Free Bachelor Number Five (The Bachelor Series, Volume 1) by Kenneth Rosenberg Page B

from me.”
    “Did you talk to him?”
    “I tried to.” Peter laughed to himself.  “I told him he must be a pretty cool dude, because cute chicks all over Hollywood had his photo on their walls.  I was a little drunk.”
    “What did he say?”
    “Not much.”
    “Was he with anyone?”
    Peter seemed to sense for the first time how important this was to Amanda, that it wasn’t just a lark.  “There were a few people with him, yeah.”
    “Girls?”
    “I guess so.  It wasn’t any big deal.  I’m sorry I can’t help you out any more than that.”
    “That’s all right,” Amanda said, though she was a little disappointed that there wasn’t more to it.  At least she knew that he really was around, and that running into him was indeed a possibility.
    “If I see him again, I’ll try to make a better impression.”  Peter laughed again, but a little uneasily this time.  “Maybe I can glean some info for you.”
    “Forget it.  I’m sorry to bother you.  I’ll see you around.”  Amanda walked back to her apartment and through the living room, again without saying a word to Lauren.  Once in her room she closed the door behind her, sat on her bed and kicked off her shoes as she processed everything that had just happened.  Peter thought she was cute.  That’s what he’d said.  “Cute chicks all over Hollywood.”  Amanda was a cute chick.  The realization made her very nervous.  She had to admit, deep down, it made her very happy, too.

Chapter Eleven
     
    “Hey, you better be calling to tell me you met number nine!”
    “What about Donny?  I don’t think he’d like it if he heard you talking about number nine all the time.”
    “Forget about Donny.  I don’t want to talk about Donny.”
    “Don’t tell me you guys split up again.”
    “I said I don’t want to talk about Donny!”
    “Oh, Piper, don’t worry.  Everything is going to work out fine between you two.”
    “That’s easy for you to say, clear across the country out in La La Land, with the palm trees and the movie stars.  I’ve half a mind to come out there and join you.”
    “We do have a nice big couch if you want to come for a visit.”
    “A visit?!  Pffft…”  Piper made a sound of exasperation.  “If I drag myself all the way out there it’s gonna be for more than just a visit.”
    “What would Lucy do without you?!” said Amanda.
    “She’s doing fine without you .  She’d do fine without me, too.”
    “Did she find someone to take my place?”
    “Susie Chapman.  You remember her, from school?”
    “Yeah, I remember Susie.  She always seemed like a nice girl.”
    “She’s all right.”  Piper was dismissive.  “She’s not you, though.”
    “Don’t be too hard on her.”  From her seat on the living room couch, Amanda crossed her legs and rested them on the coffee table.  She twirled a strand of her hair around her left index finger as she settled in.  She’d called Piper to quell a lingering sense of homesickness, but so far this conversation wasn’t helping much.
    “How are you doing out there, anyway?” Piper asked.  “You dating number five yet?”
    “No, but I’m working in the same restaurant he used to work in.”
    “Get out!”
    “I start on Tuesday.  It’s called The Hamburger Hut.”
    “Did you ask about him?  Does anyone have his number?!”
    “The only server I talked to thought I was just another fan girl with a crush.”
    “Oh, please.”
    “Which I sort of am.”
    “Ok, maybe you are, but number five would still be lucky to have you!”
    “Thanks, Piper.”
    “I mean it!  When are you going to realize what a catch you are?!”
    Amanda couldn’t answer right away.  She hadn’t even been on a date in nearly a year, and that had been a disaster.  The only thing he’d wanted to do was drink whiskey at Rusty’s and then drag her back to his place.  She’d almost gone home with him, too.  What did that say about her?  In some ways she wished