Author's note: Thank you so much to AisieLynn who's help in being my proof reader/editor is invaluable. I Hope you enjoy the story. ~ellie
*
"Why do you have to do this to me? I'm not exactly going to fit in with that crowd," Josie complained.
"Because you love me enough to come with me, plus you're hot and I get to have a crack at all your cast-offs," Mica laughed self-deprecatingly.
"I don't want to go," Josie complained, knowing that Mica wasn't listening to her properly. "I think you should go alone. I haven't been single that long and what if..."
"Exactly, it's time you stopped moping around here and got out there and met some new people," Mica rolled her eyes. Josie's breakup had been bad, but it had been long enough since then for her to be moving on already. "I can't go alone. You have to come with me, please!" She could see that Josie was about to say no for the umpteenth time. "Okay, I am begging. I will owe you a favour. A big one. I promise if it's lame we will only stay an hour at the most."
"Mica, I just don't think..." Josie tried again.
"Don't forget who it was that showed up with Nutella cheesecake and cocktails when you needed a friend to cry with," she pulled out her guilt card, hating herself for it. Josie groaned and flopped down onto the couch resigning herself to a Valentine's Day of fending off dirty old men and creepy nerds who used the same dating sites as her friend.
"Okay, you better tell me about it then," she sighed.
"Josie I love you! You won't be disappointed, I promise," Mica said excitedly as she sat on the other end of the couch.
"I haven't said yes yet. I just meant that I would listen to you tell me what exactly you are asking me to do with you," Josie said warily, already regretting her decision to sit down and hear her friend out.
"Online dating is not like it used to be. Lots of people do it now. There are professionals and tradies who are just too busy to go out all the time or don't like the club scene. It's not just losers who can't get a date," Mica said seriously, noting the suspicious look on her friend's face. "Honestly, come have a look," she got up and walked towards her computer.
"You don't have to show me a bunch of profiles to convince me. If anything, it will do the opposite. I think they are mostly fake or photoshopped, and if I go with you, I will be even more disappointed when they aren't all tall dark and handsome," she sighed again.
"Fine, it's a meet and greet. They are holding it at the Bay Beach House, so it's even local, and you don't have to go all the way into the city. We can go early and just stay for the breakfast. You don't even have to talk to anyone else if you don't want to. I promise it's not like what you're imagining," Mica tried to soothe Josie's concerns.
"Breakfast?" She looked at her friend sceptically. "Don't most of these things happen at night?"
"I guess, but they are doing breakfast this year," she hesitated and Josie crossed her arms knowing there was more. "Actually, they are doing three events this year, sort of like a rolling date, breakfast lunch and dinner at three different venues. I will buy the tickets for the day, but you only have to come to the breakfast, if that's all you want to go to."
"Breakfast and we are out of there," Josie said tersely, not believing she was letting herself get talked into this.
"Sure but with the option to stay and go to the second event if you have a good time," Mica stressed the word you.
"Yeah, that'll happen," Josie retorted with a look of disdain.
*****
Josie had spent the Friday night before Valentine's Day bundling up all the keepsakes and letters from her ex that still sat on or around her desk and room. Her friends were right. It was time to move on, not that there were many prospective dates on the horizon. She laughed to herself, "Maybe Mica was right, and tomorrow wouldn't be so bad." Shaking her head, she dismissed the thought. It was going to be awful, and she knew it.
Having completed her weekend cleaning and laundry as well as a general clean out of her small home office space, Josie went to bed happy that she wouldn't have to come home after breakfast and do it tomorrow. She continued to try and convince herself it wouldn't be so bad. Helping out a friend was all that she was doing. It just happened that there would be lots of singles tripping over each other to grab a date or at least a sexcapade at the same event, and she could ignore that if she had to. It might even be fun to people watch for a bit she thought as she dozed off into a restless slumber. "At least it wasn't a fancy dress thing like so many of these types of meet and greets were," she thought, trying to find all the positives she could.
Her alarm went off too early for the weekend, and she dragged herself out of bed and into the shower as the sun lit the horizon. Mica had been here during the week to organise an appropriate outfit for her, and Josie groaned as she looked at the dress hanging on her closet door. It was more of an evening dress. It was way too formal for a breakfast meet and greet. Still, she had promised she would be Mica's wing woman after a heartfelt talk about how lonely Mica felt during the holidays and with Valentine's Day looming.
"It's going to be fun. You are going to have fun. You are not going to ruin this day for your friend," Josie told her mirror reflection as she did her makeup and hair. The knock on her door was soft, and she hurried to answer it.
"Hey there, Gorgeous," Mica beamed as she looked at Josie.
"You're looking pretty fabulous yourself," Josie grinned. "I am pretty much ready if you want to call a cab," Josie said as she walked back into her room to grab her bag and phone from where it was charging. Josie's place was closer to the venue so it made sense that Mica would leave her car, and they would catch a cab from there in case they wanted to drink mimosas at the breakfast event.
With the Australian summer fading, the morning air was a little cool as Josie stepped from her apartment building, and she shivered wondering if she needed a coat. She paused and looked up at the flight of stairs she had just walked down and decided to go without, hurrying after her friend who had made a beeline towards the waiting cab.
The venue was packed even at that early hour on a Saturday morning, but the organisers had cleverly placed large marquees across the road in a large park along the foreshore that were filling quickly as well. Mica bubbled with excitement as she climbed from the cab and, intertwining her arm with Josie's, walked them towards the venue to check in. Having pre-booked and paid for their tickets, the girls were shown to seats within the venue itself and were given complimentary mimosas.
"There are so many people here," Mica leaned over to talk to Josie, "Even you could find at least one person to talk to here, Miss Fussyboots."
"I'm fine. Go mingle and have fun," Josie laughed looking around.
"Let's grab some breakfast first. Otherwise these mimosas will go to my head," Mica smiled and stood up from their seats, leaving her unfurled napkin in her place to show it was taken.
Walking along the breakfast buffet with a partially loaded plate, Josie felt a light tap on her shoulder and turned to face a tall, middle aged man. His smiling eyes danced as she regarded him warily thinking he was about to try out a pick up line on her.
"Hi, I am pretty sure we've met before," he said in a strong jovial voice.
