Chapter 3
It had been a long week since the beach picnic. Melinda jerked open a side drawer in her office desk and the bottom fell onto the floor. Annoyed, she tossed the drawer frame onto the small sofa and knelt down to push the paperclips into a pile. Her office door opened. Work boots were in her line of sight. Her eyes slid from the toes to a face. A man leaned over her. He extended his hand.
“Hello, Melinda.” An amused smile played over his face. “I didn’t expect to find you on the floor.”
She took his hand and stood up, tugging the hem of her purple print cotton dress and smoothing the skirt back down.
“Adam Bell.” He paused. “We met at Will and Stacey’s picnic a couple of weeks ago.”
She could hear the teasing in his voice “You’re being very formal.” Paperclips forgotten, she said, “How’ve you been?”
“Ma’am, this isn’t a social visit. I’m here on business, so I thought I’d do a formal introduction.” He chuckled. “By the looks of things, better than you.” He pointed to the square piece of wood on the floor and its companion piece on the sofa. “Having a little tussle with the desk?”
She shrugged. “We had a minor disagreement. The drawer won.”
He bent over and picked up the wood. “I can fix this for you if you’d like.”
“It’s okay, I can call a handyman.” Melinda took it from him and placed it on the side table.
When she looked back to Adam, he was holding out a business card. “It just so happens, I’m in the business of fixing things.”
She grinned. “We can talk, but I’m sure you didn’t just happen to stop by on the off chance I would need a handyman.”
“Well actually I was curious about this whole”—he waved his hand through the air—“matchmaking process.”
Melinda smiled. She knew that sometimes everyone needed a little help meeting someone. “Are you interested in finding a match?” She gestured to the sofa and took the drawer sides from him. “Please make yourself comfortable.” She planted her feet on the floor as she sat in the chair across from him. “I’m happy to answer any questions you might have.”
Adam leaned forward. “Tell me, how is it you got into the matchmaking business?”
Prepared to give her standard answer, she said, “I believe everyone should find their happily ever after and some say I have a knack for helping people find”—she did the air quote gesture—“the one.”
“Will mentioned you moved to town and opened your office roughly three or four years ago.” He looked around her sunlit office. “He didn’t tell me your office was attached to your home.”
Melinda smiled and shrugged. “I needed a change and I wanted a short commute. I always wanted to live close to the ocean. So, here I am.” She shifted in her chair, anxious to turn the topic back to Adam, she said, “But we’re not here to talk about me. Why don’t you tell me a little about yourself?”
“It’s a short and simple story. Later thirties, retired Marine. Definitely single. When I got out of the service, I decided to hang my hat over my buddy’s garage for a while and figure out what I wanted to do next.”
Melinda nodded. She grabbed a pad and pen from the corner of her desk. “Do you mind if I take a few notes?”
With a slight nod of his head, he said, “Please.” He leaned back and looked around her tidy office.
“Late thirties, a former Marine.” She glanced up from the pad and looked him directly in the eye. “Thank you for your service.”
He dipped his head and corrected her. “Retired Marine.”
With the pen poised over the paper, she was surprised at the clipped tone in his voice. She knew he had gotten injured, but obviously it was not a topic he wanted to discuss further. Changing the subject, she asked, “Tell me about your interests and hobbies.”
“I like kayaking, fishing, spending time with friends, movies, the typical stuff.”
“Adam, there is no such thing as the typical stuff. Each person is unique.” She thought for a minute. “Take me as an example. I love to garden, but you didn’t mention that you do. Since I’m passionate about digging in the dirt and you might find that to be an absolute snooze fest, potentially we would not be a good match. Now that’s a pretty simplistic example, but I’m sure you see what I’m saying, hypothetically speaking of course.”
“I see what you mean.” He tapped his fingers against the arm of the sofa. “So, I should give you a bit more about what I like to do?”
“The more you tell me, the easier it will be for me to give you high-quality matches.”
“Well, for the record I do like to play in the dirt. I haven’t had the opportunity since I lived at home with my parents. We used to have a huge garden, and fruit trees and berry bushes too. My sister and I liked the planting and harvesting the best.” With a laugh, he said, “I’m not very patient waiting for it to grow and all.”
“Ah, that’s the part I love the best, nurturing the little shoots.” She surprised herself by opening up. “So tell me more about yourself. What are your hobbies?”
Adam smiled. “I’m not much of a cook. Maybe someday I’ll learn.”
“That’s good to know. A match might be someone who wants to take cooking classes.” Melinda jotted that down. “Ultimately, do you want to get married and have a family?” She paused. “Those particular topics can be deal breakers.”
He nodded. “Definitely. Maybe even a dog or two.”
“No cats?” she teased.
“Cats are good too.” He grinned.
“I have a few more questions and then we’ll be done.” Melinda ran through her checklist and Adam answered each question. She liked how he seemed to know exactly what he wasn’t looking for, but not sure of what he was looking for. She loved a challenge.
She tapped her pen on the edge of the pad. “The next step will be for me to take your information and a headshot, put the details into a program I’ve created, and check for matches. I need to caution you, it’s not a perfect science. As I send you matches, you can tell me if someone strikes your fancy or not before the woman is contacted.”
He frowned. “You don’t give my profile to any of your female clients?”
With a little laugh, she said, “Of course I do. But it is fairly anonymous. I don’t give out personal information. This way you can read a bio and make a decision.”
“That sounds pretty straightforward.”
“I’d like to give you a piece of advice.”
“Ma’am?”
His restrained grin was almost irresistible and Melinda was confident she’d find him the perfect partner. “Keep an open mind as you go on each coffee date.”
His brow wrinkled. “Meaning?”
Melinda leaned forward. In earnest, she said, “In my experience, some men look at a woman who isn’t a size two and dismiss her without giving her a chance.”
A momentary flash of anger showed in Adam’s eyes, but she wasn’t quite sure why, unless he was one of those kinds of men.
“I’m not shallow. We all have flaws, some are visible and some aren’t. I’ve never been the type of man to judge any book by its cover.”
She laid a hand on the arm of the sofa, very near his hand. She could have touched him, but that would be completely inappropriate. “Adam, I didn’t mean to offend you, but…”
He held up his hand. “No offense. I have been around enough men to know exactly what you’re talking about. Trust me, I’m not that kind of guy.”
Melinda got up and turned away from him. She was relieved. He did seem like a wonderful man.
Adam stood and crossed the small office space. “Is there something I need to do now?” he asked.
She scanned the form on her clipboard. “I just need your email address and payment to get things rolling.”
Adam pulled his wallet from his back pocket and handed her a credit card.
Giving him a broad smile, she said, “You should receive an email from me in a day or two. But if you have any questions before, feel free to give me a call.” She handed him a card.
He slipped it into his wallet. “Thank you. This process was a lot less daunting than I anticipated. Will was right, you are easy to work with.”
Melinda extended her hand. “I’m glad you came to see me. And I promise, this will be fun.”
He shook her hand and glanced at her ring. “Maybe you’ve had so much success because you have a wonderful relationship with your husband.”
She felt the color drain from her face. She pulled her hand away and tucked it into her dress pocket. In a quiet voice, she said, “My husband died five years ago.”
“Melinda, I’m sorry. I had no idea.”
She refused to meet his gaze. “Not to worry.” She walked him to the door, anxious to be alone. “I’ll be in touch very soon.”
Adam heard the door close firmly behind him. It was definitely to shut him out. He muttered to himself, “What kind of ass am I?”
He berated himself as he walked to his truck. “This is what I get for making a personal comment.” He paused at the end of the walkway and turned to look back to the tidy house with colorful flowers flanking the stone steps. At the wedding she said she was single. How was I to know she was a widow? She might have been wearing the ring to deter overly aggressive clients. He walked the last few steps to his truck. Chester is a good place to start over for all kinds of people. He had to wonder… Is Melinda running from her past, or has she made peace with it? He pulled open the driver’s door and got behind the wheel, rubbing his left knee. You can never really run from the past.
He put Melinda’s number into his cell, and then eased the truck away from the sidewalk and drove back to the apartment. He was lucky to have friends who gave him a comfortable place to land.
His cell phone rang. He glanced at caller ID, surprised to see Melinda Phillips’ name displayed. “Hello, Melinda. Did I forget something?”
“No, but I did.”
“Oh?”
There was a pregnant pause. “I was wondering if you’d mind coming back to the office. I tried to fix the drawer, but to be honest, I’m attached to my thumbs. I don’t even own a hammer.”
Chuckling, he glanced at the dashboard clock. “I have to meet a client about a new job. Can I swing by after lunch?”
“That would be perfect. Around two?”
“I’ll see you then.” Adam smiled into the phone. “I guess it’s a good thing I dropped by this morning.”
“Timing is everything. See you later.”
Melinda disconnected the call and Adam thought, Timing is everything.