She would never do this on her own. I chewed my lip.
I glanced sideways at Mom, who was seconds from sleep. My finger hovered over the bright red “Join Now” button at the bottom of the mobile page. I clicked it.
A screen popped up.
“Please be aware this is for fifty plus only. By clicking accept, you acknowledge you are aware of these rules and youare over fifty.”
If anyone deserved a happily ever after, it was Mom, and I would do anything to get it for her.
Accept.
Chapter Two
I turnedon the lights and switched the sign to OPEN at The Bees Knees. I started working here three days after I graduated high school, and I’d loved all four years at this secondhand store with its blend of shabby chic meets vintage. The store was owned by Wanda, but she had let me put my stamp on the place and had hinted about retiring soon.
Ivy said I would be crazy to think I could invest in and run a business at my age, but then again, she also thought giving up my scholarships was a terrible idea as well.
The first thing I added to the store was a vintage media section complete with movie posters, old film reels, signed pictures, and anything else I could get my hands on.
I passed the large traveling trunks, old medicinal bottles, and blue-and-white china dishes on the refurbished vanity toward the back of the shop. I grabbed a stack of vinyl records and picked Elvis. I pulled out the black disk and put it under the needle. If there was a place that felt like home, other than my apartment, it was here. It was a hug from the past. A past that I wished to belong to.
The bell over the door facing Main Street rang. Jane rushedtoward me. She was dressed in pink leggings and running shoes with her gorgeous long hair pulled back in a slick ponytail. Jane never needed help in the dating department, but I gave it to her willingly anyway.
She jogged up to the counter. “Hey, Em, I need to borrow the bathroom.”
“Too much green smoothie?” I grinned and handed her the key.
She grimaced. “Okay, it has its downsides. But I promise it tastes better than it looks.”
I’d seen her prep this “magic” smoothie as she added spinach, banana, and cottage cheese to a blender. She tried to get me to taste it. She failed. There was no way it tasted edible.
I shuddered as I remembered the green slimy mixture. “I don’t believe you.”
She rolled her eyes. But the need for the bathroom must have been greater than for defending the green drink. She rushed past me.
I grabbed a box and restocked the jars of penny candies and flavored honey. A notification sounded on my phone, and I pulled it from the back pocket of my jeans. It was from Kismet Silvers saying new profiles were live. I’d already uploaded a photo of Mom in a 1920s flapper dress and a bright smile.
I sat in my favorite chair in the furniture section, a velvet gold swivel that hugged around my back. It would only take a few minutes to glance through Mom’s new dating prospects.
Too bald.
Not enough teeth.
Too many wrinkles.
Hmm… This one says he has a horse ranch. That could be cool. Mom loved horses, but she didn’t have the time or means to own one.
I hearted the profile and heard a gasp over myshoulder. I turned to see Jane staring at my phone, her mouth opened and her eyes wide.
“What are you doing?” Jane glanced around the store to make sure we were alone and reached for my phone.
I moved my hand out of her reach.
“When I said to see which fish were in the sea, I didn’t mean the Dead Sea!” She held her hand out for my phone. “Let me see it. You must have changed some setting or something, because this group has gone seriously over the hill.”
She thought I was looking for myself. I handed her my phone, eager to see her reaction.
“What filters are you using?” She clicked frantically on my screen.
