A Winter Wedding(33)

“I’m sure we can get someone who doesn’t live too far.”

“Even then, I can’t expect her to move if I’m not willing to.”

“Quit being so fair. People relocate to be closer to a love interest all the time. Maybe you’ll find some woman who’s looking for a change.”

“At my age?”

“How old are you?”

“Thirty-eight.”

“You’re talking like that’s ancient.”

“It’s old enough that most people have established lives. And if they don’t, it could be a major warning sign that there’s something wrong with them.”

“Then we go a bit younger.”

He eyed her disdainfully. “How young?”

“Twenty-eight, twenty-nine.”

“No. That’s a whole decade.”

“What’s wrong with ten years?”

“It was partially Noelle’s immaturity that grated on me. I thought she’d never grow up. Anyway, marriage is hard even without that much of an age difference.”

“Plenty of people marry older spouses and never have a problem with the age difference.”

“My odds of success will be better if I meet a woman my own age. Twenty-nine is too young.”

She seemed to take umbrage. “Whoa, I’m twenty-nine. You like me, don’t you?”

“You’re not a possibility,” he said and hid a smile when that only offended her more.

“Why? You’re bored or...or irritated by me?”

“Of course not. But I wouldn’t date you if you were one of the women who responded to my online profile, because you’re too young.”

She propped her hands on her hips.

“What?” He could tell she didn’t like being counted out, and yet she couldn’t argue that he should consider her. Not only was she in the middle of a nasty breakup with a man she still loved, she didn’t live in the area.

“You realize you’re making my job more difficult,” she said, but he knew that wasn’t the only thing that bothered her. It was just the safer response.

“Taking charge of my love life was your idea,” he pointed out.

“And it’s a good one! So will you go and get me a picture? Or here... I’ll take one with my phone.”

“No. Forget it,” he said. “I’m going out to buy us some breakfast.”

He was halfway through the door when she called his name. As soon as he turned, she snapped the picture.

“Hang on,” she said as she examined it. “Okay. You can go.”

He almost demanded she show it to him. He couldn’t imagine she’d gotten a shot that made him look very appealing. But he thought her efforts were doomed from the outset, so he decided not to say anything. How could someone else find him the right woman?

“I’ll put that you’re searching for a mate who’s between thirty-five and forty,” she said. “But, in my opinion, you’re blocking out a huge sector of very viable candidates. You should really go twenty-five and up.”

“No way!”

“How about thirty? Any older, and you’re looking at the secondary market.”

“The secondary market?” he echoed, holding the door. “Did you really just use that term?”

“Yes. I’m talking about people who’ve already been married, have kids, exes to cope with, et cetera.”

“You mean like me.”

“Not exactly like you, no. You don’t have kids. And Noelle was just a goof up. Not a true marriage.”

“It felt real at the time. And in case I forget how real it was, she’s still using my last name.”

“She’s proud to have been associated with you.”

He cringed. “It’s a constant reminder of my own stupidity.”

“You let a conniving woman get her hooks into you—and now, with my help, you’re going to escape her and the damage she caused.”

He narrowed his eyes. “I’m not sure I want you to get involved.”

“Come on, have some faith. You rescued me. Let me rescue you.”

“How’d I rescue you?”

“By taking care of me. I’m lucky the furnace went out in the rental. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have come into my life when you did.”

Was it only friendship she was looking for? After last night, the situation with Lourdes was a little confusing. The attraction they’d felt didn’t seem to have disappeared with sobriety—not that he was going to let an attraction to the wrong woman, or anything else, trip him up again. “I’m sure you have other friends who would’ve supported you.”

“It wouldn’t be the same. I’ve been too busy, too insulated by my work to socialize very much. And they would all have had an opinion. You don’t push me to break up with Derrick or give him another chance. You’re neutral yet supportive. Perfect.”

Did she really believe that? Because he was far from neutral, and that concerned him. “I don’t know Derrick. Otherwise, I’d probably be giving you more advice. So please don’t feel you have to do anything for me in return. I’ve been set up on dates before. Many times. It never works.”