Chapter 8
Jack walked into the coffee shop and discreetly scanned the tables.
That must be her, he thought, noticing a woman with curly blonde hair sat alone by the bay window.
After registering with the dating agency and finding a match, the agency had exchanged more detailed profiles for the couple, so he’d learnt a little more about Sandy. Besides being an artist and having a fondness for travelling, she was a divorcee, had several nephews and nieces, was born in Australia and had a black belt in karate. Jack had been impressed.
He, in turn, had supplied further personal information about himself. He’d thought long and hard about how to strike the right tone, mindful of how well Sandy came across. He wanted to sound as interesting as she did, but found it difficult. To be fair, his first profile pretty much summed him up – he was thirty-two, a building renovator and looking for Miss Right. What more was there to say? He elaborated with a few white lies by exaggerating his globe-trotting. He invented a few ‘backpacking’ holidays and claimed to have worked as a lifeguard in an attempt to appear more interesting. Once again, Jack had doubted whether this online dating thing was really for him. But he’d committed to the agency, paid the registration fee and was damned if he’d fall at the first hurdle. Besides, seeing Sandy wave up at him from her table by the window helped him feel more optimistic.
‘Hi, I sussed it was you by the way you were searching the room.’ She held her hand out to shake.
‘Hi, I’m Jack,’ he replied, then immediately felt foolish for introducing himself unnecessarily. She obviously knew who he was.
‘Sandy,’ came the reply, making him feel better.
He was instantly struck by her confidence. Then another thought occurred to him. Was she used to this? How many other dates had she been on?
‘I’ve not ordered yet,’ she continued, pointing to the menu. ‘Thought I’d wait for you.’
‘Thanks.’ He smiled and looked at the lunchtime specials. He didn’t have much of an appetite. He was actually a tad nervous, which surprised him. Normally he wouldn’t have any reservation on a first date, even a blind one, but somehow this was different. It just didn’t seem natural.
‘So, tell me about yourself,’ Sandy said, a touch too loudly for Jack’s liking. The couple sitting on the table next to them glanced over, obviously overhearing her and quickly gained interest.
He suddenly felt terribly self-conscious. He coughed and waited for them to turn away. Sandy seemed oblivious to it, elbows on the table, chin resting on her palms, waiting for an answer. He stalled further, before her raised eyebrows and big beam encouraged him to reply.
‘To be honest, you already know most of it from my profile.’ This caused exchanged smirks from the nosy couple. He cringed inside. ‘I spend most of my time working, or drinking with my mates.’ However true, he couldn’t help but hear how lame this sounded. Deciding to change tack, he quickly asked, ‘So, where in Australia were you born?’
‘Mooloolaba.’
‘Ah, the Sunshine Coast.’ One of his friends had visited there and sent him a postcard once. Sandy’s face lit up. ‘You know it?’
‘Err… Well, I’ve never been.’
‘Oh,’ she replied, deflated. Jack’s stomach began to churn. What the hell was the matter with him?
‘I think I’ll just have a coffee,’ he said, not wanting to risk eating.
‘Right. Fine.’ Sandy nodded, tight-lipped.
He hoped he hadn’t offended her. To his relief the couple next to them got up and left, leaving them with a bit of space. He settled down once their drinks arrived.
‘What does a pretty lady like you need to join a dating agency for?’ Jack asked. He genuinely considered it a compliment. But judging by the look Sandy was giving him, he doubted she took it as such.
‘I don’tneedto join an agency. I just prefer to.’ She glared at him.
‘I didn’t mean—’
‘Because I thought a dating agency would cut out the crap,’ she interrupted in a harsh tone, once again causing a few turned heads.
Jack blinked. He was speechless.
‘Look, Sandy, I really didn’t mean to cause any offence,’ he said in a low, hushed voice.
‘None taken,’ she said, clearly lying, then swivelled her head to look out of the window. This wasn’t going to plan. Jack looked sexy and good fun on his profile. Sandy believed they’d have a lot in common, especially because he was as well travelled as her. But no, he was… stilted, maybe a touch condescending? The comment on ‘pretty ladies’needingto join a dating agency! Really? How patronising.
Jack coughed again, sensing the tension build. He’d make one last valiant effort, then balls to it.
‘What have you got planned tonight?’ he asked, deciding to take the bull by the horns. Maybe if they met on his territory, his local pub, things might be easier.
