Munch Plushie (Turquoise) & Nudged (Signed Paperback)

That's it! I'm done with men. I'll be better off dating myself.

A weekend away at a secluded cabin to paint a new commission is the perfect way to kick off my “man-cott.” Or it would be if the man I most wanted to avoid, and couldn’t get over, wasn’t there at the same time. (This had meddling matchmaker Tillie’s name all over it. I’ll deal with her later.) And if the storm of the century hadn’t trapped us together. Alone. In the dark. With no distractions or interruptions. And only one bed. Ugh!

Of all the people in the world to be stranded with, it had to be this arrogant oaf. The one I’d most like to strangle with my bare hands—if I could do it from a safe distance. Extendo arms would be helpful. Simply being in the same room with him is dangerous…to my heart, anyway.

You see, not only is Nash Porter my sworn enemy, he’s also the one I’ve been in love with since grade school—my brother’s best friend. The guy who rejected me and destroyed my tender heart, yet was still there to taunt and tease me during my most embarrassing moments.

If I can just stay mad at him, I’ll be safe.

It’s all I can do to keep from smacking the cocky smirk off his face whenever he glances my way. Better than kissing it off. At least, that’s what I tell myself.

There’s no way we get out of this unscathed. Send help!

Nudged is a sweet, forced proximity, brother’s best friend romantic comedy. It is loaded with witty banter and snark, laugh-out-loud moments, small-town charm, a lovable mutt, and swoony kisses. All the fun and feels, without the spice or swears.

PRESENT DAY ~ MOONLIT LAKE, MN

I stumbled out of my room in my favorite Oscar the Grouch slippers, barely opening my eyes before finding the coffee machine. Hallelujah. The pot was full and waiting for me. “Cass, you’re a goddess. I could kiss you.” 

My best friend and roommate, Cassidy, gave me an amused side-eye as she poured herself a bowl of cereal. “Glad I could be of service, but save the kiss. Do I even need to ask how your date went last night?”

The humiliation I felt after my worst-date-ever hadn’t dulled overnight like I’d hoped. And neither had the pounding in my head after trying to ease my post-date misery with a few glasses of red. I leaned back into the couch cushions, closed my eyes against a headache and the too-bright morning sun, and swallowed a hefty gulp of coffee. I cast Cass a forlorn look. “I’ve discovered yet another lower level within the depths of the dating pool.”

She snorted. “Was it located inside that almost empty glass?” She pointed her spoon at last night’s wine glass still on the living room coffee table next to the half-empty bottle of wine.

I shook my head, holding up my index finger between us. “First off, this guy ogled me from the moment I walked in, never once raising his eyes to look at my face. I don’t even know what color his eyes are. And I’m telling you, I tried to find out.” 

Cassidy laughed and rolled her eyes to the heavens. She knew the type.

“We ordered drinks and made the typical first date small talk. No red flags there. But then he asked if I ever wore nylons. He said this while practically drooling on my mini skirt and bare legs. When I told him no, only my grandmother still wears pantyhose, he said he had a bag of them from his mom. I had no idea where he was going with this, right? So I just said, okay. His face lit up. Then he leans over and whispers that he has a fetish for nylons. His brows waggled, and he leered at me again, making my skin crawl. He said, ‘next time I’ll bring the bag and we can have some fun with them.’” I almost gagged just telling the story.

“Ew. What did you do?”

“What do you think? I told him he should date his pantyhose-wearing mom, cooled him off by pouring my drink in his lap, and left.”

“What a weirdo. You have the worst luck with dates. Other people go on blind dates or meet someone online and they turn out great. Not Raven Rhodes. If there’s a pig or scumbag within a fifty-mile radius, you’ve either been set up with or hit on by him.”

“Truth. I don’t know why I keep putting myself through this torture, Cass.”

“Because you’re defiantly avoiding the inevitable,” she mumbled with her mouth full of Cheerios.

 I ignored her and continued. “Oh, and you wanna know what’s even worse?”

“What could possibly be worse?” she asked.

“Nash was there at the bar, and that Kardashian-wannabee Daphne was all over him like a coat of paint. I probably stayed on this date longer than I normally would have because I didn’t want him to witness yet another of my dates go down in flames.” I dropped my head into my hands and groaned. “There must be something inherently wrong with me, that I keep attracting all these losers. Maybe I’m one of those artists who needs things to be bad to be inspired. Like Van Gogh, Degas, Munch. Maybe I’m bringing this all on myself as a way of helping my creativity.”

“Oh, come on, Raven. You know that’s not true.” She pointed her spoon at me to emphasize her point. “Those artists were neurotic and mentally unstable and needed art as a therapeutic outlet. You’re nothing like that.”

“Fine. If I don’t need it for my work, then I’m giving up on men altogether. No more blind dates. No more set-ups. Nothing.” I brought my left hand to my heart and held my right hand up in an oath. “I hereby swear I’m done dating and commit whole-heartedly to single life. I don’t need a man to make me happy. I’m fine all on my own.”

Cassidy tilted her head and twisted her mouth to the side, not buying a word of it.

I took a sip of my coffee before setting the cup on the coffee table. “Hey, I’ve heard there’s a new trend of people dating themselves. Maybe I’ll do that.” I bounced on the couch facing Cassidy, folding my legs beneath me, and patted the cushion excitedly. “Yes! That’s it! I’ll take myself out on the most amazing dates. Treat myself to flowers and walks on the beach. All the things I wish a date would do for me, I’ll do them for myself.”

“That’s not a bad idea. But I don’t think it will necessarily solve your problem.”

“Sure it will. I won’t be going on anymore bad dates.” 
Cass’s brow lifted. “Those bad dates are an annoyance, for sure, but not the real problem.”

“Stop trying to psycho-analyze me, Cass. I’m not one of your patients.” I tossed a throw pillow and it hit her in the shoulder.

“Hey.” She raised a hand in surrender. “Alright. I’ll let it go. For now. What’s on your agenda for today?”

“I need to stop at Tillie’s to drop off these new logo designs I created for her shop. Then I have to load up all these pieces and bring them to the gallery in Minneapolis.
Hopefully, they’ll accept them all. I’ve put so much time into this series, I really need them to sell.”

“I think this is your best work so far. They’re going to love it and beg you for more.”

“Let’s hope you’re right. I could use a big fat commission on this to keep my poor car alive.” I looked up at the clock. “Well, I’d better get going if I’m going to get all this done today. See ya later, Cass.”

A few minutes later, my car sputtered and chugged as I pulled into the parking lot of Tillie’s shop, D’Vine Blessings. I patted my dashboard and thanked Clive for getting me there. Clive was my ancient, rusted out VW van. I loved it, not only for its character, but also for the cargo space, which made transporting my art supplies and large canvases easy. And, as old as it was, it didn’t matter if I got paint in it.

I grew up next door to Tillie’s place, and it had always felt like home; she was like a grandma to me. Even as a little girl, the eccentric Tillie helped me to be my own weird self, and embrace the fact that I wasn’t like everyone else. I think this was why I felt such a close connection to Tillie. She seemed to understand me better than anyone else in my life.

Stepping into the shop, I breathed in the heavenly scents of lemon balm, lavender, and cedar. Just like that, my body relaxed and my tension drained away.

Tillie’s part-time sales clerk was straightening shelves when I walked in. “Hey, Lyssa. Is Tillie in back?”

“Yep. I think she’s making some new soaps today.” She smiled and waved me through to the workshop area in the back of the store. “Go on back, Raven. She’ll be happy to see you.”

Tillie stood at the counter with a huge knife in her hand. The knife was almost as big as she was. It made me nervous to see her trying to wield such a thing. But Tillie did a lot of things that exceeded the abilities of most humans her age. Any age, really.

“Hey, Tillie. I brought you print-outs of the label designs we talked about last week. And Mom sent over some of her fresh honey for you.” I set the honey and the envelope on the table, where it wouldn’t be in the way of whatever she was creating on the counter.

“Wonderful. Let me finish cutting these and I’ll have a look-see.” She drew a line along the slab of soap to mark her next cut. “I’m glad you came today, Raven. I was just thinking about you.”

“Oh, boy. I don’t think I like the sound of that.” I joined her on the other side of the counter. “Can I help you cut those? I’m pretty handy with a knife.”

Tillie set the knife down and stepped aside. “By all means, be my guest. I never turn down free help.”

“Oh, and don’t let me forget to grab more of my signature line before I go. I’m running low on everything.”

“I have some right over here. Let me get that out for you while we’re thinking of it.” She set the bottles of my special oil, shampoo, soap, and lotion on the counter and then loaded them into a paper bag for me. 

Tillie created this special scent for me a few years ago when I felt like my creativity had deserted me. InspiRaven. She told me it was a blend that was good for inspiration and being true to yourself, but she didn’t say exactly what was in it. From the moment I smelled the unique minty floral scent, I felt something light up within me. Like it was attuned perfectly to who I was deep down inside. More of Tillie’s magic at work. I’d been using it ever since.
“Thanks, Tillie. You’re the best.”

Tillie leaned back against the counter while I started cutting the slab of soap into bars. “Have you heard how Rowan and Elle are doing in New York?”

“I haven’t talked to them, but Mom did, and she said they sound blissfully in love. Her words, not mine.”

Back in high school, I admired Rowan and Elle’s relationship and dreamed of having something like that for myself. Until it blew up. After spending over a decade apart, nobody ever expected Rowan and Elle to get back together, including me. But they finally got their fairytale ending. And I couldn’t be happier for them.

“I’m so tickled to hear that. They certainly deserve it after all they’ve been though.” Tillie picked up the bars I’d cut and stacked them to the side. “Raven, as I mentioned, you popped into my mind when I woke this morning. So I felt guided to pull some oracle cards for you. Would you like to see them?”

I finished cutting the last of the bars and brushed my hands together over the sink. Tilting my head, I studied Tillie, trying to decide if I really wanted to hear this. Maybe her cards would affirm my decision to give up on dating. A little validation wouldn’t hurt. Not that I needed it. I knew I was on the right track. But curiosity got the best of me, and my shoulders twitched upward. “Why not? Let’s see what the wise old oracle has to say.”

On the other side of the workshop was a table adorned with colorful scarves, candles, and crystals. In the center of it all, three cards lay face up in a row. 

“I think they’re quite interesting.” She pointed to the one on the left. “This is the first one… ‘Hidden Secrets’.” She paused for a moment before sliding her finger to the next one in the row. “The next is… ‘Resolve Misunderstandings’.” Then she tapped her finger on the last one. “And the final card… ‘Finding Home’.”

I studied each card, trying to figure out what they were saying. “I have no idea what these mean. Can you help me out here, Tillie? What do you suppose they’re saying?”
Her finger tapped on the first card. “Well, this one is pretty self-explanatory. Some secrets will be revealed. Whether those are your secrets or someone else’s that you uncover. Sounds pretty intriguing to me.” She raised a brow and winked. 

I snorted. “I hope you’re not referring to the pole dancing lessons I’ve heard you’ve been asking about. Tillie, some things are best kept hidden. If you know what I mean.”

“I’m sure I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Tillie shifted her attention to the next one. “The second card seems to indicate something that has been misconstrued. Maybe some crossed wires or incorrect assumptions. Or it could also mean settling an argument or dispute.”

“Okay. What about the last one? That one makes no sense to me. I have a home. I know where I belong. And I love my apartment. I’m definitely not looking to move. So what could ‘Finding Home’ refer to?”

“There are many definitions of home, my dear. I can’t tell you exactly what it means, but I have a sense your heart will guide you toward it.” 

I let out a frustrated sigh. The cards didn’t show anything to affirm my new vow the way I’d hoped. They honestly meant nothing to me at all. 

Guess I’m on my own.

Tillie placed a hand on my shoulder and looked into my eyes, peering right into my soul, I was sure of it. “Don’t fight the calling of your heart, Raven. It’s a pointless battle and will not bring you happiness or love.”

I pulled away. Tillie’s insightfulness had a way of disarming a person, and I worked hard to keep my defenses in place. “Art is my love and my joy. I don’t need anything else. Set your matchmaking sights on someone else, Tillie. I’m a hopeless case.”

“No such thing as a hopeless case, my dear, especially when it comes to love. Besides,” Tillie held her palms out in front of the cards, like Vanna White. “Who said anything about matchmaking? I’m merely showing you the cards I pulled.”

“Right. But I know you, Tillie. And I’m telling you, whatever you’re imagining or hoping for, it’s not going to work with me. I’ve given up on men and decided to date myself. I’m positive I can show myself a good time.” I winked and gave her a quick hug before moving toward the door. “Oh, and don’t forget to look over the designs I left for you.” I pointed to the envelope on the table. “I can modify any of them to get the vibe you’re looking for.” I picked up the bag Tillie had set out for me and whisked out the door before she could impart any more wisdom.

I sat in my car for a moment to collect myself. 
Tillie, Tillie, Tillie.
If I didn’t love her so much, I’d be annoyed by her constant attempts to meddle in my life. Her intentions were good, but I meant it when I said my love life and any ideas she had about matchmaking me were a waste of energy. 

And even if Tillie believed she could find a match for me, my heart knew what it wanted. It also knew it couldn’t take another rejection.

Dating myself was a much safer option. Plus, I’d grown weary of that whole scene. Enough sitting through grueling first date questions or small talk. No more meeting the family or trying to live up to someone else’s expectations. And I’d always get to pick the restaurant or what movie to watch. 

This might have been my best idea yet.