Page 28 of Pity Parade

As I pull up to my new friends’ gorgeous lake front property, I’m hit by a weird sense of nostalgia for a life I’ve never had. This house, this location, feels so right. I feel it deep in my bones that I would love to have something similar.

Getting out of the car, I grab a bottle of wine out of the grocery sack I left in the trunk and walk toward the front door. It’s wide open, so I step into the house. I immediately see everyone out on the back patio.

As I head in their direction, Missy enthusiastically greets me. “Trina, you’re here!” I’m truly delighted by how welcoming everyone has been to me, particularly because my show was not that kind to Paige and Tim.

Smiling, I reply, “Hello! I just watched five movies in a row at the Elk Lake Cinema. My butt is numb.”

Paige slaps her hand loudly on the bench next to her. “Shoot, this weekend was Hugh Grant and I missed it!”

I sigh dreamily while telling her, “It was a wonderful way to spend a day.” Then I hand Missy the bottle of wine. “Thank you for inviting me.”

“Anytime. Tim invited a couple of men he thought you might like to meet.” All eyes turn on me as she says this.

Tentacles of dread crawl up my spine like an army of fire ants on their way to a picnic. “Jeffrey?”

“Not Jeffrey,” Tim says. “He gave me the lowdown on how that setup went. Sorry.” I shake my head like it was no biggie, so he continues, “I asked the tennis pro at work, and a guy who owns a landscaping company in town.” Looking at his watch, he adds, “They should be here soon, but I wanted to give you a chance to get settled first.”

Jamie announces, “I ran into Heath Fox yesterday. I invited him.”

At the mention of Heath’s name, the women seem to jolt to attention. I do my best to appear undisturbed even though I’m totally distressed hearing this news. How am I going to focus on other men with Heath around?

As though my query summons him, Heath walks out onto the deck, and he’s not alone. He’s with a nice-looking man who I’m guessing is in his late thirties.

Like a good host, Jamie approaches them. “Heath, Trent!” After shaking hands, he gestures toward the group. “You all know Heath, and this here is Trent Manks.”

Trent smiles engagingly like he’s truly happy to meet us all. “Hey, everyone.”

While Missy takes drink orders, Jamie motions for Trent to join him. Then he brings him over to me. “Trent, this is our friend Trina.”

“From Midwestern Matchmaker!” The landscaper sounds super excited.

“That’s me,” I tell him while trying to appear relaxed.

I catch Heath staring at me out of the corner of his eye, so I subtly maneuver my body in such a way that my back is toward him. “Tell me about yourself, Trent. Do you live here in Elk Lake?”

“I sure do. What about you? Are you here on vacation?”

“I am,” I tell him. “I’m spending the summer here.”

“Wow, the whole summer? I hope you have a nice place down by the lake.”

Before I can answer, I hear a voice behind me say, “She does.” Great, it’s Heath. He continues, “Her place is right next to mine.”

Trent turns toward Heath and extends his hand. “I know we walked in together, but I didn’t get your name. I’m Trent.”

“Heath Fox,” Heath says like he’s pronouncing a death sentence. Seriously, he sounds angry.

Trent points a finger between us. “So, you two already know each other?”

I say no at the same time Heath confirms, “We sure do.”

Trying to clear up matters, I shoot Heath a warning look while telling Trent, “Heath loaned me a stick of butter the other day.”

Trent laughs. “That’s the kind of thing I love about living in Elk Lake. Neighbors always have your back, even if they’re only temporary ones.”

Try as he might, Heath can’t seem to stay irritated in the face of such geniality, and his expression softens. “Is your wife here with you?” he asks Trent.

The landscape designer makes a show of looking around. “I hope not. We got divorced five years ago. What about you, Heath?”

---