Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 27565 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 138(@200wpm)___ 110(@250wpm)___ 92(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27565 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 138(@200wpm)___ 110(@250wpm)___ 92(@300wpm)
“I’m definitely not doing that,” I say quickly. “Ugh, dating online sounds awful.”
“I know,” Courtney says in a slow tone. “But you’re single now, and ready to mingle, right? There are many ways to meet men that have nothing to do with an exclusive gentlemen’s club.”
I nod cheerily.
“I know, but I wanted to be dangerous, and to challenge myself. I wanted to think outside the box, and not be a boring barista who goes home and watches reality TV for hours after work!”
Courtney pauses delicately, her hand on the back of her sleeping newborn’s head.
“Okay, but again, there are lots of ways to challenge yourself without doing this, Avalon.”
“But you don’t even know what ‘this’ is!”
Courtney takes a deep breath before looking straight into my eyes.
“So tell me.”
I smile brightly, like we’re discussing the latest celebrity gossip.
“Well, basically Sweet Lies started a service where members can buy gifts for one another as a show of friendship. So that’s what I’m doing.”
Courtney stares at me.
“Buy what gifts? What do you mean?”
I smile helplessly.
“Well, basically members can pick out a girl that they think their friend will enjoy. Then, they make the arrangements, and I show up at the recipient’s door. See? A gift! Kind of like Candygrams.”
Courtney stares at me.
“Girl, you know this is nothing like Candygrams. Candygram deliveries are about delivering sweets. Here, the gift is you.”
“Exactly!” I say brightly. “It’s a genius idea, and I’m excited.”
Court pauses again, thinking. Then my pretty blonde friend fixes me with another look.
“You’ve already been gifted, haven’t you, Av? You’re already on assignment.”
Damn, my buddy can read me like an open book, and I nod.
“I’ve already been selected for gifting, yes. Evidently, there’s a member who wants to me to pay a visit to his friend in the woods because this guy has a vacation cabin up there. But it’s cool. I figure I’ll hang out a little, flirt, show him some sexy times.”
Courtney stares at me.
“Avalon, you must be kidding. You’re going to a remote cabin in the woods to meet some single guy? And you know what the men do up there: they hunt. That cabin is probably filled to the brim with guns and ammunition because Minnesota men are avid outdoorsmen. You can’t tell me you’re going up to that cabin alone to meet a strange man.”
“No, no, it’s not that bad, because you see, the gift recipient is also a Sweet Lies client. So he’s been vetted up the wazoo, and Sweet Lies already knows everything about him. Don’t worry, I’m not in any danger.”
Courtney shoots me another skeptical look.
“That’s better, but still, this sounds crazy shady, girlfriend. I don’t like it…”
“No, it’s fine!” I insist. “Besides, there’s an extra layer of insurance to all this: the gift recipient has his five year old daughter with him at the cabin. My arrival isn’t even a surprise because I’m supposed to be the babysitter for the little girl, so how crazy can it get? Shenanigans in front of his daughter? I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
Courtney shakes her head.
“I don’t know, Av. I mean, a lot of cults keep their kids close, and that doesn’t stop them from committing atrocities.”
I fix her with a look.
“Which cults?”
Courtney shrugs helplessly.
“I can’t name any right now, but I could look it up for you. Just let me ask ChatGPT—”
“No, no, it’s fine,” I say quickly. “I believe you. But honestly, I don’t think this guy is going to murder me in front of his innocent five-year-old daughter, and I don’t think I’m in danger because Sweet Lies is keeping tabs on the whole thing. Besides, maybe he won’t be interested in me at all, and really will want me to babysit his kid.”
Courtney looks skeptical.
“You’re gorgeous, Avalon, with your long blonde hair and big blue eyes. You’re young, curvy, and with legs that go on for days. Oh, he’ll be interested, and especially because he’s a Sweet Lies member. Those guys belong to the club because they like their girls beautiful and discreet, and are willing to pay for it. He’ll find a way to have sexy times with you, daughter at the cabin or not.”
I giggle.
“Well, I’m kind of looking forward to it, to be honest, because Stuart was soooo bad in bed. I don’t know how I put up with that creep for so long. But now that we’ve been broken up, I haven’t gotten any for months, and I really want to meet a gorgeous guy.”
Courtney fixes me with another look.
“But this isn’t dating, Avalon. This is a rendezvous. A hook-up, even.”
“I know!” I say in a breezy tone. “And I’m okay with it! I just need to get some action before I go dry down there. That can happen right? I’ve heard that you start getting rusty and even suffer drops in estrogen if a dry spell goes on too long.”