Page 36 of One Hot Summer

Dan.

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Dan had a profile and was looking for a relationship. I guessed he was as serious about wanting to settle down as he’d said he was when I last saw him.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Sarah joined me again on the couch.

“I think I have.” I passed her the phone and whispered, “It’s Dan.”

“Dan who? Your old ‘buddy’ with the waterbed?”

“Yes.”

“Oh right, how funny.” She had a glance at his profile. “He’s looking good. I’d forgotten what he looked like.” She reached for the bottle of wine and passed it to me so I could top up our glasses while she continued studying him. “Well, if he’s single, he’s allowed to mingle.”

“I know, I just wasn’t expecting to see him on there.” I poured out the remaining wine and placed the empty bottle down. “Good luck to him.”

It had been a while since I’d even thought about Dan, but thinking about him now, looking to date other people, made me feel uneasy. It was always weird seeing ex-boyfriends with other people, but Dan and I were never boyfriend and girlfriend. We didn’t end things with an argument or a fight. We just… ended.

“What did it say on his profile?” I asked, curious. “I didn’t read it properly. I was scared it’d swipe by accident and accidentally send you on a date with him.”

Sarah clicked back onto his profile and read it aloud.

“My name is Dan and I am thirty-two years old from Halifax, West Yorkshire. I work as a senior mortgage advisor. I’ve had fun over the years, but now looking to settle down with the right girl who is also looking for love.”

My heart almost melted.

“Ideally,” she continued reading, “someone similar in age and with a love of hiking in the Dales. I would love to find someone I could consider a best friend as well as my girlfriend.”

“Bless him,” I said, “I didn’t know he had that in him.” Also, I’d had no idea he was a senior mortgage advisor. I thought he was something in IT. If I’d known, I would have gone to him when my mortgage was up for renewal.

“You had a real impact on him it seems. ‘Also looking for love’. Sounds like you broke his heart and he needs someone to heal it.”

“Don’t be daft,” I knocked her with my foot, “I didn’t break his heart. We just wanted different things.”

“Yes, he wanted you, and you wanted the office eye candy who’s currently building my furniture.” She laughed. “Can’t blame you for that, but let him get on with it. If he knows what he wants, and you’re his friend, let him find someone and be as happy as you are.”

We clinked glasses and I remembered the all-important question I had to ask her. “Speaking of doing huge favours for your best friends, could you do one little, tiny, minuscule thing for me?”

“Go on.” She looked at me suspiciously.

“Please could you watch Bing for me while I’m away? Call in and check on him every other day and make sure he has some food? Fresh water? Maybe make sure he hasn’t planned world domination from my kitchen?”

“Why doesn’t he just come and stay with me while you’re away? He doesn’t like being on his own anymore, does he? I can work from home some days, so he’ll have some company.”

Bing hated being home alone now. Only I could get a cat that suffers from anxiety and depression. Staying with Sarah would be the better option. “I don’t know if that’s such a good idea. I’m scared he’ll claw at your brand-new couch or something. I don’t want to put him in a cattery, though.”

“It’s only two weeks. I’ll leave him in the kitchen if I have to go out, where he can’t do much damage. You should bring him around here, it’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely. It’ll be a good test. To see whether or not I’m ready for my own pet.”

“I wouldn’t measure that kind of commitment against having Bing in your house.” Bing is not your normal household pet.

“Sarah?” Zack called from the bedroom. “Which wall did you want the wardrobe up against?”

“Hang on, I’ll be right there.”

Sarah ran out of the room. I picked her phone back up, looking at Dan’s profile. It was a good photo. His hair was neatly cut and he was wearing a black shirt. He looked very grown up. Very different from the Dan I remembered, although he was usually naked when I saw him. Good for him.

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