It helped that I’d learned to view him as an eel, actually, I took the jolts of temper and the predatory behavior less personally. And the image made me laugh.
The door closed behind him, and I finished my tea in peace, paid my bill, then headed home on that depressing note.
It only remained for my oldest friends, Cathy and Ximena, to text or call and tell me she wanted something.
The chances of that were almost nil. Ximena had made a fortune and now hid out in the woods in Alaska and Cathy was happy and comfortable in her career and life and had never asked for anything from me but my company and the occasional split of a bottle of white wine. She couldn’t drink red. It gave her migraines.
The familiar sight of my condo helped with the remaining tension and sadness. I’d gone for natural wood and light upholstery, accented with vivid splashes of color. The faint smell of incense soothed too, reminding me of morning yoga and meditation. I inhaled deeply, trying to let the tension seep out, and pulled a bottle of pinot grigio from the rack and put it into the refrigerator to chill.
I changed again, into jeans and a t-shirt, and worked remotely on my laptop until I heard the door rattle. The sound made me smile. Cathy had a key I’d given to her years ago. She took care of my plants when I was gone, and I took care of her cat when she went on vacation.
She blew in, carrying a bag of Greek takeout, her wavy, red hair flying everywhere and a happy smirk on her face. “Here's to celebrating.”
"What are we celebrating?" I asked. I grabbed the bottle from the fridge, pulled the cork and poured two glasses with a practiced tilt of my wrist.
“That the planet is still revolving around the sun." Cathy winked at me. "No one can argue with me about that. Also, I’m trying something on a lark, and I want company. I figure you’ll say yes after a couple glasses."
"That wild?" I asked, amused.
Mischief gleamed in her eyes. "No, but it’s something I’ve never done before. I had a feeling about it.”
I straightened. "Really?"
Cathy’sfeelingswere nothing to joke about. They crossed the border into uncanny, and I’d learned to never ignore them.
"A dating service." She toasted me with her glass and took a sip.
"Really?" I repeated in a much flatter tone, choking a bit on my sip.
She nodded. "Yeah, it’s really exclusive. I was poking around, researching, and it just felt right to sign up. They give you a variety to choose from for your meets, and if one of the original six possibilities works out then they claim it as a success. Which isn’t unfair."
I raised a brow. "Why now?"
Cathy shrugged. "I’m bored. I know you’re still looking. Why not give it a try? I’ve already been accepted, and I can give you the friend discount code."
She had me at that. And it would simplify the process…
Sensing me wavering, sipping her wine, she continued, "I’ll text you the information for the service.”
"It can't be worse than what I’d been doing on my own," I replied dryly. Why the heck not?
She changed the subject, and we ate gyros, watching a silly action comedy with no redeeming social value. Once the movie was over, Cathy took a moment and texted the information to me.
I stared at the text in the quiet after my friend left, watching the stars. An irate text from Franklin arrived at midnight informing me that I had not signed the NDA, which I ignored. I knew that, and I wasn’t going to dignify it with a response.
I tossed off the last of the wine into my glass and even though it was midnight, I called the number that Cathy had left, expecting a voicemail.
A brisk female voice answered. "MDA, how may we help you?"
Holy crow. "I'd like to make an appointment." I spoke fast, getting the words out before I hung up. Before I gave myself a chance to chicken out.
"May I ask who referred you?" Still brisk, but now somehow soothing. Probably because if it was as exclusive as Cathy said, then at least knowing I was supposed to be calling this number would tell her that I had been referred, instead of some random person.
"My friend is Catherine McAllister."
Keyboard keys clacked in my ear. I wandered out to the kitchen and put on another bottle of wine to cool. Why not?
"Yes, here we are. When would be a good time for you?"
