Page 77 of The Anatomy of Matchmaking

I think of the annual clinic fundraising event and cringe. It’s a family-oriented event, and I’ve always had to attend on my own.

What would it be like to go to the fair and parade one day with children?

I’ve always wanted a family.

I slip past the grinning Tim and curious-looking Maria, and weave around the admissions desk. When I step out into the waiting room and glance through a window, I spot Maddison down the hall.

I push through the waiting room door and jog a few paces.

“Maddie? Wait up.”

She stops and turns. Her expression brightens when she spots me.

Good.

I was worried about this—how it’d be to see her for the first time after last night.

But she looks happy.

And I feel happy, too.

Really happy.

“Cafeteria?” I ask, with what I’m sure is a goofy grin on my face.

“Perfect. I could use something besides sugar and caffeine in my system. Good cookies, by the way.”

When we start walking side-by-side, our shoulders are almost touching. I feel that zing of energy. It reminds me of last night.

“Felt like the inside of a fishbowl in that waiting room,” she says, as we walk down the mercifully empty hallway. “The staff sure wanted to know all about why I had your badge.”

“You should have heard the questions in the back hallway.”

“Well, you are the town’s most eligible bachelor, apparently. They want to keep tabs on your romantic life. Now I’m showing up, delivering personal items and stealing you away from work. They probably think something’s going on between us.”

And… it is, I think.

We’re going to have to talk about where we stand.

I’m not sure how to bring it up, though.

Maddison breaks the silence. “I think that neighbor of yours, Fredricka, is going to have some questions for you when you get home, too. She almost called the cops on me.”

I laugh. “Sounds about right. She’s a self-appointed Neighborhood Watch.”

“She sure is protective of your place. And she barely believed me that we were friends that go way back.”

Her mention of our friendship makes me flinch.

I promised her I wouldn’t risk our friendship…

But that’s exactly what I did last night.

Did I screw things up?

When we walk around a corner, the cafeteria comes into sight. For mid-morning on a Saturday, usually a busy time at the clinic, it’s nice and quiet. No line at the buffet, only two tables occupied.

I head for the display of toasted bagels wrapped in wax paper, and pick one with cream cheese. Maddison grabs one with butter. We both fill coffee cups, and when we reach the cash register I make sure to get my credit card out first.

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