Page 28 of Pity Pact

“I came up with some stupid idea that we should form a pity pact.”

“What’s that?”

“It mostly means that we’ll help each other out by sharing the load of sadness. That way we’ll both be free to get on with our lives.”

“How in the world would that work?”

“How should I know? Didn’t you hear me when I said I madeit up? I’m just trying to get Tim to look at this show as a real opportunity for finding love instead of a revenge mission.”

“Poor guy,” Missy murmurs. “Eva really did a number on him.”

“Theyweremarried,” I remind her.

“I know. I just wish Tim would realize she was never good enough for him and open his heart to someone else. Otherwise, I’m afraid he’s setting himself up for disaster.”

“I’ll do my best to keep him from making a fool of himself,” I assure her. “I already told him that cocky guys never get the girl. And if he’s going to succeed in making Eva jealous, he’s going to have to get out there and flirt.”

“I feel sorry for any woman who falls for him,” Missy says.

“Me, too,” I agree. “But you never know, it’s possible he might give her a chance for real.” Before I can stop myself, I wonder if I might be that girl. Not only do we genuinely like each other, but I think there’s some mutual attraction there. I hope it’s mutual, anyway.

Shaking the image out of my head, I remind myself that Tim has made it clear that he’s not ready to fall in love again. And I am. I will not waste time being some guy’s rebound.

Missy brings me back to the topic at hand. “You should wear the black leather tomorrow night.”

“I wore it tonight,” I tell her.

“To supper with Tim?” She sounds surprised.

“I’m still on the fence about it and wanted to see what he thought of it.”

“And? What did he think?” she asks.

“I don’t think he liked it.”

“Is he blind?” I love that Missy is indignant on my behalf.

“When he saw me, he said it was an odd choice for an early bird dinner at the country club. I told him I wanted to get his opinion on it, and he changed the subject before giving it to me.”

“Well, that just proves he’s not ready to move on,” Missy says. “Any man with eyes in his head would flip for you in that dress.”

I roll over onto my back before pulling the covers up. “Let me see what the other women are wearing tomorrow night. I don’t want to be the one who stands out like a sore thumb.”

“You also don’t want to blend in and just be one of the crowd,” she tells me.

“You know howMidwestern Matchmakerworks. Trina makes sure everyone gets some time in the sun.”

“I’m getting really excited for you, Paige. And who knows, maybe you’ll match with the other guy from Elk Lake, and you’ll stay here forever.”

I spend the next ten minutes telling Missy everything I know about Chip Baker. By the time I’m done, she’s snort-laughing. When she finally settles down, she says, “I think you protest too much. You know what they say about love and hate, don’t you?”

“That they’re two completely opposite emotions?” I growl.

“Nope. Love and hate are two sides of the same coin. There’s only a thin line between them.”

“I would rather move to Alaska and race in the Iditarod wearing only a bikini and a smile than wind up with a guy like Chip Baker.”

“Are you doing the running in this scenario, or are you sitting in the sled?”

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