Match Me

Chapter 11

“It was bad enough that I had to suffer through dinner with a turtle torturer,” I complained to Jill a few days later. “But to deal with Jenna the Avenger, too? I barely made it through the night.”

“You’re so dramatic,” she said, rolling her eyes.

We were back at Wonder World and I was back to unpacking boxes. Jill had stopped by to pick up a present for a cousin who was turning nine. She bypassed the selection of stuffed bacterium and viruses and opted instead for a velcro dart board.

“Look, I don’t think it’s too much to ask to try and find someone to have dinner with who does not sacrifice my totem animal.” I shoved a handful of eyeball yo-yos into an empty plexiglass bin.

“Honestly. Sometimes I wonder how we are even friends.”

I nodded my head. “I know, right? You are impossible. No sympathy for me whatsoever.”

“I was referring to your totem animals. And tarot cards. And all that other woo-woo stuff you believe in.”

I grabbed another handful of eyeballs. “What’s so wrong about believing in a little magic?”

“There is no such thing as magic.” She shifted her bag to her other hand. “No such thing as karma. Destiny. All of that goofy crap.”

“It’s not goofy to me.”

“Weren’t you convinced that Chase was your destiny?” She leaned closer. “That you two were meant to be? That, even though he broke up with you over a year ago, the ‘Universe’ would somehow find a way to bring you back together?”

I bit my lip. Now would not be a good time to tell her that I’d thought maybe Bjorn had been brought to me, courtesy of the Universe. Wouldn’t help my sanity plea in the slightest, come to think of it.

I changed the subject. “I told you she was there with Paul, right?”

Jill nodded. “Surprise, surprise.”

It had surprised me. The last time I’d seen them was the grocery store and Paul had been decidedly unfriendly toward Jenna. When I stepped out of the bathroom at The Irish Lass and saw Paul at a table, I’d come to a screeching halt. When Jenna joined him a few minutes later, I almost fell out of my chair. He’d waved and offered a half-smile and then turned his attention to his beautiful, venomous date. I wondered if I should tell him that, like Angela, Jenna was pretty bad news, too.

“I was surprised,” I said, walking toward the cash register. A little kid bought a dinosaur eraser and I waited while he counted out forty-three pennies.

“Why?” Jill asked. “He’s not dating anyone.”

“I know. She just doesn’t seem like his type.” It was a lame thing to say, considering I had no idea what Paul’s type was. But it certainly seemed to answer my question from the previous day. I was not on Paul’s list.

“Hmm.” She smiled. “Speaking of types, we need to talk about your next date.”

My shoulders slumped. “Why?”

I’d convinced her that first night to just set up one. The one with the turtle killer. Part of me was kind of hoping she’d forget about the other. School was starting in a couple of weeks and she was busy buying textbooks and getting a head start on reading.

She held up two fingers. “Because you promised two. And you’ve only gone on one.”

“None of the other guys looked interesting,” I said.

“Bull. None of the other guys looked like Chase.” She shook her head. “But it doesn’t matter. I knew you would say that.”

“You did?”

“Yep. Which is why I went ahead and just scheduled one for you.”

“Jill!”

“Tonight. Here in town.” She checked her watch. “Your shift ends at five, right? Ten minutes. I have you meeting Rob at Champs at 7:00. Plenty of time to shower and change.”

“No.”

She laughed. “No what? You promised, remember? I thought it was bad karma to break a promise. Especially to your best friend.”

There weren’t many days where I felt like punching my best friend. But today was one of them. I clenched my fist and gritted my teeth.

“I don’t like you.”

“I know.” She hugged me. “You love me, though.”

 ☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

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