Page 4 of The Matchmaker and the Marine

Stacey gave her a thoughtful look. “You’re such a nice person.”

Melinda had to chuckle. “You’re still in the honeymoon glow. I can be a pain in the butt just like everyone else.” She tugged Stacey toward the girl. “Introduce me.”

“Sure, she did say she was interested to meet you.” Stacey allowed herself to be led across the sand. “Mary, this is my friend I was telling you about, Melinda Phillips.”

Mary cautiously reached out her hand, her deep blue eyes round as saucers. “Hello. It’s nice to meet you.”

Melinda was surprised her voice sounded soft, almost childlike. She shook Mary’s hand. “Stacey tells me you work with Will.”

“I sure do. I’m an accountant at the law firm.”

“So, you deal with numbers all day, I’m impressed.”

“It’s not that big of a deal.” Mary shrugged. “You just need to make sure everything balances at the end of the day.”

Melinda smiled. “There are days I have trouble balancing my checkbook.”

Mary’s eyes lit up. “You can call me anytime, I’d be happy to help you.”

Melinda thanked her. Stacey wandered toward a small group of people, leaving Melinda with Mary. “Stacey mentioned you wanted to meet me?”

With a quick look around, Mary said, “Did you really introduce Stacey and Will?”

Melinda smiled and said, “I did.”

Mary played with a long blonde ringlet. “Do you think you could help me? I can’t seem to find the right guy no matter what I do.”

“Why don’t you call my office?” Melinda withdrew a business card from her pocket. “We can talk about what you’re looking for, and you’ll need to understand my process to see if it works for you. If it does, you can fill out the questionnaire and we’ll go from there.”

Smiling, Mary said, “I’ll call you, maybe on Monday, if that’s not too soon.”

“I’ll look forward to it. Enjoy the picnic.”

Melinda eased away from Mary and the crowd. She enjoyed parties but wondered why no one ever asked her what she was currently reading or if she liked to bike or hike. They always went right to her line of work. Walking along the water’s edge with her head down, Melinda relished the brisk cool breeze as it caressed her face and tugged at her ponytail. She noticed a man approaching her from down the beach. Being social she held up a hand in acknowledgment and stooped over to pick up a wave-tossed piece of green glass.

“Hey, it’s good to see you again.” A deep male voice interrupted her quest for friendly glass on the beach.

“Hello. It’s nice to see you too.” She pushed up her sunglasses and said, “We met at the wedding, right?”

“We did. I’m Adam.” He reached out his hand. “And you’re Melinda.”

“Guilty as charged.” She grinned and scanned the water. “I love the ocean. It’s one of the main reasons I chose to move to Chester. No matter the season, I love walking along the beach, looking for sea glass and drinking in the salty air.”

Adam nodded. “There’s nothing like it.”

“Did you enjoy the wedding?”

He shot her a quizzical glance. “I did, and you?”

“It was lovely. Stacey and Will make a great couple.”

“You didn’t stay long,” he stated with simplicity.

“No. I had work to do, and I also wanted to do some gardening.”

“Flowers?”

“Well, some, but mostly vegetables.” She examined the piece of glass she held in her hand and tossed it back into the ocean.

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