by Mya O'Malley
“Man, what are you, a downer? It’s the way the game is played, we all do it. Now, watch this, I’ll show you how it’s done.” Gary called Gloria over and asked her to buy the brunette a drink on him. Gloria turned three different shades of red and stormed off to fill the order, all the while slamming the ingredients to make the requested drink. The other guys on the team hooted and hollered while watching Gloria throw her little fit. Man, was this what guys were really like? Maybe Melody was right, maybe she was better off alone.
Standing to leave before his wings even came out, Oliver slapped a twenty dollar bill on the bar and told Gary that he needed to leave. Gloria rushed over, telling him that his wings would be right out.
“It’s okay, suddenly I can’t stand being in here. Keep the change, Gloria.” With a last look at Gary and the other men, Oliver placed his wallet back into his rear pocket.
“Wet blanket,” one of the men yelled, slapping another on the back.
“Idiots, all of you,” Oliver muttered to himself as he headed out to the mall. He would stop and grab some food to go at the fast food burger place across the way. An interesting thought crept up on Oliver as he was standing in line, waiting to order his food. What about online dating? One of his friends had joined and ended up meeting his wife, Jenny, that way. Yes, that was it. He would have to miss his usual trip to see Melody at the bookstore tonight. He had a lot of work to do.
* * * *
He was here again. As much as Melody had denied wanting to ever date again, something about this man Adrian interested her. Maybe it was all of those dreams that she had been having last week about Jack telling her to be happy, but she was secretly thrilled that Adrian had returned. As a matter of fact, she might even agree to go out with him if he asked her. This was not something that she had shared with either Cassie or Oliver; she wanted to do this her own way on her own time.
“Can I help you, Adrian?” She felt a bit awkward, shy even.
“Yes, hi Melody. I’m back to buy the second book in the series. It seems my students can’t get enough of Paul, the ferocious vampire.” He chuckled.
“Why don’t you just buy the whole set? It’ll still be cheaper than buying the last two books individually.” Melody felt bad that he wouldn’t just buy the discounted set.
“Nah, I’m good. I kind of enjoy coming in here,” he mused.
Feeling herself blush, Melody gazed at Adrian. “If you say so, but still, you could always come back for another set.” She was flirting with this man, something she hadn’t done in years.
“I think I’d like that, Melody.”
“I think I’d like that, too.” Melody stood there, mesmerized by his eyes. It wasn’t until Cassie strolled down the aisle with a customer close behind her that either of them realized they had been standing there, just looking at each other.
Adrian broke the silence. “I have to go, I’ll be back for the third book soon.” A wave of disappointment washed over Melody as she walked over to the register to ring him up.
“See you soon, Melody.” Adrian smiled warmly and disappeared out the door with the sound of the Christmas bell ringing softly behind him.
“Where did he go?” Cassie was all ears.
“Who?”
“Oh, please. Who? That adorable guy, the teacher.” Cassie raised her brows.
Melody didn’t want to ruin this by talking about it. If she kept her feelings about this man under wraps, it seemed more special, magical somehow. That went for Oliver, too. She wouldn’t say a word to anyone about Adrian.
“He left. He was here to buy a book and then he left.” Melody stated in a matter-of-fact way.
“Okay, Mel. If you say so.” Cassie eyed her friend suspiciously but went about her business.
“Where was Oliver last night?”
“Beats me, sometimes he doesn’t come in.” Melody answered.
“Rarely. Why don’t you give him a call? Maybe you guys can join Trent and I for dinner after work tonight.”
“I can’t call him. He doesn’t have service on his cell phone yet. I guess I could leave a message at the hotel.” Melody said.
“What do you mean, he doesn’t have service? It’s been weeks since he’s arrived. Doesn’t he need a cell for work? I’ve never heard of a sales rep without a cell phone.”
Thinking back to that night when he whipped out his cell to show Melody a photo of Liza, Melody was curious as to why he even carried it without service. That reminded her, Liza was due to arrive right around New Year’s and she looked forward to meeting the woman.
“I’ll try the hotel. I think dinner out tonight sounds great.” Melody searched for the hotel number on the computer and then punched in the number on her cell. Waiting for just a few rings, she was quickly connected with the front desk.
“May I please be connected with Oliver…Oliver…I’m sorry, I just realized I don’t know his last name.”
“Let me see what I can do for you, miss.” The gentleman placed her on hold and she only needed to wait a moment before he was back on the line.
“You’re in luck, given that Oliver is a name we don’t see much of and that it’s pretty quiet around here this week, I can connect you to his room. Please hold.”
“Wait. Can I ask what his last name is?” Melody was suddenly curious.
“Miss, I’m sorry, we can’t give out that information. But even if we could, it seems that your friend here didn’t leave it when he checked in.”
That was strange. “Don’t you require a last name when your guests check in?”
“Well, yes. Actually he did give a last name, but I’m sure it can’t be his real name. The woman checking him in that day must have missed it.”
“What do you mean? What did he say his last name was?”
“Oliver.” The hotel clerk stated.
“No, that’s his first name. What did he say his last name was?” Melody pushed further.
“That’s just it. He said that his name was Oliver Oliver.”
Melody laughed out loud. “But that can’t be…”
“Listen, I wasn’t even supposed to tell you that much. He’s your friend, ask him. Now, would you like to be connected to his room?” The hotel clerk raised his voice in aggravation.
“Yes, please.” She would have to remember to ask Oliver what his last name was. They were friends after all. Waiting for Oliver to pick up, she peeked at the clock in her office and realized that he was probably out at work. Before hanging up, she left a message for his hotel voice mail.
Was it that odd that she didn’t know Oliver’s last name? Probably not, she supposed, as he didn’t know her last name, either. What was strange was the fact that he hadn’t given his real last name when checking into his room. It seemed the list was piling up for Oliver and his strange ways.
Chapter Eight
The task was daunting, all of these men to sort through. Oliver had stayed up half the night setting up his free three-day trial on the dating site. He’d better make the most of membership now, because he couldn’t sign on for any longer without a valid credit card. He had created a fake profile with some basic information. Pretending that he was a woman, he had arranged to meet up with three men over the course of the next few days. How would he explain himself when he met these men? Well, he hadn’t quite figured it out yet.
Bachelor number one was Frank. Frank’s profile stated that he was thirty-five years old, divorced with no children. He wanted children, so that was a plus. He worked for the telephone company and liked to travel. Melody had always wanted to see Europe. His heart ached with the knowledge that he would not be the one to share the experience with her. He had emailed Frank and they set up a meeting later that afternoon for coffee. Stating that he would be wearing jeans and a long red sweater, Oliver chuckled under his breath. Imagine Frank’s surprise. The rest of the day was spent on the computer or down at the hotel pool.
When it came time for his meeting with Frank, refusing to call it a da
te, Oliver bounded down to the hotel lobby to call a cab. The coffee shop that Frank had selected was on the outskirts of town, a bit far to walk.
“Can I get a cab to pick me up in a few minutes?” Oliver leaned over the front desk to ask the hotel clerk.
The man pursed his lips at Oliver and came closer. “May I ask what room number you’re in?”
“One hundred two.”
“Did you say one hundred two?” The clerk came closer still.
“Yes. Can I get a cab?”
“Oliver, is it? Oliver Oliver?” The man’s eyes narrowed.
“Yes. Oliver.”
“That’s your last name? And your first name?”
“Yes, it is. I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t poke fun at my name.” Oliver stated.
“Do you have any identification, sir?” Oliver had charmed the girl at the front desk and she had somehow forgotten to ask for ID. “No, I lost my wallet. But I paid for a few weeks up front, cash.”
The clerk looked Oliver up and down, his eyes downcast, disapproving. “Hmm. Well, if you happen to find that wallet, please do provide us with some identification.”
“Will do, now about that cab.”
“Did you get your message today from the young woman?” The man inquired.
“What woman? I didn’t know that I had a message.” Oliver hadn’t even glanced at the hotel room phone, so it was no wonder he was unaware of the call.
“Just a moment, I’ll put you through to your messages.” The man pushed some buttons on the main phone and handed the receiver to Oliver. Oliver’s heart skipped a beat as he heard Melody’s voice. She was inviting him to dinner with Cassie and her boyfriend. He would love to go, so he needed to make sure that he could fit in both of his scheduled dates—scratch that—meetings for today. Coffee could be fast, and the other man, Craig, he was going to meet at the diner.
“Can I borrow your phone, please?” Oliver asked politely.
“I suppose so,” the clerk answered curtly.
Realizing that he didn’t have the number to the bookstore, he asked the man for a favor once more. “Could you please look up the number to Melody’s Book Café?”
“Anything else?” But the man did look up the number and he pushed in the digits on the phone, handing it to Oliver.
Cassie answered and informed Oliver that Melody was helping a customer. Oliver gave Cassie the message that he would love to join them for dinner. Luckily it was a weeknight and dinner wouldn’t be until after nine o’clock. That gave him plenty of time.
“Thanks, man.” Oliver handed the phone back to the clerk.
“Any time, Oliver Oliver.” The clerk actually broke a smile.
* * * *
Seated at the coffee shop, Oliver ordered his coffee black, with three sugars, of course. Scanning the small coffee shop for a man who fit the description of Frank, Oliver decided that he had finally spotted him. The man had brown hair, he worked as an accountant and quite frankly, looked the part. Dressed in a button down polo shirt and black slacks, he scanned the room, no doubt looking for an auburn beauty, as the hostess showed him to his seat. Frank was late, ten minutes late, to be exact. Never a good sign. He considered it rude to be late, especially on a first date. Well, he supposed this was different, but still.
Frank continued to glance around, fidgeting in his seat. Advancing upon Frank, Oliver figured that the best approach would be an honest one. Well, he couldn’t be completely honest, now could he?
“Hi, you must be Frank. Do you mind if I sit?” Oliver scooted into the booth across from Frank. Frank glimpsed all around him.
“What is this? Who are you?” He raised his voice just enough so the other customers took notice.
“Now, relax. Let me explain.”
“Who are you? I’m on a date.” His eyed searched the room.
“I am your date,” Oliver declared.
“You’re what?” The man was incredulous.
“Well, I’m not actually your date, but you know what I mean. I’m Sue.” Sue was the fictitious name that he had used when setting up his profile.
“I don’t understand, what are you doing? Who are you?” Frank pulled at his polo shirt and his forehead was perspiring with sweat.
“It’s all good, Frank. You see I’m trying to set my friend up with someone and she won’t go on these sites, so I figured I’d help her out a bit.”
“I think that it would probably be best to mind your own business, now, I’m out of here.” Frank rose from his seat at the booth. Gently, Oliver stood and placed a hand on the man’s shoulder.
“Please, just give me, say, ten minutes, that’s all.” Oliver asked.
Frank seemed to ponder over that for a minute and then slowly sat back down.
“So, Frank, what is it that you’re looking for in a relationship?”
“Who said I was looking for a relationship?” Frank shot out, his arms crossed tightly over his chest.
“Well, for starters, your profile did, and so did your email.”
“I didn’t know that I was corresponding with you.” Frank lifted his upper lip.
“But you did think that I was Sue and you did say that you were interested in, let me quote, ‘A long term relationship with hope of a future together’.”
Frank squirmed uncomfortably in his seat. “Come on, you’re a guy. You know the things that we say to women.” Frank leaned over, keeping his voice low.
“No, I’m afraid that I don’t know what you mean. Why don’t you explain it to me, Frank?”
“You know what, this is too much for me, nice to meet you, Sue.” With that, Frank was gone. That didn’t go well, now did it? Checking his watch, Oliver figured that he had about an hour before meeting bachelor number two. Signaling the waitress over, he ordered another coffee, and two slices of chocolate cake. He read the newspaper and enjoyed his cake before heading over to the diner across town to meet Craig.
He had plenty of time, so he decided to walk to his destination. The brisk air would do him some good, perhaps give him some perspective. Christmas Eve at midnight was fast approaching and he could see that Melody didn’t have her heart in the holidays this year. Their best Christmas together had been about five years ago when they had rented a log cabin upstate and he had attempted to teach Melody how to ski. Big mistake that was. He recalled Melody taking off her skis and walking down the entire ski slope. She was a good sport, though; she told him to go ahead and have fun, that she would stay in the lodge and warm up with some hot cocoa. Oliver had offered to sign her on for a beginner lesson, but clearly, skiing wasn’t for her. Oliver had skied for another half hour tops, and found that he couldn’t stop thinking about spending time with her, so he surprised her in the lodge. Later on that evening was one of the most memorable nights of their marriage. Melody was a romantic at heart and had asked him to go out and run to the store for some trivial item; upon his return, he walked into a candlelit room with a bottle of wine and soft music. Melody had even started the fire, as if the passion in the room that night wasn’t hot enough.
These memories were bittersweet. Would he have been able to move on and date again if it were he that had lost his wife? He had pondered that several times lately, and the truth was that he didn’t know. He didn’t know how people moved on and just found another husband or wife when they had shared so much together.
He was right on time and so was Craig. Craig was dressed in dark jeans and a pullover sweatshirt, kind of casual, but he supposed a date at the diner didn’t call for dressy attire. He stood well over six feet tall and reminded Oliver of a favorite actor of Melody’s. That certainly couldn’t hurt. Walking right up to the man, who was waiting patiently in the entrance foyer, Oliver introduced himself.
“Sue couldn’t make it, so I was wondering if you’d like to know a bit about her. She’s one of my closest friends.” Oliver offered.
“What…where is she?” Craig peered past Oliver as if he didn’t believe him.
&
nbsp; “I told you, she’s not here. Care to join me and I’ll fill you in on her? She’s a great person.” Walking toward the hostess, Oliver asked for a table for two.
“I’m not sure…” Craig started.
Oliver sat down first. “Sit, Craig, please.”
Seemingly unsure of himself, Craig took a seat and waited for Oliver to speak. Oliver explained how his friend was quite shy, and he went on for a while about what a great girl she was. He had to hand it to Craig, he said all the right things and seemed interested. Oliver instructed the man to go into the bookstore tomorrow and pretend to be a customer looking for a specific book. Knowing that Melody was fascinated by Alaska and the Aurora Borealis, he told Craig to mention the topic.
Satisfied that he had found a possible candidate, he said good-bye to the man and made him promise not to tell Melody that he had arranged this. One more online date tomorrow evening and then he was through with the online angle.
* * * *
Looking across the table at Cassie and Trent, Melody could see how much they cared for one another. Trent would place his hand on her leg and Cassie would lean in playfully for a kiss. Sensing that this might be awkward for Oliver, Melody would look over at him from time to time and smile as if to assure him that she was okay going on this “double date” even though they were just friends. “Just friends” was taking on a whole new meaning for Melody when she thought of Oliver. It was hard to imagine her life without him in it. Hoping that his girlfriend, Liza, would understand their relationship, Melody took the opportunity to ask him just that while Trent walked outside to feed the parking meter with Cassie.
“Are you kidding me? I wouldn’t let any woman come between us and ruin our friendship, not even Liza. Besides, I told her about you already and she can’t wait to meet you.” He gazed at her tenderly. “You’re adorable, by the way, and you worry too much.”
Oliver had been saying things like that lately, things that men say to their girlfriends or wives. He swore that he had no feelings for her and she wanted to believe him, otherwise it would cause damage to their friendship.