Page 108 of Pity Parade

“That’s certainly been one of them.”

“Tell me about your matchmaking weekends,” Ellie says.

“To start, I’ll be having one a month for a maximum of forty people. I figure that will be enough to give options without being overwhelming.”

She busily writes something down before asking, “What kind of activities will you have?”

“We’re going to have evening mixers. In addition, we’ll host all kinds of seasonally appropriate activities.” I enumerate, “Hiking, skiing, fishing, zip-lining, and sledding, to name a few.”

“That sounds amazing.”

She starts to write again, so I ask, “Are you interested in something like that for yourself?”

She shakes her head. “I have a boyfriend, but I have a sister who I’d love to have try it out. She’s been single for three years and she’s not doing much about changing that.”

“Maybe she’s happy?” I guess.

Ellie shakes her head. “She’s not. She’s just afraid.”

Thinking back to my own start with Heath, I tell her, “That’s not uncommon.”

Ellie pulls a business card out of her purse. “Will you let me know as soon as you have an opening for a singles’ weekend? I’d like to give it as a gift to my sister.”

“What’s her name?” I ask.

“Molly Anders.”

“Let me look at my calendar,” I tell her. “We might be able to fit her into an existing weekend. If not, I can put her name on the cancelation list.”

“That would be great, thank you,” Ellie says. “I’d probably need at least a month’s notice to warm her up to the idea.”

“What does Molly do for a living?” I ask. I know me, and I know I’m going to start looking for a man for Ellie’s sister.

“She’s a consultant for retail stores.” She suddenly looks excited before saying, “One of her specialties is helping hotels set up gift shops. Do you have a gift shop here?”

“We only have a small one where people can buy snacks right now,” I tell her. “But we have plans to expand.” I suddenly have a great idea. “If you think Molly might be a hard sell on a singles’ weekend, maybe we can hire her to come up and give us some ideas about enhancing our gift shop. We can invite her during a singles’ event, and I can introduce her to men I think would be a good match. In fact, I’ll email you a questionnaire to fill out so I can get a better idea of what she’s looking for.”

“Really?” Ellie is very excited. “Trina, that would be amazing! I’m afraid if I give her a gift of the weekend, she’ll think it’s some kind of pity present and she won’t come.”

“Being set up can make people feel vulnerable,” I tell her. “I know, I’ve been there.”

“Me, too.” Ellie writes something else down before saying, “I really appreciate this, Trina. It’s hard to help someone who claims they don’t want help.”

Pulling out my phone, I look at my calendar. “We wanted to make sure everything was running smoothly before we had our first event. That’s why we’re not doing one until December. That way we can tie it into the holidays and make it feel more festive. Do you think Molly would be available then?”

“I’ll make sure she is,” Ellie says. “In fact, I’ll come up with her, so she doesn’t suspect we’re up to anything. Then I can get pictures of your event and give our readers an update.”

My phone rings and I see it’s Heath. “We’re ready in the dining room,” he says.

“On our way,” I tell him. Smiling at Ellie, I tell her, “Let’s go get some lunch. Heath is going to be excited to hear that you’re coming back in December.”

While Heath and Ellie chat away about Elk Lake and the lodge, my mind is elsewhere. I’m busy thinking of all the fun activities I can set up for my first singles’ weekend. Not only am I looking forward to helping people fall in love, but I’ve decided I’m going to make Molly Anders a priority.

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