Swept Away (The Escape Series Novellas Book 1)

  Swept Away

  The Escape Series

  Novella One

  TRISHA FUENTES

  Swept Away

  Copyright © 2018 by TRISHA FUENTES

  This book is a work of fiction. All names, characters and places are used fictitiously. Historical figures, sports figures, celebrities, entertainers, songs, trademarks, brand names and likenesses are the sole property and copyright of their respective authors. All fictional written material is copyright of Trisha Fuentes and pu. Cover image by VJ Dunraven Productions. Reuse and/or reproduction of any images and written material are strictly prohibited.

  This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this Author.

  ISBN: 9781731101440

  Acknowledgments

  This book is dedicated to all my Romance Readers Rejoice!

  Chapter One

  Yesterday was her birthday. She turned forty-five. Halfway to fifty. There could be worse things.

  Cassie Monerrez sat on her couch in the living room and tried to concentrate on a mass market paperback she picked up at Target. Shutting it quickly, she laid it on her lap and swung her feet up on the couch and crossed her feet at her ankles. Laying her head down she recollected the night before.

  What a night.

  Her best friends since high school, Rayna Russo and Liz Tobin met her at her favorite Mexican restaurant, Juanito’s for a night of chips and salsa, sriracha coconut shrimp appetizers and margaritas. She recalled drinking the first three, after that, she couldn’t remember how many the threesome had ordered. Her night did include a round ordered by a few cute guys, but then she doesn’t remember much after that.

  Her birthday was kind of a blur. With good intentions, she met her best friends to have some laughs and talk about their ex-husbands. What she ended up doing was going home with some stranger who was now occupying her bathroom about to leave.

  How did she get here?

  Sleeping with random guys was not her style, but she was drunk enough to think so and brought home sex with no name.

  Cassie leaned over to see if Mr. No Name was out of her bathroom yet, he wasn’t. Good thing her kids were staying with their father this week, otherwise this visit would have been—awkward.

  Tristan and Kendra, ages seventeen and fifteen were both out of school on Spring Break and Cassie had her house to herself. Her eldest son, Noah was attending Oregon State and he had been out of the house for quite some time. Thank goodness for that too, for Noah was always judgmental, especially now since she was single.

  Cassie swung her legs over to the floor and was startled by Mr. No Name who suddenly filled her hallway. Walking into the living room, he kept a safe distance several feet away. Cassie was surprised to see Mr. No Name so young! He couldn’t have been more than two or three years older than Noah and the realization made her cringe.

  Cassie painstakingly smiled.

  Mr. No Name smirked. “Well, I’ve gotta go now.”

  Cassie nodded her head. “There’s a water bottle in the fridge,” she spat out, closing her eyes. What, was she sending him away to a soccer game?

  He didn’t want nourishment, he wanted to be home-free and began to walk towards the door.

  Cassie stood up.

  Mr. No Name halted, “I had a good time.”

  “Me too,” she lied, having not remembered any of last night.

  “Well, see ya,” he let go, stepping towards the door and reaching for the doorknob.

  Cassie stood her ground and didn’t move an inch. She wasn’t going to chase him or beg him to stay. She didn’t even want to know him.

  He was a mistake.

  One of many.

  After her divorce, Cassie liberated all her inhibitions and threw caution to that wind. Introducing herself to men just for the sake of it. At work, fundraisers, soccer practice, getting gas, you name it, she did it. She was so determined to show him. Him, was of course, was her ex-husband Damon Monerrez.

  She married Damon a year out of high school, so in love she couldn’t see straight, she was determined to make him hers. Funny now when you look back at it, how naive she really was in that making him ‘hers’ came coupled with the stress of making the bills, pregnancy, unemployment and a cheating spouse.

  Never in her life would she want to change things. She was glad she was forty-five having gone through all that heartache only to survive at the end with her sanity and their four-bedroom house.

  Damon plus girlfriend number three now live in a rented house just a few blocks away. And yes, he does pop in every now and then ‘just to see how she was holding up’ or ‘I’m hungry, what’s for dinner?’

  Maturing as young adults, getting over those growing pains was beneficial to her and Damon, they were friendly now...some would say, best friends now...and she rather liked it that way.

  Damon was her first in everything. First kiss, first love, first sexual experience. He would always have a place in heart, always...she just didn’t want to live with him anymore. She did try to keep their marriage together for the sake of the kids, by going to marriage counseling, but their trust was broken, and she could no longer heal.

  So, Damon moved out, moved in with his then twenty-something girlfriend and Cassie filed for divorce.

  Luckily, she still had her job.

  Cassie never did finish college, so after Kendra was about five, Cassie went back to work as an assistant at Noah’s high school, Regal High. She loved working there with all its spontaneity and drama. One day was always different than the next. Lost and found, cuts and bruised knees, a line for the principal’s office and the occasional stow-away pet.

  On one such occasion, Pete Moskowitz couldn’t part ways with his beloved pet snake and Cassie had to wrangle the slimy reptile away from Pete’s backpack where he held it hostage. The darn thing (not poisonous by the way) wrapped its clammy body around Cassie’s arms and up her shoulders only to stay there until the Animal Control Center could arrive.

  Good times.

  Chapter Two

  Eventually, Cassie was promoted to a teacher’s aide. Not quite what she wanted to be when she grew up, but it paid the bills.

  She had every major American holiday off, Easter vacation and summer breaks--all with pay and benefits. There could be worse things.

  So, being single.

  Was it nice to be single? Yes and No.

  Yes, because she was released from the stress of no longer having to act like her Damon’s mother and the perpetual detective. Yes, she did put tabs on him. Checked his cell phone daily, the monthly bill, even followed him to work one day. Funny how everyone always says nothing beats a woman’s intuition.

  So, telling YOU now, TRUST YOUR INTUITION!

  If you think he’s doing something bad--he is.

  And did her husband deny it? Of course.

  Was it painful to find out he was sleeping with a twenty-something on his route? You bet.

  But ten years later, she no longer cares. Time does heal all wounds--oh the memories still linger, especially when she sees him, but the act disappears and seems to fade with the seasons.

  And then there’s dating.

  Hard to get back on that horse, so to say, when the horse has thrown you off and hooved you in your derriere. After being in a relationship for so long, it was difficult for Cassie to be introduced to that dating world. And what a new world it was!

  Internet dating. Who knew?

  Who knew you could get to know someone intimately by typing a few words on your cell phone? Dating apps? My goodness, Cassie often thought. Whoever invented those should be gi
ven an award and a gazillion dollars. No more having to dress up in your shortest skirt and fancy high heels to go out to pick someone up at a bar. You can now flirt successfully in your PJ’s and slippers, with no make-up on and messy hair. No one would be the wiser.

  Liz introduced her to all the popular dating apps: Match, Tinder, Plenty of Fish, Zoosk. And Cassie could spend literally hours on each of them. She found out quickly that it was almost like a job if she was the new face on the site. She had a lot of inquiries immediately, and if she had the time and computer skills, she was on the internet 24/7 to see if she got any interest.

  Twenty percent of them were truly datable, the rest could just get lost.

  At first, Cassie tried to puff up her profile with bait that might interest men. But after a few short weeks, she started attracting the wrong sort of heathens. Hook-ups, DTF (really?!) and the no-shows. She had to be explicit in what she was searching for and hopefully attract the kind of men that would fit those requirements.

  Were they interesting?

  What have they done or about to do, what were their interests?

  Canoe rafting, bungee jumping…? Was she really interested in that kind of extreme sports activity?

  Good, kind, loyal was what everyone was looking for.

  Cassie soon found out that she had to sift through a lot of men who she didn’t have anything in common with.

  Swipe left.

  Swipe right.

  Cassie also learned that most of the men (who were butt ugly btw) were looking for somebody who were attractive and fit with no comparison to their own attractiveness. All searching for some kind of Barbie Doll or fantasy date.

  If someone was really serious about meeting someone on a dating site, why would they lie? If you met them in person, the truth would come out eventually or else you just chat on forever. Some people just want to chat, they get whatever they’re missing strictly through chatting. Some men, Cassie also found out, like to meet just through the computer and have no intention of ever meeting you in person.

  The deception was rampant.

  There were no rules. Rules were invented on the fly.

  Texting someone you’re interested in could feel exhilarating, but also exhausting. Every interaction was laden with meaning: How long should she wait to write back? What does his delay imply? Is texting with an exclamation point too much? Should she use a winking emoji?

  Many nights, Cassie would be yelling down at her laptop, “Oh please, do you really think I was going to respond to you?”

  And when she had agreed to meet for ‘coffee’, Cassie was geared up to meet a handsome date—after all, she’d seen his picture on the app--so she had a mental idea of what she was looking for, but it may have been a picture of when they were fifty pounds lighter, or fifteen years younger. What a disappointment! You’re not gonna be rude but they lied about what they put on their profile. More times than not, Cassie tried to be polite and act like she was interested in that little time they were entitled to.

  And the hardest part for Cassie was always making herself vulnerable. She had to put herself out there to perfect strangers and agree to meet them because she was serious about dating but then became defenseless because this alien you agreed to get to know was...well...alien.

  There were men on the internet who were serious and honest, but they weren’t for Cassie. Either too tall, too short, no hair or hairy, the brotherly friend--and just not her type. There was never any spark, and Cassie wanted to fall in love again.

  Then there were the differences in ages--oh did she mention the excuses?

  “I have to go feed my goldfish.”

  “I don’t think I’m ready for a relationship.”

  Then you start to get picky…

  No baggage. No clingy ex-wives.

  So much disappointment!

  Then there’s her favorite reminder in the whole wide world. Her friends make sure to always remind her (at least once a day) ...

  “Make sure they wear protection, Cass. You don’t want to contract any kind of disease.”

  Another world that you don’t think about when you’re in a marriage.

  To make sure you stock plenty of condoms.

  Chapter Three

  Both kids were asleep.

  It was Friday night.

  Midnight...and she didn’t have a date.

  What do you do when you’re all alone, with the house quiet and sort of lonely? You cruise profiles, that’s what you do.

  Cassie was in her bedroom, cozy under the covers, with several pillows behind her to support her back. On her laptop surfing men, she began to filter through all the ‘newest’ profiles, hoping to find Mr. Right.

  Some days it would be three to four, others, maybe over a hundred...but there was always someone new. Fun to read, exciting to gawk at, intriguing to find out whether they’d be interested in you too.

  So, Mr. Smith rides a Harley...Seems interesting. He’s forty-nine...older than her, she liked that. Works in advertising...what exactly does that mean? Does he write ads? Sell ads? Shuffles out the mail? He’s a Capricorn, almost six feet tall. Almost? Why not just say you’re six feet tall, don’t say ‘almost’? Loves to ski--both water and snow, she liked that too. Lives a healthy lifestyle, works-out, jogs and plays the occasional forward on the office basketball team. Not bad but wait...Never been married?!

  He’s forty-nine and never been married?! What’s wrong with him?

  He’s either not a relationship kind of guy, got dumped many, many times before or doesn’t have time for ‘her’.

  Does she want to go out with that type of man? No.

  Who else?

  Oh, here’s another…

  Mr. Alvarez...rhymes with Monerrez, she liked that. He’s fifty-one...okay, she’s good with that. He works with animals. She loves animals, cats or dogs, loves her furry friends. So, he works with them? Like what, is he trainer? Dog walker? Groomer? Pet Physic? Vet? More details, Mr. Alvarez. He’s an Aquarius, hmmm...she dated another Aqua Man, so free with their love, so free with females he calls ‘friends’--NEXT.

  Who else?

  Oh, this guy is sexy-looking! How brave he must be to post a shirtless photo of himself as his profile picture. Not bad, Cassie thought, scrolling down to read the rest. Oh, score! He’s a doctor! A sexy doctor, yummy. He’s forty-five...same age, divorced with two teenage kids...hmmm, it’s written in the stars!

  Cassie closed her eyes and swiped right.

  She heard the ‘ding’ indicating that she received a reply on her laptop that same night, but she ignored it and went about her business the next morning. By the time she sat back down at her laptop, Cassie had already dropped the kids off at school, went to work, picked them up at both soccer and basketball practices, cooked linguine in a lemon pine sauce and took a shower.

  Yes, you could say she was a little nervous, having not wanted to run towards that ‘ding’ after so many bad dates and experiences. She just didn’t want to get her hopes up just to be let down...again.

  Cassie wandered over to her bathroom mirror and started to brush her hair. Gazing at her reflection she wondered what men really did think of her appearance. Damon always thought she was pretty, but that was back when they were a couple, now at forty-five, was she still attractive?

  She was a natural brunette, but had colored her hair a coffee tone and now enjoyed long brown layers mixed with red. Her eyes were blue. She always hated being a brunette with blue eyes, having envied girls with blond hair/blue eyed combinations. But as she got older, she came to appreciate her own uniqueness and watched as friends of hers, even supermodels dye their own hair dark just to insinuate their blue eyes.

  Then there were her two assets.

  Yes, she did get breast implants. After Kendra was born, her breasts shriveled up from a C-cup to an A. The aftermath and destruction of breastfeeding bull-dozed her body from perky to inflated and she put aside money every month to purchase her saving grace.

 
Cassie guessed she was considered luckier than most to still have a cute little figure, and at five feet four inches tall, she was considered a mini treasure. Her profile picture wasn’t too risqué as well--she posted one of herself in a tank top, hair down pictured from the waist up.

  Ding

  Cassie sharply turned towards the sound and gingerly walked over to her laptop. Opening the face, she was instantly taken to Tinder.

  You’ve been matched!

  The doctor asked to open a chat. She was interested too and immediately clicked ‘Yes’.

  Cassie’s handle was Petite Gem; the doctors was...what? Dr. Love?! Okay...cheesy, but funny.

  Dr. Love: Hi! Call me Adam, you are?

  Petite Gem: Hi Adam! My name is Cassie.

  Dr. Love: Love your profile picture, you’re so beautiful!

  Petite Gem: Love yours as well Adam.

  Dr. Love: I haven’t always liked to go to the gym, but since my divorce, I practically live there!

  Petite Gem: LOL, well you look great.

  Dr. Love: So, tell me a little bit about yourself (no pun intended)

  Always with the little jokes, lol.

  Petite Gem: I’m also 45 and divorced with two teenagers! What kind of medicine do you practice?

  Dr. Love: Not so fast, I asked you first!

  Petite Gem: Sorry.

  Dr. Love: So, what do you do?

  Petite Gem: I’m an office assistant at Regal High School. Do you work locally?

  Dr. Love: Oh, what a small world! My twins attended Regal two years ago. Trevor is attending Michigan State, while Tanner is at Notre Dame, both on football scholarships. And yes, it takes me about 10 mins to get to the office.

  Petite Gem: Wow! Congratulations! My eldest, Noah is attending Oregon State. Do they want to be doctors like their dad?

  Dr. Love: Sports medicine, proud of them.