Page 25 of Betting on Lizzie

“Add that she has to have a sense of humor and want kids,” his mom said.

“Has to like football, and preferably a Tennessee fan,” his dad added.

“Tall would be good. Since Dad’s so tall,” Maya said, typing in everyone’s suggestions. “And has to love dogs. I wouldn’t trust anyone that didn’t.”

“Do I get any say in this?” Ben asked. Not that he cared, but he thought it funny that they were all adding things they wanted without regard to what he might prefer.

“Sure,” Maya said. “We gotta do a whole section about what you like, and I’m stumped. Do you have any hobbies? Do you have any friends?”

“I have friends at work. I like to play basketball,” he said defensively. “I’m pretty good at word games.”

“Why don’t I just put that you play bridge and birdwatch? That’ll have ’em lining up.”

“Hey!” Ben’s dad said.

“Sorry, Grandpa.” Maya laughed. “Those things are a big yawn, Dad. I might have to take some creative liberties to jazz up what you do in your spare time.”

“You mean lie?”

“Embellish. Stretch the truth a little,” Maya corrected. “Everyone does it on these sites.”

“How do you know?”

Maya shrugged and looked over what she’d entered. “Hm.”

“What?” he said.

“On paper, you don’t look so good.” She bit her lip. “You’re handsome and have a stable job, but you don’t seem all that interesting. Maybe you should start a band or become a skydiving instructor on the weekends.”

“Sure. I’ll get right on that.”

“What are you interested in, honey?” his mom said, jumping back in. “Politics, sports, travel, music? Are there any clubs you could join around New Bern?”

“I’m happy with my boring life,” Ben said. At least he had been until today. For the last seventeen years, caring for Maya had been and still was his top priority. But now that she no longer needed constant supervision, she might have a point.

What was he going to do when she left? If his unique selling proposition was his word game prowess, he could kiss any shot at dating goodbye.

“I’ve thought about getting into photography,” he said.

“Oh,” Maya said. “What about traveling? Bella’s cousin has a social media channel all about world travel. Maybe you could go somewhere interesting. And take me with you.” The I’m-so-sweet smile she used when she wanted something spread across her face.

“We’ll see,” he said, not about to commit to anything on the spot. “How ’bout some pie? Is it time for pie yet?”

His mom laughed. “Yes. Let’s eat pie. Maya and I will get back to arranging your marriage after some sugar-drenched pecans.”

Since Maya couldn’t play and because it was a holiday, the coach had given her permission to miss Saturday’s game. That meant they could spend an extra day with his folks. Ben helped his dad with some projects around the house while his mom taught Maya the family recipe for enchiladas.

He overheard a few conversations between Maya and his mother that gave him some hints about what Maya wanted for Christmas. Real ideas. Not “a new mom,” which was what she’d taken to saying every time he asked.

Over the next couple of days, they revisited Ben’s boringness several times, but Maya finally declared she had enough to get his profile up and running. Ben was dubious, but held his tongue. Maya was so excited about it and had put so much time into it, he couldn’t bring himself to pooh-pooh her enthusiasm.

Lizzie crossed his mind off and on over the weekend. He was working her case, so it was only natural that thoughts of work—thoughts of her—would creep up. At least, that’s what he kept telling himself. He ignored the fact that the thoughts usually coincided with his mom and Maya bringing up his love life.

They said goodbye to his parents on Sunday morning, returned to New Bern that evening, and got ready for another week of school and work.

CHAPTER NINE

Lizzie wasn’t sure what to do with so much free time. The month between Thanksgiving and Christmas was usually a very busy season for the bar. She avoided thinking about all the revenue she was missing out on. The only thing that might make up for the last two incomeless weeks was The Tipsy Twist’s grand opening. It was next week, and if all went well, should give her a nice bump.

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