“I don't understand.” Mindy sounded confused. “If you weren't with...” Her voice trailed off for a moment and then she growled. “I'm going to kill him.”

It took me a few seconds to put two and two together, but I got it and didn't have to ask for clarification. It seemed like the walls in Mindy's building were fairly thin too and that Steven had found someone to take home after all.

“Short version,” I said. “Steven was more interested in talking about himself and trying to get me drunk enough to get into my pants than he was in actually being on a date.”

“That bastard.” She practically spit the words out and I knew she was seething.

I smirked. No way was she going to let Steven off easy, especially after I gave her the long version. Mindy was creative when it came to revenge. She'd told me and Adelle about a girl who had once cheated on Mindy's little brother, stringing him along for months. Mindy had snuck into the girl's driveway and hid bits of sushi in her rims and under the hood of her Astin Martin. Rumor had it, the girl had to completely scrap the car because no one had been able to get the smell out.

“Tell me everything.”

I started at the beginning and went through all of it, including my own stupidity at drinking so much as well as my rescue, but when it came time to give the details of my stranger, I held back. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do about him and, for right now, I wanted to keep him all to myself. Once I shared him with Mindy, I'd have to share him with Adelle, and I didn't know how they'd react to me and my inability to stop thinking about my mystery man.

“I am so sorry,” Mindy said as soon as I was finished. “I feel horrible. I'd always thought Steven was a good guy.”

She continued to apologize for the next five minutes, occasionally promising to make him pay for what he'd done. I made appropriate noises in the right places and waited for the chance to end the call. I loved my friend, but I didn't want to talk. I wanted to be alone. There was wallowing to be done.

I showered after I hung up, then wrapped myself in my comfy robe and headed to the kitchen for some crackers to calm my stomach. Ice cream was really better wallowing food, particularly when it came to bad dates, but I didn't think I was ready for that. Crackers would have to do for now. Tomorrow, it would be ice cream time.

Ginger ale and crackers in hand, I headed for the couch. I curled up there, turned on the TV and let myself mope about how my love life sucked. If this had just been a single bad date, I might've just let myself have an hour or two of a pity party then moved on. But coming on the heels of my canceled wedding, it felt like a bigger rejection than it should have.

Although, I supposed if I thought about it, what had happened hadn't technically been a rejection. Steven hadn't walked away or stood me up. Sure, he'd been an asshole, but at least he'd wanted me. I laughed out loud, unsurprised at the bitterness of the sound. What did it say about me that I attracted guys like Ronald and Steven? Okay, it hadn't been like Steven had picked me out of a crowd, but still.

Did that mean my mystery man was just as much of a jerk as the others? Now there was a depressing thought. Someone who saved me, hadn't tried to take advantage of my vulnerable state, and had given me the best kiss of my life. Was it possible that it had all just been an act? I didn't want to think that. Somehow, that was worse than everything else.

I'd been a hopeless romantic once, believing in fairy tale endings. Sure, I'd understood that relationships were work, but I always thought that true love would figure it out in the end. After Ronald left me, I'd tried to cling to that same idealistic way of thinking and having a handsome stranger come to my rescue had fueled that belief. Now, I wasn't sure anymore.

My day progressed that way for several hours. I'd doze on and off, staring at the television in between naps, but not really seeing what was on. My head was full of questions and replays of all the shit that had happened over the past month. It wasn't until my stomach started to growl for more substance than crackers that I had a different thought.

I needed to prove that there were good guys in this world, and to do that, I had to find my hero. I went to the kitchen to see if I could find any soup, my brain starting to focus on my new task. If I could find him, I could ask him why he'd saved me. I could talk to him, thank him for what he'd done. If his intentions had been pure, it would be proof that there were still good men in this world, dashing heroes racing in to save a damsel in distress without any thought about what was in it for them.

It had nothing to do with the kiss, or how that one touch of the lips made my entire body hot. If a single kiss could do that, what would it be like to have more? To feel his body stretched out on top of mine, hands roaming over my clothes. Under my clothes. Against bare flesh.

I gritted my teeth and pushed the fantasies from my mind. I wanted to thank him for saving me, for restoring my faith in men. I didn't want a relationship, and I didn't do casual sex. What I did want was to believe in hope for the future, and finding my stranger would do that.

Now all I needed to do was figure out where to start.

Chapter 6

I was pretty sure Mindy thought I was mad at her for setting me up with Steven because I barely spoke to her all week. Adelle, fortunately, had been busy enough with some charity fundraiser that she accepted my 'details on Friday' text without pushing for more. I hadn't been upset with either one of them though. I'd just been extra busy.

Aside from my classes and grading papers, every waking moment had been spent trying to find the stranger. When I'd made that my goal, I'd known it wouldn't be easy, but I hadn't realized how difficult tracking down someone without a name, picture or personal information could be.

I'd called O'Mallys first thing to see if they remembered the fight. The bartender who'd worked Friday night hadn't been in, so I'd tried again the next day. He'd remembered the fight and me, but he swore he didn’t know the man who'd come to my rescue. After some coaxing, he admitted that Steven had told him to keep the drinks coming, but insisted he didn’t know I'd get so drunk so quickly.

After that dead end, I hadn't known where to go. I considered going back to the bar and waiting to see if the man showed up again, but since I'd talked to the bartender and he'd remembered me, I didn't want him realizing why I'd come back. I told him I wanted to thank my rescuer, but I was pretty sure he hadn't believed me. If I showed up there, it'd look desperate, which I didn't want.

Instead, I parked my car in the O'Mallys parking lot for two nights, grading my papers as I watched people coming and going. Both nights, I'd gone home empty-handed. I wasn't sure which was more depressing, how much my romantic life sucked or how the only guy I really wanted to talk to had vanished.

On Friday night, I was ready for some girl time and wine. I'd already decided that I'd tell everything, including my mystery man. I just hoped my friends could either talk some sense into me, help me, or give me a distraction. I couldn't keep running in circles like this.

“Wow, you look awful,” Adelle said as I took a seat to her right.

“Thanks,” I said sarcastically.

She rolled her eyes. “Come on, Bree. The bags under your eyes have bags. You look worse than you did right after...” She let her voice trail off but I knew what she meant. Her gaze moved around, almost nervously. Then, suddenly, her face brightened. “Mindy! Perfect timing.”

“Why? What's going on?” Mindy asked as she sat on the other side of Adelle.