“Sorry, I just can’t do that.” She took a bite of her second croissant and shook her head.
Crap.
Now, I felt horrible.
Dee gestured toward the backyard. “And you would rule out a gorgeous man like Nick just because of what he does for a living? The man is fine. Who cares what he does? Then again, Brandon is gorgeous too, and of course he is closer to my age. Brandon is H-O-T!”
Brandon appeared in the backyard on the other side of the screen doors, carrying a box and looking in our direction. “Good morning!” He was looking at Dee, not me.
“Good morning,” Dee and I said at the same time.
Now it was Dee’s turn to lean toward me with what I can only imagine is the same horrified look I had on my face just a minute ago. “Please tell me he didn’t hear that.”
I smirked. “Sorry, I just can’t do that.”
Dee frowned. “Maybe he can’t spell.”
“I guarantee you he C-A-N.”
“Who’s more pathetic, you or me?”
“That’s up for discussion.”
Dee finished her croissant and gulped down the rest of her coffee. “Okay, anyway, I will go through and delete all blue-collar workers, even though I don’t want to. That is still going to leave you with about twelve men, I think. And you’re going on a date with one of them tonight.”
“What?!” I leaned in again since Brandon and Nick both glanced toward the house after my outburst. “I have a date?”
“Seven thirty at Jake’s.”
Jake’s was a tasty seafood restaurant right on the beach in Del Mar. It was one of my favorite places to eat, close enough for me to walk to. I couldn’t believe she’d set me up on a blind date already.
“If I have a date with him, that means you’ve been talking to him and pretending you were me.”
“Basically. I didn’t want you to scare off the first potential man.”
“How would I scare him off?”
“By opening your mouth.” She laughed. “And I think you’ll love what he does for a living.”
I was scared, but I had to ask.
“What does he do?” I whispered.
She smiled. “He’s a chef and a restaurateur.”
“He owns the restaurant?”
Dee nodded. “He sure does! A businessman, plus he can cook for you anytime you want. What more could you ask for?”
Okay, I had to admit that sounded appealing.
He wasn’t working in an office environment, but I think I could get used to the idea of going out with a chef. Chefs work hard, are career-driven, and only want to deliver the best product to their customers because their reputations are on the line with every single plate that leaves the kitchen. He could be another perfectionist, but I would be okay with that, because that meant he cared. And hopefully he would prepare me elaborate dishes since I rarely cooked.
“You’re thinking too much,” Dee said. “Stop that. You’re going on the date.”
“Okay—I’ll go on the date, but it’s not going to be dinner.”
“Why not? Dinners are more romantic.”
“That’s exactly why I want to avoid it. I don’t want something romantic with a man I’ve never met before and in this case, someone I’ve never talked to. Lunch dates have a ticking clock since people only have so much time before they need to get back to work. I have an out. If I don’t like the guy, I have the perfect excuse to leave.”
“That’s not going into the date with a positive attitude. You need to believe that there is a chance he may be the one you’ve been searching for all your life.”
“I’m just being realistic. We both know that the odds are against him out of the chute because I’m not going to settle for just anyone. But, if the man gets past the first round, the first date, he will graduate to a dinner date and I may even wear a dress for that one! All first dates are lunch dates only. No exceptions and I won’t budge on this.”
She studied me for a moment and sighed. “You’re already making this difficult and we haven’t even started yet. And you are not going to wear a business suit on a first date, whether it’s a lunch or dinner. I will not budge on this. Trust me, I know what I’m doing.”
“Fine. Set up a lunch date. In fact, see if you can make it happen today since it’s still early.”
“It may be a possibility since it’s his day off. I’ll message him.”
“That would work out great, then I could go straight to the tea with Judy afterwards. And we’ll see just how good you are at matchmaking. Don’t get your hopes up, though.”
“I want you to be happy and in love and have something in your life besides work and me. Someone special.” She reached across the desk and squeezed my hand. “The only thing I have is hope for you.”
“If you make me cry again, you’re fired.”
“Right . . .” She typed a few things on her computer and smiled. “Okay, I just sent a message to try to change the date to lunch instead of dinner.” She stood and walked toward the door. “I’ll make myself another cup of coffee while we wait to see if Barney responds.”
I took a sip of my coffee and almost spit it out. “Wait!”
Dee stopped and turned around.
“Barney?”
“Yeah, that’s the chef’s name.”
“Barney? Really?”
Dee leaned against the doorframe. “What seems to be the problem?”
“Is the guy a hundred years old?”
“He’s forty-two and I really don’t see an issue here.”
“Well, I do. There’s no way I will be able to look at a man named Barney with a straight face when all I’m thinking of is a purple dinosaur. Please tell me he has a nickname that I can use instead of Barney.”
She took a step toward me and held up her index finger. “He does, actually! His friends call him B.J.”
I winced. “That’s even worse. Do you know what that stands for?”
“Barney Junior.”
“Not even close. Wait, if he is Barney Junior that means there are two of them.”
“Do you have a thing against BJs? Maybe I need to put that in your profile.”
I pointed to the door. “Go get your coffee, would ya?’
Dee laughed. “Don’t be quick to judge. Give him a chance.”
Was I being too picky with the names? After what had happened to me on that plane, all I wanted was to meet a decent man. I knew that much. I also knew that if he did nothing for my mind and my libido, I was going to adiós him in a heartbeat.
Chapter Eight
RUTH
Barney and I were seated outside on the patio at Jake’s restaurant under an umbrella just inches from the sand on Powerhouse Beach. We had already ordered lunch, the waiter had just brought us our drinks, and we were ready to engage in a little getting-to-know-you conversation to see if we connected on some level.
It was a gorgeous day and the beach was alive with activity. There were sunbathers, surfers, people playing volleyball, and kids building sandcastles.