Just One Night Part 7

Both women stared at him. "You're interested in Julia's matches? Maybe you and Bigbrownbear have a future."

"Very funny. I want to look at Julia's profile."

"Why?"

"What is it with you two? I'm a guy. In the right age range. I can tell you if your profile's any good."

"I don't want to appeal to you. No offense, but I wouldn't date you."

"None taken. I wouldn't date you either." He held out his hand. "Now give."

Hailey brought Julia's profile back up and handed over the tablet. He took his time, read everything she'd written and perused the three photos. Then he shook his head. "You come across as boring, too. This isn't you."

Julia tapped her fingernails on the tabletop. "Like I said, you're not my target market."

"What's bothering you about her profile?" Hailey asked. Maybe he and Julia wouldn't ever date each other but he was right. He was a man in the same age range. Also he was smart and well-traveled.

"The photograph is too businesslike. I bet it's the one you use on your staging website, isn't it?"

"Absolutely. I paid a lot of money for a professional portrait. Why not use it?"

"Because you're not selling your services as a stager, you're selling yourself as a s.e.xual partner and possible marriage material. The business suit and heavy makeup aren't cutting it."

"But-"

"Wait right there." He got to his feet, grabbed his cane and limped over to his camera bag, taking out a smallish SLR camera and came back toward her.

"What are you doing?" Julia sounded alarmed and looked to Hailey for help.

"I'm taking your picture."

She flapped her hands. "I'm not dressed right. My makeup's terrible."

"You look great. You look like yourself."

Hailey nodded. "I agree. You dress with such great Bohemian style. You've got your favorite dangly earrings on, you're wearing a colorful sweater and you are having a good hair day. Swipe on some more lip gloss and you'll look fab."

After they'd both convinced Julia she didn't have to post Rob's pictures if she didn't like them, they persuaded her to go into the living room and stand by the arrangement of flowers as colorful and vibrant as she was.

He got Hailey to move a lamp and then went to work snapping photos. He gave her quiet instructions about moving her chin down and what to do with her hands. He had her turn her body a little and Hailey watched her friend relax and get into the mood of the photo shoot. "Think about the greatest s.e.x you've ever had," he said as he focused.

Julia's face softened and her smile grew intimate. Wow, Hailey thought, watching him bend and move, totally focused on his task. He might be injured, but everything apart from his leg was athletic, virile. She could imagine having the greatest s.e.x ever with Rob. In fact it was all she could think about.

d.a.m.n. She had a problem.

He snapped a few more photos and then nodded.

"Okay. I'll email you the best of these and you can post a new profile picture. I guarantee it will help. Also, maybe make your written profile more-I don't know-personal. A guy's not too interested in where you went to school."

"What does he want to know?" Hailey asked.

"Will she be fun to be with? How much baggage is she dragging around? Does she play games? Is she looking for her kids' daddy? Is she sane? You know, stuff like that."

"Great," Julia said, pretending to type. "I'm fun to be with, the only games I play are Scrabble and Monopoly, I may want kids someday but there's no hurry, I'm a little bit crazy, but in a good way."

"Yep, that works. Only, subst.i.tute strip poker for Monopoly if you really want to pull."

She giggled. "Thanks. I'll get you one of my business cards so you can email me the photos."

He turned, still grinning, toward Hailey. "How about you? You want me to take some shots of you?"

"For what? A dating site?"

He shrugged, his eyes both teasing and challenging. "Sure, why not?"

She couldn't hold his gaze. Instead she began fussing with the flower arrangement. "I don't have time to date. I have a career to build."

She heard the snapping of the camera and glared at him. "What are you doing?"

"Candid photos. You might want something for your website. You look good with those flowers."

"Oh. Okay."

Julia returned, handed over one of her business cards and Rob slipped it into his wallet. "I guarantee plenty more Bigbrownbears will be beating down your door when you fix your profile."

"I can hardly wait."

Then she turned to Hailey. "Come on. We'd better get to work upstairs."

Hailey nodded. "And you, Rob, can make yourself scarce."

"Thrown out of my own home," he muttered, then looked at Hailey. "And I'm a cripple. What kind of woman throws a cripple out?"

"A woman who wants to sell this house."

He repacked his camera bag and then grabbed his cane. He'd been using the cane, she noted, on a regular basis and neither of them had mentioned it. She was glad he had it in him to be a little bit sensible.

They'd been working together only a few days but she'd started to look forward to coming here. She liked Bellamy House, liked its history, the neighborhood, its possibilities.

And, in spite of his annoying quirks, she liked the house's current owner.

When he looked at her with those white teeth set in his tanned face she thought maybe she liked the current owner a little too much.

"Have a nice afternoon," she called when he stomped out, making his limp as p.r.o.nounced as possible.

"Don't sell my house to any losers."

7.

JULIA'S HOPES WERE so low when she entered Beananza for her first actual date with a real man from LoveMatch.com that if they'd been any lower she'd still be in bed.

What was she even doing here? All right for Hailey to talk her into emailing the only man who seemed remotely in her dating range since she wasn't the one feeling like a complete fool.

The only thing that made a quick coffee with a complete stranger acceptable was that she could drink her favorite brew in her favorite location.

When the door banged behind her, she breathed in the coffee smell and glanced around.

She saw him right away, John2012. Sitting by himself at a table for two, a china mug in front of him. She glanced at the old-fashioned clock on the wall and realized she was ten minutes late. Oops.

She headed toward him and he stood up and held out his hand. "Hi. I'm John." Nice firm grip. At least she'd give him that.

"I'm Julia."

"I thought you'd stood me up," he said.

"No. Sorry, I guess I'm running a couple of minutes late." She glanced down at his half-finished coffee. "Were you early?"

"I like to be on time," he said.

"Oh." This is going well. She took a step toward the coffee bar, Hailey's suggestion of a quick espresso in her mind when he said, "What can I get you?"

"Oh, thanks. Tall, skinny latte."

"Coming right up."

He walked to the bar and she had a chance to study him. He was on the slim side but tall with muscular shoulders. There was something almost cowboy about him with his weathered skin, two deep lines running down lean cheeks, deep blue eyes and a prominent nose and chin. But who dressed him? That blue plaid shirt, faded from washing, was older than some of her friends. The jeans were the most unflattering she'd ever seen and had to be from a discount store, and when he'd stepped into a pair of truly ugly work shoe/boot things, he'd caught the back hems of the denim in them.

If he'd paid more than six dollars for that haircut he'd been ripped off since she suspected the barber learned his trade in an abattoir.

When John put in her drink order, Bruno glanced over and waved.

John sauntered back to her reminding her again oddly of a cowboy. All he needed was a Stetson and a way nicer pair of jeans. He set the mugs carefully on the table and she thanked him politely. Then almost choked.

Bruno's latte art topping her brew today was a question mark.

She gulped her coffee quickly, hoping John hadn't noticed. If she ever did this again she'd meet in an anonymous coffee chain store. One that served to-go cups in case she needed to make a quick exit.

They both sipped coffee and then he said, "This is a nice place. I haven't been here before."

"I like it. The coffee's good."

Silence. Oh, man, this was tougher than she'd imagined. She loved new people. Always prided herself on being able to talk to anyone, and here she was acting like a self-conscious fool. She had to get a grip.

So many of her friends and family were getting married, having kids, moving on with their lives. Was she becoming desperate? She hated the thought.

She tried to recall John's profile so she could at least start some kind of conversation. "So, you like ethnic restaurants?"

"I do," he nodded. "One thing we have in common."

"Do you have favorites?"

He shook his head, looking grim. "My ex only liked fancy high-end places. I didn't get much chance to try out smaller, ethnic places." Then he winced. "Sorry. Great start to a first date. Talk about your angry, bitter divorce."

"Was it?"

"Angry and bitter?" he shrugged. "Is there another kind?"

"I don't know. I've never been married."

They both took refuge in another sip of coffee.

"How 'bout you? I bet you eat out a lot?"

What? Was he suggesting she was so overweight she must spend all her free time grazing at all-you-can-eat buffets?

"No," she said. "Not really."

"Oh. You seem really cosmopolitan, as though you know all the good places." He seemed a little disappointed to find out she wasn't that person.

But she was that person. She supposed she'd become so freaked out by the scammer that she wasn't giving a perfectly nice man a chance.

She glanced up and caught his gaze, realizing he was as uncomfortable as she. All of a sudden Bruno's caffeinated question mark, the pressure of too many friends' marriages and babies, the scammer, all of it seemed so ridiculous, she started to laugh. "I don't know about you but I'd really like to start over."

He nodded. "Can we consider that bitter-divorce comment deleted?"

"Done."

He let out a sigh of relief, and leaned back in his chair. And it was better. For no reason except that they'd been honest for a moment, it was better.

"Your profile said you work in computers?"

"That's right. I'm a programmer. My team works on software for the construction industry."

"Oh. I'm a home stager. That's sort of related to the construction industry."

"The way high fashion is connected to the silkworm."

"Okay. You made me smile. That's good."

So they talked about their respective businesses and she realized her coffee mug was empty and she hadn't had a terrible time.

"Well?" he asked, and she was reminded of Bruno's question mark.