Whatever Happened to Prince Charming?

By Willow Cross

Online dating is all fun and games...until somebody dies.

Karen Mills finally has it all—great kids, divorced from her horrible ex, a successful writing career, fabulous apartment. Only her loneliness makes the perfect package feel incomplete.

Lured into the world of online dating in search of her happily ever after, Karen despairs at finding anyone she can connect with. That is, until she meets Jack.

He’s charming. Funny. Wealthy. And he sweeps her off her feet while making her feel special and loved. Her perfect partner.

Problem is, Jack’s story is starting to fall apart. His excuses and explanations don’t always add up and Karen’s concerns grow as fast as her attraction first did.

With her safety--and that of her children--at stake, Karen must discover who he really is and if she's found Mr. Right... or Mr. Psychopath.

But she’s about to discover some secrets are better left hidden.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Willow Cross
• Release date: Oct 22, 2016
• ISBN: 9781370297696

Willow Cross

Willow Cross is a multi-genre author who resides in Indiana. She also moonlights as a radio talk show host for The World of Ink Network’s The Paranormal Hour. A self-proclaimed vamp enthusiast, were-hunter, prankster, dreamer, story teller, benevolent dictator of minions, and chocolate lover, she spends her free time with family and friends, as well as participating in paranormal investigations.Her home has been known to host the occasional ghost and several of her friends profess to be witches. Although she dearly loves Vampires and Werewolves, they are never invited for dinner.

Book preview

Whatever Happened to Prince Charming?

By

Willow Cross

Copyright 2015 © Willow Cross

Smashwords Edition

License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-produced in any format, digital or otherwise without written permission from the author. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Barnes and Noble and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Dedication

For my warrior prince. Although our time was short, thank you for the butterflies, starlight, and most especially, for choosing to be my gladiator.

Whatever Happened to Prince Charming?

Lost in a sea of single, forty-something women, Author Karen Mills decided to embark on what she hoped would be the adventure of a lifetime. Come hell or high water, she would find her Prince Charming and live happily ever after.

Armed with a shiny new online dating profile, she set out on her quest to find the perfect match. She knew she’d probably have to kiss a few frogs to find her prince, but she failed to understand that although rare, some frogs are deadly.

Disclaimer

This story is a work of fiction any resemblances to people, living or dead, are simply coincidences as the characters involved are fictitious and come from the mind of the author. All well-known trademarked businesses used in the creation of this story were used solely to further the story and are not to be held accountable for any situation that might appear to have happened. This is a work of fiction.

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Epilogue

Author Bio

Other Books

Demon Revolution Sample

Chapter One

Karen sat back in her chair and grinned at the three paragraph message in her inbox. So far so good. Maybe this one will actually be able carry on a conversation, she thought. Her initial hope fled as she read the first two sentences:

Bigjon87: Hi my name is jon an i jus want tell hw grt ur pic is. U lk like a nice lady an i think we cud b grt togther if ud give me chance.

Sighing, she stifled a growl and attempted to read the rest of the message, finally giving up halfway through the second paragraph. She clicked over to the sender’s profile and waited for the page to load. As she’d figured, his profile picture showed him holding up a freshly caught fish with a lovely scowl on his face, and of course, the preferred 4 days of unkempt beard growth. Shaking her head, she returned to the inbox and clicked block user.

She hadn’t always been so brutal in her selections. In the initial stages of her quest to find Mr. Right, she’d been open-minded, sweet to a fault, and completely non-judgmental. Karen was hell-bent on doing things differently in the beginning. When she’d met her x-husband the first thing she noticed about him was his looks and although she married for love, she’d learned many lessons in those 15 years of marriage. Lesson number one: Never marry a man who thinks he’s better looking than you. It never ends well.

Karen scrolled down to the next message.

Trdnlooking 90: Wow! Where have you been my whole life? I'm crazy just like you. Message me back and let's see what happens. You really sound like my female counterpart.

Laughing, she typed into the reply box: I've been locked in a padded room. I only just recently escaped! LOL.

Within seconds he responded: They couldn't hold me! (Evil laugh). I really like the things you said in your profile.

Grinning, she replied: I really meant the things I said in my profile. LOL. And all of it is very true. I abhor reality, so I choose to live in my own universe as often as possible.

Moments later he replied: I say that reality is for people who cannot handle insanity, and I handle insanity very well thank you!

Still smiling, Karen leaned back in her chair. This seemed promising. At least he could hold a conversation and had a sense of humor. While she considered her reply, another message popped on her screen.

Trdnlooking90: The key to happiness lies in finding someone who will join you in your insanity. LOL. Tried to be with someone normal didn't work out. They don't get me at all and honestly, I don't get them either. LOL. I will never understand why anyone would want to be a sheep. So are you still looking for your knight in shining armor, or did someone snag you already? And by the way I do know how to use a sword. Not a knight, but a warrior in black leather armor.

Maybe this was him? Had she finally gotten lucky and ran across the one man left in the world who might possibly understand her? Her fingers moved swiftly over the keys.

Whostolemyhalo: Warrior is good. :) I'm more of an artisan personality, so a warrior personality will always be my best fit. :) And no. No luck with prince charming as of yet. I’m beginning to believe chivalry is dead. LOL.

Several minutes passed before he replied.

Trdnlooking90: A warrior protects his artisan charges. I believe in an outdated code; honor, chivalry, and justice. I know that's not ok in today's world. Studied sword for a few years. Kinda out of practice. So what do you do for fun?

Fun? How was she supposed to answer that question? Fun was most certainly something she hadn’t had in a very long time. Oh sure, she had enjoyed going to museums, movies, and concerts in her younger years, but that had been quite some time ago. Now? Well, now fun consisted of YouTube surfing with a bottle of wine on the weekends the kids were with their dad.

Sighing, she finally replied with: Depends. Reading your profile it sounds like we do a lot of the same things. I'm pretty flexible and spontaneous, so you never know.

While awaiting his response she clicked over to view his profile. He was definitely handsome, but not so much so that she’d be breaking rule number one. He had deep brown eyes and hair longer than she usually found attractive on men. However, it suited his stature and dress. Scrolling farther down, she looked over his personal info. Six foot two inches tall, single, nothing in the income status, or religious preference. His profile bio read: I spend most of my time working and taking care of others. I’m looking for someone who understands the meaning of ‘deep connection’ and would be interested in participating in such. I have a very low tolerance for stupid, so if you can’t count to 20 without using fingers and toes...please pass me by. I’m incredibly sarcastic and was voted most likely to become a cult leader my senior year of high school. (To date, I have not accomplished that feat, but I am working diligently to make it happen.)

Karen let out a laugh and shook her head. He seemed intelligent, was certainly articulate, and had a great sense of humor. As her hopes soared, she grew impatient for his reply.

Minutes passed before she finally gave up and logged out. It seemed to be going so well. What could have happened to him? Sighing heavily, she headed to the kitchen to refill her coffee before returning to the computer chiding herself on once again over-reacting and hopefully logged back in.

Thanks to the men she’d been talking to, Karen wasn’t a stranger to defeat or rejection. It only took two or three months on the site, and several disastrous dates, for her eyes to fully open and her mind to adjust to the fact that taking people online at face value was generally a bad idea.

Before she could open the next message, the phone rang. Snatching it from her desk, she smiled as she looked at the caller ID. Hey, Lacey, she said.

What are you doing right now?

Just going through my love connection messages, Karen laughed. Why? What’s up?

Oh, yay. Sounds exciting, her best friend matter-of-factly replied.

Unwilling to discuss this new man who might have already lost interest, she answered, Uh huh. Today is knuckle-dragging Neanderthal day. You get two for the price of one, she joked.

Lacey’s voice changed as she put on a thick southern drawl. Cain’t write nor read, but they sure cain ketch a feesh, huh?

Laughing, Karen stood up and walked the few steps across the room to her bed. So what’s up? she asked as she plopped on the bed and stretched out. You don’t usually call this time of night, is the man being an ass again?

Nah, Lacey answered. I just wanted to check on you. How did the date go last night?

Ha! Girl, you don’t even want to know.

Oh, yes I do. Spill the beans.

He seemed so perfect on paper. Seriously perfect. And his picture was nice too. He wasn’t drop dead gorgeous, but I’m not looking for that anyhow.

So what was wrong with this one?

He’s a liar. End of story.

And you know this because...

Because his profile clearly states he’s 5 feet 11 inches tall.

So?

So, I was looking him straight in the eyes. If he’s that tall I suddenly grew 8 inches. Karen paused to sigh, and continued, I’m done with liars. One small lie leads to a bigger lie and so on, and the next thing you know your man is packing his shit and leaving.

Karen’s lip drew to the side as she heard the long, drawn-out sigh on the other end of the line.

KK, you have to let it go. You can’t let one moment in time define who you are now and who you will be. Ray didn’t deserve you anyhow. And you can’t keep thinking every guy you meet is going to turn into him. Maybe this dude was just embarrassed that he’s short.

That’s still no excuse for lying.

Well, maybe it was a typo. Hell, you know a thing or two about those.

Rolling to her side, Karen placed the largest of her throw pillows between her knees. Her voice grew soft as she spoke. It’s not just his height. He doesn’t carry on conversations very well either. The whole thing was just completely uncomfortable. And then at the very last minute, after all that not talking, he actually tried to kiss me. What the fuck? I don’t get men.

Lacey snorted. Right. They want you to be ‘all in,’ but can’t commit to anything past breakfast?

Karen sighed. I’m going to be single forever.

No you’re not, Lacey assured her.

You know what I hate most about dating?

Everything? Lacey laughed.

I always feel like I’m part of some seedy auction selling myself to the highest bidder. Karen sighed.

And all the patrons are too broke to buy?

Right. And I’m the quarter box of junk nobody wants.

Awe, KK. You won’t be alone forever. I know you won’t.

Yes, I really think I will. Who in their right mind would want me anyhow? I don’t have loads of free time, I work almost nonstop. Add to that the whole forty-five year-old fat chick thing, and what have you got?

She waited a few seconds for Lacey to respond. Greeted with only silence, she continued, I’ll tell you what you’ve got. A woman who isn’t datable. I’m just not dating material.

Now you’re just being a dumbass, Lacey said.

"Oh great, that from the woman who’s been married for twenty-five years to a man who couldn’t grasp the concept of cheating. You finally have something to