What could go wrong in one month?
ChapterThree
Two weeks after that last awful date, Dylan found the postcard from Mystical Matchmakers on her refrigerator for the fifth morning in a row.
"Fine!" she shouted. "I'll call today."
She could feel the approval of her ivy from the kitchen.
Grumbling beneath her breath, she went over to the coffeemaker and started brewing a cup. For the last week, she'd been tossing that card away every time it appeared on the fridge. It seemed her little friends didn't want her to be alone any longer.
She finished making her coffee and carried it into the bathroom. One long, hot shower later, she pulled the curtain back to find the damn card stuck to her steamy bathroom mirror.
"For God’s sake," she griped. "I told you I'd call and I will. At least let me get ready for work first."
Knowing that she wouldn't get a moment's peace if she didn't follow through, she dried her hair, dressed, and put on her make-up. She made another cup of coffee and, as she sipped it, dialed the number on the card.
To her surprise, a woman answered on the third ring, her voice rich and warm.
"Mystical Matchmakers."
Taken aback, Dylan said, "Hello, I'm calling about signing up for services."
"How lovely. Well, the first thing we need to do is an intake interview. Could you come by sometime today?"
Today was Dylan's half day at the bookstore. She could do it and she knew if she didn't, her ivy wouldn't let it go.
Resigning herself to go through with this, she answered, "I'm free any time after two." She actually got off work at noon but she wanted to go to lunch and have a margarita before she went through with this.
"Lovely. I'll pencil you in for two-thirty. You'll be meeting with my assistant, Ms. Salt, and she'll handle your interview. Please give me your name and phone number."
Dylan was tempted to just hang up then and there, but she answered anyway. "I'm Dylan Hayes." She gave her phone number and the woman on the other end confirmed the time once more.
"Welcome to Mystical Matchmakers, Ms. Hayes. I'm sure we can help you."
She'd heard that before and didn't believe it for an instant.
But she was going to try one more time before she gave up on dating completely. If for no other reason than to get some peace from her plants and the creatures that lived among the trees and flowers in the back yard.
"Thank you. I hope you're right," she finally answered before she said good-bye and hung up.
Dylan finished getting ready and went into the kitchen to grab a quick breakfast before she left for work.
She checked on her plants and felt their satisfaction.
"Yeah, yeah," she muttered. "Gloat now, but if this goes badly, I'm blaming all of you."
It did nothing to lessen their triumph, so Dylan made a travel mug of coffee and left the house. Though she didn't want to admit it, she hoped that things did work out at Mystical Matchmakers. She was ready to find someone to share her life with.
But she wasn't going to continue to bang her head against a wall if she continued to end up with men who couldn't treat her the way she deserved to be treated.
It was better to be alone than in a relationship that didn't fulfill her.
* * *
Dylan didn't have time to brood about her interview that afternoon. As soon as she arrived at the bookstore, she was on the move. There were customers waiting at the door when she unlocked it, orders to place, shelves to dust and stock, and a myriad of other tasks that needed to be accomplished before she left for the day at noon.
She was in the middle of restocking shelves when someone tapped on her shoulder.
