Page 17 of Merry Little Midlife Matchmaker

“Is it true they’re getting a new manager in?”

“Those are the rumors,” Laurel said with a shrug. She glanced over when a man called out toward the kitchen, and one of the owners—the redhead, Simone—came out with a giant smile on her face. She wrapped her arms around the man and gave him a kiss, then towed him toward the entrance with a glint in her eye. I watched the two of them disappear through a door just beside the plate-glass windows at the front of the café.

Laurel shook her head. “What I wouldn’t give for a man who looks like that to look at me likethat,” she said.

Sean's handsome face popped into my head. Quiet, handsome Sean who went out of his way to bring me a portion of Thanksgiving stuffing. What I wouldn’t give forhimto look at me with one-tenth of the love and desire that Simone’s husband had just shown her.

But Sean wasn’t for me. I knew that. He might, however, be the perfect man for Laurel.

He was a single dad, which might be a dealbreaker for Laurel, who had no kids. But she was sassy and opinionated, and I thought she’d be a good foil for him. Besides, she loved fitness; she was always telling me about the gym and her weekend hikes and her winter ski trips.

They fit together in my head, and I had a feeling they’d get along. She’d tease him out of his shell in a way that I didn’t think I could. He’d probably treat her like a queen.

I ran my finger along the lid of my coffee cup, and for a brief moment, considered saying nothing. We were coworkers, after all. It wasn’t my place to set her up with anyone.

And, okay, there was a part of me that didn’t want to sethimup with anyone, either. It was ridiculous, really, because he’d pretty much asked me to follow through on the whole matchmaking thing before he left my place on Friday.

Yes, I was attracted to him. Who wouldn’t be?

It wasn’t like he would ever be interested in me. And he’d made that comment about my cooking—if he found someone half as good as me, he’d be happy.

But notactuallyme. Never me.

Laurel and Sean fit together because they were beautiful and outdoorsy and fit. I was a little too curvy to be fashionable, and, well, I was a mom. Everything I did, every choice I made was done with my kids in mind. There simply wasn’t enough room in my life for romance, even if there were a man who saw me and saw what he liked. Which, I’d learned, wasn’t likely.

I’d learned my lesson with Isaac. It was better to be on my own than to be dragged down by a man who didn’t care.

So, even though I wanted to hoard Sean for myself like some kind of deranged dragon, I knew that he and I could never, ever, not in a million years,everbe together.

And that wasn’t even considering that he was my brother’s best friend.

It really was a never, ever, ever.

So I met Laurel’s gaze and said, “Actually, an old friend just arrived in town, and as soon as I saw him, I thought about how the two of you would get along.”

Laurel’s brows lifted, and interest sparked in her gaze. “Go on.”

“He’s my brother’s friend, and he has a son. Is that a deal breaker?”

“Not unless the son is a terror or there’s serious baby mama drama.”

I huffed out a laugh. “The son is wonderful, and I can try to find out about the mom.”

“What does he do?”

“Carpenter. Just got a job with Grant Greene.”

Laurel hummed. “Works with his hands.”

“And they are nice hands,” I informed her.

Laurel’s lips curled into a smile as her sharp gaze read me like a book. “Are you sure you want to set us up, Lizzie? Sounds like you might have a thing for him.”

I took a sip of my coffee and gave her a flat look. “I do not have a thing for him. He’s my brother’s best friend, and he’s not interested in me in the slightest.”

“But are you interested in him?”

“No,” I lied and, seeing Laurel’s eyebrow lift in a skeptical arch, I added, “but he is very handsome. I’m not blind.”

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