Charming: A Modern Day Sexy Cinderella Story by Jennifer Miller Page B

will!” Katie says excitedly and once again I nod my head like I’m mute, but at least I manage a smile, thank god.
    With a little wave, we walk back to our seats. Fortunately, Juan returns to us at that moment with fresh margaritas and the fish tacos we ordered – the perfect distraction. We continue to enjoy our time at the pool, making up more stories for our people watching game and indulging in celebrity gossip. All the while my gaze keeps returning to the sexy man down the way from us the rest of the afternoon.

 
    “Uh, sorry,” I flush all the way to the top of my head, “I guess I momentarily forgot I was talking to you and not Katie. I’m pretty sure you didn’t need the details of umm… well... you know.” I look down in my embarrassment, unable to meet her eyes.
    Faye throws her head back and laughs, bless her. She has a great laugh too. The kind that makes you happy and you can’t help but laugh along with her. So I do, albeit hesitantly at first.
    “I think I’d very much like to spend time with you and Katie,” Faye tells me with merriment twinkling in her eyes.
    “I don’t know. You’d probably be horrified,” I tell her with an honest smile finally returning my gaze to her face.
    “Oh honey, I doubt that. I may be quite older than you two, but that certainly doesn’t mean I’m ignorant to some things.” And just like that, I flush again. “So, it seems like the vacation was just the thing you needed. Katie was right. It sounds like the two of you had some fun.”
    “Somehow we always manage to laugh and have fun. No matter where we are or the circumstances surrounding us.”
    “I can tell,” she smiles again. “Now, tell me. Did you ever see that young man again?”
    “Young man?” I ask, even though I know exactly whom she’s talking about. It’s just I didn’t expect her reference to make my heart stutter in my chest.
    “Yes, I believe you said his name is Asher Charming.”
    “That’s right.”
    “So, it was the actor?”
    “Yes, it was.”
    “Well tell me, did you see him again? Talk to him? It sounds like he took your breath away at first sight.”
    “You have no idea,” I tell her shaking my head a little at the memory.
    “Well don’t stop now. Tell me what happened next!”

 
    “Oh my god, I don’t believe it!” Katie yells while staring at her phone.
    “What?” The two of us decided to go outside the resort for lunch and walked in and out of various souvenir shops along the road to our destination. In front of a storefront Katie stopped to take selfie’s in a huge sombrero that had grabbed her attention and then pictures of us in various poses.
    “That picture we took with Asher?” she asks as if I could forget. She teased me forever over the way I acted in front of him. I told her I hated her, but then she bought me another margarita so all was forgiven.
    “What about it?”
    “This.” She turns her phone toward me and I see that all of our heads have been chopped off. My mouth falls open, I look at Katie’s face and see how annoyed she looks and so I double over at the waist and start laughing. “It’s not funny! Who the hell doesn’t know how to take a picture?!”
    “Apparently they didn’t believe you when you said you wouldn’t post it.”
    “I’m totally going to hunt them down and demand another one.”
    “I’m sure you will, I’d expect nothing less,” I tell her with a laugh. “What about this? Does this say, ‘you were supposed to get married and didn’t’,” I ask Katie while holding up a little trinket using it to distract her.
    She rolls her eyes, “No. It screams, ‘I went to Mexico and instead of having fun shopping with my best friend, I had a pity party’.”
    “Hey!” I react immediately in self-defense at her comment, but then sigh. “Actually you’re right. I don’t know why I said that.”
    “Because you’re still angry, that’s why. I’m not saying you shouldn’t be, I’m sorry if I sounded