Page 85 of Kiss and Make Love

He cleared his throat. “How old are you?”

“I’m 29. How about?—”

“What do you do for your career?” he rushed out.

Rude. Interrupting me like that. “I’m a vet tech. What do you?—”

“What is your annual salary?”

If only he could see how far my eyes were bulging out at his audacity. “What? I’m not telling you that. That’s way too personal for a first date.”

“Fine, we’ll come back to it. Do you have any medical conditions that impact your day-to-day life?” There was a self-righteous element to his voice.

She scoffed. “That’s even more personal. Phil, what kind of questions are these?”

“A list of questions for a potential mate. I’ve distilled what I want in a mate down to twenty-five questions. Please answer them quickly, as we are running out of time.”

Not a hint of sarcasm or playfulness coloured his tone. He was serious. Who saidmatein reference to finding a partner?

“Would you mind if we just talked? Person to person?” I asked, hoping maybe I could still salvage this date.

“I’d rather you answer the questions. It’s easier that way,” he stated, not an ounce of compromise evident in his tone.

How was this happening? Were all the single men in Halifax like this?

“Do I get to ask you any questions?” I ventured, though I already knew what he was going to say.

“I…never considered that my dates would want to ask me questions, too.” He sounded stumped.

Ding!

Thank the Lord. The escorts came to take the men back to their side of the room while the women stayed where they were.

“You now have five minutes to grab your iPads and enter your notes into the pre-loaded chart. There is a row for each date, and you can indicate if you’d like to meet them out in the real world using the green check for yes and the red X for no,” Lauren informed the group, once again raising her voice. Did she think being in the dark somehow impacted everyone’s hearing?

I found the iPad beside me and clicked on the screen. This wouldn’t take long. Red X, red X, red X. Sorry, guys. It just wasn’t meant to be.

“Find anyone you like so far?” the woman next to me whispered.

I laughed louder than I should’ve. “Can I say you? Honestly, the snippets I’ve caught from your conversations have been more interesting than any of the things my dates have had to say,” I admitted.

She giggled, and the musical quality of it went straight to my heart. “I’m flattered, but I don’t think it takes much. This has been a major disaster, and we’re only three dates in.”

Seemed like I needed to make a case for myself—and fast. Date number four was coming up way too soon. “I’m serious. I’d love to go up north sometime and see what it’s like. And I love hiking, too. I’m a vet tech and have a big black lab that loves to get outside and run around.”

The woman inhaled sharply. “I have a black lab, too! His name is Bert, and he’s the sweetest thing.”

Did she just say Bert? Holy moly. This had to be fate. “There’s no way your dog’s name is Bert.”

“Why not?”

I shook my head, even though she couldn’t see. “Because my dog’s name is Ernie.”

“No shit! That’s amazing!” She laughed again, and the sound wormed its way further into my heart.

“I’m Megan,” I said, realizing I should introduce myself.

“Glad to meet you, Megan. I’m Quinn.”

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