“Good. Now here’s the toughest question… can you wait to eat dinner? You’re all I’ve thought about as well. In case there’s been any gaps in your education, thinking hot thoughts about women is torturous for men in my love-sick condition.”
A giggling Mariah slid off her stool. She walked toward the new man in her life who was soon to be her future. “I’d love to stay for dessert. Maybe even breakfast.”
“Definitely breakfast,” John said, sliding his arms around her waist and pulling her close.
He bent to kiss her, his lips demanding and grateful on hers.
Epilogue
Mariah lifted her head as her assistant walked into her office. Della gave her a wicked grin before sliding into the seat in front of her desk.
“Can I just say I love my job?” Della asked. “Or do you have to know why?”
Mariah laughed. “You already know the answer to that.”
Della giggled and motioned to her neck. “You have love bites all over you.”
Mariah tried unsuccessfully to look. “I do? I didn’t even notice.”
“You sincerely inspire me not to give up on men.”
Mariah looked back and smiled. “Good. Let’s hope our clients feel the same.” She glanced around the office. “I’m so glad I didn’t let Dan take this from me. Last month I was miserable. Now I’m happier than I dreamed I’d ever be again. You really can’t take it for granted.”
“At any age,” Della added.
Mariah nodded. “Right. At any age… and speaking of age…” She pushed a stack of signup forms across the desk.
“Wow,” Della exclaimed. “How did I get so far behind? Usually, I’m better about keeping up.”
“It’s eight new females for the database, but there are no fees for them. I’m picking up all the costs.”
Della winced and made a face. “Pricey.”
Mariah nodded. “Call it an investment. They range in ages from forty to sixty-five. They’re the sassiest women I know.”
Della flipped through and then laughed. “I would certainly put your mother in that category.”
Now it was Mariah’s turn to wince. “Yes. I had to put her in so her three best friends would sign up. They really are perfect for this, but Mom’s not happy with having to play along. It’s her fault for meddling instead of letting things go.”
“Your mother does it for the fun of causing drama. Isn’t meddling what we’re doing at The Perfect Date?” Della asked, head down as she studied the bios. “The difference is people pay us big bucks to officially meddle in their love lives.”
Mariah laughed. “I suppose we do meddle.”
“With the best of intentions though,” Della added. She looked up. “So are we hooking up your mother and Dr. Colombo?”
Mariah sighed and leaned back in her chair. “Mom won’t even have the discussion. I’m going to run Ann Lynx by Brent and see if that takes. She’s a lovely woman.”
“Lynx?” Della thought for a moment. “I went to high school with a Megan Lynx.”
“Ann’s her mother.”
“Megan was very… tomboyish. Not in a bad way, but she just didn’t have much time for girl stuff. Is she still like that?”
“Former Marine.”
“That does not surprise me,” Della said. “Bet she was a kickass one.”
“So I hear. She married Nicolas North.”
“That was her? Wow.” Della exclaimed. “Her brother’s a looker too, but he’s all about that girl he met in college. They’ve been together for years. Why are all the good ones taken?”
“They’re not,” Mariah said, believing it completely. “But you have to put yourself out there. You also have to have the right frame of mind to let them into your life. I almost didn’t let John in. That would have been very bad.”
“Your love bites agree with you… and so do I.”
Mariah laughed, feeling seventeen again. John really had given her a whole new perspective. “Ann is lovely. She’s very pretty, teaches yoga, and takes wonderful care of herself. She could easily pass for a much younger woman. I want her to be one of the first to get her makeover, but she will insist Mom go as well. They’re pretty tight as friends.”
“I’m good with handling both at once,” Della said.
“Thank you, Della. Thank you for sharing this journey with me.”
“Just keep thinking of it as you training your new partner.”
“I haven’t forgotten,” Mariah said with a smile. “Don’t stay late. Those can wait until Monday. Go have fun. Got a date tonight?”
Della stood and gathered the new client list up. “No dates for a while,” she told her much happier looking boss. “I’m taking a computer class twice a week. If it’s stuff I already know, at least the teacher is cute enough to keep me from being bored. I’ve decided to go for a brainy guy next time.”
Mariah nodded. “Sounds like a good plan. I love plans.”
“I know. I love plans too. It’s one of the many things you and I have in common.”
Della exited the office with a satisfied smile. Mariah stayed where she was at her desk, letting her successfulness sink in deep enough for her to start believing it again… without the reservations Dan’s antagonism had caused her.
John had assured her Dan wouldn’t dare bother her business anymore, not with an official reprimand on his record now about his part in the bogus court cases. He said the next black mark would effectively end Dan’s career.
So at least her business was now safe. The Perfect Date was going to work. She felt it in her bones. She felt surer with every match she made.
Mariah touched her neck and smiled as she stood to go home to the man who’d marked her with his passion last night. John Monroe had made her sincerely believe in love and romance again. All most people wanted at the end of the day was to go home to someone they loved who loved them back. That was the essence of true happiness.
Being with the right person really was what made life perfect. There was nothing stopping her now from finding that right person for every client she took on—even when they kept insisting it was never going to happen.
Falling in love again had reminded her that ‘never’ wasn’t nearly as long as most people thought it was.
Della stuck her head back inside the office. “John’s here. He said he was picking you up for a hot date. Want me to send him back?”
Standing, Mariah shook her head as she grabbed her things. “No need. I’m ready for him.”
A laughing Della gave her a thumbs up. “Great. Glad to hear it. Can I tell him you said that? I want to see that desperate lovesick look on his face.”
Mariah sighed as she walked to the door. “You’re going to gloat forever about being right about me and John, aren’t you?”
Della’s smile was wide. “Are you kidding? I’m thinking about adding it to my resume.”
They were both still laughing when they nearly ran over a smirking John in the hallway. The three of them burst out chuckling at his spying.
“Still stalking me?” Mariah asked the sexy looking man who couldn’t take his eyes off her.
“Yes. And I’m ready for you too,” John said, pulling a smiling Mariah tight against his side.
--- The End ---
KEEP READING in this ebook to see an excerpt from Book 2 which releases May 15.
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Excerpt: Never Say Never
Another Romantic Comedy Wit
h Attitude
Book Description
Dating's one thing, but what’s love got to do with it?
Nothing. At least not for Ann Lynx. She’s fifty-three for goodness sake. She’s had love. All she’s in the market for these days is some fun companionship—no strings attached.
Right? Wrong.
Thanks to her pain-in-the-rear-end best friend, Georgia, she’s now back on the dating scene. Add Georgia’s matchmaking daughter Mariah to the mix and Ann is officially in a world of trouble—or dates—to be more accurate.
All that would be kind of doable, but her handyman’s sexy too-young-for-her son is making her feel like a silly young girl. She should definitely stick to the handsome, successful, and older men that Mariah keeps throwing in her path, but she can’t seem to banish the sexy Cal from her thoughts anymore than from her broken pantry.
The retired military man is very good at fixing things, and at kissing her senseless. Who’s going to fix her though if Cal ends up breaking her heart?
What’s love got to do with it? Maybe everything.
Chapter One
Ann was pulling on her sweater when the doorbell rang. Stan was running late this morning and that meant she was now running late as well. Lateness only mattered because she was stopping by and dragging Georgia Bates along for her trip through makeover purgatory, which apparently was required before dating Mariah’s rich, picky clients.
Looking through the security portal in her front door, Ann saw a set of wide shoulders and a bowed head. It wasn’t Stan.
A little further down there was a tool belt settled around trim hips. Judging from the beginnings of silver streaks in his hair, she’d put the man’s age somewhere in his forties. The tool belt settled on his trim hips told her the most important thing. Though he wasn’t Stan, he had likely been sent by him. She’d lost so much time she had no more room to be unsettled.
“Good morning,” she said cheerfully, opening the door.
“Good morning. Your son, David, asked me to come take a look at your broken pantry shelves.”
“Sure. Sorry if I seem confused. I was expecting Stan Rodgers.”
“Dad wasn’t feeling so great today. My name is Cal. I’m Stan’s son.”
“Cal?” Ann repeated, inviting him inside with a sweep of her arm. There was something about the way he was built—the way he carried himself. “Oh, Calvin. Now I remember. You’re his oldest. Didn’t Stan tell me you were in the military?”
“Yes, ma’am. Command Sergeant Major in the Army until about two years ago when I retired. Mom got tired of me moping around. She suggested I come back home and help dad until I made up my mind about what to do with myself. I used to work with him every summer during high school. So here I am wearing a tool belt again. I guess it’s true what they say about life coming around full circle as you get older.”
“Thank you for your military service, Cal. Glad to see you’re still in one piece. A sniper with a bullet retired my Marine daughter early. Glad that didn’t happen to you,” Ann said, leading the way down the hall to the kitchen.
“Thank you. You should probably know that I’ve been working part-time for David and helped out during the Christmas parade. Your daughter’s a crack shot and that’s no lie. I was one of Santa’s elves. I helped chase the sniper down. All that running was a pretty hefty workout for an old geezer like me. Give me a boring fix-it job any day.”
Ann nodded, remembering that time. “Nicholas is like my own son. He and David were college roommates and are still the best of friends. My daughter, Megan, loved that boy for years before they ever married. Thank you for whatever part you played in helping save him.”
Then what he’d said about himself hit her. Ann fisted a hand on her hip and gave him a chastising look.
“Geezer? What in the world are you talking about? You’re still in great shape for someone who’s been out of the military for a couple of years.”
Cal laughed at her answer instead of really responding. Ann let her gaze roam the back of him as a grinning Cal stepped into her walk-in pantry. He eyed the broken shelf with disdain and passed that same judgment on the rest of the space.
“I’ll fix the one shelf if that’s all you want me to fix, but honestly? I’d replace all these old wooden shelves with wire racks. They’re made pretty sturdy these days. Debris falls through and you can just sweep it up from the floor. You can also vary the sizes to make the best use of your storage space.”
Ann stepped inside the tiny room with him to better look around. Her wandering gaze wanted to stay on his body every time it landed on him, especially when it found him looking back. That kind of interest certainly hadn’t happened to her in a while, but lustfully ogling the son of her long time handyman still seemed a bit sleazy for this early in the morning.
When his back was turned to her again, Ann firmed her mouth. “All that shelf replacing sounds expensive,” she said.
“It could be,” Cal agreed. “But including my labor, I’m thinking we can get by with a couple hundred dollar version. That’s all you need for boxes of cereal and bottles of olive oil. Looks like you only store food in here.”
“Because the shelves could never hold any more than that,” Ann explained, tipping her head up to look at him.
Now that she was standing so close, she realized Cal had to be at least six feet tall. She suddenly felt tiny and had some trouble breathing around all the male pheromones he was oozing. Needing some fresh air, Ann slipped out into the kitchen again.
“If I take your suggestion, how long will it take to replace all the shelves?”
“Not long.” Cal said, looking around again. “Especially not if you empty them for me while I’m out buying the new ones.”
Ann shook her head. “I’d normally do it in a heartbeat, but I have an appointment that’s going to last all day. I should have already left for it. Want to reschedule?”
“Not particularly. I’ve got other jobs to do that span the next couple of weeks. Dad was a bit backed up in his work when he got sick.” Cal shrugged as he came out of the pantry. “I could probably do everything in one day, even if I have to do the moving. Can I have access to the house while you’re gone for your appointment?”
“You’re not planning to rob me blind, are you?”
Cal’s deep throated laughter was rough and very masculine. His obvious enjoyment of her snarky reply made her smile back at him.
“Sorry. I really didn’t mean that. If you ever did anything bad to me, I’d send my children after you. They’re both proficient shots.”
One of Cal’s eyebrows lifted at the threat. His mouth quirked at one corner. “That sort of surprises me. You look like someone who knows how to take care of herself. Will you be home for dinner?”
“I’m not sure, honey. I suggest you don’t wait up,” Ann teased back, fighting a grin. She crossed her arms, trying to feel as tough as she hoped she sounded. “Are you flirting with me, Cal?”
“No. If I did that, your children wouldn’t get a chance to use their weapons. My dad would skin me alive first,” Cal said, grinning.
“Really?” Ann asked, surprised a bit because lots of women would be flirting right back with someone who looked like Cal. Wasn’t that what she’d been doing? She shook her head. “That’s too bad. You were about to make my day. Let me get you a key.”
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll be right here waiting for you.”
Not sure what that meant, Ann wandered off to retrieve the spare she kept hidden in the hallway console table. Returning, she pressed it into the large masculine palm Cal held out to her.
“Just in case I change my mind about the flirting… is it Mrs. or Miss?” he asked.
“It’s just Ann,” she answered, unsure about why she’d said it quite that way.
“That’s a very nice name,” Cal said. “Don’t worry about a thing. I’ve got this covered. And I’m sure I’ll see you again today.”
“And I’m sure I’ll be back before
you finish my pantry. See you later, Cal.”
“Have a good day, Ann.”
Chapter Two
“My daughter has more money than brains. I should have known this was going to be one of those fancy places where they have to get you drunk before they work on you. The problem is that their booze is cheap and your buzz always wears off by the time you have to pay their too expensive bill.”
Chuckling over her friend’s complaining, Ann turned around on the sidewalk and grabbed the arm of the woman who’d gotten her into this craziness. “Don’t even think about trying to run, Georgia Bates. I’m a decade younger and in better shape at the moment because you keep skipping yoga class. You promised to do this stupid makeover with me if I agreed, and you are keeping your word.”
“But you know what an extremist my child is. She’s not like your two. If my daughter gets her way, I’ll have three more colors of hair when they get done. I already have three shades of silver. I don’t need total rainbow hair with an expensive dye job I have to upkeep.”
Anne grunted and held tight. “It’s called highlighting and lowlighting… and it will improve your complexion. And you really, really need that haircut of yours updated. Now don’t be such a big baby.”
Georgia, who considered herself strong, tried to pull her arm away, but Ann Lynx had a grip of steel. “I can’t believe you’re so strong. No wonder your daughter joined the Marines. She must be a hoss if she takes after you.”
“Lift weights and you can be like me too,” Ann ordered, tugging on the arm she held.
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