The Big, Not-So-Small, Curvy Girls Dating Agency (Plush Daisies: BBW Romance) Read online

  Pulling her car alongside the curb, Becky turned off the ignition and slipped the key into her purse. The cute, neat rancher had manicured curb appeal. Round shrubs lined the front line of the home like squatty soldiers guarding a fort. A flower bed was just starting to bloom, and pavers created a path to the front door. Looking at the two cars in the drive, Becky wondered which was his, the sporty, red car or the four-wheel-drive. It could go either way really, a guy chasing after his ego in the sports car, or trying to feel ultra-masculine in his gritty truck. Is it tacky to ask? She decided to let it go, and keep her thoughts to herself.

  Ringing the doorbell, she didn’t expect her to answer. In fact, Becky had forgotten that he even had a girlfriend until the gorgeous gazelle opened the door. The woman was tall and slender, sleek, and perfectly outfitted. She easily could have stepped out of a magazine, her lips glossed, her long silky hair shining, and her clothes had the effortless look of pulled together without trying too hard.

  Becky’s hand went up to her chunky red necklace that she’d paired to her red lips, feeling silly. This girl was elegant and classy, and she was feeling anything but. Becky offered a tight smile. Maybe this was a mistake, head shots, what a crazy thought; she doesn’t even look like a business woman.

  Finally speaking after what felt like forever, “Is Reed here?”

  Only she couldn’t quite hear her, as her little dog was barking madly at her feet, ready to nip the hell out of her ankles if Ms.-Put-Together didn’t pull him off soon. A little white and brown dog was bouncing madly in front of her, intent on letting her know he was in charge and wouldn’t hesitate to act if need be.

  “What?” She said, and then barked down at her dog, “Bean, stop!” The little dog pulled back long enough for her to go, “Huh?”

  “Is Reed home? I’m here for pictures.” Why did she measure her own self-worth based on the people standing around her?

  “Oh, sure, right, he mentioned something about somebody stopping by.”

  Becky listened to her say “something about somebody”…and hated her all ready. Why? That was no reason to hate somebody. That was just stupid, but for some reason, the woman rubbed her the wrong way.

  Shouting over her shoulder, “Reed, it’s for you.” The fashion diva didn’t invite her in; she simply stood guard at the entrance with her little dog.

  When he walked to the doorway, replacing the goddess, Becky had to catch her breath. She could hide the fact that her heart was racing a mile a minute, but the crimson blush that was spreading across her cheeks was visible. “Hi, I’m Becky,” she said flustered, offering her hand.

  “Hi Becky, it’s nice to meet you. Come on inside and we’ll get started.” He was wearing a navy blue shirt with faded jeans, and a smile that was warm and welcoming. When she stepped in closer, she picked up a hint of Reed’s cologne and quietly tried to memorize his scent. He was an exquisite package.

  I’ll follow you anywhere. She couldn’t wipe the silly grin off her face. When he turned to look at her again, she grinned a little wider. How embarrassing! Stop that, holy cow; you’re like a schoolgirl with a crush. Keep it in check, lady.

  “We’ll be working in here,” he said opening the door to a back bedroom he’d turned into a small studio. “I’m still starting out, so you’ll have to excuse my office.”

  “Oh, I know how hard it is to start a business,” she lamented. “It seems like it’s taking forever to get off the ground.”

  “It’ll be worth it,” he reassured. That voice, just wow, that voice. It was enough to leave her weak in the knees.

  Reed stood six-feet tall, dreamily eight inches taller than Becky, and had the kind of shoulders a girl could lean on. She tried not to stare, but his bulging biceps peeked out from the edge of his sleeves. It’s not that there were at the point of tearing his shirt, but the curved masculinity of them hinted at his strength. A firm wall of muscle seemed to be representing his chest by the way his t-shirt clung to his body. It Becky ever had a type, Reed Amwell was it.

  See, now this is exactly what she hated. If a man was judging her based on appearance alone, she’d get angry, and here she was doing the same damn thing. How could she have one set of standards for men, and yet another for women? It wasn’t fair. Slinking in, Becky realized she had double standards as the reality slapped her in the face. She was just as bad as the rest of them. She wanted to claim it was biological in her defense, but wasn’t it for everybody? Well, sometimes, but maturity should get you past that!

  “You can put your bag over here, and then go sit on the stool over there,” he said absently pointing, while fidgeting with his camera.

  Propping herself on the stool, Becky sat stiff, not sure she could put on her best face. It was hard to think of anything but the man in front of her. It was like some childish infatuation, and she was having a heck of a time snapping out of it.

  “You seem a little nervous, just try to relax,” he grinned. “This won’t hurt a bit.”

  Reed adjusted the lighting and stood looking at the girl through his lens. Something was off. He couldn’t quite place it. Her shoulders were tense, her jawline tight, and her hands were cinched together desperately on her lap. This wouldn’t do, if she couldn’t relax, the pictures wouldn’t come out great.

  Reed let his camera rest in his hands as he looked at the girl. It’s like she was missing a spark. Sure she was smiling, but she seemed awkward. Trying to break the ice, Reed spoke. “Tell me about your business, you mentioned something about dating?”

  How could she say it was for fat chicks? She’d be mortified; he wouldn’t understand! How could he? He was an Adonis, and if she admitted it was for plus size girls like her, she’d be outing herself, and admitting out loud that she was fat. Who wants to do that in front of a cute guy? It’s not like he couldn’t see what she looked like, there was no hiding that fact, but saying it out loud felt overwhelming.

  “Yep, I want to be a matchmaker,” she said, her lips thin and tight, wishing she was more important. She wanted to say something impressive like that she was a doctor or lawyer, but she was simply a matchmaker, or at least trying to be one. Becky’s self-judgment felt obvious.

  “What got you interested in that?”

  “Not getting enough dates…” she laughed, aching for a moment of clarity. She didn’t mean to be so uptight sitting there, but she was stuck between nerves and the pure terror he’d realize she was fawning over him inside. “I’m kidding,” not really, “honestly; I just like the idea of bringing two people together.”

  Reed smiled. She had a nice laugh; it was real, not something phony that so many women hid behind these days. It’s a shame she can’t relax, because when she did a moment ago her entire face lit up.

  Lifting his camera, he started snapping as they talked. Looking through his lens, he noticed something – it was almost…oh wow. There was no tactful way to handle this.

  Lowering the camera, he was about to speak when Becky jumped off the stool.

  “Wow, that was fast, super, thanks so much, will you ring me when they’re finished?”

  “We’re not finished,” he said, “where are you going?”

  “Oh, I just assumed,” she said, “you stopped taking pictures.”

  Reed took a deep breath, how do you politely tell somebody there’s something stuck between their teeth. “Why don’t you check yourself in the mirror, and make sure everything is to your liking before I continue.”

  “No need, it doesn’t get much better,” she goaded, “besides, the sooner we finish, the sooner you can go back to your evening. I don’t want to take up your time.”

  “Umm,” he hesitated. “You may want to,” he held off, and with his finger tapped on his front tooth to clue her in. He couldn’t just come out and say it, could he?

  “What? Not getting it, what’s up?” She stared at the man as he toyed with his fingers.

  Reed took a deep breath, honesty was the only way. “You’ve got something stuck bet
ween your teeth. I didn’t notice it until I zoomed in with the camera lens. I didn’t want to embarrass you.”

  Becky turned three shades of red, and slammed her hand up over her mouth. Not only was she sitting there talking to him, he got a close up view of food wedged between her two front teeth! She wanted to die on the spot, die I tell you. Becky’s eyes went wide, realizing that all this time that she’d been smiling and talking, some rebel piece of food was jammed like a beaver damn in her mouth.

  Talking through her hand, “Where’s the bathroom?”

  “Down the hall, first door on the left,” he shot out behind her as she raced down the hallway.

  Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, Becky stared at the offending piece of spinach. “Traitor,” she ranted at the greenery sprouting in her mouth as if it had nothing better to do. How did it even end up there? It’s as if the world moved in slow motion. Pinning herself to the bathroom door, she didn’t want to go back.

  It’s just a piece of food, she groaned, it happens to everyone. Why now, why here? Taking a deep breath, she fixed herself, checked the mirror a second, third, and fourth time, and then went back down the hallway pretending like she hadn’t just died a little bit inside.

  “I’m sorry about that,” she whispered, entering the room. She couldn’t look at him. All she could picture was her stupid ass silly grin with food wedged between her teeth. Talk about making a bad first impression.

  “It’s not a big deal, really,” he soothed. “It happens.”

  “Sure, to people like me,” she sighed. “I’ll bet nothing embarrassing like that happens to you.”

  “Are you kidding me?” He started laughing, “I farted on the chiropractor’s table one time!”

  Becky burst out laughing, “You what? Come on, now you’re making stuff up to make me feel better.”

  “No, really, it happened. I was getting an adjustment, and there it was. It wasn’t like some quiet thing you could pretend didn’t happen, it was loud and obnoxious. The chiropractor tried to act like it didn’t happen, she was classy like that. She was tactful and discreet, but then it lingered, you know?”

  Becky’s sides started to hurt, she felt the giggles rise out of her belly, up through her chest and then she was crying. Tears streaming down her cheeks, “Okay, that would more than embarrass me. I’d be mortified.”

  “Oh, I was horrified. We were talking golf, and there it was.”

  “I thought guys weren’t embarrassed about that stuff,” she said, grasping for air.

  “Sure, with your buddies you joke about it, but it’s embarrassing in front of some hot chiropractor. I mean, if I was sitting in front of the TV watching a ball game with my friends, I’d be prancing around…”

  “Prancing? You don’t seem like the prancing type.”

  Reed started laughing. “You’re right, busted. I’d be fist pumping or something, prancing isn’t really my style.”

  “Interesting choice of words,” she said, looking at the man before her. He was incredibly attractive. She wished she didn’t keep noticing.

  “Yeah, I sort of pulled that one out of my ass unexpectedly.”

  “I see, so your bottom is like a carnival of excitement, all sorts of things coming out of it, fancy prance words, entertainment at the chiropractor’s office,” she trailed off.

  Reed was grinning, this was so much better than when she first got here. She was relaxed, happy, and had a sparkle in her eye. Laughter is good for the soul.

  Lifting his camera, he directed her, “Okay, tilt your chin a little to the right.”

  Seeing her through the lens, he noticed her softness and joy in her face. There was something special about this girl. He couldn’t place it, but there was a beauty he hadn’t seen when she first walked through the door. Her blonde hair framed her face perfectly, and the way her eyes danced when she laughed, it made you want to be around her without even knowing why.

  Snapping the last of the pictures, he slowly lowered the lens, watching the woman before the camera. “That was great,” he said, almost not wanting their time to end. What a weird feeling. It’s not that he was attracted to her that way, it was just that he was enjoying their time together, and there was something else…he couldn’t put his finger on it.

  “Thank you so much,” Becky offered. “I have no idea when my business will take off, but when it does, maybe we could work together at some point. I’d like to do professional headshots of the women I’ll be working with.”

  “I’d like that,” he said, looking at the blonde. He took note of her milky complexion and the perfect shade of red on her lips. He liked it. “I’ll give you a call when the pictures are ready,” he said, showing her to the door.

  The little dog was back sniffing around her feet, and as she said goodbye she barely noticed the pooch. She was too busy taking in Reed’s good looks to even care that the dog was about to lift his leg.

  “Bean,” he shouted before it could happen. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the little dog about to mark her leg. Grateful to stop the dog before matters got worse, he said goodnight. That little dickens is always getting into trouble.

  In her car, Becky exhaled deeply. “Wow.” Her pulse was still racing, and she couldn’t wipe the giant, goofy grin off of her face. Doing a quick check in the mirror, her teeth were still spinach free, thank goodness.

  Chapter 4

  “So I’m sitting there thinking he’s done and I jump up. Only he’s just trying to find a way to break the news to me.”

  “Stop, stop,” she laughed. “Didn’t you check before you got there?”

  “Apparently not,” Becky deadpanned.

  “Isn’t his girlfriend gorgeous?”

  “Yeah, talk about feeling less than glamorous, boy I felt like a major underachiever when she opened the door.”

  “Yeah,” Sam said, sticking her hand in the chip bag to take a fistful. “They’re getting married at the end of the year.”

  “Married?” Becky wilted. It’s not like she thought she stood a chance, and it’s not like she even wanted a boyfriend, but Reed Amwell left her breathless, and the thought he’d be permanently off the market made her sad.

  “Yeah, she’s the one I was telling you about. She wants to do the big wedding over at Oaks.” Munching on some chips, “Remember, I told you about how she was fighting with her boyfriend because he wanted something smaller, and she kept making it bigger.”

  “Oh! I never put two and two together.” Sam gossiped with her about most of her clients. Some were friends; some were pain in the asses.

  “Right, and remember I was telling you about how she said his penis was…”

  Becky slammed her hands up over her ears, “Wait! Don’t say it! I don’t want to know.” Was she afraid it would be bad news, or big news, and that just make her sadder knowing she’d never experience his…never mind.

  Samantha grinned, and used her hands instead. “Big” she emphasized the length with her gestures.

  “Dammit, Sam, I didn’t need to know. I’m already smitten with the guy.”

  “Becky’s got a crush,” Samantha sang. “Hey, no biggie, oh wait, yes it is,” she cackled.

  Exhaling deeply, “Man, that guy is hot.”

  “You need to find some Reed types for your dating agency. Of course, you need guys who fawn over us pudgier types,” she smiled. “And when you find a great one, hook me up!”

  “Not as many guys are answering my ads as women are, I’m not sure where to find them.”

  “Maybe you should have a party, sort of a get to know what it’s all about, but make it fun. You know hot strippers for the girls, poker for the guys, or at least beer. You need beer. Guys will come for free beer.”

  “Yes, let me just rustle up a whopping picnic du jour at the park.”

  “Oh, that’s brilliant! Isn’t there a community day or something coming up? You could set up a booth, and put out applications, sweet talk people into putting their names into a hat
for a great prize. Like win a massage at the local spa, or win new tires or something for the guys.”

  “New tires?”

  “Okay, so this isn’t my strong point, but you know what I’m saying.”

  “Actually, it isn’t such a bad idea, but I think I’ll pass on the tires.”

  “You should call the township and get information to set up as a vendor. I’ll help you. Hey, did you pull those flyers down yet?”

  “A few, but I’m not sure where else to look. I snagged one at the pet store, one at the library, and one over at the market, but that’s all I saw. Nice flyers.”

  “Hey!”

  “Sorry. Crappy, crappy flyers, very unprofessional,” she said apologetically.

  “Right, and Pristine Pooches, please, where are we Crystal Beach? Let it go,” she rolled her eyes. “The owner is probably some diva.”

  “Really? You see a diva washing dogs?”

  “What, it could happen.”

  “Okay,” Becky laughed, “it’s just not a very glamorous job.”

  “Hey, it’s a living.”

  “And a good one, but I don’t see her being a diva.”

  “I don’t know, Pristine sounds pompous if you ask me,” Sam said glumly.

  “So tell me what else you know about Reed, just avoid the sex stuff.”

  “So in other words, you want the boring details? Why do you care anyway?”

  “I’m just curious.”

  “You do realize he’s engaged to be married,” she paused dramatically, “this year.”

  “It’s not like that, I’m just curious. I might work with him when I get my business going, to do headshots.”

  “Sure, that’s exactly what it is. Go ahead and tell yourself that.”

  “Shut up and pass the chips,” Becky scowled. “So what, he’s cute.”

  “Cute he is; I’ll give you that.”