Page 7 of Romance Reset
A wave of loneliness hit hard, and he wondered if it was due to his conversation with Marsali or the awareness the twins would be going away to college in a matter of weeks, leaving him to face the rest of his life alone. Maybe he should look into Marsali’s services. At least check out the website and tutorials and brush up his rusty flirting skills. He definitely wasn’t the type for bars or clubs. Never had been. That was more Carter’s thing.
Lincoln focused on the familiar faces inside Mac’s home. He had plenty of friends and colleagues in real estate, a few of them in that house, but no one came to mind when he thought of dating again. And he knew he wouldn’t meet someone sitting at his desk or at home. But… was he ready? Was this what he wanted?
Lincoln stared at the house a bit longer before he decided to make his escape while he was free to do so. He walked next door to his home but the moment he opened the door, the emptiness hit him in a wave. The kids would eventually return tonight, but in a few weeks, that wouldn’t be the case. The house would be as big and empty as it was now, night after night, and he’d have only the television for company.
He cleaned up the errant dishes in the sink, watched some television. Waited for the twins to return from Carter’s house, where they’d taken Piper home from the party and started a movie.
His gaze shifted to the travel brochures he’d picked up on a whim as he’d passed by a display. He’d pulled them out of his computer bag earlier to empty it and then set aside the brochures because he didn’t like the idea of traveling alone. Carter couldn’t be away from Piper for long, and Mac stayed busy running his various businesses… There were Meetup groups dedicated to traveling singles, but traveling with a group of strangers didn’t appeal either.
Lincoln pulled Marsali’s card from the pocket where he’d put it and called the number. Thankfully it went to voicemail, no doubt because she was still at her brother’s party. “Yeah, Marsali, it’s Lincoln Hayes. I thought about what you said and… I think I’d like to set up a meeting with you. I… Yeah. Let’s do this. I’m ready to have some fun.”
Chapter 3
“Why am I doing this?” Amelia asked two weeks later, staring into the mirror above her bathroom sink. “This is crazy. It’s beyond crazy because it’shopeless.”
“The first time was a practice date,” Izzy said from the other room, where she was sprawled across Amelia’s bed.
Her friend had arrived an hour ago after dropping off a piece of her artwork for a downtown shop and claimed to be there for moral support. Amelia wasn’t so sure that was the case. Because really? If not for her friend, she wouldn’t be stressing about the hours ahead. Somehow going to a sperm clinic seemed easier than what was basically a blind date.
“The second time will be the charm.”
“Isn’t the saying the third time is the charm?” she muttered, her voice echoing off of the mirror in front of her. “Am I really going to have to go through this again?”
“I’m an optimist,” Izzy said. “It’ll be the second. And you said yourself the first match wasn’t horrible and he was a nice man, you just weren’t attracted to him enough to go out again. Marsali gets that time is of the essence, so I’m sure this one will be better. Think positive!”
Amelia applied mascara and made that face women tended to make while doing so, her words coming out elongated and weird as she focused on the task and tried to tamp down the nerves churning in her belly. “What makes you think this one will be better than the last?”
The date Marsali had arranged hadn’t been bad. The man had been polite and courteous, but she’d felt no chemistry whatsoever. It was like sitting across the table from one of her brothers. He’d stated repeatedly that he’d like to see her again, but she’d stayed noncommittal, even during the extraordinarily awkward goodbye, when he’d given her a kiss on the cheek. His interest had been clear, which made the evening all the more difficult.
“What did Marsali say about this man when she called you?” Izzy asked.
“She said he’s tall, dark, and handsome, with a little salt in the pepper, thirty-eight like me, and in real estate. And he’s a widower.”
“Oh, ouch. Kids?”
“Two,” Amelia said, giving up on the makeup and deciding it was as good as it was going to get. “Marsali never wants to give too much information because she wants us to have plenty to talk about in the get-to-know-you stage, so that’s all I got from her beyond where we’re meeting and such.”
“Well, the tall, dark, and handsome part sounds yummy. Just go and enjoy. Where are you having dinner?”
“Wrightsville Beach,” Amelia said, naming the restaurant.
“Good choice. The view is amazing there. See? You’re off to a good start already. It’ll all work out.”
“I don’t know. I mean it,” she said when she spotted Izzy rolling her eyes. “How crazy is it to go meet a stranger on what is basically a blind date when the news is full of sex traffickers?”
“Seriously, Meli? Marsali vetted him. He’s not a sex trafficker—or a serial killer like you accused the last one of being.”
“I didn’t accuse him of anything. I just saidto youthat it was possible.”
“Anything is possible these days.”
“Yeah, that comment? Not helpful.”
Izzy laughed and rolled to sit upright on the edge of the bed. Amelia glanced at Izzy and wondered how anyone as beautiful as her younger friend could still be single. Izzy was picky, though, and since Amelia had known her, a rare few men had ever made the cut and managed to get Izzy to the dating stage. Izzy typically cut them loose after a few days’ thought for one reason or another, none of which ever really made sense to Amelia.
“You’re nervous. I get it,” Izzy said in a soothing voice. “Look, if it would make you feel better, I’ll come with you.”
“Be serious.”
