Page 8 of His Good Girl

The message notification bing has me shooting forward and unlocking my phone at record speed.

Alexis:

Thanks Finn, that means so much to me. Good to know there’s at least one good man out there. Hope you have a great day, and I’ll keep you in mind if I ever need someone.

Smiling at her message, I grab my laptop and continue looking at the listing my realtor sent today. I can’t believe that in just a few weeks, I'll be back in the US. This trip has been very successful, more so than I had anticipated, which is why I stayed so much longer than planned. With the new partnership, not only will my revenue triple, but I'll also have a team to work with, sharing the responsibilities instead of being a one-man show. The idea of having some downtime is such a relief.

I'm focusing on the Huntington Beach area. After the last three years, I'm desperate to live near the water and just enjoy life. It’s an added perk that it’s only thirty minutes from Marcee, so I can see her more often without smothering her.

It’s felt like years instead of months that I have been here, and this penthouse is getting old. It’s high-tech and ultra-modern. It’s also sterile and cold—the opposite of what I want in a home. I spend the next hour lining up virtual tours of homes I’m interested in, then head to the gym.

After a few one-night stands, I decided to just focus on work and fitness for the remainder of my time here. My body and business have never looked better due to that choice, but loneliness is starting to creep in. Maybe once I get back and settled, I’ll try dating. It would be nice to have someone to spend time with and come home to each night. The more I think about it, the more I just want to get home. I text my partners and request to expedite the contracts and move my leave date up as much as possible. I’m ready to start the next chapter of my life, and I’m looking forward to being closer to my daughter.

12

ALEXIS

It’s been a couple months since I dumped Jax, and surprisingly, I haven’t had sex with anyone. That has got to be some sort of record for me. Finn hasn’t contacted me since the night I caught Jax cheating, but I have read his text a thousand times, unable to stop the smile that comes each time I read it. I don’t know why, but it felt like something changed in that moment. Maybe it’s the stupid crush I’ve had on him since high school graduation, but that text still felt different.

School is picking up, and this semester, I'm taking some tough classes, so I’ve been doubling down on studying to keep my mind busy. I’m in my fourth year of college now, with just one more year to go after this before I graduate.

While I haven’t been with anyone since Jax, one of the guys from my Human Body class has been flirting with me a lot. He seems like a nice guy—good family, no tattoos, and he even goes to church. We’re going on a date tonight and I feel like it's a big step for me, going on a traditional date with a guy that screams relationship type. He’s actually pretty good looking, a little boring and clean cut for my taste, but hey, maybe that is just what I need.

My phone pings with another text from Jax. Ugh, he has texted me every day since we broke up. On Monday, I quit responding. One day of not responding and the flowers arrived. The next day, he texted and told me to turn on the radio at three o’clock, and he had dedicated Hoobastank: “Inside of You” to me. Yuck. Seriously, that boy is dumb. This morning, jewelry arrived at my door with a note saying, “All you have to do is wear this and I'll know you’re ready to forgive me.”

What the actual fuck? Is he stalking me now? Paranoid, I look around the apartment and even stick my head out into the hall to scan for anyone in the shadows. Which there are none because it's an expensive as fuck place and very safe. Rewrapping the box, I head to the curb and toss it into the dumpster. On a whim and really just wanting to piss him off, I snap a pic of it in the trash and send it to him.

I turn off my phone before he can respond and head to the shower. Kyle is taking me to a new restaurant, Amelias. It’s Italian and supposed to be really nice. As I'm trying to change my image, I bought a cute, but conservative dress for tonight. It’s black and sleeveless, with a high neckline and hits just above the knees. With more skin than normal covered, I stare into the mirror feeling like Audrey Hepburn. If I'm being honest, I don’t love it, and I only picked it to impress Kyle. I have never tried to change myself for a guy, but after Jax, I wonder if changing my image might be the best move, so what the hell, I’m going for it.

Kyle is incredibly punctual, picking me up at six on the dot. I smile as I open the door for him. He’s wearing tailored black slacks and a deep blue blazer. His blonde hair looks freshly cut and styled in a way you would see on a debate club president. You know, neat part, not a hair out of place. Come to think of it, his whole outfit screams debate club. But that’s fine. When he smiles, little dimples appear on his cheeks that are absolutely adorable. He hands me a bouquet of daffodils, and I try not to wrinkle my nose at the flowers. It’s a nice gesture, just not my style.

“My mom picked these out for you,” he beams as I look for a vase.

“Oh, well, tell her thanks.” I rummage through the cupboard, sure Marcee has a vase from one of the bouquets Tanner has given her before. The only flowers I’ve ever gotten were from Finn. Damn, that is a man who knows how to pick flowers. Hibiscus flowers are gorgeous and feel so sexy and exotic; daffodils feel like Easter Sunday or something. I’ve never actually been to an Easter service, but they seem tame and proper. Finally, I give up and stick them in a juice glass, smiling like a loon, hoping he doesn’t notice.

“I’m starving, let’s go!” I say just a bit too chipper, feeling awkward and unsure what to do with myself. I really need to get it together—it’s not like I haven’t dated before.

“Of course, my mom loves Amelias, we went the week after they opened, and she insisted I take you tonight. She even got us the reservation.”

Alarm bells are blaring in my mind, but I shove them back, smiling and praying to whoever might be listening that his mom isn’t joining us on the date.

Even with a reservation, we end up waiting for over an hour to get seated and Kyle apologizes nonstop. Which was cute at first but eventually got old. He also complimented me a bunch. Which again, was sweet for a time, but at some point, it got excessive.

Halfway through dinner, he started peppering me with questions like, when do I want to get married? How many kids do I want? Do I plan to work after I have kids? How do I vote in politics? It was really bizarre and made me extremely uncomfortable. His mom called twice, and he answered both times. Wow, just wow. What is a momma’s boy, Alex, I quip in my head. Nearly chuckling out loud at my little Jeopardy joke.

I decline dessert, ready to call it a night. Kyle has been an absolute boy scout the whole time, which I thought was what I wanted, but now I realize it's BORING. When he walks me to my door, I decide to go for it and kiss him, pulling him down to my face and pressing my lips to his. He shoves his tongue in my mouth so far I nearly gag, then presses me to the door. I can feel spit coating my lips as he smashes himself against me.

When he pulls back, he is panting with his eyes blown wide. “Wow. That was amazing. Don’t worry, I'll leave that out of my recap with my mom tonight. Good night.” Then he waves and walks off with a bounce in his step. I’m still plastered to the door, confused at what the fuck just happened. Wiping all the excess slobber from my face, I unlock the door and head in with a shiver. I’m so preoccupied that I miss the man lurking in the stairwell, watching.

13

FINN

Walking into Amelia’s, I spot Marcee already waiting inside. My heart swells at the sight of her; it has been way too long since I saw her in person. The last time I saw my daughter was Christmas break, when I flew her out to Dubai to visit. She rushes to me, hugging me tight.

Kissing her head, I hold her for a long minute. “Hey pumpkin, it's so good to see you!” I smile, feeling whole again. “Sorry we had to meet at a restaurant. The renovations on my new place should be done by Sunday, so maybe next weekend you can come out and help me get settled?”

“Of course, I would love that! It’s a long weekend coming up, so I can stay an extra day if you want.” She smiles as the hostess leads us to our table. I look around the restaurant; it's charming and the decor is very authentic. As we get seated, Marcee grabs the menu and smiles. “Lexie said the food here is amazing and that I have to try the risotto.”