course not,” Laila responded a little too quickly. “Maybe the interests you wrote down were too narrow. The company promises someone with similar interests. It may be taking a little longer to find the right match. I’m sure not everyone hears right away. The important thing is that the person you’re eventually matched with is the right one.”
Jess shrugged it off. “It doesn’t really matter. I wasn’t counting on this anyway. How about running over to Sally’s and grabbing a bite to eat?”
Laila winced. “Sorry, I can’t. I have my first date.”
Jess stared at her, trying to judge the odd expression on her friend’s face. Laila looked more worried than excited. It wasn’t the reaction Jess had expected.
“Why didn’t you say something when you first walked in here?” she asked. “Who is he? Do you have a name? Where are you meeting him?”
“We’re meeting at Panini Bistro,” Laila said.
Again, Jess studied her intently. “It still feels as if you’re hiding something. Who is this man? Do I know him?”
Laila nodded, her expression sheepish. “Actually, you do. That’s the reason I came by, so I could run it past you in case you had objections.”
“Why on earth would I object to your date?” Jess asked. “There’s no one in this town with whom I’ve ever been serious, unless you count Stuart Charles in third grade. I went to a lot of Little League games to watch that boy play.”
Laila lost her train of thought. “I thought you went to those games to see Connor.”
“Do you think I wanted anyone to know about my crush on an older man?” Jess responded with a grin. “I believe Stuart was twelve. We were doomed from the start.” Her grin faded. “We’ve gotten off track. We were talking about this date of yours, and I was trying to make it clear there was nothing for you to worry about where I’m concerned.”
“I’m not so sure about that,” Laila said. Not quite meeting Jess’s eyes, she admitted, “It’s Will.”
Jess went perfectly still. She could have sworn her heart even took an unexpected lurch. “You’re having lunch with Will?” she asked slowly. “You’re telling me the computer actually matched you with him?”
Laila nodded, then asked worriedly, “You’re not upset, are you? I wanted you to hear this from me in case someone spots the two of us out together. If it bothers you, I can still call it off.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Why would I be upset?” Jess asked, managing to keep a carefree note in her voice, even though the news had been oddly disconcerting. “I’ve never dated Will.” She hesitated. “You don’t suppose…?”
“Suppose what?”
“That brochure said this company was being run by a psychologist. Do you think that could be Will?”
Laila shrugged. “Could be, but I don’t see why it matters.”
“You don’t think it’ll be weird dating a shrink?” Jess had certainly had enough difficulty just being in the same room with him. She’d never been able to stop feeling self-conscious, as if Will was seeing right through her, analyzing every word she uttered. Maybe under other circumstances that attentiveness would have been flattering, but it made her feel exposed. She’d had enough of those feelings when doctors had been trying to determine whether she had attention deficit disorder years ago. All that psychological probing and testing had made her feel like a lab specimen.
“Why would it be weird?” Laila asked with a shrug. “Hopefully, he’ll be more insightful than most of the men I’ve run across. It’s funny, but somehow I never even thought about dating Will before. We’re actually the same age, but we never hung around with the same crowd in school.”
“Because you were with the in crowd and he was a nerd.”
“Will was most definitely not a nerd,” Laila said, jumping to his defense in a way that took Jess aback. “Jake and Mack are his two best friends, and they were both jocks. He was always hanging out at your house with Kevin and Connor, too. If I remember correctly, Will even played varsity basketball.” Her expression brightened. “That’s another good thing. He’s taller than I am. I’m tired of having to wear flats when I go out so I don’t intimidate some guy who’s barely five-eight.”
Jess couldn’t explain why the idea of Laila going out with Will bothered her so much. Was it because she was more interested in him than she’d ever admitted to herself? Or was it because that stupid computer had confirmed what she’d always said, that they’d be a terrible match? Because she didn’t want her friend worrying about any of that, she forced a smile.
“I hope you have a great time,” she told Laila. “It really would be something if this whole matchmaking thing turns out to work.”
Laila grinned, clearly relieved to have Jess’s blessing, lukewarm though it might have been. “Fingers crossed. I’ll call later and let you know how it went.”
The minute she’d gone, Jess grabbed her keys and headed for Sally’s. She knew she’d find Jake and Mack there. Maybe they could fill her in on whether Will was behind Lunch by the Bay. If he was, once she got over the shock, she was never going to let him hear the end of it.
Will stood on the sidewalk in front of Panini Bistro waiting for Laila Riley. He’d felt a little odd matching himself up with someone he’d known for most of his life, but they’d exchanged a few emails since his phone call the day before and discovered several additional things they had in common, aside from all the people they both knew and the interests they’d both mentioned on their applications. At least they’d be able to spend the next hour catching up, with no real pressure on either of them. It made her the ideal Lunch by the Bay first date.
He saw her exit her car just up the road, then walk purposefully toward him with a stride that could easily keep up with his. She smiled when she saw him, started to hold out a hand, then shrugged and hugged him.
“This is weird, huh?” she said.
“I was just thinking how easy it should be,” he countered. “It’s not as if we haven’t known each other forever.”
“But not like this,” she said. “Not as a potential spouse.”
Will gave her a startled look that made her laugh.
“Sorry,” she said at once. “Computer compatibility notwithstanding, I’m not suggesting we call a minister quite yet. I just meant that this isn’t bumping into each other at a party or at Brady’s. It’s a real date, even if it is only lunch.”
Will grinned as the awkward moment passed. “Then I should be pulling out a chair and asking you to have a seat,” he said, doing just that before seating himself at the outside table. “Would you like a glass of wine with lunch?”
She shook her head. “One thing I’ve learned about banking is that I can’t stare at all those numbers without a clear head. You go ahead, if you want to.”
“Not me. My clients expect me to be giving them sober, thoughtful advice.”
They
