Page 35 of Marrying Off My Husband

My forehead creased. “E Dawson,” I said. “You’re…”

She grinned and nodded. “That’s me. Yes. I just emailed you about a few things. You answered very quickly. Thank you.”

I sat stunned for a second, recalling that well-crafted email that I’d been impressed with. What a coincidence that I’d find myself sitting across from her on a date. I shoved the idea from my brain, trying hard not to get my hopes up. This would never work. She’d inevitably find me far too awkward.

“Oh, you’re welcome. Thank you for doing such great work. So, you must be a fan of the game with all the tiny details you picked up on.”

“Oh, I’ve…never played it.” Her cheeks burned red, and she shifted in her seat.

My lips tugged into an unbidden frown at the words as I toyed with my wine glass.

“I’m not much of a gamer,” she added.

I searched my mind for something to say, but came up with nothing. And this is how all my dates died slow, agonizing deaths.

“Louise says I work too much. But I don’t think so.”

The comment elicited a chuckle from me, and I finally raised my eyes to hers. “She says the same thing about me. I also vehemently disagree.”

She grinned as our food was delivered, and we dug in.

“Are you working on a sequel to your game or something new?” Eve asked.

“A sequel,” I answered. “The first one was a big hit, and I’m planning on adding some new features, unique things that may attract a new audience.”

We spent the majority of the meal having a relatively meaningful conversation. I wasn’t sure if it was the wine or ifEve was just good at carrying on a conversation that went deeper than surface level, but, despite my awkwardness, things flowed pretty well between us.

As the dinner wound down and the waiter cleared our plates, a woman flitted over with what she described as a chocolate fondue for two.

“Compliments of the chef,” she said with a grin as she left it with us.

“Well, good thing I only had soup,” Eve said, chuckling softly.

I wondered for a second if Louise had somehow set this up to make sure we lingered a little longer at the table. I was surprised she hadn’t shown up, to be honest.

I swirled a strawberry in the chocolate as I debated about bringing up something that had been on my mind since before the date had started. I had no idea what Eve had thought about the night, but my past experience told me she’d avoid my calls going forward or politely decline another date.

As I sneaked a glance at her over the chocolate sauce, I pictured that tentative grin on her face as she shrugged. “It’s not you, it’s me.”

The evening hadn’t been that bad on my end, and I really wanted to avoid a long string of other women paraded in front of me. I could deal with Eve for however long it took to find Louise love.

“So, Eve, uh…I know this situation is a little awkward.”

She froze as she raised her gaze from the cake piece dripping in chocolate to me, her features pinching a little as she gave me a dismissive wave. “Oh, it’s okay. I didn’t expect–”

“Well, the thing is,” I said, not waiting for her to finish, “Louise and I…we…it’s…I agreed to date because I wanted her to agree to date. And so, I said yes so that I could make sure she finds the love of her life. She really deserves to be happy–happier than I can make her in a fake marriage. We’re just not…well-suited. And as long as I’m dating, she’ll date. So, I need to keep dating so she’ll do the same. And I…I’m really committed to making sure Louise finds someone, so I was wondering if it would be okay if we just kept dating…you know in name only…fake dating so that Louise can concentrate on her dating. Wow, I’m babbling.”

Her head had bobbed around a few times, her eyes widening as I continued to chatter on incessantly about my situation. “Oh, uh…that’s okay. I tend to babble sometimes, too.”

I offered her a nervous chuckle. She had a way of making me feel less awkward than most other people.

“Umm, and sure, that’s…that’s perfectly fine. Maybe I could even help you. We could…spend the time talking about Louise’s dates.”

A smile curled my lips as I stared down at the chocolate sauce between us. She’d been incredibly kind to have made this easy on me–even offering to help with Louise. It would be valuable to have a woman’s perspective on things.

Still, guilt swept through me. I was about to subject her to a string of what would likely be bad dates, all for nothing. “I…I appreciate that. Umm, I feel incredibly terrible asking this, but…in case you haven’t noticed, I’m socially awkward, and I can’t imagine having to face dates with women who inevitably won’t be as gracious as you’ve been.”

She gave me a consoling smile. “I don’t think you are. You seem very nice to me.”

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