Page 41 of The Matchmaker and the Marine

With a small laugh she said, “Jeez, you are blunt, aren’t you?”

“Why pussyfoot around? If you want an answer, why not just be direct?” Stacey’s eyes were bright. “If I lost Will, I would want you to help me find love again. When the time was right.”

“Have you guys talked about it? What you would do if one of you found yourself alone?”

Stacey leaned forward. “We have and we agree. If something were to happen, we both would want the other to find someone to share the rest of their life with. Humans aren’t meant to be closed off from others.” She grasped Mel’s hand. “Even friendships need the opportunity to blossom.”

Melinda was surprised tears didn’t well up in her eyes. Stacey was really and truly her friend. She squeezed Stacey’s hand. “You’ve given me a lot to think about.”

Stacey got up from the chair. “I need to run, but I’m glad I dropped in.”

Melinda stood up. Stacey pulled her in for a hug. “My door is always open. It’s time to let yourself be surrounded with love.” She pulled back and winked. “Who knows maybe your super matchmaker skills will point you in the direction for a new relationship.”

Melinda watched as Stacey walked back to her car with the promise of getting together soon. She sank to the chair—she had a lot to think about.

Chapter 16

Adam ran a hand over his closely cropped hair and straightened the collar on his dark green polo shirt. He checked the mirror and then his watch. He was meeting Beth in a half hour.

Skye pounced on a shadow on the bedroom floor and tumbled over. He scooped up the kitten and looked at her little face. “Are you having fun today?”

Skye purred. He chuckled and carried her into the living room. “You’re getting quite a belly on you.” He scratched the kitten under her chin and Skye reached up to gently tap his cheek with her paw. “Now you be a good girl and I’ll see you later.” He set her on the back of the chair as his cell phone rang.

“Hey,” Will said, “just wanted to let you know Stacey and I are going for a drive along the shore.”

Adam gave a snort with a half laugh. “And should I feel the need for an escape, I’ll pretend I’m surprised to see you.”

“Yup, and I’ll say that we’re sorry to interrupt but I need your help.”

Adam dropped his head, irritated with himself for being a pessimist. “You know what, don’t worry about anything. If it doesn’t go well, I can just suck it up and be nice until it’s time to go our separate ways.”

“Are you sure?” Will asked. “Because we’re still planning on going for a drive.”

“Yeah, I’m sure.” He checked his watch. “I need to run. I’m going to stop and look at a job before I meet Beth.”

“All right. Stop down for dinner when you get back. I’ll burn some burgers on the grill and you can tell us all about it.”

Adam shifted and took the pressure off his leg. It was aching today. “Maybe. I’ve got a busy week coming up.”

Will said, “No worries. Come by, if you want.”

He hesitated and then said, “Sure. Sounds good.”

After disconnecting, he picked up his keys. He had just enough time to run by Mel’s before meeting Beth. He wanted to see if she had made up her mind about the new design. She had still been on the fence the other day when he had explained his idea.

When he got to her house, the garage door was open along with the back door. He crossed through the darkened garage and exited into the backyard, which was a riot of colorful flowers and sunny areas dotting the landscape. Melinda appeared to be completely engrossed in digging a deep hole. An open bag of mulch and peat moss were next to her.

She looked up as he approached. Her eyes were protected by dark, oversized sunglasses and her hair was secured in a knot on top of her head. A large streak of dirt covered one cheek. She held up a gloved hand and smiled. “Hey you.”

Without thinking he wiped the dirt from her cheek as if it was the most natural thing to do. “I was on my way to the beach and thought I’d drop by to see if you’d decided about the screen.” He looked around and saw the new plantings Mel was working on.

She pulled off the gloves as she jumped up. Taking a step back she swept her arm around the expanse of the yard. “I noticed you surveyed my progress with that eagle eye of yours.” She pulled out a paper from her back pocket and held it up. “Yes, I’m following your design.” Making a goofy face, she said, “So you know what direction we’re going in before I even tell you.”

He grinned. “I’ll be over first thing tomorrow and get to work.” He pointed to the exposed back corner. “I’ll use cedar and it will weather to a pale gray just as the beams will. You’ll get a small potting table and the privacy you need. Not to worry, it will blend in nicely.”

She pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head. “If you have another job, I can wait.”

“No.” He shook his head. “You’re at the top of my priority list.”

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