Cara McLeod, the girl most likely to have the perfect marriage, is now divorced and, in her own words, “fat, frumpy, and over forty.” The thought of facing former classmates—and the ex-husband who dumped her—at her high school reunion terrifies her. Cajoled into attending by her kids and her best friend, Cara enlists help at the gym to lose weight and look great for the reunion. Personal Trainer Finn Cooper is more than willing to help—but does he have to be so to-die-for gorgeous?
Finn thinks Cara is perfect just the way she is. She’s everything he wants in a woman, except for one thing—she can’t get past the fact that he's eight years younger. To Finn, age and weight are just numbers. But can he convince Cara the numbers she worries about add up to only one thing for him—love?
Here's another excerpt. I hope you enjoy it:
He remained playful for the rest of her workout. Cara floated into the ladies’ locker room on a wave of happiness.
She finished her shower and was drying off in her stall when she heard two women talking. Cara scarcely paid attention, until she heard, “Did you see the cow eyes she made at Finn?”
Who were they talking about? She stopped drying and listened intently.
“As if he’d be interested in a woman who’s got to be ten years older.”
“Have you seen some of the outfits she wears? Where does she shop? The Salvation Army?”
They laughed uproariously. Shame and embarrassment welled up from the pit of Cara’s stomach, branching out to every cell in her body. They were right. What could a gorgeous younger man like Finn possibly see in a frumpy, overweight, middle-aged woman like her? What a fool she’d been.
A stupid, middle-aged fool.
She waited until she heard the showers running to quickly dress and make her escape. Finn waved at her as she left the locker room.
“Cara, wait. Do you have a minute?”
She gave him a brilliant smile, her heart breaking. “Sorry, no. I’ve got to get home to my daughters. Bye.”
Cara ran out of the gym to her car. She drove to a park near her home, and into a parking lot used only by maintenance staff. She pulled her car to a stop between two city trucks, finally feeling alone.
The tears crashed down on her. She slumped over the steering wheel as wave after wave of humiliation swept over her. Had she been so starved for affection that she’d latched on to the belief that Finn felt something for her? Maybe Peter had been right. She was pathetic.
She cried until she simply didn’t have the energy to cry anymore. Then she blew her nose and wiped her eyes in an attempt to repair the red and swollen eyes she saw in the rear view mirror. She didn’t want the girls to know she’d been crying.
She thought about going to Nancy’s house. But she couldn’t face the embarrassment of admitting she’d actually thought a younger man found her attractive.
Finally, she started her car, adjusted the rear view mirror, and wiped her eyes one last time before heading home.
It was a nice fantasy while it lasted.
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