If my potential suitor didn’t match any of them, he had zero chance of being compatible with me. Yes, I was on a mission to meet a man so I wouldn’t die alone, but I wasn’t going to settle for an inferior specimen who did nothing but annoy or bore me.
I was sure Dee was going to love my list because I had spent a lot of time thinking about what I really wanted in a man. I just needed a high-powered executive who understood how important my career was to me. Someone who understood business.
I took a sip of my coffee, analyzing the list of traits I was looking for.
1) Confident: I liked a man who walked into a room with his head held up high, a man who looked me in the eyes when he talked to me, and someone who knew what he wanted. Me. And since he wanted me so bad, I expected him to confidently grab me and kiss me until I was weak in the knees, and then make love to me on top of my desk, if that’s what he desired.
I scooted my laptop to the side and knocked on my desk with my knuckles.
Oh, boy.
It was very hard.
Okay, maybe I needed to forget the part about making love on the desk. That didn’t sound comfortable at all. Plus, I would probably kill him if he messed up my perfectly organized files.
Stick to the bed.
The bottom line was that as long as he was confident to know what I needed every day and knew my preferences, that should be good enough. If he were color-coordinated and could dress himself without my help, that would be a bonus.
I pulled my laptop closer and got back to my list.
2) Decisive: He should be able to make the right decision without my help. He should have the innate ability to know which night I preferred fish and which night I preferred chicken and wouldn’t bother asking if I had a preference because he’d know. He needed to be able to decide for himself, stick with his decision, and just do it. Wishy-washy men need not apply.
3) Accountable: I wanted a man who would admit when he was wrong, because everyone knew that he would be the one who was wrong 99.99999999999 percent of the time. If he could get that through his thick, preferably non-bald head, we could have a bright future together.
4) Fiscally Responsible: He should know about finances, how to manage his money well, and have an impressive portfolio of growth stocks, treasury securities, municipal bonds, plus a high-yield savings account, and multiple real estate holdings. There was no way in hell I was going to be his sugar mama. He needed to hold his own. And speaking of holding his own, the man should know how to aim while going to the bathroom instead of splashing all over the place. Okay, this shouldn’t go under fiscal responsibility, but I refused to have a separate trait just for peeing and bathroom etiquette.
5) Open-minded: I wanted a man in my life who knew that my career was most important to me and wouldn’t nag me because I was working late.
6) Not afraid to ask for directions: I knew this one would be hard to find in a man, but a woman could hope, right?
7) Kind and Generous: I wanted to meet a man who wouldn’t hesitate to do things for others without expecting anything in return.
Someone like Nick Morris.
I’m not sure why my thoughts jumped to him, but he was kind enough to pick me up off the floor at the gym after I fell off the bike like an idiot. I eyed the light switch he had installed on the wall in front of me. I had to admit that was kind as well, and generous since he said he wasn’t going to charge me for it.
Still, he’s taken a huge risk by doing that without my permission.
Being a risk-taker was not a quality I wanted in a man and would never be on my list, even if he were as good-looking as Nick.
I scarfed down the rest of the second croissant and stood, knowing Dee would be arriving any second since it was 7:29 and she had never been late a day in her life.
At seven thirty on the nose, the doorbell rang.
“It’s open!” I yelled and waited for her to come into the office. I was surprised as my eyes started to burn and I thought of what happened on the airplane again and the possibility of never seeing Dee again.
She entered the office without saying a word, set down a stack of folders and her laptop on my desk, and hugged me like it was her last chance to hug me in my life. “Thank God you’re okay.” She held me tight. “I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.”
Tears streamed down my face as I pushed her away to look her in the eyes. “You would have less stress in your life, we both know that for a fact.”
She wiped her eyes and shook her head. “It wouldn’t have been worth it. I would rather lose all my hair from stress and know that you were still my best friend and alive.”
I hugged her again, sniffling. “You are probably the only woman I know who would look beautiful with a bald head. Well, you and Sinéad O’Connor. Okay, no more crying, we have work to do.” I pulled away and pointed to the plate on the other end of the desk. “Your croissants, as requested.”
“I only wanted one.”
“I’m spoiling you today.”
She smiled. “There is no reason for me to have a problem with that.”
“Grab a cup of coffee. The capsule is already in the machine. Just press start and you’re good to go.”
Dee set her laptop on my desk. “Thanks. Be back in a jiffy.”
I wiped my eyes again and settled back behind the desk in my chair.
I forwarded my document to Dee, so she would have it when she came back from the kitchen with her cup of coffee.
A minute later, Dee returned to the office with her coffee, sat opposite me, and immediately took a bite of the first croissant. “Hmm. So good.” She turned and glanced at the french doors. “Wow! Those are amazing. Why aren’t they open?”
“I was just about to open them to let in the fresh air, but you can do the honors, if you want.”
“Of course.” Dee stood and opened the doors all the way, admiring the view of the backyard before sitting back down. “Now, that is a great view of your roses.”
I smiled, admiring them. “Sure is.”
Grandma Meg had helped me plant the roses, so they would always have a special place in my heart. Every time I looked at them, I thought of her. She told me I needed to stop and smell them regularly. I admit I had been slacking in that department, but would make more of an effort to be outside when everything was finished.
There was so much space in my backyard that was not being utilized. It would still look spacious, even with the new fountain being installed.
Nick also incorporated feng shui in his backyard designs, the ancient Chinese art of using energy to harmonize individuals with their surrounding environment, bringing luck, health, and opportunity my way.
Dee squeezed my arm. “You must be excited.”
I nodded, looking through the screen doors to the backyard. “I am.” I pointed to the light switch. “Nick even installed a switch on this side so I can turn on the outside lights without having to go to the family room.”
“What a great idea,” Dee said with a mouthful of croissant. “That was a nice touch.”
I nodded. “It wasn’t part of the plan, but lucky for him I liked it. Hopefully, he won’t take any other liberties or he’s going to get it. Of course, who knows if Nick will ever take me seriously again after my impersonation of Marilyn Monroe last night.”
Dee slapped the top of the desk with her hand. “What did you do? Did you add a fake mole above your lip and sing happy birthday to him in a sexy way?”