Page 24 of Betting on Lizzie

“Betty’s daughter just got engaged to a man she met that way. I understand it’s all the rage now. There’s no stigma to it anymore.”

“That’s not why I’m not interested,” Ben said, knowing his protests were in vain. “When I meet someone, I want it to be organic and authentic.”

“But sometimes you gotta stack the odds and nudge fate a little,” his mom continued. “No sense in limiting yourself to only who you meet in person. There are so many great women out there.”

“Dad,” Ben said. “Please help me.”

“Don’t drag me into this,” his father said. “Besides, it doesn’t sound half bad to me. Think how much time and money you could save, weeding out the ones you’re not attracted to before you even go out.”

“Efficiency is just part of it,” his mom said. “It also opens up a whole lot of possibilities. People you’d never meet otherwise.” She seemed to be working from a prepared script, ticking off all the pros of online dating.

“Yeah,” Maya chimed in. “What if the woman of your dreams lives in Greensboro?”

“Why do I feel like this conversation was preplanned?”

“In the meantime,” his mom said, ignoring his accusation. “I have someone I’d like to set you up with.”

Ben groaned.

“Her name’s Juliet, and she’s in my book club. She’s cute and loves to read. Probably around your age.”

“Can we please talk about something other than my love life? Anything but my love life.”

“What life?” Maya said. “Dad, all you do is work and take care of me. What are you gonna do when I go to college next year?”

“Throw a party. Walk around naked. Eat cereal for dinner every night.”

Maya rolled her eyes in that dramatic way only a teenage girl could. “I’ll make you an offer,” she said. “I’ll do all the work—set up your account, manage it, message the women, and rule out the crazies. All you have to do is trust me and go on the dates.”

The upside of a small family gathering was that there was always enough food. The downside was that it was impossible to change the subject or get out of a conversation you didn’t like—especially with his mom at the helm.

“If it will get you two off my back and allow us to switch topics, then fine,” Ben grumbled.

His mom and daughter threw their hands in the air and let out a cry of victory. He knew he would regret this, but he also had no intention of dating anyone from the internet. He could come up with excuses all day long to keep from actually having to take a woman to dinner.

Finally, the conversation turned to Maya and how her senior year was progressing, what colleges she’d applied to, and where she really wanted to go. “I grew up wanting to be a Volunteer, like Dad, but I’m also looking at some North Carolina schools. Most of my friends applied to UNC, so I did too. Just to be safe.”

“As long as you’re not considering Alabama,” Ben’s dad said. “This is a Crimson Tide free home.”

“We’d love to have you back in Knoxville,” his mom said. “But you do what’s right for you.”

Ben helped with the dishes, then settled in with his dad to watch football. Maya was stretched out on a recliner, researching dating sites on her laptop.

“How old are you, Dad? Thirty-five?”

“Try thirty-six.”

“I was close. How young do you want to go? How about thirty?”

“Sure.” He was not invested in this one bit. And because it would never amount to anything, he didn’t care what she put.

“Do you have a hair color preference?”

“No.”

“I’m putting no smokers. I know you hate that.”

He nodded.

---