Stop Looking for Mr. Right and Give Him a Chance to Find You

By LaRae Derricote

Tired of the bar scene, online dating and dating services? There IS a better alternative - Stop Looking For Mr. Right and Give Him a Chance to Find You - a book unlike any other.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Jul 11, 2011
• ISBN: 9781483548319

Book preview

18:22

Chapter 1

Stacey’s Story

To look at her, you would think Stacey was a high school girl getting ready for the senior prom. The night before, she had been so nervous that she barely slept. Around 6:00 A.M., Stacey abandoned any thoughts of sleep, leaped out of bed, and shot straight to the shower. As the water bounced off her body, a million thoughts flooded her mind. She had so many questions, concerns, fears, hopes and anxieties. Stacey had been in this position many times before. And each time had resulted in failure. Was it possible, just remotely possible, that this time might be different? She’d asked herself that question so many times that it almost seemed senseless. Yet, she was determined. After all, nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?

After her shower and internal dialogue, Stacey threw on some sweats and headed to the Day Spa. This was her favorite part of preparation – pampering. She had the works – facial, body wrap, and a fresh new do. She now stood in front of the mirror examining every aspect of her appearance from the curls in her hair to the polish on her toes. Everything had to be perfect, after all, Stacey may very well be meeting her future husband today, or so she hoped.

Stacey Alexander grew up in Detroit, Michigan. She was an only child, who lived with her maternal grandmother after her parents died in a car accident when she was only 8.

Stacey was a big, beautiful baby. At birth, she weighed in at a whopping 9 lbs 8 oz. As an infant and a toddler, Stacey was always heavier than other children her age. After her parents’ deaths, Stacey began to lose weight. By the age of 13, she had shed all her baby fat. In fact, most people considered her to be petite. Stacey stood about 5’3" and weighed 115 pounds.

Although she was small, Stacey was quite shapely. Her skin was smooth like milk chocolate and utterly flawless. Yet Stacey’s most striking asset was her thick, curly, black hair.

Although she struggled with the death of her parents, Stacey overcame the tragedy and went on to become quite a bright student. Because she poured herself into her studies, Stacey was able to maintain a 4.0 grade point average throughout high school; consequently, she was on the honor roll every term. Her hard work and dedication also earned her the prized position of class valedictorian. Despite her circumstances, she became a success.

After high school, Stacey headed off to the University of Notre Dame to earn a degree in marketing. As in high school, Stacey excelled in college and ended up graduating, cum laude, with a double major – marketing and management.

Armed with her degrees, Stacey set out to earn a living and make a name for herself. And she did exactly that. Directly out of college, Stacey was hired by a large consulting firm in Chicago. By the time she was 25, she had been promoted to the enviable position of marketing manager. At 30, Stacey chose to branch off and started her own consulting firm, Alexander Inc.

The first few years in business were slow; however, Stacey had managed to save enough to live comfortably during the lull in business. By Stacey’s third year in operation, she had an established and growing clientele base; she had taken on two additional full time consultants, and boasted a six figure income.

By all appearances, Stacey was successful. But, she wasn’t fulfilled. Despite all that she had acquired, she was still lacking companionship. She wasn’t getting any younger and she was desperately seeking Mr. Right to complete her almost picture-perfect life. To Stacey, that was all she needed to be whole.

So, after two months of talking, texting, and emailing, Stacey was finally going to meet her online love, Jesse. He was unlike any other man she had ever met, and she had met hundreds. It was as if God had made Jesse just for her. They shared the same interests, enjoyed the same music, and held the same beliefs. Stacey was 37, had never been married, and had no children. Similarly, Jesse had never been married; he had no children and was soon turning 34.

Jesse and Stacey talked for hours as if they had known each other all their lives. Stacey felt comfortable with Jesse; she felt safe; and she felt secure. This man catered to every aspect of Stacey’s psyche – mental, emotional, and spiritual. He was fairly well off financially due to an Internet-based business he began five years earlier. And last, but not least, Jesse was fine – not pretty boy fine, but a strong, rugged, manly fine. Oh, and he stood at about 6’1", so Stacey could safely wear any pair of pumps in the closet. It all seemed good – no, great!

Stacey wanted so desperately to exhale, but there was only one issue – distance. She lived in Chicago and Jesse lived in San Diego. Today was to be the day that they would meet for the very first time face-to-face. And Stacey was a little anxious about that. She had dated online before and each and every time the outcome was the same – disaster! Inevitably, for one reason or another, it just never worked out. Either the man was too short, too rude, too feminine, or too married, but it was always something!

On one occasion, Stacey went out to dinner on a blind date. Dinner was wonderful; the conversation was exquisite; and the sparks were flying everywhere! After dinner, her date suggested they catch a movie because he just didn’t want the evening to end. Stacey was totally feeling that!

As they were walking into the theatre, there was a group of people walking out. Surprisingly, included in that group were the wife and 3 children of Stacey’s blind date. As you might guess, all hell broke loose. The man’s wife assaulted Stacey; the police were called; the kids were crying; everybody was watching. It was horrific! In the end, both Stacey’s date and his wife were arrested for domestic violence. A family member had to pick up the kids, and Stacey had to take a cab home. Sadly, that wasn’t the first or last time Stacey found herself in sticky situation.

Despite the fact that Stacey had been heartbroken more times than she could count, she continued to date online. Alexander Inc. kept her extremely busy; on an average day, she would work between 10-16 hours. So, she didn’t have time for the club, or really the desire. She had been there and done that along with oh so many other things, like speed dating, It’s Just Lunch, chat lines, chat rooms, dating services, and escort services. You name it and Stacey had probably tried it. So, with that in mind, she tried not to get overly excited; although, somehow, she felt Jesse would be different - but only time would tell.

Having completed the beautification process, Stacey was as ready as she would ever be. Jesse’s flight arrived at 5:45, so she had just under an hour to make it to the airport. As she drove to O’Hare, the knot in Stacey’s stomach grew tighter and tighter with each passing mile. She thought she would die from anxiety! But, she finally arrived with 20 minutes to spare – 20 minutes that seemed like 20 years as she sat waiting for Jesse’s plane to arrive.

Shortly after the plane’s arrival, passengers started to flood the baggage claim area. Stacey eagerly scanned the crowd looking for that face she had grown so fond of over the past two months. At first glance, she didn’t see him. Instantly fear and panic set in – What if he didn’t come? What if he changed his mind? What if he had been playing her all this time?! – Then, suddenly, she spotted him behind an elderly couple!

He was neatly dressed in a mustard-colored polo shirt that complemented his honey-brown complexion. He wore a loose-fitting pair of jeans, but not hanging-down-to-his-knees loose. And, complementing his outfit was a funky pair of Timberland boots. In a word – the brother looked good!

Stacey called his name, Jesse!

As he turned his head towards the sound of Stacey’s voice, his eyes met hers and revealed a smile that would make a Cheshire cat envious. Stacey’s heart, literally, skipped a beat, maybe two. Could he be the one?

Jesse approached Stacey, opened his arms, and swept her up into them. As his large frame enveloped her petite one, she seemed to melt like butter and fuse with his body. His touch was electric! She never wanted to let go – ever! For once, it just felt right. Maybe, just maybe, Jesse was the one.

Over the next few days, Stacey and Jesse spent every waking moment getting to know each other. They talked about everything from marriage and kids to religion and politics. They were both amazed at how much they shared in common. The more time they spent together, the stronger the bond between them became. It seemed as if Stacey had finally met her Prince Charming – or had she?

Sadly, the day came for Jesse to return home. And although she knew he couldn’t, Stacey wished he could stay forever. The ride to the airport was much different the second time than the first. Stacey’s fear and anxiety was replaced by sadness and longing. Their time together had been so sweet, yet too short. Although she’d only known Jesse a couple of months, she knew she would miss everything about him.

After dropping Jesse off at the airport, Stacey began to think about her whirlwind weekend. It all seemed surreal. Was it only a dream? It just seemed too good to be true. But it was true! Stacey began to reminisce about her time with Jesse – his strong arms, his gentle touch, his soft kiss. Yes, it was real and it was all good. For once, she had met someone who was interested in marriage, not casual dating; someone who wanted children; someone who wasn’t into playing games; someone real!

Over the next few months, Jesse and Stacey’s long-distance romance blossomed. They continued to talk, text, and email. Jesse would come to visit once or twice a month. They were even starting to talk about relocating. Although it had only been a short period of time, Stacey and Jesse shared a very intense and loving relationship. In fact, Stacey could not remember ever being happier with anyone else.

As spring became summer and summer became fall, Stacey thought it would be nice to fly out to San Diego to visit Jesse. That would allow her to get away from the chilly weather and give her a closer look into Jesse’s life. Oh yeah, there was one other tiny reason why Stacey wanted to go to San Diego. Hopefully, after this trip, she would be able to dispel any uneasiness she may have had regarding other women.

Realistically, Stacey realized that the relationship was a long distance one, not to mention