Bear Cuffs (Broken Hill Bears #3)(25)
"I'm not sure," she said, at last. "I've got nothing against shy guys. I think they're really sweet and genuine. I'm just not sure it's what I need for myself."
"That's ok, honey," Lauren said, patting her hand. "It's nothing to be ashamed of either. You've got to find the guy who's right for you."
"I do want to keep dating Timo though. He's nice and funny. I feel like I want to take more time to get to know him better."
"Sounds like a sensible plan," Dina said. "Some guys are more of a slow burn."
Whenever Melissa wasn't looking in their direction, Lauren and Dina shot secret glances at each other. They badly needed to confer. Lauren picked up her drink and sucked up the last third of it, and Dina copied her.
"Ooh, you guys finished quick. Do you want a refill?" Melissa asked.
"Yes please! I can't get enough of it," Lauren said. They handed their glasses to Melissa and she took them through to the kitchen.
"Timo's been keeping that one quiet!" Lauren said, in a low voice.
"That's just the way he is though," Dina said. "Do you think they're a good match?"
"I don't know. To be honest, I can't really see them together. But fate works in mysterious ways."
"Speaking of fate, it seems like the coin landed on the wrong side. But maybe we should tell her about the app anyway, so she can keep her options open?" Dina said. Lauren shook her head.
"Melissa's not that kind of girl," she said. "I know her. She'll continue to date Timo until they've either got married, or she's absolutely sure that they're not compatible. She always follows things through to the bitter end."
"Then I guess we'd better go share the good news with Kristin instead," Dina said. Lauren nodded, looking tense. It would be a little more nerve-wracking telling Kristin about the dating app. Partly because they thought that she'd be harder to convince than Melissa, but mainly because she was a journalist for the Hope Valley Echo, the town's daily paper, and they were worried that it would be difficult to persuade her to keep it a secret.
Melissa came back with two more pomegranate mocktails.
"Enough of my news," she said, depositing the drinks on the table. "What was it that you were so excited to tell me about?"
"Oh, ironically enough, we were just going to say that we thought Timo might be dating someone, since he's been a little mysterious lately," Dina said, thinking fast. Melissa gave a tinkle of laughter.
"That's so neat!" she said, her cheeks warming with shy pleasure.
The three women spent the rest of the evening chatting about the honeymoon and the pregnancies and the plans for Lauren's wedding, until Connor came by to pick Lauren up. Dina left as well. As she taught elementary school, she never stayed out late on school nights. They said goodbye to Melissa wistfully, hoping that Timo would be the one to make her happy.
Three days later, Dina and Lauren were sitting in a café downtown, waiting for Kristin. She'd told them she only had an hour before she had to go report on the Hope Valley town hall meeting. She was the busiest person they knew, always rushing from one place to another, on the scent of the latest story. As with Melissa, they'd had her pre-approved by Tamika, the owner of the dating app. Tamika had been nervous when they'd mentioned that Kristin was a journalist, but they assured her that Kristin would never do anything to betray her friends' trust.
They spotted Kristin's statuesque figure when she was still on the other side of the square. As usual, she was wearing heels, which elevated her to around 5'11'', and her long red hair was flying around her shoulders. She hurtled up to their table, apologizing for being late, and they started to get to their feet to hug her.
"No, don't get up!" she exclaimed, bending down to kiss them instead. "You ladies have got to take care of yourselves in your condition!" She sat down in the vacant chair, and, as if by magic, a waiter appeared to take her order. Kristin had that effect on people. She had a feisty nature, and most people seemed to sense it and fall under her spell, eager to do her bidding. "You two look amazing!" she said. "Look at you – pregnant ladies in bloom!"
"Thanks," Dina said, a little embarrassed, knowing how worried Kristin was that she wouldn't be able to have kids due to her PCOS.
"Great hair, girl!" Kristin said, stroking Lauren's new elfin crop.
"Thanks," Lauren said, eyelashes fluttering over her huge brown eyes.
"And, Dina, I can't wait to see your honeymoon photos when we have more time! But right now, I think you have something important that you want to tell me?" She looked from one to the other, her eyes narrowing with professional appraisal. Lauren sucked her lips in.
"Yes we do. But there's just one problem."
"Which is?" Kristin said, immediately looking interested.
"Well, the thing we have to tell you is actually strictly confidential. I discovered it first, and I was allowed to tell one person only, so I told Dina. And now we're telling you."
"I'm dying to tell you, Kristin," Dina butted in. "But it's quite a big deal, and I'm just a little worried that it'll find its way into the papers." By now, Kristin wasn't just interested, she looked positively fascinated.
"Ok, I promise," she said. "I will not tell another living soul about this. Except for the one person that I'm allowed to tell. Whoever that might be." She raised an eyebrow, clearly amused by the situation.
"Kristin, this is serious," Dina said. "This cannot end up in the papers. If it does, the lives of many people will be ruined." Kristin's elegant features slackened in disappointment.
"Ok, if my word isn't good enough for you, I'll just have to make you an NDA." She fished in her bag for a pen and took a fresh napkin from the dispenser.
"I, Kristin Pasternak, promise not to disclose to anyone the information that Dina Taylor and Lauren Garcia are about to convey to me verbally at 14:43 pm on September 23rd, 2014, until such time as they advise me that I may do so. Signed, K Pasternak," she recited, as she wrote on the napkin. "Ok, you both sign here." Lauren and Dina signed, looking at her dubiously.
"This isn't legally binding is it?" Dina said.
"Of course it is. Anything that is stated and signed is legally binding, regardless of how it's written. All journalists know this. Non-disclosure agreements and embargoes are really common, so it's essential that we understand the law. And, ladies, of course I'll keep your secret to myself. What kind of worthless friend do you think I am?"
"I am sorry," Lauren said. "We didn't mean to be anal. It's just such an important thing to protect."
"Ok, so what is it?" Kristin said, impatiently, and not at all offended.
"It's a dating app," Dina said. "Give me your phone."
"Uh, ok," Kristin said, handing it over. Lauren installed the Shiftr app and logged Kristin in. They'd already created a profile for her, knowing that she'd want to see all the information immediately. Lauren passed it back to her.
"Ok, you've also got to add an electronic signature right here to say that you won't disclose anything about the site to anyone," she said. Kristin smirked and tapped out her name in a little box. "So, we've added all your details already, along with these super-hot photos of you – " Lauren said.
"Wait – let me see!" Kristin snatched the phone out of her grasp and examined the photos they'd selected. In one, she was looking at the camera over her shoulder, and the sun caught her hair as it fell down her back, making it look fire-red. A second one had been taken at Lauren's birthday a year ago. She was watching Lauren blowing out her candles, and she looked happy and relaxed. "Ok, they're not so bad," she conceded. Then she swiped onto a full-body shot. The photo had been taken at a Christmas party, and she hated it.
"Don't even think about complaining; you look amazing in that photo," Lauren said. Kristin shrugged, thinking she'd scrutinize it later, and handed the phone back to Lauren, who showed her the basic functionality of the app.