it fills the room and makes me feel whole again.

These past few weeks, what I’ve really been working to do is fill this emptiness I feel…that I’ve felt since the day everything in my life went wrong all at once. To my horror, I start crying, fat tears leaking down both cheeks against my will.

I’m not a pretty crier. In fact, if I don’t rein this in it’s going to get ugly very fast—and if there’s one thing Jeremy hates, it’s irrational bursts of emotion. I wipe both wrists against my cheeks and sniffle and then swallow hard. I don’t dare look at Jeremy’s face, but it doesn’t matter, because he says:

“Oh, God. Not you too?”

My head snaps up, and I meet his eyes.

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