him a chance,” Nina persuaded. “He’s really cute. And isn’t it time you tried someone new?”
“Like guys are flavors of ice cream?”
“Hey, you’re the one who’s vowed to avoid vanilla.”
“C’mon, Nina,” AnaMaria said, nudging their friend with her shoulder. “If Sage wanted a guy like her dad, she’d just hook up with Aiden Masters. He’s got all those qualities going on, plus he’s got the best body of any guy who’s ever come out of Villa Rosa.”
They all paused for a second to pay mental homage to Aiden’s hot body, then Nina waved her hand through the air as if dispersing the image from everyone’s mind.
“Aiden isn’t here. And he’s not Sage’s type. Jeffrey is here, and while he might not be the type Sage has gone for in the past, he could be now.”
“No,” Sage decided adamantly. “Maybe I haven’t figured out what kind of guy is perfect for me yet. But I do know what kind isn’t perfect. As much as I adore my father, I don’t want a guy like him. Dedication, focus and intensity are all well and good. But I want more than that. I want passion and creativity and drama.”
“Drama leads to guys jumping off the first-floor balcony,” AnaMaria reminded her.
Ugh. Good point. But Sage shrugged it off, focusing instead on the delight of building her vision.
“I want a guy who makes me shiver with his insights,” she expanded, staring at the white wall as if the image of that guy would coalesce there. “One who has excitement and dedication and a soul-deep hunger for exploring the depths of the human experience.”
AnaMaria and Nina exchanged glances, then Nina shook her head.
“If I were you, I’d settle on great sex.”
“Sex?” Sage repeated with a baffled look. How could Nina equate sex to a spiritual nirvana?
“Sure. With the right guy, you’ll get all of that and an orgasm. Shivers, excitement, and deep exploration. What more does a girl want?”
Sage contemplated the last few months of mirror-focused sex and sighed.
What more, indeed.
Two weeks ago
“AFTER ALL OF YOUR YEARS of plotting and planning, of saving bridal magazines and making lists, you eloped?”
“A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do,” Nina said, looking so content Sage couldn’t even teasingly chide her. “Besides, I didn’t think you could get back until summer and I didn’t want to wait that long to become Mrs. Jeffrey Philips.”
“I can’t believe you married my doctor,” Sage said, laughing as she wandered through Nina’s new living room. Filled with thick carpets, rich wood and silk-covered furniture, it was posh to say the least. She wasn’t surprised that after less than two weeks her friend had already unpacked and settled in. Nina was good at that.
“Well, you weren’t going to date him. I figured I’d give it a try,” Nina said, stretching out on the divan with a contented look on her face.
“You said you’d never marry a guy who had a job that might come before you, remember? I can’t imagine a doctor doesn’t put his career in the top slot.”
Nina’s shrug was as luxurious as the room itself. Clearly priorities were adjustable if the bank account was big enough.
Hey, that might not be her way, but Sage couldn’t fault her friend. At least she knew what she wanted. Unlike some people who had spent over a decade claiming they knew what they wanted—even if whatever that was changed from year to year.
Sage pushed her hand through her hair, recently dyed back to her original golden-blond. After three months of bouncing from job to job in Sedona, Arizona—the woowoo capital of the desert—she’d finally accepted that she actually had no idea what she wanted. Or where she wanted it.
So she’d done what anyone would do. She’d slinked home without a word to anyone. She’d hoped to sneak into her father’s house and hide until she’d figured out what was missing from her life. But she’d run into the new Dr. and Mrs. Philips at the airport, of all places.
“You realize now that I’m settled, you’re the last one of our circle still single,” Nina pointed out, inspecting her manicure as if checking to see if she were up to the coming task of taking care of that little problem.
“No. No, no, no,” Sage protested, sinking into the chair opposite her friend and offering a look of horror. “No fix-ups. You married the last guy you tried to fix me up with, which should tell you how bad you are at matchmaking.”
“I have other guys in mind this time,” Nina informed her. “I’ve been making a list since Cailley’s wedding.”
That sounded ominous enough to send a chill down Sage’s spine. A list that long meant Nina was determined. A determined Nina was a pain-in-the-ass Nina. And Sage just couldn’t deal with it right now.
Not while she was fighting the horrible suspicion that everyone had been right about her for years. That, instead of being a free spirit in search of bliss, she was really a wishy-washy flake who’d never be satisfied with anything.
“That’s sweet of you to think of me,” Sage said quickly. “But I’m not available.”
“Of course you are.”
“No. I’m not.”
Nina gave a pitying click of her tongue, as if Sage thinking she had any say in this was funny.
“You need a guy. I’m going to find you one. The perfect one,” Nina stated. “Even if we have to go through dozens to get there. Which is fine, since I have a lot of options on my list.”
Good God. Sage shuddered. She had to stop this. Now. There was no way she was going to get her head together and figure out why her life was so blah if she was fending off blind dates.
“I’m not available,” she insisted. Maybe if she pretended to have a boyfriend, Nina would leave her alone.
“Why? Because you’re dating some schmo who you’ll dump in two weeks? That’s fine. I can wait.”
“He’s not a schmo. He’s a great guy. The perfect guy.” After all, why would she date an imaginary guy who wasn’t perfect?
“Who?”
Sage shrugged, trying to look coy while her mind raced. She wanted Nina off her back, or she’d be fending off fix-ups from her, AnaMaria and Cailley until she left town. But she was lousy at lying. She was a great dancer, though, so hopefully sidestepping would be enough.
“Is it serious?”
“I wouldn’t say serious,” Sage prevaricated.
“Then you are okay to date other guys.”
“Although we are talking marriage.” The words flew off Sage’s tongue before her brain even realized
