Page 16 of The Deal Maker

“I thought we were the ice cream people.” I say, trying to figure out who she means.

“Not important. What I find interesting is that you told Duke your theory about ice cream and people.”

Great, he’s the last person I want to talk about. I wave her off. “That means nothing. And it all happened when I was in a weird headspace. Besides, he sells timeshares for a living. That’s a red flag right there.”

She tsks and says, “You don’t know that. He could be completely different from the guy who swindled your grandmother. In fact, I can tell he is. Yes, he sounds like he could persuade with the best of them, but I get a vibe that he’s sincere. At least he was throughout high school.”

I groan, not wanting to talk about this with her. “I don’t know why you keep bringing him up. Are you not convinced you’re ready to get married?”

Hope looks like I just told her the moon was made of cheese. “Duke is not my type, Maggie. But the two of you would make a cute couple. Especially to a certain event in thirty days, surrounded by our family and friends.”

“Well, I barely know him, so I wouldn’t categorize him as a friend.”

Hope bites her bottom lip, looking guilty about something.

“What did you do?” I ask, my stomach clenching as my brain spins all the options that could cause her expression.

“First off, he’s always been a nice guy. He’s got a few quirks, but overall, he’s leagues above Zander. I know you’ve got a lot going on already, so I might’ve mentioned that you need a date for the wedding.”

“To Timeshare Moose Tracks Guy?” I say, practically shouting. A customer walks in the door right at that moment and freezes, looking at us like a doe when there are humans around.

“Welcome to The Candy Jar,” Hope says with a quick smile. “Let us know if you need help.” She turns to me and says, in a softer voice, “What’s wrong with that? If anything, he can be a stand-in. You know how the family will hound you about your singleness.”

I sink back to the floor and ponder her words. She’s right. I’ll be the butt of every joke at the wedding. Hope and I are the only ones over the age of twenty who aren’t married yet, and in a few short weeks, that’ll leave me as the lone wolf.

“I can find a date,” I say, more to myself than anyone. I’d rather avoid it with a ten-foot pole, but I’m still trying to decide what’s the lesser of two evils. Have people pester me for bringing someone and when we’ll be getting married, or being called a spinster?

The look on Hope’s face tells me she’s trying to be supportive.

“What about King, over at the bakery?”

Hope smirked. “Georgie would have a lot to say about that.”

Shaking my head, I say, “That’s right. I was just in there yesterday.”

“What about Marlin the taxi driver?”

I shake my head. “That’s a big no. I don’t want to babysit my date for your wedding. The guy doesn’t have all the screws in place, if you know what I mean. And I need someone believable to be my boyfriend.”

“So you’re wanting a boyfriend?”

“Slip of the tongue. I mean, I need someone I can actually look interested in. Because a wedding is like a third date or later type of thing.”

Hope chuckles and shakes her head. “I don’t know how you come up with all these ideas and levels, but I love you for it.”

“Don’t you have a cousin on your dad’s side who’s single and cute?”

Scrunching up her nose, Hope says, “Not if you want to go for the older vibe. Most of my cousins are women.”

“I’ll keep thinking. There’s got to be someone around town who wouldn’t mind some free desserts.”

“I’m just saying Duke will go. So if you’re out of options, you can always ask him.”

“Not a chance in the world.”

She shrugs and says, “No worries. I just thought I’d put that into your head in case of an emergency.”

“Anyway, let’s get back to talking about your bachelorette party. Any of the ideas I mentioned earlier sound good?”

---