Like how about good old-fashioned chemistry?”
I should have guessed she’d have opinions about this. But her opinions wouldn’t sway me.
“Sure, chemistry is a factor, but physical attraction shouldn’t be the primary reason for being with someone. My parents got divorced because every time my father became infatuated with some other woman, he thought he was in love. And obviously he wasn’t, because none of those marriages lasted either. Now he’s back with my mother because he finally understands what’s important in a relationship.”
“Which is?”
“Intellectual equality. Common interests. Similar goals. Stuff that still matters once the honeymoon is over.”
Gabby’s eyelids drooped. “Oh my God. You’re going to take all the fun out of this for me, aren’t you?”
“Yes, that’s my hidden agenda,” I said drily. “Will you help me or not?”
She folded up the list and put it in her pocket. “Of course I will. I’ll come over tonight and we can check out some dating sites. I’ll bring Chinese takeout. Do you have wine?”
“I’m not going to set up my profile while drinking. That’s a recipe for disaster.” Actually wine sounded pretty good. And this plan had disaster written all over it anyway.
“Fine. I’ll get drunk by myself. What else is new?” Gabby rolled the chair up to the desk and gave me a sincere smile. “Honestly, I love that you are doing this, Evie. And I’m honored to help you. What did Hilary have to say?”
I felt a little pang of unease. “I haven’t told her yet. I tried to the other day, but she had her own stuff going on and I never got a chance. Tonight she’s busy with family time. But I can tell you that she’d fully support my criteria. So don’t lose that!” I pointed at the pocket containing my list.
Gabby patted it. “Oh, I’ll take good care of this. Trust me.”
I didn’t trust her. Not as far as I could chuck a Volkswagen. But Hilary was unavailable and Gabby was all I had. Of course, I could have done this alone too, but since always being alone was what had gotten me into this position, I felt like I needed a buddy for this adventure.
Gabby sat on the floor of my apartment an hour later, polishing off her plate of moo goo gai pan and her second glass of wine. I’d caved to her peer pressure and was finishing my first merlot. My laptop was perched on the coffee table like some magic portal into my future. But I hadn’t had the nerve to turn it on.
“All right. The night’s half over, Evie. Time to boot this puppy up.” Gabby reached over, her fingers flickering over the keyboard, and the screen brightened instantly. “Bell Harbor Singles, you said, right?” She continued typing.
I nodded. “That’s the one Des McKnight’s kooky aunt-in-law suggested. I guess if it’s good enough for her, it’s good enough for me. Although she is seventy. And quite possibly suffering from dementia.”
On second thought, maybe this wasn’t such a great idea. As soon as I put my information out there . . . well, then my information would be out there . Where literally every Tom, Dick, and Harry could see it. And every Bill and Brad and Brian, and scores of countless others. It’s not as if I had any privacy in this town anyway, but this was taking things to a whole new level of transparency. Maybe I wasn’t ready for this.
But before I could stop her, the site popped up and nearly blinded me. It was a cotton-candy pink with a photo of two hands clasped in front of a setting sun. Gabby read the text out loud.
“Bell Harbor—where the sand is warm and the romance scene is hot, hot, hot. Whether you’re looking for just a little fun in the afternoon sun or a stroll down the aisle, your ideal match is waiting for you. Log on now. Your happily ever after is just one click away.”
She smiled over at me. “Just a click away, Ev. Are you ready?”
I felt a little woozy all of a sudden. I hadn’t been on a date in ages. In fact, I’d
I should have guessed she’d have opinions about this. But her opinions wouldn’t sway me.
“Sure, chemistry is a factor, but physical attraction shouldn’t be the primary reason for being with someone. My parents got divorced because every time my father became infatuated with some other woman, he thought he was in love. And obviously he wasn’t, because none of those marriages lasted either. Now he’s back with my mother because he finally understands what’s important in a relationship.”
“Which is?”
“Intellectual equality. Common interests. Similar goals. Stuff that still matters once the honeymoon is over.”
Gabby’s eyelids drooped. “Oh my God. You’re going to take all the fun out of this for me, aren’t you?”
“Yes, that’s my hidden agenda,” I said drily. “Will you help me or not?”
She folded up the list and put it in her pocket. “Of course I will. I’ll come over tonight and we can check out some dating sites. I’ll bring Chinese takeout. Do you have wine?”
“I’m not going to set up my profile while drinking. That’s a recipe for disaster.” Actually wine sounded pretty good. And this plan had disaster written all over it anyway.
“Fine. I’ll get drunk by myself. What else is new?” Gabby rolled the chair up to the desk and gave me a sincere smile. “Honestly, I love that you are doing this, Evie. And I’m honored to help you. What did Hilary have to say?”
I felt a little pang of unease. “I haven’t told her yet. I tried to the other day, but she had her own stuff going on and I never got a chance. Tonight she’s busy with family time. But I can tell you that she’d fully support my criteria. So don’t lose that!” I pointed at the pocket containing my list.
Gabby patted it. “Oh, I’ll take good care of this. Trust me.”
I didn’t trust her. Not as far as I could chuck a Volkswagen. But Hilary was unavailable and Gabby was all I had. Of course, I could have done this alone too, but since always being alone was what had gotten me into this position, I felt like I needed a buddy for this adventure.
Gabby sat on the floor of my apartment an hour later, polishing off her plate of moo goo gai pan and her second glass of wine. I’d caved to her peer pressure and was finishing my first merlot. My laptop was perched on the coffee table like some magic portal into my future. But I hadn’t had the nerve to turn it on.
“All right. The night’s half over, Evie. Time to boot this puppy up.” Gabby reached over, her fingers flickering over the keyboard, and the screen brightened instantly. “Bell Harbor Singles, you said, right?” She continued typing.
I nodded. “That’s the one Des McKnight’s kooky aunt-in-law suggested. I guess if it’s good enough for her, it’s good enough for me. Although she is seventy. And quite possibly suffering from dementia.”
On second thought, maybe this wasn’t such a great idea. As soon as I put my information out there . . . well, then my information would be out there . Where literally every Tom, Dick, and Harry could see it. And every Bill and Brad and Brian, and scores of countless others. It’s not as if I had any privacy in this town anyway, but this was taking things to a whole new level of transparency. Maybe I wasn’t ready for this.
But before I could stop her, the site popped up and nearly blinded me. It was a cotton-candy pink with a photo of two hands clasped in front of a setting sun. Gabby read the text out loud.
“Bell Harbor—where the sand is warm and the romance scene is hot, hot, hot. Whether you’re looking for just a little fun in the afternoon sun or a stroll down the aisle, your ideal match is waiting for you. Log on now. Your happily ever after is just one click away.”
She smiled over at me. “Just a click away, Ev. Are you ready?”
I felt a little woozy all of a sudden. I hadn’t been on a date in ages. In fact, I’d
Similar Books
