It's In The Stars. Buffy Andrews

clingy guy. I can’t stand clingy. It’s not that I’m not romantic. I am. But I don’t want a guy who smothers me and calls me five times a day. I need some space and in return I’ll give the guy space. I don’t mind if he does things with his friends or isn’t available to hang out every night. That doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy spending time with him. I just recognize the importance of family and friends and having alone time.

      I almost forgot smart. Smart is very important. Maybe even a deal breaker. I’m no Einstein, but I do need a guy who is intellectually stimulating. I’ve dated some in the past who weren’t and it bothered me. One guy actually told me once he wanted to go to Paris but not France. His dick might have been big but his brain was the size of a pea!

      Romantic is nice. And manly and decisive, but not pushy. If I say something’s off limits, it’s off limits. For those guys who are obsessed with the back door, this one’s for them.

      I think I pretty much hit the main ones. I’m can’t bear to sit next to someone eating liver (it truly nauseates me) but I always let a guy know this if it’s on the menu. I’m not as bad as Victoria who won’t date a guy if he puts an artificial sweetener in his coffee (too girly) or is under 5’10” (she’s 5’ 11”) or has the dry cleaner crease in his shirt (I can’t figure out why this bothers her so much).

      I read over my finished list. God, I sounded like such a bitch. And I really don’t want to come across as a bitch. Maybe I should revise and soften it a bit.

      Three cups of coffee later I scrambled out the door and headed for the office. Our newsroom is only a few blocks away, sandwiched between a health clinic and a donut shop, near the city square. It’s an easy walk, but I need my car for reporting assignments so I have to drive.

      One of the benefits of being a general assignment reporter is the variety of assignments I’m given. Unlike Frankie, who has the health beat and rarely covers anything not health related, I cover a bit of everything. One day I might interview a woman who started her own soap company and the next a soldier returning from war. I love that my job is never boring and I’m always learning new stuff.

      After stashing my lunch in the break room refrigerator, I headed to my desk. The newsroom was a huge open space filled with individual workspaces. The cubicle walls were low so you could sit at your desk and look across the room. Televisions hung from the ceiling. While the openness aided in communications, it was a pain in the ass when Matt or someone else talked so loudly you couldn’t concentrate. I keep a pair of earplugs in my drawer for just this reason, but even the expensive pair I bought don’t deafen the noise completely.

      I’d just settled into my seat when the freakin’ fire alarm went off. At first I was really annoyed, but then I remembered Hottie Advertising Guy and I had to use the same door to exit the building. The same door, people! So I waited until I saw him head over and I timed my exit so if it all went according to my plan we’d reach the door at about the same time.

      But just as I was about to close the distance, I tripped and flew forward. I stretched out my arms to break my fall and Hottie turned around to see me kissing the carpet.

      He extended his hand. “All you okay?”

      My face felt hot. I was sure it had to be the color of his red power tie. “Aside from being totally embarrassed, you mean?”

      He smiled. “Well, at least you weren’t holding a cup of coffee. That would’ve been worse.”

      I wrinkled my nose. “Do you always look on the bright side of things?”

      Hottie shrugged. “I try to. Don’t you?”

      I was about to answer but the publisher, who was holding the door, yelled for us to get out of the building.

      So we did end up going out the door together; it just wasn’t in the way I’d hoped. When we exited, Hottie’s advertising friends waved him over to their huddle near the lamp post and I joined Victoria and some others near a parking meter painted to resemble a huge bubble gum machine.

      Victoria leaned in to whisper in my ear. “Smooth one.”

      “Believe me, I didn’t try to trip.”

      She smiled. “Well, at least you got his attention.”

      I sighed. “But that’s not the way I wanted to get it.”

      Several minutes later, we were allowed back in the building. It turned out to be just a drill.

      Hottie was among the first ones through the door and I mentally smacked my head for blowing my chance to at least introduce myself.

      An hour later, I left to check out the cat house. When I arrived, authorities had just finished removing dozens of cats from the home. They cited a mother and daughter for cruelty to animals. They’d been accused of hoarding more than fifty cats inside their home under unsanitary conditions. The home was found to be “unfit for human occupancy” and condemned. I’m not a cat person. I prefer dogs, but I felt really sorry for the cats.

Chapter Three

      Saturday, July 16

       Focus on improving your appearance. A makeover might be in order. Consider going to the gym or a hair salon. You might be surprised by the attention changing your appearance brings. Tonight: Try something different.

      I’m a complete idiot! I didn’t go out with Victoria and the others last night because I was a good girl and listened to Horoscope who told me to curl up with a good book. I stopped at the used book store on my way home from work and picked up a romance the clerk recommended. I’m a sucker for a good romance, and this one had me turning pages into the early morning hours. I love happy endings, or at least a sliver of hope the relationship is headed in the right direction. And this book delivered. Of course, had I known that Hottie Advertising Guy would be at the same bar as my friends, I would’ve ditched the book for a shot at my own happily ever after.

      I couldn’t believe it when Victoria called to give me a recap of last night.

      “You’ll never guess who was at Joe’s,” she yelled into the phone.

      I held the phone several inches from my ear. “Stop yelling?”

      “Sorry.” Victoria talked softer. “But guess who came in?”

      “The guy you met in the biography section at the bookstore?”

      “No.”

      “The cop you talked into giving you a warning instead of a speeding ticket.”

      “No. Christ, Sydney. It’s not someone I’m interested in. It’s someone you’re interested in, although I would be interested in him if you weren’t. So if you change your mind about him, let me know.”

      “Hottie Advertising Guy?”

      “Yep. And he looked absolutely dreamy.”

      “Damn. Wish I hadn’t listened to my horoscope.”

      “Told you that idea was silly.”

      “Was he with anyone?”

      “No girl if that’s what you’re asking. He was with another guy from the ad department. The bald giant with the size fourteen shoes.”

      “Dennis?”

      “Yeah, him. Hottie looks like a toddler next to Dennis.”

      “Dennis is nice,” I said.

      “I didn’t say he wasn’t, but my entire body could fit into one of his pant legs. Jesus, what size do you think he wears anyway?”

      “Hell, I don’t know. What was Hottie wearing?”

      “Jeans, Oxford blue shirt.”

      “Tucked in or out?”

      “Out. And the sleeves were rolled up. I’m telling