Page 1 of Heart Strings & Hotlines
CHAPTERONE
THANE
One Month Ago
How it began…
“Are you sure Lottie’s here?”I ask my designated Single Dad Hotline helper, Rowan. When I first heard about this…service, I thought it was a hookup site, which for me would have been perfect.
No attempts at small talk, just matched with someone and bam, hookup, call it a night, and go home.
That’s not what this is.
The Single Dad Hotline is a network of helpers for actual single dads, and now that I have temporary custody of my thirteen-year-old sister, I fall into that category.
I’m also failing spectacularly.
Me—the one who never fails at anything unless it involves another human being—and I’m now in charge of an emotionally unstable teenager.
To say that Kara and I are not getting on very well is the understatement of the century. Last night, she blocked her bedroom door with her dresser because I threatened to remove it if she slammed the damn thing one more time.
Rowan was not particularly helpful over the phone, and now I’m here, in the North Carolina woods of all places, at a kiddie camp event, where she and Lottie are matching single dads to their potential nannies.
The number of people roaming about makes my skin burn as though it’s being sliced off with a razor blade. I miss the silence of my office.
Rowan stops walking and stares at me. “Yes, Thane, she’s here. Why are you so interested in her anyway?”
That’s easy. I want her science, her algorithms, and more importantly, her instincts behind her matchmaker test.
“I wish to speak to her about the science behind her test. It’s truly remarkable, what she’s accomplished, and I thrive on information. I like to know how things work.”
She laughs and sounds like a donkey, making my eyelid twitch annoyingly. Couple her braying with the scent of dirt that lingers everywhere, and I’m holding on by a thread.
“Good luck with that. She’s super guarded about her property.”
That’s smart…and also unfortunate news for me.
“Where would I find her?”
This little wisp of a woman has balls the size of Texas as she stands with her hands on her hips. My best friend, Rafe, does this when he’s annoyed with me. Come to think of it, so does my little sister, Kara. Hands on hips means someone is annoyed with me.
How the hell didIannoyher?
Slipping my notebook from my pocket, I remove the pencil from the spiral at the top, flip to a new page and write:Wear earplugs around Rowan.
“Why are you really looking for her?”
Jesus, her voice is grating. I shake my head and slip my notebook back into my pocket. “I already told you.” It’s taking all my willpower to stand here for this inane conversation. If Rowan were my employee, I would order her to give me the information.
How do I make her my employee?
An ear-piercing bell rings out around the camp.
Fucking annoying. All of it.
“It’s time for lunch, everyone. Finish up with your current prospect and make your way over to the mess hall.”
I recognize Lottie’s voice from her website. I’ve listened to her explain her process no fewer than one hundred times.
