Page 27 of Love on the Line

“Thanks,” she said as she sat and pickedup the cup of warm comfort.

“Okay, so I’m really sorry,” Jen said. “WhenI cornered Mathias at the bar and had a long chat with him, I just knew he’d beperfect for you, AJ. And I only want to see you happy. You have so much spiritand joy to share, and, well, he went through some crap as well, and I knew youtwo could be so good for each other.”

“Jeez, you’re like a broken record,” AJmumbled.

“Yeah, well, sometimes you need to hearthings over and over before they finally start to sink in. So, are they sinkingin?” Jen asked with a sassy smile on her face.

“Maybe,” AJ mumbled again with the mugpressed to her lips.

“AJ,” Kayli spoke up. “I didn’t get achance to meet Mathias, but from what Jen told me about him, and from thechange I heard in you just last night, can’t you admit there’s somethingbetween you two? You haven’t sounded that happy in years.”

AJ set her mug down and sighed. “Yes,okay? Yes, there’s something between us. Our talks have been the best thing forme. Besides being friends with you two. He’s smart and funny, and he’s got hislife on track. I was already falling hard just from our conversations alone. Andthen to find out he really is the cute guy from the bar who also happened to bethe stranger I ran into at the park. And he’s the most attractive man I’ve everseen.”

“Stranger from the park?” Kayli asked. “Youran into him at the park?”

“Yes, but he swears it was purelycoincidental. And thinking back on the way he acted, he was genuinely surprisedto see me, kind of taken aback, flustered, you know? Then he rushed off likehis pants were on fire. Which at the time was really disappointing. But,whatever.”

“Did he tell you about Christina?” Jenasked. “His fiancé?”

“He has a fiancé?” Kayli squealed.

“Had,hehada fiancé. After years together,she suddenly fell in love with someone else and left him.”

“Yes, he told me,” AJ admitted.

“He’s had a rough time, too,hun. Women would judge him on his looks and come on to him withcertain expectations. He’s not a playboy, but was viewed as one. Even men canhave self-esteem issues. They can be just as reluctant as women, you know? Notto mention hispushy friends alwaystrying to hook him up with someone.”

“Gee, I wouldn’t know whatthat’slike, now would I?” AJ smirked. Shewas beginning to see the loving motive behind Jen’s actions. And trying to seethe situation from Mathias’s point of view, although still not totallyexcusable, was beginning to sink in.

“I see the wheels turning,” Jen said. “Areyou ready to give him another try?”

“What if he doesn’t want one after all? Hepractically pleaded for me to give us a chance, coming clean right when we met.Then I go off on him, but rightfully so at the time. I mean, it was a shockingdiscovery.”

“Doesn’t that tell you something about hischaracter when he felt the need to expose that little fact?” Kayli said.

“That little fact,” AJ scoffed. “Yes, Isuppose.”

“You suppose,” Jen mocked. “That was ahuge risk for him, you know.”

“Really?” AJ said. “This whole situationis crazy. You’re just trying to find justification for yourself while defendinghim and—”

“I am,” Jen admitted. “Look, I know thisall came about in a convoluted way, but I had the best of intentions for you. Doyou honestly think I’d encourage setting you up with some guy who’s loco? No. And,okay, so it wasn’t the greatest approach, but it worked. Sort of, right? Imean, you got to know him and like him and you were ready to meet him and makea go of it.”

“Yes, yes, yes, all right? God, yes, Ireally like him. Like I said, he’s smart and funny and charming and sexy. Andyes, I want to give him another try.”

Jen and Kayli jumped up with excitement. “Hotdamn!” Jen shouted. “Okay, well then, I suppose we better get you fixed up,because I don’t know what all that is.” She waved her hand at AJ’s attire.

“I’ll have you know, he was fantasizingabout me being an ice girl, so I wanted to give him an ice girl. And Lord, youshould have seen him, dressed up like Thor.” AJ moaned, not the least bitconcerned about embarrassing herself, because these were her friends.

“Really?” Kayli said. “Thor?Mmm, does he look like ChrisHemsworththen?”

“Sort of, only better.” AJ grinned.

“Well then, let’s freshen you up while Igive Mathias a call.”

“No, Jen, let me contact him. We’ll planto meet at the park still. I’m not getting robbed out of seeing the balloons. Whattime is it anyway?” AJ began to search for her phone, realizing it was stilltucked away in her bag.

“It’s noon, and there will still be plentyto see,” Jen answered.

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