Page 59 of A Summer Mismatch
Don:See what?
Polly:Horace and Smitty in the same room together.
Harry:Being civil!
Nancy:This is great news.
Polly:We are matchmaking geniuses.
Rosa:Not only bringing loves together, but restoring friendships as well.
Walt:I don’t think managing to be in the same room together constitutes a friendship.
Nancy:At least they’re not trying to kill each other anymore.
Walt:True.
Polly:Did you see the way Julia and Logan looked at each other over Circe? Whew. I had to fan myself.
Rosa:That was a steamy look.
Don:I think we can call this one another success.
Nancy:Not quite. We need to really make sure they’re together.
Polly:Well, we still have the Watermelon Gala to seal the deal.
Harry:It’ll be a slam dunk.
Nancy:Winnie is making the most gorgeous lavender dress for her. You should see it.
Polly:I can’t wait!
Rosa:*heart-eye emoji* They will fall so deeply in love, there will be no coming out of it.
Don:So what’s the strategy for the gala?
Polly:Just keep Horace and Smitty away. No matter what!
Nancy:Another job well done, team.
Nancy:Hey, has anyone heard from Winnie?
Winnie worked furiously on Julia’s dress.
Something was up with Horace. She didn’t know what yet, but it was enough to make her heart race and her head feel a little light.
She paused in her sewing to take a drink of her ice water and close her eyes. She just needed to finish this dress and rest, and then she could figure out what Horace was up to.
Her friends thought the job was done, and she didn’t want to discourage them, but she worried they still had an uphill battle ahead of them.
Horace walked into their bungalow hours later, flushed and sweaty from golfing, just as she finished sewing the dress. He came over and dropped a kiss on her hair before heading to the sink to wash his hands. “That’s a pretty dress. Is it for Samantha?”
“No. This one is for Julia.”
His eyes narrowed just slightly. Someone who hadn’t been married to him for over fifty years wouldn’t have even noticed it. “That’s a fancy dress. What’s the occasion?” he asked as he casually took a banana from the fruit bowl on the table and unpeeled it like he didn’t have a care in the world.
Winnie shrugged and draped the dress over her arm. “Oh, you know these young kids. They always have some social event or another.”
