Never Say Never (The Ladies Who Brunch, #1)

by Harlow James

Why does a woman have to have a husband to be happy?” She glances around the table at us as we all ponder her question. “She doesn’t, but it doesn’t mean we can’t have one and be happy too,” Noelle replies.

And I guess after reading about fictional happily ever afters for a living, you become obsessed with finding your own.

Guilty as charged

“It’s not that I don’t want to get married one day, but I’m not going to settle on the first guy I cross paths with just so I’m not alone anymore.”

You know how crazy people can get about toilet paper.

“Being with a man isn’t just about his dick sometimes. It’s about feeling wanted, touched in places other than your pretty kitty, right?”

Public service announcement, ladies: Don’t ever go after a guy with the intent to be the exception for him. You are not the one that gets to decide that. He is. And if you keep pursuing him and he doesn’t want to commit, you’re the only person who looks like an idiot in that situation for going after a man that clearly doesn’t want to be the guy you need him to be.

There is something about a man in a suit that makes my vagina wake up and summon every hormone in my body.

“Don’t settle for a spark. Light a fire instead.”

You are headstrong and dedicated, hardworking and loyal. You set your mind to something, and you accomplish it. None of those qualities has to do with your pant size, waist size, or your love life.”

“Oh, Charlotte. This old bird may be slow when it comes to moving around these days, but the kitty that rests between my legs is still feral like a jungle cat.”

“Well, just remember that love isn’t supposed to be confusing. It’s just supposed to feel right.”

My gut and my brain are like the devil and the angel, sitting on each of my shoulders. Both are competing to convince me of what I should do in my situation.

My light blue shirt is also rolled up to my elbows, showing off my forearms. I don’t know what it is, but ladies go nuts for forearms.

I don’t know what it is either… but I 100000% agree 🤷🏻‍♀️

“Haven’t you ever found that some of the best decisions you’ve made in your life are the ones you aren’t sure you should be making in the first place? The ones that hold a certain amount of risk and danger, the ones that make you feel alive…”

“Because for some reason, having you back in my life has brightened my days, Char. And I don’t want that brightness to dull just yet.”

Oranges, yellows, and pinks paint the sky in between clouds that look like brush strokes on a canvas. The waves of the ocean crash onto the shore below, and palm trees sticking up into the sky flow freely in the soft breeze.

Take me there NOW

“You scare me too, Char. But not being here right now with you scares me even more.”

“Then enjoy the ride, Charlotte. Believe that this is real, and just see where your heart takes you,”

“Charlotte, life is too short to do work you don’t love and have bad sex. Trust me, girl. You can have both.”

Sometimes doing things we’ve never done before is the best part of living.”

“Being a strong woman doesn’t mean that you’re not allowed to be human, Charlotte. Being strong doesn’t mean that you’re not allowed to have moments of weakness or make mistakes. Being strong means admitting when you made them and working to correct them. It means knowing when you’ve had enough and setting boundaries to maintain your inner peace so you can live your life the way you want to. Being strong means having people around you to pick you up when you’ve fallen—because it happens to everyone—and knowing you can lean on them when your plate goes crashing to the floor.”

Do you guys ever do that? Think about things you should have said in an argument after the conversation is already over?”

All The time

You are the one that gets to decide who is in your life and in what capacity, as well as how much energy they get from you. Life is too short to surround yourself with shitty people, and there is only so much of yourself that you should give before you finally realize that what you have to offer will never be enough for some people—and that is okay.”

“Hey, what can I say? I love love. I think everyone deserves to feel the real thing once in their life. And if you’re lucky, you get to help others find it too.”

After all, I didn’t settle for a spark. I stoked a fire that had been ignited since we were kids, and by doing so, found the man I’m supposed to be with for the rest of my life.

“And remember, keep an open mind. You never know who the love of your life could end up being,” he says, staring down at me with reverence in his eyes. “It could be the one person you thought you’d never think of again.”

It’s amazing what an orgasm can do for anxiety.

We battle opinions and doubts at every turn, but oftentimes, the doubts we’re hearing the loudest are coming from within ourselves. However, I want women to realize that there is always someone you can talk to or someone going through the same things as you. And if you let them in, you might just find everything you’ve been looking for to help keep your plate spinning.