Rose put her hand over her heart and said, “Darren is dreamy. I have no idea how he fathered that man, although I have to say that I’ve heard the board is very happy with the work Alan’s doing.” She took Chloe’s hand and said, “How are you, sweetie?”
“I’m fine, Rose. Really. Alan is harmless.” Chloe was careful not to cross any lines with the residents, although she wanted nothing more than to say she was better now.
“As harmless as a rattlesnake, if you ask me,” Magdeline said. “I wonder what his wife sees in him. She’s a lovely woman.”
Chloe put on her virtual administrator hat and said, “That’s enough, ladies. He’s just a close talker. A lot of people are like that.”
“Do they all make you feel like you need a shower afterward, the way he does?” Arlin asked.
“Oh, please, Arlin,” Rose said. “I’m sure Chloe doesn’t waste her time on close talkers. She probably has a gaggle of more appropriate handsome gentlemen vying for her attention. Why, they’re probably lining up around the block, and they’re the ones needing showers after talking with her. Cold showers.”
“Oh my goodness, Rose. No, that’s not true.” Chloe picked up the folder of presentation materials and began sorting through them.
“What do you mean that’s not true?” Rose asked. “You’re a beautiful, smart woman.”
Chloe met their disbelieving eyes and said, “The dating pool on the Cape is rather slim. I don’t have a lot of luck in that department.”
“Oh, honey, let us fix that for you. Sit.” Magdeline nudged Chloe into a chair.
The three of them pulled chairs around Chloe and sat down, like a firing line.
“Okay. Now, Chloe, tell us how you are meeting men,” Magdeline said authoritatively.
Chloe knew they’d keep asking unless she gave them an answer, so she made it quick in hopes of returning to her meeting preparations. “I use dating apps, and I go to clubs. Well, a club. My friend Colton owns Undercover in Truro, so I hang out there sometimes.”
“Clubs are good. Hot guys hang out at clubs,” Arlin said.
“My granddaughter uses Binder. She said it’s the best way to meet guys,” Magdeline said. “I swear every time I talk to her, she’s going to meet up, or hook up, or whatever up it is you kids do these days.”
“It’s Tinder, Mags,” Arlin corrected her. “It’s a hookup app.”
“That’s what I said. Kids hook up for dates.”
“It’s a sex app, not a dating app,” Arlin clarified. “Geez, Mags, you really need to ask more questions before you go spouting off like that. My daughter told me all about Tinder. Kids go on there for sex. Nothing but sex.” She leaned closer to Rose and lowered her voice to say, “I wish we had that here. It sure would make things a lot easier than all the small talk nonsense we have to go through.”
“Okay, ladies, enough about Tinder.” Chloe had tried Tinder, but she’d known after the first meet-up that it was not the app for her. “And I really don’t want to hear about any sexual trysts going on at LOCAL.”
Arlin and Mags giggled like schoolgirls.
Rose waggled her finger at them and said, “You’re going to get in trouble.”
“Hush.” Arlin waved her hand dismissively. “Sex is a normal part of life.”
“Maybe Chloe should be on Tinder.” Magdeline looked compassionately at Chloe and said, “Sex is good, sweetheart. It can lead to other things.”
“I know it can, but I don’t think the kind of guy I’m looking for spends time on apps like Tinder. I’m starting to think dating apps aren’t the right choice for me anyway.”
“What kind of man are you looking for?” Rose asked.
“Someone nice, strong-minded but tenderhearted. The kind of men my sister and friends have found. A man who wants to know me for me, not just for sex. Someone who is interesting and funny and maybe holds my hand every once in a while. I can’t tell you how long it’s been since I held a man’s hand.”
Rose’s gray-blue eyes warmed. “And he should bring you flowers. Flowers fill a woman’s soul with happiness.” Rose had always been an avid gardener. She helped arrange floral centerpieces for the dining room at LOCAL, and since Dean handled the landscaping for the facility, she gardened with him, as well.
“Flowers are always nice,” Chloe agreed. “But you know what I would really like? A man who calls just because he’s thinking of me and who doesn’t rely only on texts for foreplay. I mean, texts are fun, but hearing a man’s voice is much more intimate.”
The ladies nodded in agreement.
“Your generation misses out on all the fun,” Arlin said. “Phone calls build anticipation, and nothing will make your heart race like a good round of foreplay. A girl needs to want in order to enjoy.”
“The digital age has its value, but I’m not sure it’s been great for dating,” Magdeline said. “When I think of a relationship, I think of two people finding their best friends.”
“I like that description.” Chloe glanced at the clock. She was enjoying their chat and was glad to see she still had a little time before her meeting. “To me, a relationship is two people who think of each other more than they think of themselves. I’m not a needy person, and I don’t want a knight in shining armor to pay my way or give me all of his attention. I want a partner. Someone to stand by my side, to be happy for my accomplishments, and not freak out when I need a little emotional support. But some guys are so hung up on themselves these days, they’re all they talk about.”
Rose patted her hand and said, “It’s not just these days, honey. Men have always put themselves first. They were the breadwinners for so many years, you can’t really blame them. But we’ve come a long way, and I agree that it needs to continue to change.”
“Yes, and you need a man who doesn’t send pictures of his body parts,” Arlin added. “Do you know Jacob Sellers sent Patti Tegrond a picture of his privates? He said he read online that women liked it.”
Chloe put on her virtual work hat again and said, “He got in a lot of trouble for that. And yes, no body part pictures, please. I’m looking for a professional who does meaningful work and cares about his career.”
Rose pursed her lips and waved her index finger. “But doesn’t care too much. I was married to a physician for a very long time, and while he was charming to his patients, he was cruel to his family and those he thought were beneath him.”
Chloe definitely didn’t want that type of man in her life. She had heard stories about Dean and Jett’s grandfather, and also about their father, who had taken after their grandfather for a long time. Thankfully, their father had changed his ways over the last few years and had become as kind as his sons.
“I didn’t meet my true love, Leon, until very late in life, after my husband died,” Rose said. “We were together for only a couple of years before he passed away. But they were the best years of my life. You never know when love will show up at your door, Chloe. I wouldn’t keep such a black-and-white list of must-haves. The most important things in a relationship are the simple things. Every woman should have a man who makes her tummy tingle as often as he makes her feel safe, valued, and loved.”