Page 25 of The Matchmaker and the Marine

“After I talk to Molly’s mom, I’ll give you a call, and if you want to swing by the house we can get Will to weigh in on the plans.”

After agreeing, Melinda said goodbye and hung up. A sharp knock on the back door caught her attention. “Come in,” she called out.

Adam popped his head in the door. “Mel, we’re putting the next column up. Would you like to watch?”

She looked at the clock and then at Adam. “I do. My boss can spare me for a few more minutes.” He held the door open for her and she stepped out. “Hi, guys,” She was pleased to see it was coming together. “I see you’re making steady progress.”

Tim grinned. “Adam is a slave driver. He wants to have all the columns up before the end of the day.”

Will nodded in agreement. “Yeah, that’s right. He is.”

Adam leaned toward Melinda. His voice warmed her cheek. “Don’t listen to them.” He joked, “We’ll have them done by dinner or I’m bringing in flood lights for us to finish.”

Melinda looked from Tim to Will and then Adam. “I think you three will spend too much time razzing each other to finish today.”

Adam arched an eyebrow. “Is that a challenge?”

Melinda laughed. “We all have to work today. I need to get into the office and you all”—she pointed to each one — “need to be careful.”

Adam grinned. “Ma’am, yes, ma’am.” His buddies were in position to hoist the next post upright. “You heard the lady, now we work.”

She felt her cheeks grow warm and his laughter followed her into the house. She traced the smile on her lips. This almost felt the same as when John’s friends used to hang out at their house. Almost.

Chapter 11

Melinda sat on the back step soaking up the late afternoon sun. She sipped a glass of wine as she admired the seven towering columns, which were the supports for the pergola. Once the first column went up, the rest had quickly followed. Adam and the guys wrapped up a short time ago with a promise to be back in the morning to add the crossbeams. She didn’t want them to work on Sunday, but both Tim and Will said they didn’t mind. The pergola was going to be quite a statement. It was taking shape and would complement the backyard better than she had hoped.

She opened the folder in her hands and scanned the pages and then studied a woman’s picture. She had a new match for Adam. She held the phone in her hand. She usually just emailed her clients, but something about this man was special. She really wanted to find the perfect woman for him.

He answered on the third ring. “Hi, Adam, it’s Melinda.”

“Mel, this is a nice surprise.” He sounded genuinely happy to hear her voice.

She set the folder on the step. “What did you think of the last match I sent over?”

“I hate to say it, but I’d rather pass. Her facial features remind me too much of my ex.”

“Well, in that case, I have good news. I found a new match for you and I wondered if you’d like to stop over and we can talk about it.”

“Do you give each of your clients this personal service?” His voice held a hint of laughter.

“I don’t think my clients have any complaints with my commitment to working with them.” She joked, “If they did I think my referrals would go way down.”

She heard him chuckle. “I just got out of the shower, so I can swing by in about fifteen minutes.”

“I was going to throw a burger on the grill if you’d like to join me?” With a shake of her head, she had to wonder why that popped out of her mouth.

“I haven’t eaten yet. Do you want me to bring something?”

“Sure, that’d be nice. Maybe some ice cream?”

“I’ll see you in a while.” He disconnected the call.

Melinda took another sip of wine as she watched two birds splashing in the birdbath at the edge of the patio. John had given it to her on their first wedding anniversary. It seemed like another lifetime. She remembered that John had told her love birds would follow her always.

She stood and leaned back, stretching her upper body, humming as she set her glass aside to uncover the grill. She pulled her bistro table and two chairs back onto the patio and then went into the kitchen to toss a salad and make burgers.

A knock on the front door caught her attention. She crossed the hall and found Adam on the step. The moment he saw her, he held a brown bag up for her to see. “I hope you like coffee.”

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