I’m half inclined to back up slowly and bolt, but my principles won’t allow it. I’ve paid for the event—only $5, but still. For five bucks, I refuse to not at least get my fill of greasy nachos and stale beer.
When I check in, I’m handed a pair of size 8 bowling shoes (which of course look like size 13s) and a pin that is supposed to differentiate us from the normal Wednesday night bowling alley crowd. The pin is a two-inch hot pink circle that announces to everyone in big, bold letters that I’M SINGLE AND READY TO MINGEL! I think they meant mingle, but it appears no one caught the typo before the pins went to print, and I feel too bad pointing it out at this stage in the game.
“All right, so pin that onto your shirt and then head over to lane six to join your team!”
“Oh, we’ve already been assigned teams?”
The coordinator’s smile falters slightly. “We thought it would be easier that way.”
Easier for them, sure, but I’ve been stuck with Allen, Mitch, and Judith—my gym teacher from middle school who was painfully old even back then, a forty-year-old widower, and a woman who looks to have ten years on my mom, respectively. Allen pretends he doesn’t remember teaching me middle school kickball, and Mitch is too busy downing his fourth beer of the night to be much of a conversationalist. Judith and I decide we’ll be partners, and I try really hard not to let my disappointment show. These events are rarely worth my time, but I’ve met one or two guys over the years. At the very least, it feels like I’m being proactive about my love life. I’m throwing myself at fate and giving love a chance, but tonight, this team of mine is almost a slap in the face. When did my situation become so hopeless? When did my old gym teacher become an eligible bachelor for me?
“You okay, sweetie?” Judith asks when I don’t respond to her question.
I try to shake myself out of my funk. “Oh, yeah. Fine. Just thinking.”
“About love?”
Mostly wondering if I should run and slide headfirst down the lane, hoping that the pin-setting machinery will take me out of my misery. But I also think about packing my belongings, grabbing Mouse, and moving away from Hamilton. There have got to be better prospects outside of this tiny town—job-wise, love-wise, life-wise. Hamilton is slowly suffocating me and I worry if I don’t get out soon, I never will. I’ll be Judith—swinging five pound balls at fifty, “mingel-ing” with other single retirees. I glance down at my pin and am about to rip it out of my shirt when I hear a voice that makes my situation one hundred million times worse.
Adam is here.
Adam is here, close by, laughing and having a jolly ol’ time.
I scan through the rest of the event attendees and then turn around to inspect the other lanes. I should never have looked, because four people I’d rather not have witness this fiasco are setting up their own bowling night at the lane right next to the one I’m assigned to. It’s Daisy, Lucas, Adam, and a woman I recognize as one of the medical assistants from Hamilton Family Practice, the clinic Lucas and Daisy own. They set this up, this double date thing, and suddenly I’m furious.
“Sweetie, you’re up,” Judith says, trying to nudge me.
I push to my feet and tell her to skip my turn.
“You’ll take a penalty if you do that!”
I couldn’t care less.
Her name is Tori, the medical assistant. She looks young, maybe 22 at the most, which means I have about five years on her. Is that a lot? Too much? Does Adam want some fair, fresh-faced girl right out of college?
Why the hell do I care?
I stalk over to their group and Daisy spots me right away. This is her fault. She knew I would be here.
“Madeleine!” she exclaims, seemingly innocent and happy to see me. “What a co-inky-dink!”
When she comes over to hug me, I pinch her on the back of the arm as hard as I can.
“Why are you here?” I hiss as she jerks away and rubs her arm.
“OW! We wanted to do a bowling night. Lucas hasn’t been in a while.”
I don’t even look at my brother. I know him, and this doesn’t have his fingerprints anywhere near it. No, it’s my best friend’s handiwork all right.
Adam is watching me from behind Daisy, a curious little smile playing on his lips. His gaze takes me in and then it stops pointedly on the hot pink eyesore pinned to my top. He spots the typo, grins, and my cheeks turn another shade darker.
“Hey Madeleine,” he says, meeting my gaze.
Even in this hazy bowling alley, his eyes twinkle.
“Oh, hello Adam. I’d assumed you’d died. I was about to write your obituary.”
I don’t include the second part, though I really want to. I want to call him out for ignoring all my voicemails, but it’s too embarrassing to admit in front of all these people. Instead I smile and keep my lips zipped.
It’s right then that Tori comes into view from stage left. She steps closer to Adam, like he belongs to her or something. Her skin is shiny and I don’t see any pores on first glance. “Sorry, Madeleine, I just keyed in the names and I don’t think it will let me add another.”
I smile, but it feels more like a sneer. “No problem, I already have a partner anyway.”
As if on cue, Judith yoo-hoos for me to come back and join their game.
“Do you play in a league or something?” Adam asks, furrowing his brow to take in the scene behind me.
Tori bursts out laughing. “Oh, it’s the singles thing!” Then she drops her voice a little bit. “My grandma used to go to those after she retired.”
Lucas and Daisy both throw Tori scolding glares, but it’s Adam who speaks up first. “Oh, that sounds fun, and it’s probably a good way to meet people.”
My shoulders straighten a little more at his defense. “Yeah, it’s okay. I mostly do it for the cheap food and drinks.”
He grins, and for a second it feels like just the two of us standing here, smiling in our clunky bowling shoes…except while I probably look like a dweeb in my off-the-shoulder dress, Adam looks just as sexy as ever in his jeans and black Henley shirt.
“Adam,” Tori says, her voice slicing through what would have been a perfect moment. “I really need something to drink.”
“Oh, okay.” He points to the left, still smiling at me. “The concession stand is right over there.”
Tori huffs and walks off, and I’m left wondering why I can’t move, why I’m hovering here, staring at a man who has proved time and time again that he wants nothing to do with me.
“Madeleine, you should join our game,” Lucas says. “I’m sure we can reset the game.”
It’s tempting to take him up on the offer, but I don’t want to leave Judith hanging even more than I already have. I wave away his invitation and promise to meet up with them later.
It’s impossible to concentrate on my own bowling game with theirs taking place so close by. Tori’s high-pitched baby voice seems to carry over to lane six no matter how hard I try to block it out.
“Oh my God, Adam!” she squeals just as I stand to take a turn. “You’re so good!”
I slip my fingers into the holes, wind up, and then dispatch my third gutter ball of the night.
Dammit. Dammit. Dammit.