a movie, “hang out,” as she called it.
“No hookups?” I asked, straight-faced.
She bit her lip. “Um…”
I patted her hand with a grin. “Teasing.”
“If romance enters the picture, then it does,” she assured me. “If not, having a friend to go out with isn’t a bad thing, is it?”
I had to admit she was right. When Max became ill, our social life had changed—not that it was ever the same as other couples. We were very close and enjoyed each other’s company. With the huge age difference between us, we were mostly shunned when we were first married so we had relied on each other for everything. Max was my best friend, shopping partner, confidant, and lover—all rolled into one. Over the years, we made some couple friends, but with his busy career and schedule, those times were limited. I was fine with it—I had been a bit of a loner, preferring reading and taking courses over other, more social activities. My husband and grandkids—especially Colin—kept me busy, and my life, once I met the BAM boys and Bentley opened his company, had revolved around them. Now, my nights and weekends once spent with Max, were long and empty at times.
Perhaps a friend wouldn’t be such a bad thing. If I went into this idea seeking companionship instead of a romantic interest, I might find someone whose company I would enjoy. Someone who could help make me feel a little less lonely.
I scanned the profile once again. It was exactly as Becca promised. A simple picture, a brief bio, and the language was correct. Nothing suggesting anything except looking to meet someone my age with similar interests to be friends. It was perfect.
Yet, I couldn’t bring myself to press the “activate” button on the screen.
I shook my head. I was being silly. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. And the girls had gone to so much effort and assured me unless I gave out the information, the profile was private, and I could delete it at any time. Before I could change my mind, I clicked the button, then shut the lid and hurried away from my desk as if the machine itself were going to start spitting out names of “matches.”
I went to the kitchen and poured a glass of wine.
As Aiden would often say—I was too old for this shit.
Monday morning, my phone buzzed with another incoming message.
“You have a match.”
It had started about an hour after I clicked activate. I hadn’t realized Becca had added the app to my phone as well. I had muted the sound, but it still vibrated every time, and even in the pocket of my suit jacket, it made itself known.
Once again, Bentley’s gaze strayed to my phone as it signaled another message.
“Are you sure you don’t have to get that, Sandy?” he asked, his brow furrowed.
I shook my head. It was rare my phone rang at work these days, but this morning, it was going off constantly.
“It’s fine,” I assured him. “I somehow got on a call list. I’ll handle it when we’re done.”
Aiden spoke up. “I can take care of that for you, Sandy. Give me your phone, and I can get it to stop.”
“No!” I exclaimed, my voice rising a little.
All three partners looked surprised at my reaction. Reid was late this morning, having an appointment outside of the office. I was glad of that fact since Reid knew me so well. Even though the girls had said they wouldn’t say anything about the dating site, now that I had activated my profile, I knew it was going to come out eventually. I was in no hurry for the boys to know what I had done. I had a feeling none of them would approve, and I wasn’t in the mood to handle their objections or worries. They were all very protective of me.
“It’s fine,” I insisted. “I’ll handle it. Now, you were saying, Bentley?”
“Ah, yes.” He frowned but let the subject drop. “I am going to see a couple of places this afternoon with Van that have come up unexpectedly. Can you clear my schedule?”
“Of course.”
“Richard is flying in next week to firm up some new ideas for Phase Two of the towers,” Maddox stated. “You’ll need some extra bagels in the kitchen.”
I smiled as I jotted down the reminder. Richard was one of my favorites, and I looked forward to his trips here. I had a feeling they were more frequent than needed since Becca was here every day, but