"I don't know why I let you talk me into this," I muttered as Gemma dragged me to the bar.

"You can't sit home forever," she stated. "It's time that you got back in the saddle!"

"I was quite content sitting home wallowing in my misery, I'll have you know," Nonetheless, it did feel good to be dressed up and going out. It had been two weeks since Chad had dumped me. Maybe it was time to dust off my heart and get back in the game again.

"You can bet that Chad's not sitting home!" Gemma scoffed.

"Please," I groaned. "Do we have to bring that up?" My cheating ex-boyfriend was the last thing that I wanted to dwell on tonight.

"There are other fish in the sea," Gemma rambled on. "And as pretty as you look tonight, well honey, you can't help but land one!"

"I couldn't care less if I hooked up," I firmly stated. "I'm just out to have fun!"

"Well, it appears to be a full house." Gemma pulled into the packed parking lot. "Let's go have some fun!"

I tugged down the vanity mirror and applied more lip-gloss. Finger-fluffing my wavy shoulder-length dark hair, I took a deep breath. Now or never. I followed Gemma as she sashayed into the Willow Bend Bar.

"Hey, sugar," she purred to the bouncer. "We too late for the band?"

"They just started their first set." He smiled back, not bothering to charge us the cover. His muscular arm snaked out, blocking the guy behind us. "That'll be five dollars," he said to them.

"Come on, Heather." To say that Gemma was a live-wire would be an understatement. Her short blond hair was spiky, and her style was as outgoing as her personality. I paled by comparison. She bounced up to the bar with me trailing in her wake.

"Two cold ones!" A notorious flirt, she batted her eyes at the bartender, knowing full well that it would be the last time she laid out money for drinks tonight. Already, men were checking her out-and she them.