Non-Refundable Groom. Patty Salier

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СКАЧАТЬ she was about to walk out of the laundry room, she spotted Garrett’s stained tie lying on the shelf. She held the silk in her hand, as though she was touching a part of him, knowing she had to forget her intimate moments with him and see him as her business competitor.

      She heard Jan burst through the front door. “El, where’s your car?” her sister called out.

      In the kitchen she found her sister going through the mail. Bennie and Tod ran in, gave their mother hugs and hurried back into the living room to play.

      “I ran out of gas,” Elena replied.

      “How’d you get here?”

      “I caught a ride with Garrett Sims,” she quickly replied. “He works at Stanley’s branch in Sherman Oaks.”

      “By any chance, is Garrett the owner of that tie?” Jan asked with great interest, still sorting through her mail.

      She impulsively put the tie behind her back. “Bennie accidentally squirted juice on Garrett’s shirt,” she explained. “I washed out the stains and—” Her face heated up as the intimate memories rose in her mind.

      “And what?” Jan pursued with a mischievous smile.

      “We got locked in the laundry room together for a few seconds.”

      Her sister’s eyes widened. “What happened next?”

      “Okay, we kissed!”

      “When are you going out with him?” Jan went on. “Is he sexy? How tall is he?”

      “Jan, I can’t have a relationship with Garrett,” she said, frustrated. “He’s off-limits for me.”

      “Why?”

      “I’m competing with him for the vice presidency!”

      “Oh, no.”

      “He’s got tons more experience than I do,” she rushed on, needing to share her upset. “And now, because of my insane idea, Stanley’s going to choose one of us based on how many new accounts we can get for the company.”

      “El, what’re you going to do?” Jan asked worriedly as she opened a large manila envelope.

      “I need to stay as far away from Garrett Sims as I can,” she replied, knowing how difficult that would be. “Stanley will completely eliminate me if he thinks I’m having an office romance with Garrett.”

      “You like him a lot, don’t you?”

      “He’s different, Jan,” she admitted. “I’ve never met a man like him before.”

      “And if the job wasn’t in your way?”

      All of her doubts about being in a serious relationship re-surfaced. “I wouldn’t date him,” she forced out.

      “El, I know how worried you are about falling in love with a man who doesn’t want to get married,” Jan said. “But all of your worries are over.”

      “What do you mean?”

      “I was a first-caller winner in a radio contest,” she said, glancing at the document in her hand. “I just received my prize! Free enrollment in a dating service called the Marriage Connection!”

      “The service is going to send you on dates?”

      “Not me, silly,” her sister said. “You!”

      “What?”

      “El, you’re always doing stuff for me and the kids,” she hurried on. “Now I get to pay you back. I gave your name to the dating service.”

      “You didn’t!”

      “This is the ideal way for you to connect with the right man for you,” she explained. “Eighty percent of couples that have been matched by the Marriage Connection have ended up getting married!”

      “Jan, I don’t want to meet a man through a dating service,” she protested, thinking about Garrett, wishing he could be that man for her.

      “Just think—you don’t have to worry anymore about being hurt by a guy who doesn’t want to make a commitment,” Jan went on. “The Marriage Connection only matches couples who sincerely want to get married.” She showed her the document. “All you need to do is sign this two-page form agreeing to specific conditions.”

      Elena reluctantly read the first page of the form indicating that no real names, home or office addresses, or phone numbers are given until both parties have met.

      Then her eyes landed on one particular sentence on the first page. “The only requirement is a commitment to want to get married.”

      Her heart ached to be with a man who truly desired a future with her—a man like Garrett. She quickly brushed her fantasy aside.

      “What if the guy they pick out is totally wrong for me?” she asked.

      “Look at the second page of the agreement,” Jan encouraged.

      She caught the sentence on the second sheet. “You are only required to go on three prearranged, already-paid-for dates, one every two weeks.”

      “El, just three dates,” her sister pushed.

      “I don’t know.”

      “You can’t say no,” Jan told her. “I’ve already given your personality profile to the service, and you’ve been matched with a great guy, who you will be going on all three dates with.”

      “The dating service has already picked out a man for me?” She couldn’t imagine meeting a guy more perfect for her than Garrett.

      “The letter says that he has a successful career in real estate,” Jan excitedly went on. “He’s three years older than you, enjoys romantic dinners and walking on the beach under the moonlight. And he must sign the agreement stating that his goal is to get married. Perfect, right?”

      Sure, if it was Garrett! she wanted to say but didn’t. She couldn’t spoil her sister’s surprise gift to her.

      “I’ll think about it, okay, Jan?”

      “There’s no time,” she said. “Your first prearranged date is set for this Saturday night.”

      “Saturday?” she repeated incredulously.

      Before Jan could reply, Bennie ran into the kitchen looking upset. “Mom, the words in my reading book are fuzzy looking.”

      “We need to get your eyes checked, Ben,” her sister said, lovingly kissing him on his forehead. Then he went back to his activities.

      Elena could hear the frustration in her sister’s voice. She had no vision insurance to cover the cost and had been putting off making an appointment until she had the money.

      “Jan, we’re getting Bennie СКАЧАТЬ