Page 8 of 7 Days and 7 Nights

“That’s no excuse for your behavior.” Belatedly she realized that her gaze had strayed to the young woman waiting on the other side of the plate glass.

Matt followed Olivia’s gaze. “Are you referring to my show or to what you assume to be my sex life? As I recall, at one time you had no problem with either.”

The reminder carried the force of a slap. What a mistake it had been to try to reason with him. “First of all, this is not a conversation to have at work. And secondly, I couldn’t care less about your sex life. I’m not one of your groupies anymore, Matt. And I don’t think every word that spills out of your mouth is gospel. I just can’t believe you’re still living in Never Land. Isn’t it about time for you to grow up?”

He clutched at his chest, his tone mocking, but there was something unreadable in his dark eyes. “Ah, Olivia. You wound me.”

“I doubt it. But I’d like to.”

With that, she turned and walked carefully out of the studio, past the waiting Cherie and down the hallway, her brain already searching for a weapon capable of blowing a hole in Matt Ransom’s massive ego.

???

“Good morning, everyone, and welcome toLiv Live. Today we’re going to do something a little different.”

She caught Diane’s surprised glance and gave her a thumbs-up. Butterflies threw themselves against the walls of her stomach, but she didn’t let them deter her.

“Instead of starting off with your individual issues like we usually do, we’re going to talk about a problem that plagues lots of relationships. It’s kind of a guy thing.” She paused for emphasis. “Dan Kiley wrote a book about it back in the eighties, but I’m convinced it’s still a problem today.”

Diane took the first call as Olivia explained. “The Peter Pan Syndrome refers to the problem many men have growing up. Like the mythical Peter, they want to fly

through life without ever having to accept adult responsibility.”

Olivia smiled. “I’ll describe typical Peter Pan behavior, and you let me know if you know anyone like that. I’m especially interested in hearing how this kind of behavior

has affected your life.”

Olivia glanced down at her notes, though she didn’t need them. She could describe this man in her sleep.

"He’s attractive, lots of fun, and knows how to show a woman a good time. He’s probably a serial dater, staying with one woman until she starts making noises about commitment. Chances are he’s got it down to a science. You know, that whole ‘just let them know what to expect up front’ business that he uses to rationalize his inability to sustain a long-term relationship. Bottom line, this guy has plenty going for him—unless you’re interested in ‘happily ever after.’

“When someone wants to discuss real feelings, he looks for a less threatening topic.” She paused for emphasis. “Like football or car leasing versus buying. The last thing he wants is a serious discussion about anything personal.”

Olivia caught Diane’s eye through the rectangle of glass, and the two women shared a smile as Olivia took her first call.

“Hello, JoBeth. Do you know a Peter Pan?”

“Oh, yeah. I’ve been living with one. Dawg, that’s my boyfriend, he qualifies big time. And so does his hero, Matt Ransom.”

Olivia couldn’t believe her luck. She hadn’t expected to hit pay dirt so quickly.

“Matt Ransom, really?" She tried to sound surprised but didn’t think she was that great an actress. “What makes you think your boyfriend and Matt Ransom are Peter Pans?” She felt a twinge of guilt at letting her caller do the dirty work.

“Well, Dawg thinks Ransom walks on water. Especially since Matt got named 'Bachelor of the Year' for about the hundredth time. Whenever I see a picture of him in the paper, he’s with a different woman, and I don’t think I’ve ever heard so much as a rumor about him settling down. Does that qualify him?”

Big time.“Seems like it does, JoBeth.”

“I just don’t understand it. Dawg and I have so much in common. I thought we wanted the same things. But when I told him I wanted to get married, he looked at me like I had two heads or something. Why would he react that way, Dr. O?”

She was going to have to put this woman on the payroll. “Well, JoBeth, according to Kiley, it’s all about fear. These men feel inadequate”—she enunciated the word

carefully—“and they are deathly afraid of getting serious because that would mean they’d have to grow up. I’m going to take a few more calls, and then we’ll discuss how to deal with these Peters.”

“Um, Dr. O, is this going to require returning them for a refund… like the shoes you mentioned? I’m not sure I could do that to Dawg.”

“Don’t you worry about Dawg, JoBeth. We’re going to try a little tough love on that man. But first, let’s see what some of our other callers have to say.”

The morning flew by. Not surprisingly, everyone knew or had been involved with a man who belonged in Never Land. And Matt Ransom’s name came up a gratifying number of times.

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