Cassandra shakes her head. “Your track record with the online thing isn’t good. I really think you need to continue to pursue other avenues.”
“My track record has sucked for fifty-two years. I’m not really in a position to be too picky about how I meet men. I’ll take it any way I can.”
Cassandra nods and throws her hands up in defeat. “Fair enough.”
Izzy smiles. “Tell us about the guy.”
“His name is James. He’s a high-school football coach. Since I learned the hard way that I can’t include that I like dominant men in my profile anymore, I decided to look for men that have a job where they need to be pretty alpha dominant. I think a football coach could fit the bill.” They all nod in agreement.
“He looks attractive in his profile photo, which I confirmed is a recent photo. He was really engaging in our conversations. He’s definitely smart. He’s six feet three inches. And I did confirm with him that there were no typos.”
They all laugh.
“He asked why I needed confirmation of everything, and when I told him, he thought it was hysterical. So at least he has some personality. I genuinely feel excited for this one. Something tells me he’s different.”
I’m in my favorite dark blue dress. It matches my eyes and makes my legs look even longer than they are. I haven’t been this excited for a date in a long time. James really does look pretty attractive from his profile picture. We messaged for hours each night all week. I like him and his personality. I hope there’s some physical chemistry when we meet.
Jerry rings that James is here. I tell him to send James up. I rarely let them up before I meet them, but I have a feeling about this guy.
The elevator doors open and an Adonis walks out. Wow. He’s even more attractive than his picture. He’s tall with neatly combed brown hair and big chocolate brown eyes. He has a stubble-covered square chin and big lips.
When he sees me, he gives me a huge smile. And he has a nice smile. A sexy smile.
He’s wearing jeans with a T-shirt and a blazer. He’s pretty thick looking. I’m happy with what I see. I’m immediately physically attracted to him.
I walk up and offer my hand, but he hugs me instead. He smells amazing. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Melissa.”
I hug him back. “Same to you, James.”
He pulls back and looks at me. “Wow. You’re even more beautiful than your photo.”
I smile. “Thank you. I was actually thinking the same about you.”
He nods in humble gratitude. He looks around. “Your place is amazing.”
I shrug. “Thanks. It’s home. I like it. Ilovethe location though. I can walk everywhere from here.”
He grabs my hand. “Yes, it’s a fantastic location. I made a reservation nearby. Do you mind walking?”
I shake my head. “Not at all. I prefer to.”
We head down to the lobby. I see Jerry cleaning up after Mrs. Bevil’s dog. He gives me a frustrated look, and I can’t help but giggle. Poor Jerry. I hope Mrs. Bevil gives him a good Christmas tip. He deserves it. “Have a good night, Jerry.”
He scrunches his nose at me and calls out, “You too, Mrs. Knight.”
James picked one of my favorite restaurants. It’s only a few blocks away. The walk is nice as we get to know each other a little bit more. He’s divorced with two daughters and one son, all in their twenties. He tells me about his kids and I tell him about mine.
We arrive, sit, and order drinks. I order tequila, and he orders whiskey.
He takes a deep breath. “Melissa, before we begin, I have to admit something to you. Something I wasn’t entirely truthful about in my profile. It’s nothing major. I’m not a foot shorter or anything.” He smiles.
Ugh. Things were going so well. I nod for him to continue.
“I’m not a high-school football coach. I’m a doctor. A surgeon, actually. I don’t put it in my profile because there are a lot of women out there who kind of hunt for doctors. I purposefully put a humble profession, trying to steer clear of the wrong type of women. Obviously, you’re not that type, so I just wanted to get that out in the open before we continue on.”
I understand why he lies. I just can’t believe the irony of the fact that him being a football coach made me want to connect with him in the first place.
He continues, “If it makes you feel better, I do actually volunteer to be the team physician for football games for a few of the local high schools.”