Page 59 of Pity Parade

“Seriously?” When I nod my head, she says, “That would be great, thank you. But if you don’t mind me asking, why aren’t you interested in either of them?”

“I still live in Chicago,” I tell her. That’s only part of the truth, but it should be enough to satisfy her curiosity.

“Ah, and Heath still lives in Chicago …” She lets the innuendo hang in the air.

Ignoring her implication that I’m stuck on him, I tell her, “I’ll talk to Tim and see if we can figure out a way for you to meet both men.”

“I appreciate that.”

I point toward the sofa. “Why don’t you have a seat while I change?” Once I’m in my bedroom, I grab a pair of jeans out of the drawer and pair them with a light-weight, long-sleeved top. The only shoes I have that will work are bright white tennis shoes, so while not ideal, they’re still better than sandals.

I go back to the living room and announce, “I’m set.”

When we’re back in Heath’s car, Prim says, “I think the idea about dating weekends is great. I know for a fact that all my single friends would give it a try.”

Heath agrees. “With Trina’s history as the Midwestern Matchmaker, we’d get a lot of press about it too.”

“You could make it part of your show!” Prim says excitedly.

“My show got canceled,” I tell her.

“That’s too bad.” Then she says, “You could make a whole new show around dating at the lodge! Think of the publicity that would bring.”

“I don’t think so,” I tell her.

“Why not?” Heath wants to know.

“Because I want to match people and I can’t do that if I have to jump through network hoops to keep things exciting for the viewing audience. I’d rather just help people find their other half and have the satisfaction of knowing they’re on their way to their own happily-ever-after.”

Heath nods his head. “I’m in for whatever you want.”

Prim snaps her fingers to get his attention. “Why don’t you want a happy ending for yourself?” she asks.

I feel like I need to come to Heath’s defense, so I say, “Love isn’t for everyone.” That didn’t quite come out sounding the way I meant it to.

Heath jokes, “Maybe not everybody is lovable.”

“There’s someone for everyone,” I assure him. “Often times there’s more than one person.” He doesn’t take the bait, so I drop it.

As Heath pulls over to the side of the road, I ask, “Is the whole property wooded?”

“No.” He gets out of the car and says, “Follow me. I’ll show you where I think a lodge could go.”

Prim is right behind Heath, commenting on the different kinds of foliage. “We used to hike in these woods as kids. We found a lot of native arrowheads.”

“We used to find them in Illinois, too,” I tell her.

“Where did you grow up?” Heath asks me.

“A tiny town in the central part of the state. We didn’t even have a stoplight until I was in high school.”

“Wow!” Prim says. “That makes Elk Lake look like a thriving metropolis.”

We hike through the woods for probably fifteen minutes before we enter a gorgeous meadow. The land is bare for a long way, but there’s more forest on the other side. “This is amazing!” I declare.

“Isn’t it?” Heath asks. “This is where I was standing when I knew I had to own this property.”

“It’s perfect for a lodge,” Prim says. “You could even offer archery and ax throwing if you wanted to.”

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