Page 43 of The Matchmaker and the Marine

She laughed. “Taurus, lasagna and green.” Her eyes danced. “Like your shirt.”

“Good to know.”

She gave him a broad smile. “And I’m unflinchingly honest.”

“That’s a trait I admire.”

“I would expect that. I remember you served in the Corps.”

Slowly he said, “Correct.”

“Tell me all about it.” She nibbled on a piece of muffin.

“Not much to tell. I served and then retired, relocated here to be with my friends and now I’m in business as a carpenter.” He drained his coffee cup and said, “I recently adopted a kitten, Skye.”

Beth wrinkled her nose. “I’m not a huge fan of cats. I prefer dogs.”

Inwardly he groaned again. “I found her in a box next to a garbage can. She was just about five weeks old and I wasn’t going to drop her at a shelter.”

“I understand totally. It shows you have a kind heart.”

He shrugged. “It’s not that big of a deal.” Moving away from the subject of Skye, he asked, “So what do you do for work?”

“I’m a cardiac nurse.” She looked down when her cell phone buzzed. She gave it a cursory look and put it back in her pocket.

Adam took notice and decided to be direct. “I take it you think our first date is going well?”

A look of surprise flitted across her face. “What makes you say…” Her voice drifted off and patted her pocket. “Yeah, my back-up plan. If I answered, they’d know to drive by, see the ’stang and pull in and say I was needed at work or something.”

Adam gave a snort. “Well, I had set the same thing up with my friends, but I decided to fly without my wingman today.”

“Honesty.” She laughed again.

He shook his head and grinned. “I think I’m free to hang out for a while longer.”

“So,” she teased, “you still haven’t told me what your sign is, favorite meal and color.” She poked him in the arm. “Fair is fair.”

He relaxed. He was having a good time. “Aquarius, seafood and blue.”

Beth asked, “Do you like to fish?”

“I do, actually. Do you?”

“I have gear in my car if you want to go drop a line off the pier.” She tilted her head. “It might be fun.”

Adam weighed the pros and cons of going fishing without his gear. “How about we make that one of our future adventures? And if we catch something, I’ll cook it for us.”

“That sounds like we have another date.”

“It does.” Adam watched as her smile brightened.

“That sounds like fun.” Beth tightened the top on the thermos and flattened the now empty paper bag. “I’ll look forward to seeing you again.” She held out her hand. “It’s been a pleasure having coffee with you.”

Adam gave her a firm shake. “It’s been nice.” He walked her to her car and held the door for her. “We’ll talk soon.”

Chapter 17

Adam was setting up sawhorses when Mel wandered out the back door. She was wearing jean shorts that hit mid-thigh, a faded novelty T-shirt, and well-worn canvas sneakers. Her copper-colored hair was pulled off her face in a long, wavy ponytail. She wore a mischievous grin that made her amazing, color-changing eyes sparkle.

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