Afterward, I stopped by NBC to discuss a few things with Scotty, rushed home to handle a few orders for Waverly’s Honey Shop, took them to the post office, and then sprinted back home again to pack for Cleveland. I’d meant to hit the post office the day before, but I’d been at the studio late working on a different segment with the editing team. When I finally got home, I fell asleep on the couch watching an old episode of Seinfeld . I woke up at two o’clock with the newspaper stuck to my face, then crawled into my bed, and passed out again until my alarm went off at five.
Late that afternoon, I jumped into a cab and met Paige at the airport, and soon we were on our way to Ohio. I took the window seat and planned to be asleep in approximately seven minutes.
“We did it,” she said a few minutes after the plane took off.
I looked up from my magazine. “We did what? We made our flight?”
“ It . Gary and I. We did it.”
I opened my eyes wide. “You hadn’t done it yet?”
She shook her head. “I’m Paige, not Andie, remember?”
I laughed. “I’m sorry. I just assumed it was in your shared DNA. So how was it?”
She leaned back in her seat and smiled. “I think…I think I’m in love.”
“No way. For real?”
She sat up straight. “OK maybe not love , but I’m definitely in like.”
I nodded. “In like is good.”
“In like is very good. It’s all so good. I can’t believe how good it is.”
I tucked my magazine into the seat pocket. “So what about his kids, his ex, the whole Nashville thing. Doesn’t that scare you a little bit?”
She shrugged. “It’s not ideal, but what is ideal anymore? I’m thirty-four years old, and until recently I’ve been dating guys who are my age—if not older —who still act like they’re in college. They don’t call or even text when they say they will, they expect you to hop in the sack on the first date, and they’re usually dating half of Manhattan along the way. New York is filled with playboys, and I’m just sick of that whole scene. I’d rather date a divorcé who lives in another state than deal with another asshole.”
I’d never heard her speak with such conviction. It made me smile.
I thought about what she said before replying.
“I hadn’t thought about it until now, but having a boyfriend has definitely made my move to New York easier. Trying to deal with dating on top of everything I’ve got going on would be too much. At least with Jake, the only issues we’re dealing with are geography and our crazy schedules.” Those issues were beginning to concern me, however, and I was really looking forward to seeing him in person.
“See what I mean? Dating is really hard here,” she said.
I nodded. “I don’t think I could take the anxiety of wondering if or even when he was going to ask me out again.” It hadn’t been very long since I’d been in that exact position and I never wanted to go back there.
She stuck out her tongue. “I hate the dating scene here. It’s too competitive for me. On Monday, the night before Gary came into town, I had another date through that dating service I told you about.”
“The one you hate? What did you say it was called? Just Joking Around ?”
She laughed. “ Just a Drink , but I call them Just a Joke , because they suck.”
“If they suck so much, why do you keep using them?”
“Because I paid them up front for a set number of dates. That’s why they don’t care about setting me up with losers—they already have my money. A lot of it.”
“Yikes.”
“Yeah, like I said, they suck. Anyhow, they set me up with this man they said owned his own business, so I figured he had to be interesting, right?”
I narrowed my eyes. “I don’t know if I want to hear where this is going. Am I going to need a drink to hear where this is going?” I pretended to flag down a flight attendant.
She laughed. “They also told me he was funny, and that he liked wine.”
I held up
Late that afternoon, I jumped into a cab and met Paige at the airport, and soon we were on our way to Ohio. I took the window seat and planned to be asleep in approximately seven minutes.
“We did it,” she said a few minutes after the plane took off.
I looked up from my magazine. “We did what? We made our flight?”
“ It . Gary and I. We did it.”
I opened my eyes wide. “You hadn’t done it yet?”
She shook her head. “I’m Paige, not Andie, remember?”
I laughed. “I’m sorry. I just assumed it was in your shared DNA. So how was it?”
She leaned back in her seat and smiled. “I think…I think I’m in love.”
“No way. For real?”
She sat up straight. “OK maybe not love , but I’m definitely in like.”
I nodded. “In like is good.”
“In like is very good. It’s all so good. I can’t believe how good it is.”
I tucked my magazine into the seat pocket. “So what about his kids, his ex, the whole Nashville thing. Doesn’t that scare you a little bit?”
She shrugged. “It’s not ideal, but what is ideal anymore? I’m thirty-four years old, and until recently I’ve been dating guys who are my age—if not older —who still act like they’re in college. They don’t call or even text when they say they will, they expect you to hop in the sack on the first date, and they’re usually dating half of Manhattan along the way. New York is filled with playboys, and I’m just sick of that whole scene. I’d rather date a divorcé who lives in another state than deal with another asshole.”
I’d never heard her speak with such conviction. It made me smile.
I thought about what she said before replying.
“I hadn’t thought about it until now, but having a boyfriend has definitely made my move to New York easier. Trying to deal with dating on top of everything I’ve got going on would be too much. At least with Jake, the only issues we’re dealing with are geography and our crazy schedules.” Those issues were beginning to concern me, however, and I was really looking forward to seeing him in person.
“See what I mean? Dating is really hard here,” she said.
I nodded. “I don’t think I could take the anxiety of wondering if or even when he was going to ask me out again.” It hadn’t been very long since I’d been in that exact position and I never wanted to go back there.
She stuck out her tongue. “I hate the dating scene here. It’s too competitive for me. On Monday, the night before Gary came into town, I had another date through that dating service I told you about.”
“The one you hate? What did you say it was called? Just Joking Around ?”
She laughed. “ Just a Drink , but I call them Just a Joke , because they suck.”
“If they suck so much, why do you keep using them?”
“Because I paid them up front for a set number of dates. That’s why they don’t care about setting me up with losers—they already have my money. A lot of it.”
“Yikes.”
“Yeah, like I said, they suck. Anyhow, they set me up with this man they said owned his own business, so I figured he had to be interesting, right?”
I narrowed my eyes. “I don’t know if I want to hear where this is going. Am I going to need a drink to hear where this is going?” I pretended to flag down a flight attendant.
She laughed. “They also told me he was funny, and that he liked wine.”
I held up
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