Resume Of Romance

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Rylie doesn't stay late to work Friday night she's exhausted when she gets home. She hasn't had much time until now to think about what Kayla told her or what she's going to do. Her thoughts have been too preoccupied by the conversation she had with Chace. It bothers her that he thinks she is only capable of using her body to get what she wants. He made it clear he wasn't attracted to her.  His revelation was a sting to her ego but she can handle it.

Monique is three years older than Rylie at twenty-nine. She was her mother's darling child and Rylie was the child that came along unexpectedly preventing her mother from getting a partnership in her law firm. After getting pregnant with her, Rylie's mother was told by her father she should forget about her career to be more available for their growing family. Rylie was constantly reminded that she was the child that got in the way.

Her parents died coming back from a lawyer's conference when she was fifteen. She was sent to live with her aunt Katie and Monique went off to college. Living with her aunt is where Rylie became a butterfly. Her aunt was a beautiful confident woman, she was her mother's older sister, in her early forties, unmarried and had no children. She taught Rylie about makeup, how to dress and carry herself. She told Rylie she was smart and with her looks the combination would be too much for a lot of men.

Rylie isn't vain she knows she's passably pretty and has a great body. She works hard to maintain it but her looks are not all she's about. She believes men don't take her seriously because of them. The last man she was in a relationship with reinforced her way of thinking when he left her for someone he thought was more suited to him. She dated Mason Livingston, a corporate attorney for two years.

He was everything she wanted, successful, good-looking and supportive of her career. He took her around specific people to show her off. He never talked to her about his family and she never met any of them.

Rylie found out in the most casual way that she was not what Mason really wanted, she saw him hugged up with someone else coming out of a grocery store. The woman was shorter than him, he had his arm comfortably wrapped around her neck walking through the parking lot together as she fed him some type of food they had purchased from the hot food bar. Laughing and very affectionate with one another they seemed to have that kind of easy going connection Rylie knew at that moment didn't exist between her and him. He kissed the woman affectionately on her neck and lips just before seeing Rylie standing in front of them when they got near Rylie's car.

He came to her house that night and tried to explain. He told her he didn't want to hurt her but felt he couldn't be himself around her, she was too beautiful and smart, it took too much work to be with a woman like her. He admitted using her to help him further his career aspirations but he didn't want to marry her. He said he didn't want a trophy wife, he wanted a real woman he felt comfortable would love him for himself.

Their breakup was hard on Rylie she became withdrawn for a while questioning herself wondering why he couldn't see the real her. That relationship ended almost a year ago. The few men she's gone out with since haven't stirred any feelings in her.

Langston seems to still have an interest in her. She's not sure she can get past the fact that he's slept with Carolyn but she is willing to give a closer relationship with him a do over to at least get to know him better.