Clean Inspirational Romance: Escape to Paradise (Inspirational Happy Sweet First Love Second Chance Romance) (Contemporary New Adult Love Inspired Holiday Short Stories) by Johanna Jenkins
Authors: Johanna Jenkins
Ads: Link
be lying if she said she hadn’t had thoughts preoccupied with the idea of love, and piqued by her curiosity about Theo, in the moment between her sending the text to Marnie and receiving a reply. Love wasn’t something she dealt with often in her daily life. Picasso had been enough for the past few years, as had her struggle in establishing a solid position in work. But now, with most of life’s bumps out of the way – at least temporarily – Bridget could focus her attention on finding a Godly man, and hopefully husband. She shook her head at the thought of a husband. It was too soon to be thinking thoughts like that. She’d wait on that.
As she toweled her hair dry, she checked her phone.
“Just call him. If you don’t call now, he’ll assume you’re not interested. And talk about anything. Just not the weather. Or work. Or how their day was.” Bridget made a small, impatient noise. What on earth was she supposed to talk about then?
But, if that was the case, she would call Theo shortly afterwards, then. She checked the time. It was eight in the evening. Bridget was highly dubious it would work, if at all. As the thought actually dialing crept nearer and nearer to her, the violent assault of self-doubt and questions increased as well.
What if he didn’t pick up? Did she leave a message? What if he wasn’t really interested at all? It had all been a scam. He was just messing with her. What if she called and didn’t know what to say? They’d be seated in silence for several awkward minutes, and then they’d hang up. She could completely mess up her possibly one and only chance at love. It had been set up all too perfectly, and she was going to mess it up.
A ping had her looking down at her phone.
“I know you’re freaking out right now. I can just see it. Stop. Breathe. And get your life together.”
Marnie knew her too well, Bridget thought with a bemused smile. She left the phone to dry her hair with the blow dryer, and it was during then that she managed to gather up her courage and determine exactly how she was going to call, what she was going to say – in all possible scenarios – and what she would do following the conversation.
Yes, she set her jaw determinedly. She would script out every possible scenario she could and hopefully pass through the hoops without any incidents. But even after her own little pep talk and Marnie’s tough love, she still couldn’t manage to muster up the courage to pick up her phone. She looked at the slip of paper, which she had set down beside her phone. It lay there innocently, all too innocently. Bridget ruffled her hair, unconfident in her decision to call. Her phone lay there, almost mocking her.
I’m going to do it. I’m going to do it. She didn’t move. It’s like ripping off a band-aid, she told herself. Get it over with quickly. And, almost of its own volition, her hand shot out and grabbed her phone. With trembling fingers, she dialed the number on the paper and watched with fascinated horror as the line began ringing.
Half of her sincerely hoped that he wouldn’t pick up. The other half of her was thrilled to no end at the possibility that he might.
The ringing at the other end seemed to continue on and on, forever. Bridget held her breath, only hearing the thudding of her heart and the rush of blood in her ears.
And then the ringing stopped. Bridget blinked. She couldn’t hear anything.
And then, “Hello?”
*****
“H-hello?” Bridget echoed the voice. It sounded tinny, small and far away but was unmistakably the deep baritone of the man she had met just hours earlier in Dr. Winters’s office.
“Hi.” He sounded surprised. Bridget wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad sign. “I didn’t think you’d actually call,” he laughed, explaining his tone of voice.
“Oh. I didn’t think you’d pick up, to be honest,” she said, relieved. “I thought it was going to be some kind of joke,” she laughed.
“That’d just be
As she toweled her hair dry, she checked her phone.
“Just call him. If you don’t call now, he’ll assume you’re not interested. And talk about anything. Just not the weather. Or work. Or how their day was.” Bridget made a small, impatient noise. What on earth was she supposed to talk about then?
But, if that was the case, she would call Theo shortly afterwards, then. She checked the time. It was eight in the evening. Bridget was highly dubious it would work, if at all. As the thought actually dialing crept nearer and nearer to her, the violent assault of self-doubt and questions increased as well.
What if he didn’t pick up? Did she leave a message? What if he wasn’t really interested at all? It had all been a scam. He was just messing with her. What if she called and didn’t know what to say? They’d be seated in silence for several awkward minutes, and then they’d hang up. She could completely mess up her possibly one and only chance at love. It had been set up all too perfectly, and she was going to mess it up.
A ping had her looking down at her phone.
“I know you’re freaking out right now. I can just see it. Stop. Breathe. And get your life together.”
Marnie knew her too well, Bridget thought with a bemused smile. She left the phone to dry her hair with the blow dryer, and it was during then that she managed to gather up her courage and determine exactly how she was going to call, what she was going to say – in all possible scenarios – and what she would do following the conversation.
Yes, she set her jaw determinedly. She would script out every possible scenario she could and hopefully pass through the hoops without any incidents. But even after her own little pep talk and Marnie’s tough love, she still couldn’t manage to muster up the courage to pick up her phone. She looked at the slip of paper, which she had set down beside her phone. It lay there innocently, all too innocently. Bridget ruffled her hair, unconfident in her decision to call. Her phone lay there, almost mocking her.
I’m going to do it. I’m going to do it. She didn’t move. It’s like ripping off a band-aid, she told herself. Get it over with quickly. And, almost of its own volition, her hand shot out and grabbed her phone. With trembling fingers, she dialed the number on the paper and watched with fascinated horror as the line began ringing.
Half of her sincerely hoped that he wouldn’t pick up. The other half of her was thrilled to no end at the possibility that he might.
The ringing at the other end seemed to continue on and on, forever. Bridget held her breath, only hearing the thudding of her heart and the rush of blood in her ears.
And then the ringing stopped. Bridget blinked. She couldn’t hear anything.
And then, “Hello?”
*****
“H-hello?” Bridget echoed the voice. It sounded tinny, small and far away but was unmistakably the deep baritone of the man she had met just hours earlier in Dr. Winters’s office.
“Hi.” He sounded surprised. Bridget wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad sign. “I didn’t think you’d actually call,” he laughed, explaining his tone of voice.
“Oh. I didn’t think you’d pick up, to be honest,” she said, relieved. “I thought it was going to be some kind of joke,” she laughed.
“That’d just be
Similar Books
![Bind Me [Pact of Seduction 1]](/res/aob/book1.jpg)
