Page 23 of A Match Made at Christmas

“So, tell me.”

Heat rushed to her cheeks. “No.”

“No, really,” he said. “I want to hear about your plight.”

She squinted at him. “Why do you sound skeptical?”

“Because I don’t believe you suffer any kind ofplight.” He chewed another bite, swallowed, then raised his eyebrows, waiting for her reply. “I think you could have any guy you wanted.”

She knew it was her turn for a witty retort, but her mind had gone blank.

His smile wasn’t helping her focus.

Finally, words returned. “Well, good men are typically harder to find than good women,” she said. “So, we already have that working against us. It’s like men are genetically dispositioned to not seek out meaningful relationships, whereas women are.”

He frowned. “That’s a little stereotypical, don’t you think?”

“I’m just trying to explain why someone good and kind like Peggy can’t find a decent man.”

“I thought we were looking for her soulmate.”

She knew that would be back to bite her. “Take the soulmate out of the equation.”

“Because you know it doesn’t exist?”

“No,” she said. “Because we’re just talking about dating right now.”

“Okay, so what about you?” He shoveled a stack of pancake onto his fork.

“What about me?”

“If women are created to seek out meaningful relationships, why are you still single?”

She picked up her mug and did her best to avoid his gaze. Her best wasn’t good enough. Nothing could’ve withstood the magnetic pull of Hayes’s hazel eyes. “I’m not a good case study. I think more like a guy.”

“So, you don’t want a meaningful relationship.” His tone turned casual. “Asoulmate.”

His emphasis on that word was very effective.

“That’s not what I said.” She didn’t like this conversation one little bit.

“But you haven’t had a meaningful relationship for as long as I’ve known you,” he said. “I mean, I remember you dating a few different guys, but after about two months, you were single again.”

“With one exception, we have that in common.”

He sipped his coffee, seemingly unfazed by her attempt to steer the conversation.

“What’s your point?” She asked, much more flustered than she should be.

“I’m just trying to debunk your theory here,” he said.

“Well, we’re not talking about me,” she said, wishing they actually weren’t talking about her. “We’re talking about Peggy.”

“Okay,” he said. “So why has it been hard for Peggy to find a good partner?”

She chewed her mouthful, swallowed, and pushed her plate away. “Other than the rumor she was engaged once, I don’t know that much about her. She’s on the committee for the Festival of Trees, though.”

“So, she’ll be at the preview party?” he asked.

---