Chapter 6
Nervous, Adam wiped the palms of his hands on his jeans. Sitting in a coffee shop was not his idea of fun on a Sunday morning. Even if it was to meet his first date in years. In fact, that made it much worse. Dating sucked no matter how old you were.
He had to wonder what had possessed him to sign up with Mel anyway. He should have just waited to meet a nice girl the old-fashioned way, by chance or fate. Or were they one and the same?
He snorted and a woman with two small children looked his way. He held up his hand and smiled. He gave a quick nod, and then his gaze slid to the window, which overlooked the sidewalk and parking lot. A tall, blonde bombshell-type was walking his way. Could that be Susan? If it was, she sure hadn’t looked like she wore that much makeup in her profile picture. He preferred a more natural look. Like Melinda. Now why did that thought pop into his head?
As the woman approached his table, he stood up. She made a beeline in his direction.
“Adam?” She stuck out her hand and shook his with an overly firm grip. “Susan.”
“Pleased to meet you, Susan.”
“I hope you haven’t been waiting too long. I couldn’t decide what to wear for a first meeting.” She leaned forward and, with a conspiratorial wink, said, “I hate first dates. Don’t you?”
Adam was surprised that such a high-pitched voice could come out of such a tall woman. He’d expected something sultrier. “I have to admit I haven’t gone on a first date in years. Not since before I enlisted in the Marines.” He thought he detected a slight frown. But he had no idea what he might have said to cause it.
“You look just like the profile picture I got from Melinda.” Resting her elbows on the table, Susan leaned forward. “Would you like to order soon?” Susan glanced toward the waitress and waved her fingertips, calling her over to the table. “I detest coffee.”
Unsure what to say next, Adam waited.
The waitress stopped at their table. “Would you like to order something?”
Susan half-rolled her eyes. “That’s why I called you over.”
She patted Adam’s hand, which was resting on the tabletop. He couldn’t help but notice hers was like ice.
“I’d like to order two large hot chocolates and a couple of chocolate croissants.” She smiled at Adam.
“Actually, make mine a large black coffee and a banana nut muffin.”
“Oh, well, you can pack the second croissant in a bag and I’ll take it with me.” She looked at Adam. “That is, if you don’t mind.”
“Of course not.” He smiled at the waitress. “Thank you.”
Without acknowledging Susan, she said, “I’ll be right back with your order.”
Adam had a sinking feeling about Susan, but he was determined to give her the benefit of the doubt.
She moistened her lips. “I have to confess, I’m a bundle of nerves. Dating a Marine.” She picked up a napkin and unfolded it on her lap. “My ex was in the Army.”
“I retired as a major.”
Her eyes grew wide. “Wow, that’s impressive, and it explains your haircut.” She rearranged the condiment containers on the table. “But whatever made you want to go into such a dangerous”— she waved her hands around— “occupation?”
“My father and grandfather were both Marines. It was an honor to serve.”
“So it was kind of expected of you?”
He kept an eye out for the waitress anxious for her to return. He wasn’t comfortable with where Susan’s line of questions seemed to be headed. “Not at all. I went to college first and then decided to enlist.”
“Oh, you went to college. For what?” Susan’s eyes were roaming around the coffee shop while asking Adam questions. He couldn’t help but wonder what seemed to be distracting her.
“I went to engineering school.” Out of the corner of his eye he saw their waitress approaching with what he hoped was their order.
She set down Susan’s selections first, then placed the muffin and coffee in front of Adam. “Can I get you anything else?”
Adam looked at Susan. She was already sipping her cocoa. “No thank you.”
Setting her mug aside, Susan smiled. A bit of whipped cream graced her upper lip. “This is delicious. Are you sure you don’t want to try it?”
He held up his coffee and said, “I’m all set, thanks.” He broke the muffin in half and asked, “Your profile said you’re an entrepreneur?”
Susan stirred her cocoa. “Yes, I’m currently between jobs. I’m trying to figure out what I want to do next. I’ve been a secretary, worked in retail, worked for a doctor’s office and a bunch of other things.” She nibbled on her croissant. “I’m thinking about opening an antique shop next.”
“Oh, I don’t remember seeing that in your profile, that you were passionate about antiques.”
With a shrug she said, “I don’t know much about them. I just think it would be fun.”
Adam was surprised at her lack of preparedness for such an investment but changed the subject. “I did read you enjoy the outdoors. What is your favorite pastime, hiking, biking, and maybe kayaking?”
“I hike for exercise. I love climbing the most difficult peaks as they usually offer the best view from the top.”
This wasn’t good. There is no way he would be able to climb rugged terrain. Now he was really running out of questions to ask. He definitely needed to talk to Melinda about this date.
“Do you really do all those things you listed on your profile? Like fishing?” She wrinkled her nose. “I thought people just made up stuff to fill up their bio.” Using her moistened fingertip, she popped the crumbs from the plate and licked her finger clean.
“I do enjoy them.” He signaled for the check. “I hope you don’t mind, but I have a business appointment.” He glanced at his watch, “I didn’t realize how late it was.”
“Not at all.” She beamed. “This was so much fun. I hope we can get together soon.”
Adam took a few bills out of his wallet and handed them to the waitress after he glanced at the check. Anxious to leave, he said, “Keep the change.”
Susan looked across the room at a group of ladies. “I see some friends over there, so I won’t walk out with you.”
Adam stood up and shook her hand. “It was nice to meet you, Susan.”
“Likewise.” She gave it one last vigorous shake and kissed his cheek. “I’ll look forward to your call.”
“Enjoy the rest of your day.” Adam kept his gait steady as he hurried through the parking lot. Fighting the disappointment, he had to admit his first date was a complete bust.
He shot a text to Will. Fishing?
An emoji of a thumbs-up came back. Adam got into his truck. Before driving to meet his buddy, he sent Melinda a short text. He spoke as he typed, “Zero chemistry. We’ll talk Monday.” Without waiting for an answer, he started the truck and headed toward the marina.
Melinda checked her cell and saw that Adam had sent her a text earlier. She was surprised to read that the date with Susan hadn’t gone well. Curious as to what might have gone wrong, she wandered into her office. She snapped on the overhead light and then powered up her computer. She pulled up Susan’s and Adam’s profiles and compared them. Per the questionnaire they had filled out, they were a suitable match at eighty-eight percent.
She clicked on a few additional profiles for several more candidates. She flagged Debbie, Laura and Beth. They ranged from eighty-two percent to ninety. She skimmed Beth’s: ninety percent. She had a hunch about Laura, who was eight-nine percent, so she attached her profile to an email to Adam. Then added a note saying they could talk about Susan when she saw him on Monday.
She shut down her computer and clicked off the light. Closing the door tight, she went back into the kitchen. The house seemed very empty tonight. It wasn’t often Melinda felt at loose ends, at least not since moving to Chester. It had been heart wrenching when she lived in Philadelphia. After John died, every time she turned a corner in their house she expected to see him, or have him walk through the front door, sweep her into his arms with a kiss and a bear hug. The only solution had been to pack up the memories and move. She had often told her therapy clients they would know when it was time to start over.
Slowly, she shook her head. What had taken her down melancholy lane tonight? After setting the teakettle on the stove, she selected her favorite herbal blend. From experience she knew tonight was going to be one of those sleepless nights that seemed to go on without end. If she did happen to fall asleep, she’d relive the worst moment in her life and wake with her pillow drenched in tears. Would it ever get easier? The teakettle sang and she poured the boiling water over the teabag.
The phone rang, breaking the oppressive silence. “Hello?”
“Hi Melinda, it’s Stacey.”
“Hey, Stacey, what’s going on?”
“I was wondering what you’re doing Saturday. Will went fishing today and caught some nice bass. We thought we’d host an impromptu cookout.”
“That sounds like fun. What should I bring?”
“Just yourself, we’ve got everything covered.”
Melinda could hear the smile in Stacey’s voice. “What time?”
“Around six. It’s just the regular gang.”
Stacey said goodbye, and before Melinda heard the phone disconnect, she heard Will ask, “She’s coming, right?”
That made her smile. To be welcomed into the established group all because she helped Will and Stacey find each other. She wished every match was as successful, which turned her thoughts back to Adam and Susan.
“What did I miss?”