Lonely Hearts & Broken Parts (LBSC #1.2) | Complete

Chapter 1

If I'd known our mutual fondness for shrimp egg rolls and our ability to use chopsticks were the only things Julia Fawcett and I had in common, I never would have agreed to go out with her. Actually, that's a lie. I still would have brought her flowers and listened to her wax poetic about reality t.v. and her training as a jazz dancer, while the two of us sat at a table overlooking downtown Wyndlake's rush hour traffic if it meant I had a date for Valentine's Day in two weeks.

Which is just what happened.

When Julia finished her diatribe about which Real Housewives cast was better, she blushed and lowered her eyes to the table. "Sorry, I know I'm probably boring you."

"No!" I blurted out to fill the silence, blinking rapidly. I was going to kill my sister for convincing me to put in contact lenses. "I've always wanted to know the merits of Melissa Gorga."

Julia tilted her head to the side and blinked at me in surprise. "You were actually listening."

"Of course, I was," I said. "Just because I don't watch the show doesn't mean I can't pay attention."

"Right," Julia said. "It's just...I've been on a lot of dates, and I don't think anyone's ever really cared enough to listen."

I grimaced. "Who wants to date someone who's not actually going to listen to them? That seems counterproductive. Maybe growing up with three sisters has given me a different outlook on things."

"That must have been interesting," Julia said. "Claire told me she had two sisters and a brother and was the baby of the family, but I never thought about what that would have been like for you."

I considered my response. After my father had passed away in a car accident when I was eight, I became the only man in a household of women. I'd seen the aftermaths of many a bad date or break-up, and I knew more than I wanted to about the mechanics of the female reproductive system.

"I mean, I don't know anything else, so it is what it is. I feel like my mom and two older sisters trained me well on how to treat and respect women."

Which usually lands me in the friend zone, I added silently.

Julia smiled. "Way to go, mom and sisters. We need more guys like you in the world."

There are plenty of guys like me, I wanted to say. You've just never noticed us because we're invisible.

"So," I said with false cheer. "You ready to order?"

***

"That was fun," I said, trying to rub my eye just enough to get rid of the discomfort but not dislodge my lens.

Julia and I stood outside the Chinese food restaurant where we'd just eaten dinner. Since it was early February in Wyndlake, there was a frigidity to the air and everyone on the street was bundled up in coats and scarves.

Julia gave me a half-hearted smile. "Thank you for dinner."

My heart sank. I'd been on enough first dates to know that when a girl answers your "that was fun" with a change of subject, you won't be getting a second date. I readjusted the leather satchel slung over my right shoulder. "You're welcome--"

"Malcolm, you are so sweet. Like, the sweetest guy I've ever been out with. But I just don't feel a spark, you know?" Julia said, her earnest face searching mine for any sign that I was upset with her.