Page 6 of Love In Print

“Yes, but now you have a reservation. I just made it.”

“How?”

Dorian shrugged. “I may know someone.”

Maisie rolled her eyes. “I don’t know about this.”

“What do you have to lose?”

“The little dignity I have left,” she told Dorian. “What if he doesn’t show up?”

“What if hedoesshow up and you guys hit it off? Stop looking at your glass as half empty and think of it has half full. This man could show up and sweep you off your feet.”

“Or he could show up, poison my drink, and toss me into his trunk.” Maisie raised her eyebrow in a silent “what do you have now” gesture.

Dorian took her computer back, pressed some more buttons and then closed the lid. “I guess we’ll figure it out next week when that fake-ass Hallmark gets here.”

“What do you mean?”

“I sent it,” she said casually. “We beat the cut-off, so it’ll be in the paper tomorrow.”

“Oh, God. Now everyone will know.”

“Know what? That some woman named Maisie was in a grocery store and thinks she’s met the love of her life?”

“They’ll know it’s me,” Maisie countered. “You detailed my clothes.” She looked down at her attire and sighed.

“Better than those blue scrubs they make you wear. I don’t understand why you can’t have the cute ones. You know the ones with flowers, bears, and whatnot.”

Maisie rolled her eyes. When Maisie took the job at the hospital, Dorian wanted to go out and buy all the “cute” scrubs. But because of the department Maisie is in, the hospital provided them for her. Her roommate was not impressed.

Maisie went into the kitchen to look for something to eat. “Do you want to order pizza?”

“Sure, I’ll order it since you’re mad at me.”

Maisie leaned against the counter and looked at her best friend. “I’m not mad at you, Dorian. I’m embarrassed by my actions or lack thereof. What if he’s the man for me and I blew it? I didn’t know about Missed Encounters, and who knows if he does. I feel like I’ve waited a year for Christmas and Santa dangled a shiny toy in front of me but held it high and told me to jump. I did and fell flat on my ass, so to speak.”

“I think this is your best shot. You described what he wore, someone will show it to him.”

Maisie desperately wanted to believe her optimistic friend but had so many self-doubts they made her stomachache. She showered, changed into her night clothes, and then settled on the couch with another glass of wine. Dorian sat at the other end, and they made their way through two of the many shows they record on a nightly basis. Someday, when the nursing crisis was over, they’d have two full days to binge watch their favorite shows.

By the time Maisie went to bed, her story was already live on Missed Encounters. She made the mistake of reading the comments. While most were positive, there were a few that made Maisie feel worthless. Some even called her that.

“They’re trolls,” Dorian told her. “They’re bottom feeders who get off on being complete shits online, while in the same breath preach kindness. They’re the most two-faced humans on the planet and are of no consequence to you.”

“Easy for you to say.”

“And easy for you to believe,” Dorian told Maisie. “Turn your phone off and go to sleep. I want to go out to breakfast in the morning.”

“Grazie’s?”

“Yes. I have a hankering for sitting next to the oldies. It’s the only way I can get my gossip, and I have to call my mom this week, so I have to report something to her. She gets off on knowing the ins and outs of a place she doesn’t live in.”

Maisie chuckled. “I’ll bring my notepad.”

“You do that.” Dorian laughed. “And do me a favor.”

“What’s that?”

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