Learning Curve (BBW Romance) Read online

  Adriana Hunter

  http://www.AdrianaHunter.com

  Copyright © 2012: Adriana Hunter

  Sweet Dreams Publishing

  Smashwords Edition

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Susie Cartwright walked into the hospital wearing pale green scrubs, a smile on her face, and carrying a jaunt in her step. She flashed that smile to everyone who passed by her like a warrior holding a shield aloft—to the receptionist, to the various people walking or milling about in the halls, and to her co-workers in the locker room.

  She kept her smile fixed firmly in place as she made her rounds, as she talked to patients, monitored vitals, administered prescription doses. Even when she was chattering in ICU with the severely ill she didn’t let up at all, her cheerfulness almost stoic in nature.

  When it was time for her break, she kept the smile on even then as she walked into the break room. Seating herself at one of the small, round tables, she pulled a sandwich from the paper lunch bag she’d brought up and wondered how she was going to keep the smile on between bites.

  Her best friend, Callie, entered the room, her scrubs bright pink, and her blond ponytail flouncing behind as she took the seat opposite her.

  “Well look at you, Ms. Cheerful! Everyone’s been talking about how happy you look today. I take it that your date went well last night?”

  The smile plummeted faster than the blink of an eye, and Callie’s blue eyes widened as Susie’s face crumpled. She quickly ducked her head down; out of the sight of the other medical staff sharing the break room with them, but not before Callie saw the tears shimmering in her green eyes.

  “He stood me up, Callie,” she whispered as Callie dug a Kleenex from her purse to hand to her friend.

  “I’m so sorry,” Callie soothed, stroking the back of her friend’s hand. “What an asshole.”

  “It’s the third time this month,” Susie said bitterly, dashing tears away with her Kleenex. “I’m completely hopeless. I’ll never find a decent man. At least not until I lose forty pounds or so.”

  “Don’t say that,” Callie admonished, gripping Susie’s hand tightly now. “You’re funny, smart, and beautiful. There are tons of men out there looking for a woman with the inner spirit you have.”

  Susie finished wiping her face, then pulled out her compact and began to fix the eye makeup she’d smudged. Callie noticed her face was a bit pale beneath the blush she’d applied earlier. “But none of them are looking for a size eighteen, are they?” She shook her head, chestnut curls bouncing around her round face. “I was there for several hours. By the time I gave it up the waiters were giving me sympathetic looks and I’d gone through two bottles of red. I just feel so worthless.”

  “Where are you finding these men?” Callie wanted to know. “There are plenty of men who like their women with a little more meat on their bones.”

  “I’ve been going to the clubs with Shannon,” Susie admitted, referring to one of her other friends.

  Callie frowned. “A meat market? Seriously?” She shook her head in disgust. “Listen, I have an idea about how you just might be able to meet the kind of man that you deserve. Why don’t you come over to my place after work tonight?”

  Susie sighed. “I don’t know, Callie. I’m pretty hopeless at this point.”

  “It’s never too late to find love, honey,” Callie insisted, digging out her make up bag. “Now, let’s get you cleaned up.”

  ****

  “An online dating site? Are you serious?”

  “C’mon, Susie,” Callie cajoled as she guided Susie to the chair in front of her computer desk. “You don’t have to sound so horrified.”

  “What do you mean?” Susie demanded as Callie fired up the Internet browser. “Haven’t you heard all the stories about serial killers and rapists who stalk the Internet for their victims?”

  Callie rolled her eyes. “The statistics on that kind of thing are virtually unheard of on the more reputable dating sites.”

  “But what’s the point? How is this any different than meeting guys in bars?” Susie asked as Callie typed in the domain for a popular dating service.

  “Because in an online setting, potential partners are looking for personality, not just a size. You’ll have the opportunity to actually talk to someone, and the two of you will have to learn about each other. The idea is that you’ll get a feel for the guy and decide whether or not it’s worth it to set up a face-to-face meeting.”

  Susie bit her bottom lip. “Personality, huh. Okay, what do I got to lose?”

  “This one looks interesting,” Susie said aloud as she clicked on a dating category. “Singles Hookup. ‘One in Five Relationships start online’,” she read aloud. “Huh. I had no idea.”

  Callie smiled. “You’d be surprised at just how popular online dating is.”

  Susie filled in the account information, indicating that she was a woman seeking a man, the age range she was searching for, and her local zip code. She gasped when the page loaded, featuring a ton of guys living in her city.

  “Oh God, Callie.” Susie placed a hand to her trembling lips. “These guys all look so gorgeous. What the heck would they want with me?”

  “You know, Susie, you need to change your way of thinking,” Callie patted her other hand but the look on her face indicated her annoyance. “You hate how people judge you based on your size, yet you’re judging these guys based on their looks assuming just because they are good looking that they are only interested in skinny girls. Maybe they’re looking for a genuine woman and don’t care about whether they are a size one or a size twenty.”

  Susie nodded. Although she couldn’t imagine that any of these beautiful men would have trouble finding a woman, she knew it was futile to argue with Callie. She still believed in true love, after all, and what did Susie really know about men? She certainly hadn’t had much success with figuring them out.

  They spent a good thirty minutes filling out the personality questionnaire, a brief bio, Susie’s likes and dislikes, and an email address for men to contact her at if they were interested. Suzie debated setting up a separate email address exclusively for the site, but since she didn’t think she would get any responses, figured it wasn’t worth it. She would just end up checking an empty email box for weeks until she went insane.

  When it asked her to upload a profile picture, she bit her lower lip nervously, but Callie patted her hand again. “You don’t have to put up one of yourself if you don’t feel comfortable.”

  They settled on a nice image of a pale pink rose with dewy petals. Susie thought it looked healthy, bursting with life and sensuality—exactly the kind of image she wanted to get across.

  “Alright, girlie,” Callie said once it was done. “Click the ‘finish’ button.”

  She hesitated only briefly before doing so, and then let out the breath she’d been holding and smiled widely. “That wasn’t so bad.”

  “We’re done. Now let’s crash on the couch with some popcorn and a movie, and wait for those emails to roll in!”

  ****

  Ryan Marshall sighed, slumping into his couch and loosening the tie from beneath the color of his button-down shirt. His blazer was somewhere on the floor by his shoes, marring the perfection of his brand-new, luxury apartment, and he didn’t care. He just wanted to sit for a while
and do absolutely nothing.

  Being a corporate executive was anything but easy, but Ryan loved the job. He’d fought hard to climb that ladder, fueled by ambition and the desire to be in charge, to use his vision and innovation to expand a company with his own hands. He had a great job, a flush bank account, and some pretty damn good friends, too.

  But when he set foot in his apartment, when he was alone, he wished he had a woman in his life. Someone who he could sit down with at the dinner table and talk to—not just to unload his worries, but for real, stimulating conversation. Someone who could entertain and fascinate, 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 matter what. And if he doesn’t like it, then too bad. You don’t have to jump on the first guy who shows an interest in you. Believe it or not, there are plenty of fish in the sea.”

  “You’re right. Of course you’re right.” Suzie smiled. I’ll send him something before I go back on shift.”

  ****

  Hi Ryan. Thanks for emailing me! Sorry I didn’t get back to you right away. To tell you the truth I’m a little nervous about this kind of thing because I’ve never done online dating before. But I’d like the opportunity for us to get to know each other better, so if you have any questions you’d like to start with, then fire away!

  Ryan smiled a little as he read the email from his phone. He was sitting in the back of a cab, on the way back from a business lunch, and he hadn’t expected to see an email from her, so it was a pleasant surprise. She came across the same way in her profile—sweet and bubbly, and it seemed also that she was just a little shy.

  Pulling out his stylus, he tapped out a quick reply:

  Hi Suzie. That’s okay; I’m new to the online dating scene too. So, first question… what kind of music do you like to listen to?

  He then replaced the phone in his pocket, and continued his journey back to the downtown office with a smile on his face.

  ****

  When he reached his office, he couldn’t resist pulling out his phone one more time to see if there was a response. To his delight, there was.

  Good to know! Makes me feel a little less nervous. Music? Let’s see. I like all genres… but I’m a fan of artists that sort of mix them, like Celine Dion for example. She’s got this blend of R&B and Classical that warms me all the way to my toes. 

  Alright, now it’s my turn. What kind of books do you like to read?

  “Mr. Marshall?” his secretary poked his head through the door. “Just a quick reminder you have a meeting with Mr. Prospect in fifteen minutes.

  “Thank you, Jordan.” He waited until his secretary had closed the door, then turned back to his phone with a smile.

  Fifteen minutes was plenty of time to send another email, wasn’t it?

  ****

  Susie’s heart was drumming loudly in her ears as she paced back and forth in her bedroom, waiting for Ryan’s call. She’d opened a bottle of wine and had left it by her nightstand to air next to a wine glass, and kept looking longingly at it as a way to calm her nerves. It was there as a sort of celebration as well as to set the atmosphere—not just for her to get drunk off!

  “Take deep breaths, Suz,” she whispered to herself. “Deep, calming breaths.” Seating herself on the edge of the bed, she did just that—and then gave in and poured herself that first glass of red wine. She watched it spill into the glass like blood, then lifted it to her lips and savored the first dry drop on her tongue.

  They’d been emailing back and forth the past few weeks like giddy, moonstruck lovers, and Suzie had eventually forced herself to leave her iPhone in her locker during her shifts because she couldn’t stop checking her phone whenever it was near. They’d learned so much about each other in such a short time—little things, like his love of Frank Sinatra and midnight walks—but it was still more than she’d know about any other man she’d considered dating in her life.

  Eventually they decided that email was too slow, and they’d exchanged phone numbers, with a promise from Ryan that he would call her at eight o’clock tonight. Picking up her phone, the digital numbers told her that it was still only 7:59. She sighed. Why did these last sixty seconds seem like
the longest of her life?

  The phone rang, vibrating in her hands and nearly scaring the life out of her. Quickly, she thumbed the SEND button and pressed the phone to her ear with a cheery, if somewhat breathless, “Hello?”

  “Hi there.” The voice on the other end was friendly, masculine, and just husky enough to send a pleasant shiver down her spine. “Is this Susie?”

  ****

  “Yes. Yes, it is.” Susie’s voice came through the phone, cheerful, but with that hint of nerves that made her human in a way that no supermodel or female power exec ever had for him. “You’re Ryan?”

  “I am. It’s nice to hear your voice.” It was light and sweet and smooth, he mused, a smile coming to his lips. Like whipped cream.

  She giggled, a foolish sound that warmed his heart. “You don’t sound too bad yourself. Did you know that you called exactly at eight o’clock, on the dot?”

  He felt faintly embarrassed that she’d noticed, but didn’t let it show in his voice. “Are you going to sit there and tell me that you weren’t watching the clock for this past ten minutes?” It had actually been more like half an hour, but he didn’t want to come off too strong so soon.

  “You’ve got me there,” she admitted with a little laugh. “I guess I just couldn’t wait to talk to you.”

  His smile widened. “Same here.”

  They spent a long time on the phone, talking and laughing like old friends, sharing details about their lives, both past and present. He learned she was from Arizona, and had brothers living back there.

  “Life on a farm as the only girl was tough,” she admitted. “But eventually I went to college, got my nursing degree, moved out here.”

  “Why New York?” he wanted to know. “It’s so far from your roots. Taking off across the country to start a new life must have been hard.”