Page 42 of Merry Little Midlife Matchmaker

Okay, this conversation was beginning to annoy me. I gave her a flat look. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“I’m going to spell it out for you.”

I rolled my wrist to motion that she should.

Laurel spoke slowly and deliberately. “Sean is totally into you.”

I leaned back in my chair and frowned at her. The leap in my heart was bad news. “No. No, he’s just an old friend. My brother’s old friend.”

Laurel shrugged a shoulder. “If you say so.”

“I’ve already set him up on a date with the art teacher at my kids’ school.”

She straightened. “And he agreed?”

“Of course. I’m trying to set him up with someone. We have this whole plan to get him a kiss for New Year’s.”

“But…why?”

We stared at each other for a beat. I blinked a few times and shook my head. “Because he asked me to.”

“Did he?”

“Well, not precisely. He was kind of strong-armed into it by my family. But he was willing.”

“Hmm.”

This conversation was going nowhere, and I didn’t like the little bud of hope that had sprouted in my chest when Laurel had said Sean was interested in me. It was impossible. He was a six-foot-something Adonis, and I was the designated mom of every group. We didn’t fit. I just couldn’t seehimbeing intome. Sure, he seemed to notice me a bit more than my family, and he was appreciative of all the time and effort I put in with Mikey, but that was different. I might as well have been the housekeeper who went above and beyond to scrub the range hood filters once in a while. Him noticing and appreciating it didn’t mean he wanted to date me.

Then again, there was the boner. His hard cock had been pressed up against me, and he’d shifted his hips to make sure I felt it. Repeatedly.

But maybe that was just an involuntary reaction thing, like a teenage boy would have. Lord knew most men were like teenage boys in all other respects. Why not this one?

I met Laurel’s eyes and dropped my voice. “Did he get aroused when he was with you?”

She choked on a sip of coffee. “Excuse me?”

“Well, you know—” I gestured to my lap. “Did he?”

“How the hell would I know?”

“Maybe you felt it.”

“What?”

“I’m just asking!”

Laurel burst out laughing. “No. I mean, I can’t be sure, but I would bet my life savings on no.”

“Oh.” I frowned. That didn’t make sense. That would mean that he was turned on when we were putting the tree up in the living room. But…why? I looked up at her again. “You’re sure?”

“Let me put it this way. After dinner, I kissed him, and there was nothing. No spark. No reciprocity. Nada.”

I knew my expression had turned a little frozen at the thought of Laurel kissing Sean, and I also knew getting upset about it was ridiculous. I was the one who’d set them up on the date!

“Don’t look at me like that,” she reproached.

“Like what?” I picked up my coffee and took a bracing swallow.

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