Barney smiled. “Ruth and I are dating.”
“What?” I yelled, startling some of the customers at the table next to us. I lowered my voice. “We are not dating. We went on one date and that was it.”
“Okay, you got me there, but you came back for more of the Barney. Am I right or am I right?” He turned to Max and sized him up from head to toe. “What about you? How do you know Ruth?”
This can’t be happening.
Max grinned. “Well, technically we just met. This is our first date.”
And our last if I decide to make a run for it.
“Really?” Barney’s gaze popped back and forth between me and Max. “And what do you bring to the table?”
Max looked confused, looking around the bagel shop. “Which table are you talking about?”
“You know? What do you have to offer Ruth? I mean, what do you do for a living?”
Who was he? My father?
“I’m director of sales for a solar company.”
Barney lit up. “Seriously? I’ve been thinking about getting solar! Give me your card.”
Max glanced over at me, hesitated, then pulled out his wallet, giving Barney a card.
“Great! And I have something for you!” Barney pulled out his business card and handed it to Max.
Those big bright red letters printed on the front of the business card almost blinded me again.
“That’s me!” Barney gestured to the card. “The king of bagels. Plain, asiago, blueberry, sesame, onion, garlic, egg, you get the idea. Over seventeen varieties and ten different spreads, everything homemade. With three locations to serve you. Turn the card over!”
Here we go. The free bagel show.
Max flipped the business card over to the other side and nodded his approval of the frequent bagel bingeing program and the ten boxes that had an X stamped in the middle of them. “Thank you.”
Barney smiled. “Christmas came early. You’re welcome!”
Like a broken record.
“I’ll give you a call later after work to chat about the solar. Does five or six work for you?”
Max winced. “Oooh, can you make it tomorrow? I have bowling league with the boys tonight. First night of the new season. I can’t miss that.”
“Seriously? Lucky you. I used to bowl way back in the day. I had a pretty high average. Man, I miss those days.”
“What was your average?”
“Two hundred.”
Great.
Talking about bowling would rank up there with the boredom of the board meeting mixed with the pain of a root canal and a couple of slaps to the face.
I glanced back at the door, wondering if I should walk out right now.
Max nodded. “One of our guys had to drop off the team. You’re welcome to join us. We could use someone with your average.”
This can’t be happening.
Barney’s eyes lit up. “I would love to! I’ve got a lot on my plate, but I can always make time for bowling. Hey, let me give you a dozen free bagels to show my appreciation. Maybe we can meet up for an early dinner before bowling, if you’re open.”
Max nodded. “I’d love to.”
I smirked. “You’re like two peas in a pod.”
“Good one!” Barney said, turning back to Max. “Let me show you what I’ve got, my friend.”
My friend? Just like that?
It looked like it was a match made in heaven.
Why am I even here?
There was no reason to be. Because it looked as if Max and Barney were going to be best buds. Which meant I would be seeing Barney again in the future on a regular basis if Max and I dated.
No freaking way in hell.
I would rather shave my legs with a cactus and then dip them in jalapeño juice.
Barney put his arm around Max and led him toward the display case like they were old friends who hadn’t seen each other in a while.
While Barney bragged about the bagel recipes in detail and how he would take them with him to the grave, I used the opportunity to sneak out the front door and dart down the sidewalk.
“There she goes again!” Barney called out from behind me. “She’s a runner and a tough nut to crack. You forgot your free bagel again!”
I ignored him and raced around the corner, slipping inside the front door of a restaurant.
I didn’t even know which restaurant it was, but it didn’t matter.
I was starving and would have eaten cardboard at that point.
I would just have to have lunch with Dee in the office, and then get back to my massive to-do list. I placed my order for Italian food. As I waited for the food, I sent a text to Dee.
Ruth: Another bust.
Dee: What? How is that possible? The date started ten minutes ago. You already left?
Ruth: I left skid marks in the driveway, which is not easy since I was on foot. Maybe I should wear my running shoes to the next date, just to be prepared.
Dee: What happened this time?
Ruth: Barney happened.
Dee: Barney? I don’t get it. You were supposed to meet Max.
Ruth: I did and then we ran into Barney.
Dee: Sounds like fate.
Ruth: More like a nightmare. But hey, Barney is going to buy solar panels for his house from Max and Max received a dozen free bagels and a new bowling partner. Sounds like they were meant to be.
Dee: And what do you get out of the deal?
Ruth: Freedom from not seeing either one of them again. The only thing I want at this point is some food in my system before I kill somebody. I already ordered and will be there shortly to eat with you. And by the way, this online dating thing is not working at all.
Dee: Don’t worry because Dr. Dee is here to prescribe just what you need. Another 25 men who want you! You’re in demand! And I have you scheduled for another lunch date tomorrow. And yes, I’m still pretending to be you. Sue me.
Ruth: Do you secretly want to be me when you grow up?
Dee: Who said I was ever going to grow up?
I laughed and tucked the phone back in my purse. Even with two bad dates in a row, I was still adamant about finding my soulmate. I didn’t know what I had to do, but I did know that I wasn’t going to give up.
I was going to find love, even if it killed me.
Chapter Twelve
NICK
I had to admit that I was a little nervous, waiting for Ruth to come back home after that debacle this morning. She told me not to touch anything, to leave everything the way it was, but the guilt I had carried in my shoulders and neck wouldn’t let me leave it like that. Ruth had made her thoughts very clear to me and that’s why I needed to make it right. Actually, I made it better.
Yes, I was stubborn sometimes, but I also wanted to always make things right. I’d spent all day with Brandon making sure Ruth’s backyard was in better shape than when she had left it and gone to work this morning. I’d even brought in a couple of extra guys for a few hours to help.
Ten hours working, nonstop, no breaks except for the bathroom, and no food.
The only time I left the backyard was to take Karma down the street for a quick pee.
Brandon had gone to buy dog food, a leash, and poop bags for me since I still hadn’t been able to get a hold of Karma’s owners. The dog had been a good girl all day long, like she knew she had gotten in trouble this morning and was trying to make up for it.