Her sister couldn’t seem to understand she was perfectly happy being single, and she kept trying to help Shawna find a man through “chance” meetings and “unexpected” visits when Shawna came to visit her.
When the conversation came up about her paltry dating options, Shawna had a solution. “I’ll hire an escort the next time I need to attend an event with a date.” She shrugged.
“Ew. You will not. No sister of mine is going to pay for a date.”
“There’s nothing nasty about it,” Shawna said. “Lots of women do it nowadays.”
“Desperate women.”
“No. Women who don’t have the time or energy to sift through what’s out there. The companies match you up with someone who has similar interests, you go out, and then you’re done. Bam. No fuss, no muss.”
“Why do that when I have the perfect man for you?”
“I’m not looking for a man.”
Yvonne rolled her eyes. “Okay, whatever. I have the perfect escort for you. Is that better?”
“No offense, but you haven’t exactly done a good job setting me up with the right men in the past.” Shawna pretended to be in deep thought. “Let’s see, remember the guy from your church, Steve, who started singing hymns in the car on the ride back home and prayed for my soul as we stood at the front door?”
“He loves the Lord. What’s wrong with that?”
Shawna narrowed her eyes and continued. “David, who wouldn’t stop talking about his ex-wife the entire night. Our date ended with him crying on my shoulder about how much he missed her.”
“Look at the bright side. You got a free meal, and at least you didn’t waste any more time with him than necessary. One date in and you already knew he was wrong for you.”
“And I can’t forget Nolan. Sexy, suave, rich. What a surprise to see his face on the evening news as the person who’d robbed several banks in the area and left lines of poetry as his trademark. Just think, I can say I dated the Poetry Bandit.”
“Granted, I should have dug a little deeper when he said he worked in banking.”
Shawna sighed. “I know you mean well, but your choice in men leaves me a bit . . . how should I say this? Terrified.” Shawna slathered butter on the bread and bit into a crunchy slice.
“This guy could be right for you, though. I really think the two of you will hit it off.”
“How do you know him?”
“So you’re interested?”
“Answer the question.”
“He’s a friend of William’s.”
The fact that he was one of her brother-in-law’s friends meant he was probably better vetted than the men her sister had introduced her to in the past. Interest piqued, she said, “Tell me about him.”
“I thought you weren’t interested.”
“Would you tell me about him!”
Yvonne giggled, cocky in her triumph. “Like I said, William knows him better, but I’ve also met him, and he’s really nice. You’ll like him.”
“What does he look like?”
“He’s about six feet tall. Great personality, really nice guy.”
Shawna watched her sister closely. She seemed evasive, which made Shawna suspicious. “You mentioned nice twice, but not whether or not he’s attractive. Does he have an eye in the middle of his forehead or something?”
Yvonne waved her hand and snorted, as if to say, don’t be ridiculous. “Of course not.”
“Then what does he look like?”
“Don’t worry, he’s attractive. He’s not your usual type, that’s all. So please don’t do that thing you do.”
“What thing?” Shawna asked, already offended.
“You know that thing you do when you’re trying to cover up your surprise or when you don’t like something—you smile, but it’s this weird, creepy smile. Be open-minded.”
“I don’t do that. And why would I need to be open-minded? What’s wrong with him, Yvonne?” Concern started to set in.
“Nothing. But really, I don’t want to spoil the surprise. Trust your big sister on this one, okay?”
****