What the Lightning Sees: Part Two Read Online Free Page B

he is.”
    I paused and then said, “Confident.” She nodded, encouraging me to continue. “Kind and funny. Strong and hardworking—and family should be important to him.”
    “Anything else?” she asked.
    “I like the idea of being better because of the man I’m with, you know?”
    “Tell me,” Paula said.
    “Someone who sees the best version of me and nurtures that part of me so that’s the side that grows.”
    I took a deep breath and my mind wandered to the picture of me that Jake had sent along with the Sandy interviews. That was the woman I wanted to be.
    I was describing Jake.
    “And are you sure you haven’t found him?” Paula asked, pulling me from my thoughts.
    I smiled and shook my head, though I wasn’t so sure.
    “Okay. I have some ideas of who you might be a good fit with. I’ll need to make sure they’re fine with the article, though.”
    “No identifying information will be put in the piece.”
    Paula nodded. “That’s important and I’m trusting you. We guard our member’s anonymity as fiercely as they guard their wealth.”
    “Of course. You don’t need to worry,” I said.
    “So, I’ll arrange three dates for you. Can I make a personal suggestion?”
    “Um . . . okay.” What was she going to say?
    “You’re a gorgeous girl who’s not making the most of herself.”
    My cheeks began to heat. I was used to Ash saying stuff like that to me, but I wasn’t prepared for the oh-so-charming Paula, a woman I had only met an hour ago, to say it.
    “You need to loosen up a bit. The hair needs to be less . . . rigid. And perhaps show a little cleavage or leg, or both.”
    “Um.” I tried to formulate a response that wasn’t defensive. “Should we be judging people on their looks?” I asked.
    “I don’t work with ‘shoulds.’ All I know is that in reality, people will and do judge others on their appearance. And it’s such an easy win for you—you’re a beautiful girl.”
    I raised my eyebrows at her. I didn’t know how to respond, I just felt awkward being assessed by a stranger. I had armor for a reason—I didn’t want people to have access to the fleshy truth of me.
    “Don’t get me wrong, I advise strongly against having sex until couples properly know each other and have committed to an exclusive relationship. This isn’t about being slutty. Just, brighten things up a bit. Just be you, but the best version of yourself.”
    She sounded like Ash. It smarted, because I knew she was right, they both were. I was deliberately hiding and had been ever since I could remember. The clothes were a form of protection. If people didn’t see the real me, they couldn’t hate the real me, they couldn’t hurt the real me. I just didn’t know how to do anything else.
    “You know that this is for a magazine article, though? I’m not actually searching for a boyfriend. And shouldn’t love be based on more than looks anyway?” I asked.
    “Are you telling me that you don’t look at a cute guy over an ugly one? Looks are important but they’re only a part of the package. A beautiful diamond is always a gem, but it doesn’t hurt to put it in a velvet box and tie a satin bow around it. You’re single. You never know, love might just find you. Be open.”

 
    Jake
    A few days later, I was due to meet Haven again. It was the first of her dates with the so-called eligible men from Glass Introductions. Jenny, of course, called me to make the arrangements.
    “I’ll give you the details of the three dates, then the idea is that you’ll photograph Haven before she leaves, then do a couple of shots at the beginning of the evening. But you have to make sure you don’t include her date’s face. It’s all totally anonymous,” Jenny said, explaining the set up for the rest of this feature. “Haven will pick one who she’ll have an additional date with and you’ll do the same with that one.”
    “And what’s this article about? How to land a rich man?”
    Jenny