Page 5 of Serving the Maestro

I was either hooking up with jerks, jokers, or jackasses, and that’d been the case non-stop since things had ended with my last semi-serious boyfriend.

That had been shortly after my thirtieth birthday.

I was thirty-five now, and if it weren’t for the fact that I had baby fever, I’d be pretty content with my life.

“Maybe that’s because you’re not willing to trust a guy.” Cam took my hand and squeezed. “Honey, not everybody is like your dad. And you’re stronger than your mom ever was.”

“That’s not what this is about.” I didn’t want to think about my parents. For all intents and purposes, I was effectively an orphan. My dad had hooked up with a younger, bustier version of the country club blonde years ago. He’d signed over custody of me, his only child, without a blink, faithfully paying child support until I was eighteen but never bothering with a birthday card. I hadn’t seen him since the day he came to pack the rest of his clothes.

“Yes, it is.” Cam sighed at the expression on my face. “But I’ll let it go...for now. It’s your birthday, right?”

“Exactly.” I tipped my wine glass in her direction before tossing back the rest of it. “I still have presents to open, wine to drink, and cake to eat. Right?”

“You said the magic word. Cake.” Cam stood up and returned to her seat at Danny’s side after returning the bags and boxes to the chair she’d emptied. “Just don’t shut down the possibility of finding somebody, Jazz. There are still other decent guys in the world who aren’t a decade younger.”

She stuck her tongue out at Danny as he playfully tried to convince me of the virtues of younger men.

Their light-hearted attitude cheered me up, and soon I forgot my melancholy.

For a while.

* * *

“You know, Danny’s got this friend...”

I groaned in the middle of tucking away a couple of gift cards. “Cam, no. Just, no.”

“Come on, Jazz.” Her voice slid to a wheedle as she finished repacking several gift bags, so we didn’t have as many to carry. We were taking a taxi to my place before they jumped on the subway to finish their ride home, and the fewer bags we had to carry, the better. “He’s cute. He’s quiet but funny, too. He’s not boring. I think you two would be great together. Don’t you think so, Danny?”

Catching the deer in the headlights look from Danny, I sighed. “Cam, I’m fine as I am. I don’t need help being set up on blind dates. They never work out.”

“Seriously...” She gave me a pitiful, pleading look. “It’s not like I’m the one who set you up with that investment banker.”

“You mean the con artist pretending to be an investment banker?” Rolling my eyes at the memory, I said, “That’s the best recommendation you can give yourself? You didn’t hook me up with a con artist?”

“Well, it’s better than being the one who suggested him, isn’t it?”

When I laughed, she beamed and continued pressing her advantage.

“Just do it, Jazz...one date. Tell you what...I’ve got tickets for a Broadway show coming up—four tickets. We can all go. Think about it. A double date with your best friend, that takes the pressure off, doesn’t it? If he’s boring and you don’t click, at least you’ve got Danny and me around, right?”

“You’re relentless.” Gathering up a couple of the bags, I rose. They did the same, then followed me through the crowded restaurant. Tavern on the Green was a New York City landmark, and when Cam had told me she’d made reservations for my birthday, I’d expected it would only be for me and her—maybe Danny, too. I hadn’t expected most of our employees to show or have several friends outside of work.

Except for Cam and Danny, everyone else had already left. I was grateful they were both on hand to help with the gifts as we made our way out of the restaurant.

Either gratitude or the two glasses of wine made me give in when Cam pushed again.

“Fine. Fine!” I said, laughing at the mock pout while Danny flagged a taxi. “But we’re arriving separately, leaving separately. Make sure he knows that, okay?”

“Yay!” Cam was enthusiastic even while being pregnant and laden with several gift bags. She threw her arms around my neck and squeezed, bouncing with glee. “This is going to be fun. It’s been forever since we’ve done a double date, Jazz.

* * *

“Can you believe this snow? It’s the middle of April!”

Glancing at the chatty cab driver, I smiled politely. “It’s something else. I’m glad I check the weather every morning.”

“Yeah, me, too.” He snorted, then laid on the horn as somebody in the next lane tried to nose over when a truck eased forward all of six inches in front of us. “Stay in your lane, dumbass! Or use your signal!”

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