Sparks the Matchmaker (Aaron Sparks Series) by Russell Elkins Page A

Marie.
    “Where’d you park?” Marie asked.
    “Just out there in the parking lot.”
    It took her a good amount of time to get up from the couch, but she succeeded and then made her way toward the front door. She scanned the cars in front of the building. “Is yours the silver one?”
    “Yeah.”
    “Well, come on then.” She walked out the door and limped, favoring her left leg, all the way to his car.
    Ollie quickly put the clipboard and pen down on the sofa and scurried out to where Marie was standing next to his shiny silver set of wheels. “Why don’t you come back inside? I bet that’s what your manager wants you to do.”
    “I need to get home. I have chores I need to do. I need to clean up the kitchen and get my laundry done. I need to get home and do it before I get in trouble.”
    “I’m sure your manager will understand if it’s not done until he can come pick you up. So just come back inside. I need to finish my paperwork.”
    “You just don’t care about me. You just want me to walk home and I’ll get hit by a car again.”
    “That’s not true. I just know that your manager would want you to—”
    “You just don’t care. I got hit by a car once. I spent almost two weeks in the hospital and I got a big cash settlement.”
    “Your manager is coming to get you. I’m sure he’ll be here soon.”
    “My manager isn’t a he. My manager is a girl. Her name’s Lynn.”
    Ollie froze. “It is?”
    “Well, of course it is.”
    “Yeah. Of course it is.” Why is it that life always gives you the opposite of what you want?

Chapter 10

    Ollie was a walking tower of reluctance. He went through the motions of the paperwork with Lynn, watching himself give in, kneel down, take on burdens that weren’t his own. Once they arrived at their destination— Marie’s apartment— he blurted out, “Lynn, are you sure you really need me for this job?”
    “Oh, stop being so dramatic,” she said. “Marie’s easy to work with once you figure her out.”
    “Well, I hope so. The episode at the office was kind of crazy. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous about this job.” As the words came out of his mouth, he realized something about Lynn: “You know, there’s something calming about your presence. With Marie, I mean.” It was one of the first times lately that he had tried to compliment a girl without also trying to pick up on her, and it felt good.
    “Thanks. Some days I don’t know why I stay with the job, and other days I can’t believe they pay me to do it,” Lynn said.
    “I’m hoping for the latter, in my case.”
    “Yeah, not so fast. Today is grocery shopping day— the most interesting day of the week.”
    “Today is groceries?” Marie interrupted them; she was instantly excited. “I get to make my shopping list this time.”
    “Not today,” Lynn said.
    “Why?” Marie demanded. “It’s my right! I can make my own shopping list.”
    “You know why,” Lynn said.
    “No, I don’t!” Marie stomped her foot in protest.
    “That’s not what your program says,” Lynn said. “You chose not to go to work today, so your consequence is that you don’t get to make your own shopping list. You know that.”
    “You just don’t care about me!” Marie shouted. “You don’t care if I get to eat good.”
    “I’m not going to argue with you about this,” Lynn said. “We’re going to just use the same grocery list you made from last week and keep your daily menu the same again.”
    “I don’t want to use the same list!” Marie stomped her way over to the couch where she began punching the couch cushions. “Ollie, tell her I can make my own list.”
    “Okay, then,” Lynn said. “Marie, you’re on a planned ignore for ten minutes, starting now.”
    “No!” Marie yelled, but Lynn didn’t turn to look at her or respond in any way. “You can’t do that to me!”
    “What’s a planned ignore?” Ollie asked.
    “It’s just ten minutes at a time,” Lynn said.