Learning Curve (BBW Romance) by Adriana Hunter Page B

someone
who was sweet and endearing. Someone
real.
    It was unbelievable just how hard it was for
a man in his position to find a woman like that. Most women, when
they heard about who he was and what he did, put on the smile and
simper, and he could practically see the dollar signs flashing in
their greedy eyes. He’d tried to remedy that by dating women of
similar financial status, like models or female corporate
executives, but the former were too air-headed, and the latter too
shark-like or busy with their careers to commit to a
relationship.
    Didn’t you sign up for that online dating
site last night? Single Hookups, or whatever?
    Sighing, he reached down to where he’d left
his briefcase on the floor and pulled out his iPad. It had been a
long shot, but maybe he might be able to find someone who would be
able to see past the dollar signs.
    Logging on, he scrolled through the women in
his area, glancing over profile pictures and bios, dismissing many.
Too many of them sounded the same, as if all the women downloaded
some kind of dating template somewhere. Fake, fake, and fake.
    He was about to give up for the evening when
the image of a flower caught his eye. Frowning, he scrolled back
up—sure enough, it was a rose. The name underneath the picture read
‘Susie Cartwright’ and her age was listed as twenty-seven. Only
three years younger.
    Intrigued, he clicked on the link and was
taken to her page. Her profile layout was simple—lavender, with a
sprig of pastel flowers splashed into the upper corner. She was a
nurse at a local hospital, enjoyed hiking and beach walks, movie
nights, and holding hands. Her bio came across as bubbly and
cheerful—she seemed like a bright, happy, easygoing girl.
    It’s perfect, he thought, clicking on the ‘email’ icon. Exactly the kind of girl I’m looking
for.
    Wondering if it was too good to be true, he
shot her an email.
     
    ****
    “ Hey Callie.” Susie slid
into the seat across from her friend in the break room. “I’ve
gotten a few responses already!”
    Callie looked up, and her heart swelled with
joy at the genuine smile on Susie’s face. Her rounded cheeks were
flushed, her green eyes sparkled, and her smile was so bright as to
be dazzling. Her eyes moved to the phone clutched in her hand as
Susie laid it out on the table.
    “ Well you look pretty darn
pleased with yourself. What happened?”
    “ I got some emails back
from that dating profile we put up last night, and I think I found
someone who sounds pretty decent.”
    “ Really?” Callie grinned.
“Well, that’s a relief. I was sure you were going to get calls from
all those serial killers you were fantasizing about.”
    “ I actually got five
emails,” Susie said, rolling her eyes at the offbeat humor and
sarcasm, “but I liked this one better than the others, so I thought
I’d share it with you.” She brought up the email on her phone, and
then handed it over.
    Callie read it aloud. “Hi Suzie. My name is
Ryan. I saw your profile on Singles Hookup, and I have to say you
sound like a fun girl. I’d love the opportunity to get to know you
more. Here’s the link to my profile if you want to learn a little
more about me.”
    She followed the link to his profile and
grinned at the picture—he was a sandy-haired male with deep brown
eyes, a chiseled face, and with just a little bit of quirk in his
smile. “This is really great, Suz. Have you emailed him back
yet?”
    “ Well… no.”
    “ Why not? If you don’t do
it soon, he’s going to think you’re not interested!”
    “ Umm.” Susie fidgeted
nervously. “I’m not sure what to say. I don’t want to scare him
off.”
    “ Just be yourself.” Callie
patted her on the shoulder. “Obviously don’t say anything that
would freak him out completely, but the point of this is to see if
you can find someone who will like you for your personality. That’s
not going to happen if you hide behind some façade or something.
You have to be you, no