She wasn’t going to think about that, Christine decided as she carried the pile of clothes she had taken on vacation and walked to the dark green double doors. After visiting a place with the nickname Sin City, of course Cedar Valley would feel tiny and static. She needed to stop resisting the predictable rhythm of the town and accept it.
As she walked into Jill’s dry-cleaning store, she heard the high-pitched bell above the door. Christine paused as it reminded her of the bells from the slot machines and the stunned expression on Travis’s handsome face when she’d won.
Stop it, she fiercely warned herself. She needed to quit thinking about the weekend and start moving forward.
A short and curvy woman with a curly mop of copper hair stepped into the room. “Christine!” Jill said with a shriek. “I didn’t expect to see you so soon. How was your trip?”
“Amazing,” she said with a proud smile as she set the pile of clothes on the counter. “I raced in a Ferrari, I jumped out of a building and I won money at a slot machine.”
Jill’s mouth dropped open and she held up her hand. “Back up. You jumped out of a building? That was on your dream list?”
“No, I hadn’t planned on the jump.”
Jill narrowed her eyes. “You mean you did it accidentally?”
“No!” she said with a laugh as she rested her arms on the old-fashioned counter. “They have this jump for tourists and I decided to do it.”
“Good for you!” Jill reached over and gave a pat on her arm. “You didn’t even stick to your list. You were just a wild woman, weren’t you?”
“I wouldn’t go that far.” If she had been a wild woman, she would have had sex with Travis on the first night.
Jill tilted her head as she studied Christine’s appearance. “There’s something different about you. Did you get some color from the sun?”
Christine ducked her head. “I don’t know. I haven’t noticed.”
“Oh, my God.” Her friend jerked back and pointed a finger at her. “You had sex!”
“What?” She took a step back from the counter and looked around to make sure no one else was in the store. “How did you know? Is there a love bite I missed?” She dragged her fingers down her neck. “How obvious is it? Can I get rid of it before I go to work?”
Jill crossed her arms as she studied Christine. “No, you’re good. There is no incriminating evidence on your body as far as I can tell.”
She dropped her hands. “Then how did you figure it out?”
“You seem more relaxed,” Jill said with a shrug. “So...how was it?”
Christine started to blush. “What happens in Vegas...”
“That good, huh?” Jill waggled her eyebrows. “Who was he? Did you get a name? Tell me you used protection. What does he look like? Where is he on the scale from one to ten? Ten, by the way, is a sex god.”
“His name was Travis Cain.” She hated how her voice caught when she said his name out loud. “He was incredibly hot and that’s all I’m saying.”
“Oh, come on,” Jill insisted. “You have to give me some details. How wild was it?”
It wasn’t wild. It was romantic and tender. Christine sighed. She couldn’t do a one-night stand correctly. No, she had to get emotionally attached to the guy.
“Huh. I know that look. You liked him. A lot.” Jill clucked her tongue. “Tell me you’re not going to try for the long-distance relationship. Those things never work and, knowing you, you’d do all the traveling to keep it going.”
That sounded like something she would do. Relationships and friendships had always been important to her. Too important. Unfortunately, she wasn’t always top priority to her loved ones. “No. Travis doesn’t stay in one place for long. He’s all about freedom.”
“Perfect,” Jill said. “The last thing you need to do is enter another relationship. When I think of all you gave up to be with Darrell...”
“Don’t worry, Jill. I learned my lesson.” She had recognized the pattern after Darrell had dumped her. She had put aside her goal to see the world and focused on the people in her life. It wasn’t just the men. It had also been her mother and some of her friends. She gave relationships her all but didn’t get back the support.
It had been different in Vegas. She had enjoyed Travis’s undivided attention, but it also made her uncomfortable. She was used to compromising, keeping quiet and letting someone else choose first. Travis wanted her to go after her interests with no apologies.
Did he do that hoping for a tumble in her bed? No, Christine decided. He would have given up on the first night. “This was a one-night stand,” Christine told her friend, “and I’m not asking for more.”