Free The Prince Charming Hoax by Elyse Grant Page B

belt she wore and jotted down some notes. She leafed through the pages of the book, reading random selections. While she was writing, she was rarely pleased with her work. Then, when she read it over later on, she ’ d be surprised at how good it was. “ Somewhere in the pages of my journals is a great book, ” she thought. “ And one day soon I ’ m going to write it. ” She smiled at the prospect. “ Then Ms. Robin West will rue the day she dumped me. And so will that asshole, Doug. ”
    Leah closed her journal and dialed Roxie ’ s cell. She was about to hang up when Roxie finally answered after six rings.
    “ Did I wake you, Rox? I thought you ’ d be on your way to work by now. ”
    “ What time is it? Shit, almost 8:30? Leah, it ’ s a good thing you woke me. ”
    “ You must have had a good time with D.J., then. ”
    “ Yeah. He was fine. But, if you can call having someone slip drugs in your drink a good time, then I had a blast. ”
    “ What? He put drugs in your drink? ”
    “ No! Some chick at the club D.J. took me to put Ecstasy in my drink. But, he got me out of there and flushed me with water. I ’ m fine. Actually, the evening went very well after that. ”
    “ Rox, are you mad? You went to a club you ’ ve never been to before with a guy you barely know and get drugged. And you ’ re telling me the evening went very well? ”
    “ Leah, did you ever do Ecstasy? ”
    “ Never. But I do know the stuff ’ s dangerous when you take it with alcohol, especially when it ’ s put in your drink without your knowledge! And what do you know about this guy D.J., anyway? Mr. Hottie hardly seems your type to me. ”
    “ Come on, Leah. I like being on the edge and taking risks. You know I ’ d never take the stuff intentionally, but I have to tell you, the sex was amazing last night. Even better than the first time. ”
    “ Rox, I ’ ve had this overwhelming sensation since yesterday that something bad was going to happen to someone I care about. Do you remember if you used protection, at least? ”
    “ Yeah, yeah. ”
    “ Are you sure you ’ re all right? ”
    “ Something very strange did happen to me, but I ’ ll tell you about it later. Right now I have to get going. I ’ m already in hot water over the other ’ s day disappearance. I ’ ll call you later. ”
    Leah put her phone away and took off her running shoes. She pressed her toes into the sand, making grooves with one foot, and then smoothing the ridges out with the other. Yes, Roxie said she loved excitement, Leah thought. But, at the end of the day, what she really wants is security, like the rest of us. She has said over and over that all she wants is to meet the right guy and have a fun relationship. The irony is that all the exciting guys she hooks up with want the fun without the commitment.
    “ We are some pair, like Dumb and Dumber, at least when it comes to men. No matter how many times we get let down, we keep believing the next guy will be Mr. Right, our Prince Charming. ”
    Leah gazed out at the wave-less ocean. The flat, gray water splashed up on the shore with barely any foam, matching how she felt. Her premonition had been correct. Roxie had been in trouble. And Leah couldn ’ t shake the feeling that things would get worse for both of them before they got better.

Chapter 9
    The sounds of digital cameras clicking filled the air as doting parents crowded the landscaped backyard and vied for position to get the best angle to photograph their offspring on prom night.
    Content that she had fulfilled her parental duty, Leah tucked her camera into her purse and moved away from the crowd to join Jonathan on the sidelines. He took her arm and led her to the pool deck where it was less crowded. They watched as prom-goers dutifully rearranged on command—all girls, all boys, couples, sets of friends.
    Leah noted with maternal pleasure that Ali managed to be in the center of almost every shot, always ready with a smile