Brenna
“I’m finally doing it, Jessie May, I’m going on a date.” Talking to my younger sister before a big date was kind of a ritual for me, especially when it became clear that I had awful taste in men.
“A date? Seriously? That’s great, tell me about this guy.”
I sighed and gave myself one final look in the mirror. “That’s the thing, I don’t know. Not really.”
“Come on, Bren. Not another blind date?” Her groan of frustration matched my own when Eva had insisted on keeping the man’s identity a secret. “I thought we talked about this.”
“We did, but this is different, I swear. Remember how I told you some of the girls here have a matchmaking business? Well I finally broke down and decided to let the professionals handle my love life for a change.” Honestly, they couldn’t do worse than I did on my own.
“And these professionals decided that hiding the man’s identity was prudent? And safe?” Jessie May let out a loud bark of laughter and in my mind’s eye I could see her shaking her golden blond curls in disbelief.
“Yeah,” I sighed. “I’ve been mighty picky about their choices so Eva figured I couldn’t pre-sabotage if I didn’t know much about the guy.”
“So you don’t know anything about him?”
“Plenty, actually. He fits all my criteria. Tall with broad shoulders, good looking and owns his own business. Not married or divorced. I just haven’t spoken to him on the phone.”
“Please tell me he’s not picking you up!” Though Jessie May was the younger sister, she thought being married with kids made her wise.
“Of course not. I’m meeting him. He’ll be wearing a green shirt and holding a purple tulip. How romantic, right? I didn’t even tell the girls that was my favorite flower.” It was one of the reasons I was so excited to meet this man.
The sound of crying interrupted our conversation and I applied another coating of lipstick, preparing for my sister’s next words. “Momma duty calls, sis. Have a good date and call me when you get home.”
“I promise. Unless the date goes really well.” I couldn’t help but laugh at her groan of disapproval just before the call ended.
The truth was I had no plans to sleep with this man on the first ate. Now, I was just as liberated as the next modern woman, but in the spirit of getting different results, I wanted to try not jumpin’ into the sack with a man just because he had a pretty smile, long muscular legs and broad shoulders.
Call it an experiment if you will, because that’s what I was calling tonight even though Olive and Sophie from Time for Love had called it a new beginning. I had bad luck with relationships, and this guy might be better than my own choices, but chances were slim he was my forever after.
But that didn’t stop my heart from fluttering in my chest when I stepped inside the restaurant, a feeling of excitement that had nothing at all to do with the scent of grilled meat and tangy barbecue sauce. It was anticipation. I was actually excited about this date, which increased my nervousness.
I gave my eyes a moment to adjust to the dim lights of the restaurant and slowly scanned all the tables and booths where a single guy sat, my gaze sharpened for all shades of green. “Kelly green. Bold choice.” The man had his back to the door, and I wondered if that was an oversight on his part or if he wanted his appearance to be a surprise. Either way, I smoothed my hands down the sides of my black ruffled top and black denim skirt, took a deep breath and made my way to the table. “Purple tulips are my favorite.”
The man froze and turned slowly, a wide and all too familiar smile on his face. “So I’ve heard through the grapevine.” Grant Lopez, the hottest single man in all of Pilgrim, turned and nearly leveled me with his dimpled grin. “Brenna, you look gorgeous.” He stood and kissed my cheek before helping me into my seat.
I gave him a skeptical look as I sat, enjoying the handsome picture he made in a vibrant green shirt that gave his eyes an emerald green appearance instead of their usual mossy green. “Grant. Why do I feel like this is some kind of set up?”
He shrugged and sat back. “In a way, it is. I knew if you found out we’d been matched, you’d