This Matter of Marriage Page 7

  She gritted her teeth. “The name’s Hallie.”

  “Women like pet names.”

  “Not this woman.” Hallie was determined not to get into an argument with him until he’d paid the bill, but she wasn’t sure she’d last that long.

  “Chad said you’re—”

  “Chad said?” Then understanding dawned. “If you aren’t Chad Ellis, who the hell are you?” She was almost shouting.

  “All right, all right. Damn, I should’ve known I couldn’t pull this off. Chad had to leave town unexpectedly and he asked me to fill in for him. My name’s Tom Chedders.”

  “I was supposed to have dinner with Chad Ellis!” Her blood heated to the boiling point. That Chad had lacked the decency to tell her he couldn’t meet her and sent a stranger in his stead was all she needed to know about him.

  “Don’t worry, you’ll have a good time with me,” Tom told her, glancing around to make sure they weren’t attracting attention. “Chad will vouch for me. We’ve been good buddies for a lot of years. We work for the same company.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me right away who you were?”

  “I was afraid you wouldn’t have dinner with me if I did,” he said. “Like I told you before, I’m an all-right kind of guy. No need to get bent out of shape, now, is there?” He flashed her a toothy grin.

  Hallie wasn’t sure. “I would’ve preferred it if you’d been honest with me from the beginning.”

  He did at least look mildly guilty. “You’re right, I should’ve, only… I didn’t want to give you an excuse to cancel. All I’m asking is that you give me a chance.”

  Hallie sighed deeply. “Let’s be honest with each other from now on, okay?”

  “Scout’s honor.”

  “You were a scout?”

  He shook his head. “Nah, they were a bunch of sissies, far as I was concerned.”

  “I see,” she muttered, and gazed yearningly toward the front door. The evening could prove to be a very long one indeed.

  “So you’re divorced,” Tom said, then thanked the cocktail waitress with a wink and a quarter tip. It took him a moment to turn his attention back to Hallie.

  “No, Chad must have misunderstood. I’ve never been married.”

  She’d say one thing for Tom. He had the most expressive eyebrows she’d ever seen. Right now, they rose all the way to his hairline. “Never married. What’s the matter with you?”

  “The matter?”

  “There’s gotta be a reason a pretty gal like you never married. Well, never mind, I’m going to take good care of you, sweetie pie. You and me are gonna have fun.”

  Hallie sincerely doubted that. “The name is Hallie,” she reminded him, feeling the beginnings of a headache. “Not cupcake or sweetie pie or anything else.”

  He gulped down his double martini and raised his glass in the direction of the bar to signal for another. “Whatever you say, darlin’.”

  Hallie ground her teeth in an effort to maintain her composure. “How long have you been selling medical equipment?” she asked, striving to sound interested.

  “I don’t. Now before you get all upset again, I didn’t lie. I work for the same company as Chad, only on the pharmaceutical side. I sell condoms.”

  A lump of ice went down her throat whole. “Condoms?” she choked.

  “Yep. We’ve got ’em in all kinds of flavors. Our flavor for February is cotton candy. We’ve got ’em in all colors, too.” He stared at her intently, and Hallie shuddered. “White’s the top seller, though. Can you believe it? Why would anyone choose white over candy-apple red?”

  “I couldn’t tell you.” Hallie slid a guarded look in both directions, praying no one could hear their conversation. “Do you mind if we discuss something else?”

  “Sure,” he responded amiably. “I do a brisk business in laxatives, as well. Won the top salesman award two years running.” He laughed as if what he’d said was uproariously funny. “Laxatives… running. Get it?”

  Ha. Ha. Ha. “No,” she said flatly. Hallie’s head was starting to pound in earnest now, and she knew she couldn’t go through with this. Even if she ended up paying for a meal she didn’t eat, she couldn’t stand another minute in this man’s company. “Tom, listen, I’m really sorry, but this isn’t going to work.” She set her napkin on the table and reached for her purse.

  He assumed a hurt little-boy look. “Not going to work? What do you mean?”

  “I was expecting to meet Chad Ellis, not you.”

  “Gee, I thought we were getting along just great. What’s wrong? Tell me what’s wrong and I’ll fix it.”

  “In this instance I think it might be best to leave well enough alone.”

  “But I thought, you know, that you and I would get together later.” He did that jiggling thing with his eyebrows again.

  “Get together?”

  “You know. In bed.”

  “Bed?” She said it loudly enough to attract the attention of the maitre d’. “Let me assure you right now,” she hissed, “that I’m not interested in going to bed with you.”

  “That’s not what Chad said.”

  “What did Chad say?” Bonnie was going to hear about this.

  “That you were hot for a real man—and, baby, I’m the one for you. I can teach you things you ain’t never gonna see in a textbook. I haven’t been in the condom business all these years without learning a few tricks of the trade, if you catch my drift.”

  His drift came straight off a garbage heap, in Hallie’s view. “I don’t know what to say, Tom. You’ve been misinformed. I’m not even mildly lukewarm as far as you’re concerned, and I’m not interested in any of your… lessons.”

  “You mean you were willing to let me wine and dine you—but you weren’t gonna give me anything? I thought this was a bread-and-bed date.”

  “What I’ll give you is money for my meal.” She pulled out her wallet and threw a fifty-dollar bill on the table. Her fingers tightened around her purse strap. “Good night, Tom. I wish you well.” She couldn’t in good faith tell him it had been a pleasure to meet him. It had been an experience she didn’t want to repeat. An experience she wasn’t likely to forget. No more blind dates, she swore to herself. It wasn’t only discouraging, it was getting too expensive.

  “Good riddance. I’ll find a real woman, one who knows how to satisfy a man.” She noticed that he snatched up the money and shoved it in his pocket.

  As Hallie walked out of the restaurant, she felt every eye in the place on her.

  “Would you like me to call you a taxi?” the receptionist asked.

  Hallie nodded, then with a sinking sensation, she checked to be sure she had enough cash to cover the fare. No, that fifty was all she’d had—and her pride wouldn’t allow her to run back to Tom Chedders and demand change. It looked like she was going to need another loan from Steve.

  “Your cab will be here in a few minutes,” the receptionist told her with a sympathetic smile.

  “Thanks.” She glanced toward the door, groaning at the thought that Steve might not be home. She’d better phone him first.

  Not knowing his phone number, she called directory assistance. The way her luck was going, she was afraid he’d have an unlisted number. But the operator found it and Hallie released a sigh of relief.

  Steve answered on the first ring in a lazy I’ve-been-sitting-here-waiting-for-your-call voice.

  “Hi,” she said, deciding to ease into the subject of another loan, rather than blurting out the sorry details and throwing herself on his mercy.

  “Hi,” he responded.

  Hallie suspected he didn’t recognize her voice. “It’s Hallie, from next door.”

  “Yeah, I know.” He chuckled. “Wouldn’t it be easier to stick your head out the kitchen window and yell?”

  “I’m not at home. I went out on another blind date.”

  “Not with that same jerk?”

  “No—I found an entirely new jerk. I just walked out on him and I
don’t have enough cash for the cab fare home. Could I take out another loan?” It humiliated her to ask, but she had no option. “This’11 be the last time it ever happens, I promise you.”

  “Where are you?”

  “Some restaurant—I don’t know where.” Dumb. Next time she’d pay attention. Next time she’d bring her own car.

  “I’ll come and get you.”

  “No.” That was the last thing she wanted. “I appreciate the offer, but I refuse to let you go to that trouble.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “Positive.”

  The taxi arrived and Hallie rattled off her address, climbed into the back seat and closed her eyes. The urge to give in to tears was almost overwhelming.

  Naive and stupid. That was the way men viewed her. Well, no wonder. You’d think she’d have learned something the first time around—but no, all her credit cards and her bank card were still at home. Though who would’ve guessed this would happen twice?

  Steve’s front door opened the minute the taxi pulled up in front of her place. He loped across the lawn and took out his wallet.

  “How much do you need?”

  “Eighteen bucks. I’ll have it for you tomorrow afternoon.”

  He paid the driver, who promptly left. “You all right?” Steve asked.

  “No,” she admitted, “but I will be soon enough. Thanks for the loan. Again.”

  “Hey, what are neighbors for?” He smiled, patting her gently on the back.

  Hallie unlocked her front door and walked into her darkened home. She tossed her purse on the sofa, switched on the lights and headed straight for the phone in her kitchen.

  Donnalee answered immediately. “You’re right,” Hallie said without preamble.

  “I love hearing it,” Donnalee said, “but I’d like to know what I’m right about.”

  “Dateline. I’m calling them first thing in the morning.

  Her announcement was followed by a short pause. “What happened?”

  “You don’t want to know and I don’t want to tell you. Suffice it to say I’d pay Dateline double their normal fee if they could find me a halfway decent man.”

  “Oh, Hallie, you poor thing. I’m sure there’s someone out there for you.”

  “I’m sure there is, too, and at this point I’m willing to pay for the privilege of meeting him.”

  Nine

  Bingo!

  March 20

  They say the third time’s the charm. Well, I’m charmed. Dateline took long enough finding me a match, but Mark Freelander was worth the wait. We met last night for the first time. I drove to the restaurant myself—Donnalee advised me to arrive early—only to discover that Mark had, too. We laughed about that.

  I was nervous, but Mark put me at ease. I like him. That on its own is a scary thought. I know it’s too soon to tell, but I could see myself married to someone like Mark. He’s intelligent, well mannered and just plain nice. The kind of guy my mother would approve of. Dad, too, if he were here.

  Mark’s an engineer, divorced, no kids. The fact that he was willing to invest two thousand dollars to find the right woman tells me he’s as serious about this matter of marriage as I am. We’re seeing each other again soon.

  I can hardly wait.

  Hallie rolled her grocery cart over to the display of fresh tomatoes and carefully made her selection. She wanted everything to be perfect for this dinner. She’d been dating Mark for two weeks now, and he’d teased her into agreeing to cook for him. Granted, her expertise in the kitchen was severely limited, but she knew how to grill a decent steak. Her antipasto salad—thick tomato slices, mozzarella cheese, Greek olives, roasted red pepper and salami—was impressive; even her mother said so. Add baked potatoes and steamed asparagus, and she’d come off looking like a younger, slimmer version of Julia Child.

  “Hey, Dad, there’s Hallie.”

  Hearing her name, Hallie turned to find Steve shopping with his kids. His cart was filled with frozen pizza, canned spaghetti and a dozen or so frozen entrees.

  “Howdy, neighbor,” Steve called out.

  “Hi, guys,” Hallie replied, pleased to see them. “How’s it going?”

  “Great,” Steve said. “I haven’t seen you around lately.”

  “I’ve been putting in a lot of extra time on a project at work and—” she beamed as she said it “—I’m seeing someone.”

  “Seeing someone?” Steve prompted.

  She looked around and lowered her voice. “I signed up with Dateline. They put me together with Mark.”

  “Congratulations. I knew you’d eventually land on your feet.”

  “Thanks. Mark and I’ve been seeing each other a couple of weeks now, and so far so good.” She held up both hands, fingers crossed.

  “Hey, Dad, ask Hallie,” Meagan urged, pulling on her father’s sleeve. “She’d be perfect.”

  “Yeah, Dad, you can ask Hallie,” Kenny said excitedly.

  Steve ignored the pleas and would have moved on if Hallie hadn’t stopped him.

  “Ask me what?”

  He shook his head. “It’s nothing.”

  Clearly he was lying. “Steve!”

  “All right, all right.” He didn’t seem too eager to elaborate. “Would you mind if we talked about this over a cup of coffee?” He gestured at the small round tables set up in front of the grocery-store deli, which sold sandwiches, salads and hot drinks.

  “Sure.” Hallie had to admit to being curious. She followed the Marris family to the deli; while she made sure their carts weren’t blocking the aisle, Steve purchased two cups of coffee, plus hot chocolate for the kids.

  His son and daughter sat down with them, Meagan waiting patiently for her father to speak. Kenny, less patient, kicked at the legs of his chair.

  With a quelling frown at his son, Steve asked Hallie, “Do you bowl?”

  “Bowl? As in ball and pins?” Hallie said. “Yeah, I guess, although it’s been a few years.” She hadn’t been all that adept at bowling, but then she’d never been athletically inclined.

  “What was your average?”

  “Well, I could generally knock down three or four pins. Why?”

  “Dad needs a woman who can bowl,” Kenny explained.

  Steve darted his son another quelling look. “I prefer to do this myself, all right?” He turned back to Hallie. “I’m part of a couples bowling league, and since my marriage breakup my sister’s bowled with me. Unfortunately her husband was transferred to Wichita last month and she had to drop out of the league just before the tournament.”

  “Dad needs a female partner for the tournament,” Meagan clarified.

  “Oh,” Hallie muttered, her heart sinking. She was sure she’d be more of a liability to Steve than a benefit. Heaven knew she owed the guy, but she wasn’t sure he’d appreciate the kind of help she could give him.

  Steve noted her hesitation. “Don’t worry about it, Hallie. It’s no big deal. I’ll find someone.”

  “It’s just that I don’t think I’d do you any good. Like I said, I haven’t bowled in years.”

  “It’d just be one afternoon.” Again it was Meagan who spoke. “You could bowl one afternoon, couldn’t you?”

  “Surely there’s someone better qualified than me?” she asked hopefully. Maybe she could rope Bonnie into helping him. Her assistant was due a little penance.

  “Nope,” Kenny said. “Dad’s already asked everyone he knows.”

  “Kenny, Meagan,” Steve said gruffly, “Hallie says she can’t do it. Let’s leave it at that, shall we?”

  “But… but we could teach her,” Meagan persisted. “She can’t be that bad.” So said the girl who’d run circles around her.

  “Well…” Hallie felt herself weakening. Twice this man had come to her rescue, and not once in the weeks that followed had he reminded her what a fool she’d made of herself. That in itself demanded her consideration.

  “I’d be willing to give it a try,” she offered, gesturing vaguel
y. “The kids are right. All I probably need is a refresher course. And, really, one afternoon isn’t going to hurt. It’s the least I can do after all the help you’ve given me.”

  “So you will?” Steve asked, sounding pleased.

  “Like I told you, I’m going to need a little coaching first.”

  “No problem,” Steve replied. “How about Friday night? We’ll take the kids bowling and then go out for pizza.”

  “When’s the tournament?”

  “The next day—Saturday afternoon.”

  “Okay.” Hallie hoped she didn’t live to regret this. “I’ll mark my calendar.”

  “I knew Hallie would do it!” Meagan grinned.

  “Glad to help,” Hallie said, and swallowed tightly. “What are neighbors for?”

  The dinner with Mark went even better than she’d dared hope.

  He arrived with a bottle of her favorite wine and a bouquet of spring flowers. He raved about the meal, especially her antipasto salad, and claimed he’d never tasted better. Hallie figured she could get used to having a man tell her how wonderful she was.

  They sat in front of the television, sipping the last of the wine from her best crystal goblets. The latest action-movie video played, but neither paid much attention to the actors racing across the screen. Mark relaxed against the sofa, his arm around her shoulder.

  “You’ve been holding out on me,” he said in a chiding voice.

  Half smiling, she twisted her head to look at him. Not for the first time, she was surprised at how classically handsome he was. Blond, blue-eyed, with a square jaw and perfect masculine features.

  “What do you mean?” she asked, linking her fingers with his.

  “Not only are you a successful career woman, but you can cook. Do you know how rare that is these days? Most women do whatever they can to keep out of the kitchen.”

  The last thing Hallie wanted was to mislead him. “Sure, steak and a baked potato. Everything else is a challenge.”

  He chuckled and kissed the tip of her nose. His eyes grew serious. “Everything feels right with you, Hallie. I can’t believe I’m here with you in my arms.”