Page 38 of The Wisteria Tree Cottage

‘Or the man who has already given her all that.’

Bear sighed. ‘I suppose there was an element of that. There were times last night where the date felt so real. When we danced there was a moment where I thought we might kiss and it looked like she really wanted that too. I need to talk to her. We have the speed-dating event tonight, maybe I’ll get a chance to talk to her then.’

‘Maybe if you speak at a hundred miles an hour. That kind of conversation might be better in private.’

‘Well, I’m sure there’ll be time before and after the speed dating, but we’ll probably get ten minutes or so with each date, won’t we? How else are you supposed to get to know someone if it’s less than that?’

‘I guess. I’ve never done it,’ River said. ‘Is that going to be enough to tell Meadow how you feel?’

‘It will have to be.’

CHAPTERTWENTY-THREE

‘Three minutes?’ Bear said, as he read the leaflet explaining how their evening was going to go.

Meadow couldn’t help giggling at his incredulous expression.

‘How do you get to know someone in three minutes?’ Bear said, clearly outraged.

‘I think you can tell a lot about someone in three minutes,’ she said as she looked around the bookshop where the event was taking place. Right now people were just milling about chatting, new arrivals were registering their details with the organiser. ‘I think attraction is fairly instant and then I think you can click with someone on an intellectual or chemistry level fairly quickly too. According to scientists it takes between ninety seconds and four minutes for you to tell if you like someone.’

‘You can’t dive deep in three minutes?’

‘But this is technically a first date with someone, you never dive deep on a first date,’ Meadow said.

Or at least that’s what the websites had said when she’d looked for advice on dating and specifically speed dating.

‘This way we get to meet as many people as possible in one night so we have more of a chance of meeting the one,’ she said.

‘I guarantee you’re not going to find your soul mate after spending three minutes with them,’ Bear said.

‘No, but you might find someone you might like to know more.’

By the look on his face, he clearly didn’t agree.

‘Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention please,’ called Imogen, the lady who seemed to be in charge tonight. The quiet buzz of chatter died down as everyone listened. ‘Thank you all for coming and a huge thank you to the wonderful Red Dragon Bookshop for letting us use their fabulous shop this evening.’

There was a polite round of applause.

‘Over the course of the five events you will have the opportunity to meet and chat with different people and if you feel you want to get to know these people more outside of the Mix n Match events, of course you are free to do so. Mix n Match will also be matching you based on different criteria. I thought we’d start the evening off slightly differently. I’m going to give you fifteen minutes to look around the shop and choose a book that best represents you. It could be your favourite book or a book you’d like to read. Maybe you might choose a book that’s about your favourite country or topic or just one that has an appealing title. Bring it with you as you meet your potential dates. Then if the conversation gets stilted or awkward you can share your books to try to show the other person who you are.’

‘Oooh, interesting,’ Meadow said, quietly, and there were other murmurs of appreciation from the other candidates.

‘Now, that I can get on board with,’ Bear said.

‘It’s a shame I can’t shareThe Lost Crystalswith my dates,’ Meadow said. ‘It’s a brilliant book and it would show my dates the kind of thing I like to read.’

He turned to her with a grin. ‘Do you really like it?’

‘I love it and I promise I’m not just saying that because you’re my friend. It grabbed me and didn’t let go. You have a wonderful talent. It’s a shame to keep it locked away.’

‘I thought about what you said actually and I’ve decided to submit it to a few publishers and agents.’

‘You have?’ Meadow was delighted for him.

‘We’ll see what the response is,’ Bear said.

Imogen started speaking again. ‘I will ring the bell in fifteen minutes and, women, I’d like you to take a seat at your corresponding numbered table, but on the inside of the circle, facing outwards,’ she gestured to the circle of tables on the floor below them. ‘Once the women are seated I’ll ask the men to sit down on the outside of the table again at your corresponding number. It doesn’t matter where you start because you will get a chance to meet all your potential matches tonight. Once everyone is seated, I will ring the bell to start your three minutes and ring the bell again once the three minutes are up. At that point, men, you will move to the next table on your left. You’ll have a few moments to move and make a few very quick notes about your match before I ring the bell again to start your next date. At the end of the night, if anyone took your fancy you can let me know and if they also like the look of you, which would therefore make you a match, then we will share your contact details with each other. We won’t share your details with anyone unless you let me know you are interested in meeting that person.’

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