EXCERPT
Making
my way through the narrow pathways between the tables, I headed back
toward the bathroom. Only once I pushed open the double doors and
stopped in front of the water-spotted mirror did I realize I’d left my
purse at the table, so there’d be no reapplying my lipstick.
I
pumped soap onto my hands and waved them under the facet. Water flowed,
washing away the suds as I slowly lifted my gaze to my reflection.
Normally when I looked at myself, I didn’t really pay attention longer
than was necessary to put makeup on without ending up looking like a
tutorial gone wrong.
Standing here now, I really looked at myself, though.
I
used to wear my hair up all the time, but I’d stopped doing that every
day. My hair now hung in waves and the ends curled over the tips of my
breasts. I also used to have heavy bangs, but thank God they were long
gone. I’d finally learned how to put on eyeliner. That was another miracle. The slight flush of my face darkened my naturally tan skin. My lips were fuller and my nose straight.
My
hair was parted to sweep to the left so it shielded my cheek…and my
cheek didn’t look that bad, especially considering how it looked the
first time I’d seen it after…after days in the hospital.
Hell, my entire face had been one hot mess.
There
was a deep indentation in my left cheek, almost like an icepick had
been shoved in there, and as I stared at my right jaw line, I was still
amazed by what reconstructive plastic surgeons could accomplish. Half my
face had literally been pieced back together with an iliac crest graft
with a reconstruction plate and a crap ton of dentistry to give me back a
full set of functional teeth.
Plastic surgeons didn’t have magic wands, but they were magicians. If you weren’t looking at me straight on, you’d have no idea that my right jaw was thinner than my left.
You’d have no idea what had happened to me that night.
Now I stared back at myself just like I had done that night, six years ago, standing in a bathroom, mere minutes before my entire life came crashing down.
It
wasn’t that I hated the way I looked now. The fact that I was alive
meant I was one of those rare, walking and breathing statistics.
But
even knowing how lucky I was didn’t change the fact that I
felt…deformed. That was a harsh word to use. I didn’t like to whip it
out often. Doing so on what was so far a pretty good date was probably
not a good idea.
Taking a deep breath, I shook my head. I didn’t need my thoughts going in that direction tonight.
So far, the dinner had been amazing. Grady was nice and he was cute. I
could maybe see myself going out with him again, to an art exhibit, and
maybe coffee.
And that was what had freaked me out.
I was not going to let living freak me out.
Nope.
I could give him a chance and not worry about whether or not I was settling.
Turning
from the sink, I dried my hands and then readjusted my hair so it fell
forward, over my left shoulder and cheek. I walked out of the bathroom
and into the narrow hall, gaze trained on the floor as I took about two
steps before I realized someone was standing right outside the door,
leaning against the wall. Before I nearly plowed into him.
Gasping,
I took a step back. All I could see were finely cut black trousers
paired with…with old black and white Chucks? What an odd combination,
but those shoes reminded me of…
I gave a little shake of my head and stepped to the side. “Sorry. Excuse—”
“Jillian.”
I stopped.
Time stopped.
Everything
stopped except my heart, because it was suddenly pounding in my chest
too hard, too fast. That deep, rough voice. I recognized it all the way
to my very core. Slowly, I lifted my gaze, already knowing what I was
going to see but refusing to believe it.
Brock Mitchell stood in front of me.
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