Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love (Lori) BBW Bear Shifter Romance (Hope Valley BBW Dating App Romance Book 5) (4 page)

Chapter Four

A couple more weeks passed, and things did start to get easier for Lori. The pain hadn’t completely gone, but it was blunted. Thoughts of Rob no longer left her breathless. The divorce was underway and Lori had officially gone back to her maiden name. Rob was selling their house, so she’d soon be the recipient of a good amount of money. She’d started planning her dream cabin in her head, but she wasn’t in any rush to move, and Andrea was very glad to have her stay in her cabin.

Lori got introduced to Lauren, who had a six-month old daughter Willow. Lauren was a force of nature – so full of life, and always cracking sarcastic jokes. Her daughter was beautiful. She had honey-toned skin, a few shades lighter than her mother’s, long, black eyelashes, and huge curious eyes. Lori also met Dina at the baby shower for her new-born son. Dina was a lovely woman – strong, yet gentle – and her baby, Hayden, was the image of his father, Logan. Lori loved getting together with them and chatting about their babies. It was an experience she’d longed to have when Nancy was a newborn. Lauren and Dina asked her for advice, while Nancy crawled around the place, getting into mischief. She was just about on the point of walking, which meant she was on the point of pulling herself up, using furniture to hold on to, and then usually falling over backwards when her little legs gave way. She’d become more lively since they’d been in Hope Valley, and Lori could see that it was doing her good to be surrounded by lots of people. She wondered if she’d turn out to be very chatty and extroverted.

Meanwhile, Kristin’s belly was getting quite big now. She was six months pregnant, and very impatient to have the baby. Her partner, Roman, was devoted to her, taking care of her every need. It was lovely to see how Kristin had achieved her ambitions of being a journalist for the Hope Valley Echo. Lori remembered her being the editor of the high school paper, and thinking she was really grown-up and cool. Being pregnant didn’t seem to be hampering Kristin’s work either. She was always rushing around like a whirlwind, going from one interview to another.

Melissa was the only one who wasn’t either pregnant or a new mom. Lori vaguely remembered her from her teens too. She’d been Kristin’s best friend at college, and then she’d moved to Hope Valley when she finished school. She'd met and married a guy pretty quickly, and Lori had left shortly after that. Melissa explained how she’d been pregnant and given birth, but the baby was stillborn. And then her marriage had broken up. But, luckily, she'd met Dr Harley – whose first name was actually Harley – a few months ago, and they'd known instantly that they were meant for each other. They'd have kids some day, but for now, they just wanted to enjoy spending time together. It helped Lori a lot to speak to her. Melissa had lost her baby; Lori had just lost her good-for-nothing husband. Suddenly, it put everything into perspective. She hadn't lost anything; she’d just cast off the parts of her life that she didn't need in the first place. And so, she took several more steps in the healing process.

*

One night, Lori was having a girls’ night in with Andrea, Kristin, Melissa, Dina and Lauren. All the men were taking care of the babies, while the girls were hanging out, chatting, doing their nails, eating chocolate, and drinking Melissa’s legendary mocktails. Lori was very touched that Magnus had volunteered to take care of Nancy. He was hanging out with Lauren’s partner, Connor, so the more experienced guy could give him some help if necessary.

“Guess what’s happening next week!” Melissa said as she handed Lori a Shirley Temple.

“What?” Lori replied.

“Only the Hope Valley spring ball! It's one of the best events in the town’s annual calendar.”

“Oh yeah. I think I remember my mom and dad going, back in the day.”

“It's really fun. Everyone in the town attends. It's a good opportunity to dress up and meet new people. And there are always
lots
of eligible bachelors there!”

“If there's one thing that Hope Valley’s not short of, it's good looking men!” Lauren said with a cackle. Lori smiled, then pressed her lips together. The girls had been dropping hints about her meeting some men. But she didn't feel at all ready. She'd only been divorced for a month, and Nancy was only a year old.

“Hey, you don't
have
to meet guys there. It's just a good opportunity to see who’s out there, so you know that there are plenty of opportunities when you are ready,” Dina said, picking up on her expression.

“I just feel like it's a little early,” she admitted. “But like you say, there's nothing wrong with a little eye candy!”

“That’s the spirit,” Lauren said, raising her mocktail. Everyone clinked glasses with her.

“So is it quite dressy?” Lori asked.

“You'd better believe it, girlfriend!” Lauren said.

“Oh. I have nothing to wear. I don't think I've worn a nice dress – well, since my wedding, to be honest.”

“We're going to change that
right
away! What are you doing next Saturday?” Lauren said. Lori shrugged. She was too shy to ask anyone to look after Nancy for her. “Nothing? Good! We’ll ask Connor to look after Willow and Nancy, and we’re all going out dress shopping. How about it?”

“Umm,” Lori mumbled. The truth was that she hated shopping for clothes. Hated changing room lights, and the way nothing ever fit her right.

“We hate clothes shopping too, don’t worry,” Melissa broke in. “But there are a few boutiques in Hope Valley that cater to curvy girls, and we mix the shopping up with fun stuff, like lunch and going for coffee.”

“Ok, thanks. That sounds great,” Lori said.

*

The girls were right: shopping could be fun when you were with your best friends. By early evening on the following Saturday, Lori’s feet were killing her from all the walking they’d done that day, and she was the happy owner of a cobalt blue crepe dress. It had a floaty neckline and was loose over her bust, then it cinched in at the waist, before flowing into an unstructured skirt. It was beautiful. It made her look taller and way slimmer than she was.

“You look great, little sis,” Andrea said, looking at her admiringly. “It really enhances the color of your eyes.”

When they got home, Magnus was out, and when Andrea called him to find out where he was, they were surprised to discover that he was hanging out with Connor.

“I’m just getting some parenthood practice,” he said with a shrug, when he came back home with Nancy in his arms. He was trying to teach her to ride on his back, while he crawled around the floor on his hands and knees, but she wouldn’t cling on tight enough and she kept slipping off, and collapsing in giggles as he caught her and tickled her. He was just too adorable. Andrea’s eyes were full of light as she watched him, looking forward to the moment when he became a father himself.

“Don’t worry, you’ll find a guy one day. When the time is right for you,” she said to Lori, catching the look of sadness in her eyes. “I’m absolutely sure of it.” Lori smiled at her, but didn’t say anything. She didn’t think she’d ever find another guy, but that was ok with her. As long as she had Nancy, that was all that mattered.

*

The Saturday after, the day of the ball came. It was late spring, almost summer, and it was already warm enough to go out without a jacket. The sky was cloudless, and the sun was shining, and all the girls were getting ready excitedly. There was a nursery at the ball, and everyone had agreed to take turns watching the kids there.

Lori got dressed and applied her make up. Then she appraised herself in front of the mirror. She’d lost weight recently from all the stress she’d been under, but, much to her surprise, it didn’t look good on her. It made her look a little gaunt and unhealthy. She had always been chubby as a kid, but she hadn't had a real issue with her weight until Rob had started calling her names. She was never going to be happy with her body, but she wanted to get back to the point where she kind of accepted it. She placed her hands on her waist. It was her favorite part of her body, as it went in nicely, giving her an hourglass shape. She loved her dress. It maximized her curviness, while preventing her from looking dumpy. For the first time in she didn't know how long, she put on a pair of high-heeled pumps. Rob hadn't liked her dressing up in a feminine way. ‘
Slutting herself around’
, as he used to call it. So she was used to wearing shapeless, baggy pants and loose T-shirts, which couldn't have been less flattering. Her tummy was in knots at the thought of going to the ball. She was half excited, half nervous at the thought of seeing so many people. She'd lived such a quiet life in recent years, and she wasn't used to being around lots of people at the same time. She brought her face up close to the mirror, so that the image of herself became blurred, and she looked at the reflection of her eyes. All she could see were two violet-colored smudges. It was a game she used to play with Andrea when they were kids. Whenever anyone used to tease them about their weight, they would tell each other that they had magic eyes, which gave them special powers.
Ok, I’m as ready as I’ll ever be
, she told herself. She picked up Nancy, her baby bag and her purse and headed downstairs.

Magnus drove them into town and parked close to the town hall where the ball was being held. It was beautifully decorated in colorful banners and flags and flowers. Lori grinned at it in delight. She loved that there was such a strong sense of community in Hope Valley, and people really made an effort on festive occasions. The others had arrived at the same time and they greeted each other at the door.

“You look amazing, girl!” Lauren exclaimed as she kissed Lori.

“So do you!” Lori replied. She did. She was wearing a cerise-colored raw-silk dress that hugged her curves all the way, along with a large pink flower in her hair and matching elbow-length gloves.

“I’ve got a bit of a thing for pink,” she admitted. “I always say you can never wear too much, but I’m not sure that Connor agrees with me!”

Connor, Logan, Roman and Magnus all looked so handsome in their tuxes, their crisp white shirts startling against their tanned skin. And when Lori entered the town hall, she gasped. She’d never seen so many hot men in tuxes in her life before.

“What is this – a male model convention?” she muttered to Andrea. “I’m practically drooling!” Andrea laughed.

“Like I was saying, sis, there are
a lot
of eligible men in Hope Valley!”

The decorations inside the hall were totally charming. There were tables around the edges of the room, covered with checkered cloths and laden with sandwiches and canapés. Trestle tables at either end of the room served drinks, and the glass doors at the back were open to the garden, where a brass band was playing swing jazz. The nursery was in a separate room, but most of the kids were happily running around among the adults.

Connor and Logan had their babies in slings on their chests. They looked adorable. “Do you want to put Nancy in the nursery, so you can relax?” Andrea asked.

“I think I’ll keep hold of her for a while. At least until she gets sleepy,” Lori said, bouncing her on her hip.

Everyone helped themselves to drinks and wandered out into the garden. Lori had a wrap with her, but it was such a lovely day that she didn’t even need it. The winters were harsh in Turnersville, and it was good to feel the first sun of the summer on her skin. As they were drinking and chatting, a group of men came over to join them, exchanging rough bear hugs with Logan and Connor. Bruno, the firefighter, was among them. Lori suppressed a gasp. He looked so different in a tux. She recalled how huge and muscular his body had felt when she’d impulsively hugged him when he brought the suitcases over several days earlier, and was awed that he’d managed to make it fit in such stiff, formal clothing. It suited him though, and, to a woman, a man containing his rugged masculinity like that was a sexy sight. But she also sensed that he couldn’t wait to strip it off and get back to the jeans and faded t-shirt he’d been wearing the other day.

“This is Timo, Ryzard, Olsen, Leigh, Niall, Dalton and Frankie,” Logan said. “And I think you know Bruno? Guys, this is Lori, Andrea’s sister, and her baby, Nancy. She’s recently moved to Hope Valley.”

“Hi Lori and Nancy!” they said in unison, with friendly waves and smiles.

As the conversation resumed, Bruno walked over to her.

“You’re looking well,” he said.

“Thanks,” she replied, with a hint of shyness.

“So how have you been?”

“Good.” She nodded. “My leg is all better now, and I’m settling in well. I’m still staying at my sister’s place, but I’m going to get a cabin built as soon as my ex-husband has finished selling the house.”

“That’s great,” he said, his eyes crinkling with warmth, and Lori was aware once again how handsome he was. He had the rugged kind of features that she really liked in a guy. His narrow eyes were so striking, and he had a nice, strong jaw. “And how’s everything else?” She caught her breath, knowing that he was referring to her emotional state.

“Better,” she said, after a pause, while she figured out how much she should say to him. “I’m over the worst of it with my ex-husband. Having some distance from him has allowed me to see what an asshole he was. It hurt when he dumped us, but, honestly, I’m so glad it happened.” Nancy grizzled and squirmed in her arms, and she hoisted her up on her hip. She was growing fast, and would soon be too heavy to hold like this.