I did my best, I tell myself.
It's not like I meant to tell his wife about his past.
Right?
Francesca still looks keen to grill me about Nicolaas when I come out of the changing room, but before she can say a word, I'm already running out of the cabana to feed myself to the wolves surrender myself to Elaine's machinations.
"I'm back," I say gloomily.
Elaine snorts. "Stop trying to act like you're about to be tortured."
"But this is torture," I mutter under my breath.
"Oh, shush. If you keep acting like a baby, I'll ask the agency to send another thirty this way!"
Since I know Elaine isn't the type to bluff, I say quickly, "Now that I've time to think about it, you're right, this isn't torture, and I'm so ready to find the love of my life among them."
"Ha!" But Elaine laughs all the same, and I silently sigh in relief.
Elaine takes my hand, and I meekly follow her as she makes me sit on a throne that looks like it's been stolen right out of a stage setup for a beauty contest.
"They'll approach you one at a time," Elaine explains, "and you can talk about anything you want. You don't need to remember their names either. This whole thing is being recorded, so you can just point them out on tape—-"
Francesca catches my eye when she sees me open my mouth to protest, and she shakes her head in warning.
Just play along, she mouths.
My shoulders slump.
Oh, fine.
Elaine means well, anyway, and I need to remember that when my aunt died four years ago from a heart attack, it was Elaine who helped me the most to process my grief.
If this is how I can repay her, then so be it.
Thirty men, five minutes.
That doesn't sound bad, right?
It's like being the star of my own dating show a la The Bachelorette, and while I know I should probably feel lucky and excited about all of this—-
"Are you ready?" Elaine asks.
"Yup." I force a smile even as my heart is already cringing at the thought of having anything to do with any other man than Stone Verhoff.
Let's just get this over with, I tell myself.
The first man steps forward, and I work hard not to compare him to Stone.
C'mon, Mary, just give him a chance.
Two and a half hours go by, and I'm exhausted and just a little overwhelmed when I say goodbye to the last "candidate". There were a few I genuinely enjoyed talking to, enough to give them my number when they asked for it, but—-
The way my heart hasn't raced the entire time tells me that it still belongs to Stone, and a quiet sigh escapes me as I make my way back to Elaine and Francesca.
It's just the three of us now, and both women are enjoying margaritas on the lounge chairs when I take a seat next to them.
"Well?" Elaine demands. "Did you like any of them?"
"They were all nice," I say honestly.
Francesca winces, and Elaine looks disgruntled.
"I mean it," I insist. "They really were all nice—-"
"Say no more," Elaine says grumpily. "Damning them once with faint praise is more than enough."
Oops.
Francesca looks at me curiously. "Did you really not feel attracted to any single one of them? Not even the tiniest bit?"
I shake my head. Francesca may be my oldest and closest friend, but it's just not my style to talk about the guy I like. And especially not now, with Francesca married to Stone's best friend.
If the other woman were to ever know the truth, I'm pretty sure she'd put her matchmaking hat on faster than I can say 'no', and she'd keep throwing Stone and me together until I end up getting fired...or worse, having Stone look at me with pity.
Ugh.
The mere thought makes me shudder, and I suddenly feel like someone's walked over my grave. I excuse myself from the table, and I hurry back to the cabana, intending to change into something warmer.
My thoughts wander back to Stone as I open the locker to retrieve my clothes.
It's been three years, but I'm still hopelessly in love with him.
I thought I'd be okay with my feelings remaining one-sided, but ever since Francesca married Nic, I've suddenly become restless and in despair.
There are times I have this crazy urge to march up to Stone's desk and demand to know the truth, once and for all. 'Do you really not see me as a woman?'
I'm dying to know the answer, but at the same time I'm terrified of hearing it. Nic and Francesca's love story makes me want to hope, but...can I, really?
Maybe Elaine's right, and I should try getting myself a boyfriend, just to see if my feelings for Stone are nothing but prolonged infatuation.
A sigh escapes me as I wriggle out of my one-piece, but just as I straighten up, I hear the door of the cabana open, and when I turn around, the first thing I see is a figure in a dark suit—-