Speed Date Sweetheart

Speed Date Sweetheart

By Jeane Clayton

Chapter 1

Trisha paused outside Pete's Place. She'd never thought she'd be speed-dating, but then she'd never thought she would be starting over at the age of twenty-six in Eugene, Oregon. I'm not starting over, she insisted to herself, I'm down here to go to college. Sure. Who was she kidding? Yes, she was enrolling in classes at the university, and yes, she did want to go to college, but that was just a means to an end. The objective was to win Bobby back. At least that was what half of her wanted. The other half wanted nothing to do with men ever again.

Bonnie grabbed her elbow, C'mon, let's go inside, It'll be fun. Bonnie propelled her into the dark club past the long gleaming wooden bar. None of the young men discreetly looking them over would have guessed they were sisters. Trisha was dressed in Seattle yuppie-chic, a green silk blouse that matched her almond-shaped green eyes and soft, umber-colored slacks the same shade as the tousled, honey-colored hair curled at her shoulders. The loose clothing only emphasized the curves beneath. Bonnie, on the other hand, with her long dark hair blending down into the dark patterned peasant dress and Birkenstocks looked like a latter-day hippie, so Eugene.

They entered the pleasant back dining room where the event was to be held. The walls were a dark tongue-in-groove paneling, the carpet scarlet and there were three rows of small booths, each with a tiny red-globed candle. Near the door of the dining room was a wooden card table where participants paid their fees and received name tags. They were next to sign in.

Trisha shook her head. I still don't think this is a good idea.

Bonnie had already heard it all on the way over. She turned and faced her and spit out in a hard whisper, You think Bobby's sitting home, pining away for you? The hurt in Trisha's eyes made her regret her remark. Aw Trish, I'm sorry. Just do it for me, okay?

Trisha had never been able to refuse her younger sister anything. They'd grown up close. Their mother had died of cancer when they were young. Bonnie barely remembered her and try as he might, Dad could not replace her. It was difficult being a motherless child and she had tried to compensate Bonnie by doing things that would make her happy. Besides, she owed her for letting her move in at a moment's notice.

She smiled, All right.

After they paid and received their name tags, BONNIE #13 and TRISHA #15, they were directed to a bar back in the corner. A crowd of twenty and thirty-somethings surrounded the bar three-deep. Some looked around at the other participants window-shopping, others pretended intense conversation trying to look engaged and engaging and others gulped down liquid courage as fast as they could. A man in front of Trisha turned and saw her watching them. Reading her mind he said, Don't be too hard on them. If they were at ease, they probably wouldn't be here. She looked up into his laughing gray eyes and the full force of his magnetism hit her.

She raised her eyebrows. Then why are you here? Why indeed. He was the most magnificent man she had ever seen. His dark hair was cut short and below his compelling gray eyes were a strong nose and square chin. It was his full sensuous lips, however, that made her tingle. She deliberately scanned down the rest of him noting his broad shoulders, muscular arms and well-developed chest clad in a blue chambray shirt tucked in at his slim waist into well-worn snug jeans. She looked at his shoes, Bobby always said you could tell a lot about a person by the shoes they wore; these were sturdy low-cut hiking boots. She looked back up and now he really looked amused.

He gestured at the place, Pete asked me to come, he wanted a good turnout.

She looked confused, Pete? Then it dawned on her, Oh, the owner."

Yeah, looks like he succeeded. Can I get you a drink?

Someone pushing from behind to get to the bar shoved her closer to him and now she could smell him, a mixture of clean soap and a heady, earthy woodsy smell. For a moment she couldn't think then managed, Sure, uhm, maybe a glass of wine.

MATT #28, or so his name tag said, turned around and signaled to the bartender, A chardonnay for the lady. When MATT #28 turned in the crush of people to press the glass into her hand, his fingers grazed hers. The effect was electric, a warm pulse raced through her. He, however, looked surprised, shuddered and withdrew his fingers quickly. Trisha was dismayed by his reaction. Why did he pull back as if scalded? Was it revulsion?

Just then a crystal bell tinkled and Bonnie pulled her out of the group. How'd you get that? she nodded toward the wine.

I, she turned to thank MATT #28, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Bonnie shushed her, Never mind, they're starting.

A stunning woman in a red dress holding a clipboard rang the crystal bell again. Eyes up here, please. May I have your attention?

You got mine, called a male voice from the back and a few people laughed.

The woman in red batted her long eyelashes once. Save it for the game, she said then held up her clipboard to signal everyone to hush.

Welcome all of you. I'm glad we have such a great turnout. I'm Angela and I'll be your facilitator tonight. She gestured to a friendly-looking stocky young man near her, And this is Sean, my assistant.

The sound of this bell, and she rang it again, "will signal when you, the men that is, need to switch places and you'll either be thrilled to move on or disappointed, but you need to move quickly so we can fit in all six dates.

Before we begin, I'd like to thank Pete Robinson, the owner of Pete's Place, for allowing us to be here tonight. She gestured toward a short dark-haired man standing in the doorway and they all clapped. He waved, said Have a great time and headed back to the front of the restaurant.

Angela flashed the group a brilliant smile, Okay, let's have a show of hands, how many of you have been to a Speed-dating event before? She paused and only three people raised their hands. "Not many. Well, you're all in for a real treat.

"First, a little history. Speed-dating was started back East by a rabbi in 1999. It's a custom to introduce young Jewish singles to each other to encourage marriage within the faith. He invented Speed-dating as a way to introduce a lot of people quickly and it has really caught on with busy singles like you.

Each of you has been issued a name tag, blue for males and pink for females. She arched her eyebrows, Sometimes it's hard to tell.

A few laughed politely.

She held up a long, white card the size of a business envelope. You've also been issued a numbered card with columns. Everyone have one? Raise your hand if you don't.

Sean passed out white cards to the few who needed them.

The numbered card has columns for 'Yes, I'd like to talk again' and 'No, not for me.' Notice this is on carbonless carbon paper so you can jot down people's names and keep a copy. We'll seat the ladies in numerical order starting at this table with PAM #1 here. She pointed to PAM #1 to be seated.

JEANNIE #3 at this table, she crooked a finger at an athletic-looking blonde, and so on.

Angela shooed all the females including BONNIE #13 and TRISHA #15 to tables.

Now, when I ring this bell, ding-a-ling, DON #2 will sit down with PAM #1, MIKE #4 with JEANNIE #3, you get the idea. You will have 7 minutes to talk. For your safety, you are not permitted to exchange contact information. No addresses or phone numbers, no occupation information and definitely no places of employment, again for your safety. There's a laminated card on each table with suggested questions in case you can't think of anything better than, 'How long have you lived here.' She held up the card from PAM #1's table over her head and showed it around.

Then when I ring the bell again, DON #2 moves to JEANNIE #3's table. KARL #30 comes up here to PAM #1's table, she drew an arc in the air, and so on. Everyone got it?

She paused and Trisha quickly figured that being the 8th female, she would start with #16 and then #14 down to #6, but would never be paired with MATT#28. Her heart sank. Oh, it was just as well. He probably didn't want to be with her. Then she shook herself with a start, what did it matter? Even though Bobby had dumped her, she was still in love with him and she was here tonight only because Bonnie had insisted.

Angela continued, As I said, you'll have 6 dates this evening. Obviously, that's not enough to get around to everyone. There will be a break after Date 3 to visit the facilities, she gestured to a hall on the right, get a drink, she pointed a well-manicured forefinger to the bar in back, "and more importantly, mingle with those you're not paired with.

At the end of the evening, give the top copy to Sean or me. Within 3 days, you will receive an e-mail with contact information (e-mail and phone number) for anyone where there is a match, that is, BOTH of you indicated 'Yes, I'd like to talk again.' The rest is up to you.

She paused again and scanned the room, Any questions?

A freckled red-head at the side of the room raised her hand, What if you're not sure?

Angela nodded, Excellent question. Seven minutes isn't enough to tell if you like someone, but it is enough to know if a person definitely does not appeal to you. The no's are easy.

She paused, then smiled, Let me put it this way. Speed-dating is also known as Pre-dating, so pose yourself a question, 'Would I like to go out on a date with this person?' 'Would I want to spend a whole evening with him or her?' That usually does the trick.

She turned to Sean, Did I leave anything out?

He grinned at her, You've been pretty thorough, but I might mention just one thing. He took a breath, "You all look like nice people, but remember, we haven't done any background checks. If you want to get together, we suggest you meet in a public place and take a cell phone with you.

Remember too, that everyone here is just as nervous as you are. He paused for the group's nervous laugh. So someone may not come across at their best, maybe cut them some slack and give them the benefit of the doubt. He turned to Angela.

She held up the white card and tapped her blood-red nail at the bottom, "One more thing. At the bottom of the card is a space labeled Wild Cards. If you don't get to date someone who interests you, just write their number at the bottom and if there is a match, we'll include them in your e-mail.

Sean and I will be here in case you have any questions or concerns. She held up the bell. Are you ready? Have fun!"

Ding-a-ling!

Trisha jumped and looked up at TODD #16, a thin, unattractive, nervous-looking man in a bright yellow shirt sidling up to her table. She knew then it was going to be a long night. What on earth was she doing here?

*****

Chapter 2

Trisha looked at the darkening horizon and the tall buildings now black against the violet sky with lights winking on like so many diamonds. She hugged herself trying to stay warm. Her smart double-breasted navy coat was no match for a chilly winter evening in Seattle. Her low-cut latte'-colored jersey dress underneath didn't help either. I should have dressed warmer, she thought. But she'd wanted to look beautiful for Bobby on this special night.

She took a few steps to try to get out of the wind, an impossibility on the Space Needle observation deck. Now to the left she could see the piers and lights reflecting off the cold choppy waters of Elliott Bay and straight ahead the stately Queen Anne district. That's where Bobby probably is, delivering an elegant jewelry case to a well-dressed man in the two-story foyer of his Victorian home.

She'd almost gotten used to it, these past few months. In the four months she'd known him, his work had always encroached on their holidays, but ever since he'd gotten the position with Austin's, the most prestigious jeweler in Seattle, he'd worked even longer hours. He'd changed from hardworking Bobby Johnson, salesman, to driven Robert St. John, gemologist. She could hear him now-'You want Chateaubriand or a Big Mac? You can have anything. You just have to want it enough.' And that was the problem in a nutshell. He wants things-fine things, for sure, but all she wanted was Bobby--and where was he?

She snapped out of her reverie and checked her watch again. 7:10. What was the surprise he'd mentioned when he’d called this afternoon? Maybe that's why he's late. He's picking up something or making arrangements.

She looked down at her left hand. Well, it was worth waiting for. She'd polished her nails with a barely-there blush and her third finger was bare of the small gold signet ring she usually wore. Naked and ready for what she hoped he'd give her tonight. An engagement ring.

She switched the slender red-wrapped gift she'd brought to her left hand and reached up with her right to smooth her caramel-colored hair.