Page 52 of Pucking Your Best Friend

She took a deep breath. So, who was the perfect partner for Matt?

An hour later, she had the answer.

“Christina Henley!” she announced to Matt on the phone.

“No, no,” he answered patiently. “Matthew Payne. Remember?”

She laughed…which made the next words even more difficult. She had to be brave, though. “Christina Henley is your date! The day after tomorrow. You have Wednesday off, right? And we’re not going to your parents’ until Saturday morning.”

“How do you know that?”

“Your calendar is hanging on the front door. So, you have no excuse. I called her and she’s looking forward to it. And I’ve picked out the restaurant.”

“Oh, wow,” he replied slowly and she heard dark laughter in the background. Maybe he was still in the dressing room. “You’ve been busy.”

“Yep. Very! And, to motivate you a little more…” she cleared her throat, “I’ve also arranged a date for me that evening.”

He was silent for a moment. “Have you now?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. That’s…” Another pause. “Good for you! What’s the guy’s name?”

“Alfie McDonald.”

A laugh was his reaction.

“Hey, don’t be mean! It’s not his fault that’s his name.”

“Sorry, sorry. I’m just surprised that he lives here in LA and not out on the farm.”

She bit her lip to keep from laughing. “Matt!”

“Yeah, yeah, it’s fine. Who’s my date?”

“Christina Henley, I told you. She’s a Hollywood agent. She has crazy hours. She has a great sense of humor. And an attitude ofjust-let-life-happen.”

“Mm, that sounds…”

“…good?” she asked nervously.

“Yeah. It’s just…”

“What?” She immediately sat up straighter. “You can’t back out!”

“I won’t. It’s just that first dates are always so awkward, Maddie. I was just thinking that maybe you’d consider a double date, since you made one for yourself for that evening?”

Maddie paused and the pen she had been nervously tapping on her knee fell from her hand. “Um,” she said eloquently.

“First dates are always awkward,” he repeated. “There are gaps in the conversation and you don’t know where to look. If there were four of us, that would ease the tension a bit, don’t you think?”

Maddie bent down to pick up the pen and rubbed the back of her neck. Adouble date. They’d be together on a date. But not with each other – with other people.

Hm. She wasn’t sure if that was strange or a good idea.

“It’s a good idea. We can save each other if things go south,” Matt replied, reading her mind.

The corners of her mouth twitched. “It won’t go south. Christina is perfect. But, yeah, fine.” He was right. It would lighten the mood. And she could collect more…data. She could see what Matt liked and didn’t like.Keep an eye on him.

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