Page 23 of Suddenly Single

“Fine, I’ll give it one last shot. If it doesn't work, I'll…”

Mary Jane slid a plate of brownies across the table and nodded her head. “Go on, eat one. It’ll make you feel better.”

I rarely ate her special brownies, but today was hellish. After biting into one, I realized that one important aspect of this plan might be difficult to work out.

“Where the hell am I going to find a man to go on a date with?”

Chapter 13

Asher

“Just go to a bar and pick someone up.” Mary Jane said, but there was no way I could do that. “You’re a catch. Men would pay to go out with you.”

“Yeah, but I don’t like the idea of leading some guy on. It needs to be with someone who knows this is only a fake date.” I sighed. “Oh, and Carter can’t know the guy either. Otherwise he’ll find out it’s not real.”

“Back in our day, men kept little black books with names and phone numbers of all the people they were interested in. So much easier than nowadays, what with all the online dating apps.” Lila Brooke shook her head. “I don’t understand how people even meet each other anymore.”

“Be right back.” I got to my feet and went into the library. I needed to discover where Carter was going on his date before I even bothered to find someone to go out with me. My fingers trembled as I placed the call to my former mother-in-law.

“Asher, darling.” Sissy answered on the first ring. “I’m in my car, so it’s safe to talk.”

“Oh Sissy, this has become one giant disaster.” I grumbled. “Can you help me to…”

“Anything you want, just ask. Carter is being stupid. In fact, I don’t think he even likes that man. He’s just being a drama queen.” I heard a car horn beep through the phone. “Oops, sorry. Oh, not you, Asher. I didn’t see the light turn green.”

“Would it be better if I called you at home later?”

“No, this is the safest place, because Carter’s not with me. You never know when he’s going to turn up at the house.” Sissy sighed. “I will do anything to bring you boys back together. Carter even mentioned a new wedding at the country club a few days ago. It’s like he’s totally lost his mind. That’s exactly what he wants, yet he’s throwing it all away.”

“Thank you, Sissy.” Maybe I’d underestimated my mother-in-law over the years. She apparently had my back. “What I need to know is where Carter and Cort are going on their date.”

“Why do you need to know that?” Another car horn blared through the phone. “Asher, give me a second. I’m going to pull into this parking lot here so I can pay better attention.”

“Sure.” Given how flighty Sissy could be, that was understandable. A few moments later, she returned to the phone call.

“There. I needed to go to Whole Foods anyway, and here I am. So, why do you want to know where Carter and that man are going?” She asked, and I heard her get out of the car.

“If I tell you, promise me you won’t say a word to Carter.”

“Oh dear.” Sissy sighed, then said ‘thanks’ to somebody. “Have you ever thought that the two of you need to stop playing games and just be honest with each other?”

“I’ve tried that, which ended up with us on the street making fools of ourselves.” My head started humming, and I realized it was the brownie I’d eaten a few minutes ago. “Promise me you won’t say anything to Carter, and I’ll tell you.”

“Fine.” Sissy huffed. “Excuse me, I want a pint of the organic crab dip. Thanks.”

“This is the last attempt to make things right with Carter. If this doesn’t work, we’re through.”

“I can’t blame you one bit, Asher.” Sissy said. “I love my son, but he’s a handful on the best of days.”

“If you tell me where Carter and Cort are going on their date, I’m going to show up with a date of my own.” I resisted the urge to giggle. Damn brownie. “You know, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander.”

“They're going to L'Opossum, that quirky restaurant in Oregon Hill. I’ve never been there myself, but I hear it’s fabulous.” Sissy whispered. Why, I didn’t know since she was in the middle of a grocery store.

“Thanks, Sissy.”

Since I didn’t know where to find a date, Mom suggested going to a gay bar. So, I ordered an Uber and headed downtown.

Carter and I met the old fashioned way, in person at a friend’s wedding. He’d been the best man at Carrie and Mike Florman’s marriage, and from the moment I set eyes on him I knew Carter was the man for me. We’d never hung out at gay bars, and I rarely went to them before I met him. Now I was in the backseat of an old man’s Honda heading to Barcode, a place I’d only been to a handful of times. Granny, Lila Brooke and Mary Jane had wanted to tag along, but I knew they’d frighten off any potential dates.

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