way. Always has, always will.”
He crossed his arms, feeling a little defensive, but knowing she was right. Sometimes her friendship felt like the only real thing in the world. But still, he didn’t want to get into this right now.
“I don’t exactly see you out there blazing trails in the dating world,” he countered.
She sighed. “The divorce has only been final for a month.”
“But you were separated for nearly two years.”
“This isn’t about me, Jake. This is about you. What are you looking for?”
He shook his head.
“Company. Companionship? That’s why, when I know the relationship has run its course, I end it. Or in today’s case, I let Dorenda do the honors. I don’t string them along.”
“But you do sort of string them along. You dated Dorenda for four months. That’s a significant amount of time in the post-twenties dating world.”
Overhead, the fluorescent lights buzzed. He glanced out the kitchen window. Inky dusk was blotting out the last vestiges of the sunset.
“I don’t know what you want me to say, Anna.”
“Say that you’ll let me fix you up with a different type of woman.”
Different?
“Define different.”
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but maybe you should consider women who are a little more down-to-earth than the Miss Texases of the world.”
He knocked back the last of his beer and debated grabbing another, but his stomach growled, reminding him he really should think about getting some food into his system first.
“Down-to-earth, huh? I wouldn’t even know where to begin to look for someone down-to-earth.”
“Exactly. That’s why I want you to let me fix you up.”
“I don’t know, Anna. Blind dates aren’t really my thing.”
He returned to the fridge, pulled open the door and surveyed the meager contents.
“When was the last time you went on a blind date?”
“Better question,” he countered. “When was the last time you even went on a date?”
He looked back over his shoulder to gauge her reaction. She didn’t seem to like being in the line of fire any more than he did.
“This isn’t about me, Jake.”
“It’s been nearly two years since you and Hal broke up. So, while we’re on the subject, it’s high time for you to get back in the saddle and try again.”
She put her hands on her hips and shook her head, looking solemn. “Okay, you’re changing the subject, and I don’t know if I even want to date. You, on the other hand, obviously do like getting involved. I know you so well, and if you’ll just let me help you, I’ll bet I can make it a much more rewarding experience for you. Or at least one that has the potential to last, maybe even change your mind about marriage. Come on. Be a sport.”
“Why are women always trying to change me?”
“The right woman wouldn’t change you, but she might make you want to see other possibilities.
He took out a carton of eggs, some butter, various veggies and the vestiges of a package of turkey bacon. It was all he had. When all else failed, breakfast for dinner always worked. It was his favorite go-to meal when the pickings were slim. He really should go to the grocery store later tonight. The rest of his week was busy.
“You’d really wager that you could fix me up with someone who is better for me than my usual type?”
She raised her chin. “You bet I could. In fact, I’ll bet I could introduce you to your soul mate if you gave me a fair chance.”
He chuckled. “You are the eternal optimist. Do you want to stay for dinner? I’ll make us an omelet.”
She put her hand on her stomach. “That sounds great. I’m starving. We can talk more about this wager. How can I help with dinner?”
“You can wash and dice the onions and red peppers.”
She stepped up to the sink to prep the peppers, but first she began by putting some dirty dishes into the dishwasher and hand-washed several pieces of flatware.
“You don’t have to do that,” he said. “I didn’t have time to clean up this morning before I left for work. I’ll do those later when I clean up the dinner dishes.”
“Actually, it’s sort of hard to wash the peppers with dishes in the way. I don’t mind, really. You are fixing me dinner. And we’re going to need forks to eat with.”
Jake left her to do what she needed to do because God knew she would anyway.
He took a bowl out of one of the cupboards and began cracking eggs into it. “Since when did you become a matchmaker? And what makes you think you can find me the right woman? I’ve been trying all these years and I haven’t been successful.”
“That’s easy. A—I know you better than you know yourself, and B—you are attracted to the wrong women. Your judgment is clouded. Mine is not.”
She might’ve had a point. But after just getting out of a relationship, he wasn’t very eager to jump back into anything serious. So looking at it from that perspective, what harm would a few dates do? Other than take up what little free time he had away from the hospital. He could indulge Anna. She meant that much to him. Then again, could he ever really expect to find his soul mate or anyone long-term when he never wanted to get married?
That was something he’d known for as long as he’d had a sense of himself as an adult. He did not want to get married. Marriage was the old ball and chain. It took something good, a relationship where two people chose to be together, and turned it into a contractual obligation. He’d witnessed it firsthand with his parents. All he could remember was the fighting, his mom leaving and his father’s profound sadness. Sadness that drove him to seek solace in the bottle. Anna knew his family history. Sure, she’d have good intentions. She’d think she was steering him toward someone who made him happy, but what was the point?
Jake vowed he’d never give a woman that much power over him.
So he said, “Before we go any farther, I have a stipulation.”
“Jake, no. If we’re going to do this and do it right, you have to play by my rules. You can’t give me a laundry list of what you want. That’s where you get into trouble with all these preconceived notions. Maybe we can talk about deal breakers, such as must not be marriage-minded or must not want kids, etcetera, but we’re not getting into the superficial. You’re just going to have to trust me.”
He poured a little milk into the eggs, a shake of salt, a grind of black pepper and began to beat them. Even though they’d spent a lot of time apart, Anna
