Was she serious? Had they been on the same date?
Sarah struggled to hold back her laugh. “You did?” she asked, genuinely intrigued.
“You didn’t?” Noel countered, raising a perfectly waxed brow.
Sarah, never one to lie, wasn’t quite sure how to let Noel down easily. “I learned a lot about you tonight, Noel. And I can see you’re very accomplished. I respect that in a woman, but I don’t think we’re a good fit moving forward.”
She watched as Noel’s expression shifted from interest to surprise, finally landing on indignation. Sarah silently willed her not to be the type of woman who was comfortable making a scene when she didn’t get her way.
“No hard feelings,” Sarah added quickly, because honestly, there weren’t any.
“No hard feelings?” Noel let out a cold laugh. “What exactly wasn’t fitting for you? Because from my vantage point, we have great chemistry.”
Was she seriously going to make Sarah spell it out for her? All she wanted was to go home and crawl into bed.
“Chemistry can be subjective,” Sarah said, spotting the town car turning the corner.Thank god. She stepped forward to flag it down. “It was truly a pleasure meeting you. Thank you for dinner and best of luck with the divorce.” She reached for the handle of the sedan as it came to a stop in front of her, quickly sliding in, thankful for the refuge of a Noel-free space.
The car pulled forward, taking her away. As neon lights streaked by, Sarah pulled out her phone, sending off two texts, the first to Nell:
Sarah 10:48 PM
The date was a clusterfuck. She has a GOLDENDOODLE!
And the second to Janet Starr:
Sarah 10:49 PM
No more women going through divorces, please. And no goldendoodles.
The car dropped her off outside the passenger terminal. Her phone vibrated with a message from Nell as she swiped her ticket, moving through the automated gate to board the vessel that would take her home.
Nell 10:57 PM
You hate goldendoodles. At this point, it’s a numbers game. Stick with it. —N
Sarah 10:58 PM
How romantic.
Nell 10:58 PM
Merely pointing out a fact. I’m heading to bed. We’ll talk tomorrow, and you can tell me everything. —N
Sarah grinned, reading Nell’s message, then she heard a familiar voice calling her name.
“Sarah, hey, wait up.” It was Beth, cheeks pink, blond hair falling over her shoulders. Sarah slowed her pace, allowing Beth to catch up to her on the walkway leading to the boat. “I thought you were still in Pennsylvania? What are you doing back?” Beth’s voice carried her usual airy tone as she tucked her hair behind her ear.
“Cut my trip short. I had a date to get back here for.” She smiled at Beth’s raised eyebrows.
“First matchmaker date?” Beth asked excitedly, eyes sparkling with delight. “How was it?”
The pair stepped onto the vessel, walking down the wide aisles as they looked for an empty booth. Sarah found one halfway down the boat, sliding onto the teal vinyl seat. Beth took the one across from her. The ship hummed to life as the announcer’s voice came over the speaker, declaring their departure.
“It was…something,” Sarah said evenly.
“Something good? Something awful? C’mon, Sar, you gotta give me more than that.” Beth smiled, and Sarah couldn’t help but return it because there was that nickname again—that three-letter variation of her name that made her heart do this weird little twirl.
“Well, for starters, I don’t think she left the date knowing a single thing about me other than my resume. Three hours, five courses, and not a single question.” Sarah glanced out the window at the shrinking twinkling Seattle skyline as the ferry moved them towards the little island they called home.
