“Have you had difficult relationships in the past?” She sipped her coffee.
“A couple.” I sighed and nodded. “I dated a guy in high school that was nice, but he was so shy that he barely even held my hand. I dated a few guys in college and I even got serious with one of them—but he turned out to be a jerk like all the rest of the assholes.”
“It can be difficult.” She put her coffee cup down—directly on Lola’s application. “I remember what it was like when I was your age.”
“It’s not like it will get any easier when I’m older.” I exhaled sharply and shrugged. “Men are the same, no matter what age they are.”
“That can be true, but there are plenty of good ones out there. Trust me, I’ve helped a lot of people find the right person for them.” She nodded with a hint of confidence in her smile. “Just trust me, that’s all I ask.”
“I’m here…” I looked down at her desk. “That’s about as much trust as I can give you.”
“Physically, yes—but not emotionally.” She narrowed her eyes. “You’ve put a barrier around your heart—probably because of some bad experiences in the past. I’m guessing things aren’t that good at home when you were younger?”
“I didn’t realize you were a psychologist.” I raised my head and smirked.
“I wear many hats, mainly because I want people to be happy.
“Well, the shrink couldn’t figure me out either, so you’re wasting your time.” I rolled my eyes. “Look, you seem like you’re trying to do a good thing here. I just came so Lola would quit harassing me. It’s okay if you don’t find anyone for me—you’d probably be saving them a lot of heartache too.”
“I understand.” She nodded. “Well, one last question then. What kind of age range are you looking for? Do you want a guy your age, one that’s older—or younger. Whatever you prefer.”
“I definitely don’t want to date anyone younger than me. The maturity level of guys my age is hard enough to deal with sometime. Fart jokes stopped being funny when I was fifteen, but apparently guys in their twenties still think they’re hilarious.” I rolled my eyes again.
“So, maybe someone a little older then?” She reached for her coffee cup and lifted it to her lips.
“I don’t guess it matters.” I shrugged.
“Perfect. Well, then let me see what I can do. Will you wait in the lobby for a few minutes while I put your information into my computer?” She put her coffee cup down—once again, directly on Lola’s application.
“I guess so.” I nodded and started to stand. “It would probably be easier to just have us key the information before we get here.”
“My website is still pretty new. It’s open for people to use and I even have an app, which is more popular than I expected it to be.” She shrugged and turned on her computer. “I’m a little old-fashioned though. I like meeting people face-to-face when I can.”
I walked back out to the lobby and Lola immediately started to gush about all of the hot guys she was hoping to meet. She had picked out a few guys from the wall of success stories that she wanted to clone. She could have probably had the real thing if she wanted—I doubted many of them were still together, and if they were, I doubted they were loyal.
Lola was the first one to be called back to meet with Grace after the information was put into her computer and she came back out with a smile on her face—apparently, she was already in love with the guy that Grace found for her. I walked back into Grace’s office with every bit of skepticism that had been inside me since I was a little girl ready to reject whoever she put in front of me. At least it would be over soon, and I could get back to what I should have been doing on a Monday morning—looking for a job.
“Okay, so…” She turned towards me with a perplexed look on her face. “I found someone, but he’s a new applicant and I haven’t even had a chance to talk to him on the phone yet—he joined last night using our app.”
“I’ll pass, but thanks for your time.” I leaned forward to stand.
“I haven’t even told you anything about him.” She raised her eyebrows in surprise.
“It really doesn’t matter, Grace. If you put a hundred guys in front of me, I’m still walking out of here as single as I was when I walked in.” I nodded and chuckled under my breath.
“He’s a firefighter—and he’s quite handsome.” Grace ignored me and turned her computer screen so I could see it. “He’s a little older than you, but I think that might be what you need, considering some of your experiences with guys your own age.”
Okay, I can’t deny that he’s attractive…
“If he’s hot and older than me, then why is he single?” I raised an eyebrow suspiciously. “I’m sure he’s left a few broken hearts along the way. I don’t need to add mine to the list.”
“I don’t know but I’m going to give him a call. Would you be willing to consider him at least?” She motioned to her screen. “I’m sure someone will snap him up quick if you don’t.”
“I think I’m going to pass.” I shook my head back and forth. “There’s gotta be baggage and that’s the last thing I need.”
“Alright.” Grace exhaled sharply. “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to help you.”
“Oh, that’s it? One guy and I’m done?” I felt a smile curling my lips.
“You’re obviously not into this.” She sighed. “I cater to people that are looking for love—and I don’t try to force it.”
“Cool. Well, it was nice to meet you. I’m sorry I wasted your time, but hopefully you’ll find someone for Lola.” I stood to my feet and let out a sigh of relief.
Hopefully she’ll leave me alone about my love life now that I tried a dating service.
“Hello?” I rolled over and grabbed my phone when it rang, but I wasn’t fully awake.
“Hi, is this Cain Stevenson? This is Grace Graham from What the Heart Wants.” The voice on the other end of the phone was cheerful.
Who the fuck is that? Oh god, it’s some kind of fucking solicitor.
“I’m not interested and please take me off your list.” I sat up and rubbed my eyes.
“Mr. Stevenson, I’m calling about the profile you set up on my matchmaking app.” The cheer in her voice was unaffected by my response. “I was wondering if you could come by the agency today and sit down with me.”
“Wait…” I grunted and kept rubbing my eyes. “Matchmaking app?”
Matchmaking app. You’ve got to be shitting me. That profile Abby set up for me?
“Yes sir.” She continued talking while I tried to figure out how to get her off the phone without being rude. “I just met with a young woman a few minutes ago that I believe would be perfect for you, but I need to ask a few follow-up questions.”
Oh god.
“I’m sorry, Ms. Graham.” I exhaled sharply. “But—”
“Call me Grace.” She quickly replied before I could continue.
“Grace, my niece set up that profile last night. I didn’t have anything to do with it. I’m going to have her delete it as soon as she gets home.” I shook my head back and forth, even though the person on the other end of the phone couldn’t see me. “I apologize if I’ve inconvenienced you in any way.”
That’s as polite as I can put it.
“I see.” She sighed. “Well, that’s troubling.”
“If you want me to delete it myself, I’ll see if I can figure it out. One minute.” I threw the covers off and started walking down the hallway in my boxers.
“No, I mean—is the information correct?” She sounded a bit perplexed.
“Hold on.” I grabbed the tablet off the counter and sat down in the living room. “I’m sure she just made up a bunch of stuff about me. She’s ten, so—her heart is in the right place.”
I quickly scrolled through the dating website profile, looking for the delete button. I didn’t see one, but it gave me a moment to read through the information. I choked up and almost dropped the tablet when I saw all of the
nice things, she had written about me. Apparently, I was a nice man who just needed a girlfriend—someone that would treat me right and make sure I wanted to come home every night after fighting fires all day. She described me as handsome, funny, witty, and incredibly generous. I would have been pretty damn cocky if I wrote all that stuff about myself, but it was kind of cute from her perspective.
“Are you still there, Mr. Stevenson?” The voice reminded me that I was still on the phone with someone.
“Yes, I’m sorry.” I clicked on the profile a couple of times. “I can’t find the delete button. I’m sure she knows where it is. She’ll be home this afternoon.”
“But, is everything correct?” She repeated her previous question.
“I mean—I guess.” I shrugged and scrolled through the profile. “I probably wouldn’t have described myself like this, but—yeah, I mean—she’s not wrong I suppose.”
Not that I’ve dated anyone recently to know if they’d describe me the same way my ten year old niece did.
“Why don’t you come down to the agency and sit down with me? You have nothing to lose, right? I really do think the young woman I met would be a good match because I think a man like you is exactly what she needs.” Her cheerful tone returned.
“Can I think about it?” I put the tablet down on the table in front of me.
“Sure, why don’t I schedule something for tomorrow—nine o’clock sound good?” I could practically hear the smile in her voice.
“I said I’d think about it…” I grumbled under my breath.
“Nine it is then. See you tomorrow!” The line went dead immediately.
Well she’s almost as pushy as Abby is. Okay, I’m going back to bed.
I walked back to the bedroom and stretched out in my bed. I should have known sleep would be impossible. It’s why I wasn’t able to just nap at the fire station like a lot of the other guys did. Once I woke up—I was up. It didn’t matter if I had only slept a few hours, my internal clock just decided that it was time to get up. I would have to push myself to the point of exhaustion before I could sleep again. That was left over from my training as a SEAL. We had to grab sleep when we could and be ready to go at the drop of a hat. If we got two hours of sleep and had to work twelve, that was just the way it went—duty came first. My body adjusted to that sleep schedule and hadn’t reset itself when I returned to civilian duty.
Well fuck, I guess I might as well go to the gym and get some shit done.
* * *
“Uncle Cain! You weren’t here when I got home!” I walked in the front door, still dripping sweat from my run—and Abby came running towards me for a hug.
“Hold on, I’m filthy.” I tried to stop her from latching onto me, but I was unsuccessful.
“Great, now you’re both going to need a shower.” Bridget walked out of the kitchen and laughed when her daughter attacked me.
“I’m first.” I gave Abby a quick hug and walked towards the bathroom.
I took a quick shower, washed away the grime from my workout, and put on some fresh clothes. Abby had apparently decided to avoid the shower by changing clothes and dousing herself in some of Bridget’s perfume. At least I hoped it was her mom’s perfume and my ten year old niece didn’t have a bottle of her own. She was much too young to be concerned about that. I wasn’t sure how many arms I was going to have to break when she was old enough to date, but I was pretty sure there were going to be a few young men that got the fear of an ex-SEAL put in them when they showed up on our doorstep.
“Oh.” I leaned forward and slid the tablet across the coffee table towards Abby. “Please delete that profile. I tried to do it myself, but I couldn’t find the dang button.”
“Uncle Cain—no!” Abby’s put down the remote and turned towards me with a look of disappointment on her face. “You might meet someone!”
“Do what your uncle says.” Bridget walked into the room and sat down on the opposite side of the couch. “If he doesn’t want that profile out there, you should respect his wishes.”
“Mom!” Abby grabbed the tablet and huffed.
“You’re way too young to be concerned about my dating life, Abby. You shouldn’t post my information without talking to me first.” I exhaled sharply. “The woman from the agency called me today. You gave them my cell phone number?”
“Abby…” Bridget narrowed her eyes.
“I’m sorry.” Abby looked down at the tablet and started scrolling. “Wait, you have a message from someone named Grace. She’s—confirming your appointment for nine o’clock tomorrow?”
“I’m not going. I told her I wasn’t interested, and she booked an appointment anyway.” I shook my head back and forth.
“This message says you told her you would think about it…” Abby raised her head and eyed me suspiciously.
“I told her that after I said I wasn’t interested—why am I defending myself? Just delete it, please.” I waved my hand at Abby.
“She sent you a picture of the girl you were matched with. She’s really pretty!” Abby swallowed hard.
“Oh, let me see.” Bridget hopped up and walked over to where her daughter was sitting. “Wow, yeah—she’s cute.”
“You’re supposed to be on my side.” I narrowed my eyes at Bridget.
“Look at her.” Abby turned the tablet around. “She’s so pretty!”
Wow—she is…
“Maybe you should keep this appointment.” Bridget took the tablet and walked over to sit down beside me. “How does this work anyway? Do they just set you two up on a date?”
“The lady at the agency—Grace—she said that I have to come in and answer some questions or something.” I shrugged.
“Ah, I see.” Bridget clicked a button on the tablet. “It says that you two will exchange letters first and then if you want to meet, you can go on a date.”
“Letters? Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of having an app?” I chuckled under my breath.
“It says they can be emailed or handwritten.” Bridget nodded. “Oh, look at this.”
“What?” I looked down at the screen. “Well then…”
No sex for three months after the first date—that seems like a hard condition to enforce.
“What is it?” Abby leaned her head forward.
“Nothing.” I waved her off and cleared my throat. “You shouldn’t be using an app like this.”
“I agree.” Bridget closed the app and put the tablet down. “I’ll look at it later tonight and figure out how to remove your profile. It’s almost time for dinner.”
“Sounds good. I’m starving.” I leaned forward and started to stand. “Abby, did you get your homework done?”
“No…” Abby folded her arms across her chest and pouted. “You weren’t here when I got home, and you said you were going to help.”
“That’s why I’m asking.” I chuckled under my breath. “I’ll help you after dinner.”
“Okay.” She smiled and stood to her feet.
Abby and Bridget told me about their day while we ate dinner. Bridget’s day wasn’t very interesting—just another day waiting tables. Abby had loads of gossip to share about school, and we pretended to get absorbed in it, even though I could hardly follow the timeline. It sounded like a soap opera script filled with backstabbing, betrayal and budding romance. At least none of it involved Abby directly and she was just telling us what happened to other people. I had to assume she embellished some of it, as girls her age often did, but it was her whole world, so we did our best to give the stories the respect they deserved.
“Okay, young lady.” I sat down once the table was cleared. “Let’s take care of your homework.”
Abby and I went through her homework while Bridget finished cleaning up. Bridget didn’t really have the patience to help Abby with her work, so I did the best that I could. I was a good student when I wanted to be, which definitely helped when I became a SEAL. My sister was a bit of a rebel during her formative years and school
wasn’t a priority. Abby and I finished her homework fairly quickly, and she was in bed by eight, which was a small victory.
“Okay, I’m going outside to burn one. It’s been a long day.” Bridget held up a joint and motioned towards the back porch.
“Wait, before you get fucked up, can you help me delete this damn profile?” I pointed at the tablet.
“Are you sure you don’t want to meet this girl you got matched with?” She raised her eyebrows as she sat down next to me and picked up the tablet.
“I don’t know.” I exhaled sharply. “It’s like—what’s the point, you know? I’m not going to get married or start a family at this point in my life. She looks pretty young. I’m sure she wants all of those things.”
“Why don’t you want to start a family? You’re great with Abby. I know you’d be an awesome Dad—much better than the one we had.” She leaned back with the tablet in her hand.
“Maybe.” I shrugged. “But I’ll be forty in a couple of years. I’d be pushing sixty by the time the kid was in college…”
“So what? You’re healthy, you take care of yourself—you won’t even smoke a joint with me.” She chuckled under her breath.
“That’s not really my thing.” I shook my head back and forth.
“Abby will be really disappointed if you don’t meet this girl.” She held up the tablet and showed me the picture again.
“Why is this so important to her anyway?” I grunted and sighed.
“You know how it is when she gets something in her head.” Bridget shrugged. “You could at least go to the appointment and see what happens…”
“I’ll think about it.” I nodded. “At least I can tell Abby I tried if it doesn’t work out, right?”
“It might pacify her for a few days.” Bridget giggled and put the tablet down. “Let’s leave the profile up for now.”
“Fine…” I nodded in agreement.
I guess it won’t hurt anything to go down there and answer a few questions.
The next day
Dear Mr. Firefighter: The Match Maker Series Page 2