He’d wanted her. And in the early days of the relationship he had made her feel not only beautiful, but also smart, interesting and creative. Still, she could never shake the fear that if he looked too closely, he’d discover that she was far more princess than poetess.
And that was more or less what had transpired. He’d dug deep and been deeply disappointed.
Haven had never told Elisa what had happened between her and Porter. She’d mentioned him, of course, because he was her most recent serious relationship. But she’d said only that they’d been too different.
“The point is,” Haven concluded, “I don’t do outdoorsy.”
Elisa nodded, admitting defeat, then hit a button on her computer and made the former Navy guy disappear. “It was just a thought.”
“Next.” Haven had to get back to her own work soon, but Elisa’s office always felt like a refuge. If Haven had had time for therapy, she would have wanted it to feel like this. Cozy and friendly and with a splash of humor.
Elisa laughed. “Okay. Try this.” She displayed another man on the screen. “He’s the vice-president of marketing for a well-known jewelry maker. Think expensive Christmas gifts.”
Haven was already a beat ahead of Elisa, hoping for diamond studs. “Wardrobe?”
“He’s wearing a rumpled jacket in this picture.”
Haven leaned in. Dark hair, dark eyes. The jacket was indeed rumpled, but that was only one small strike against him. Maybe it had been raining the day the photo was taken.
“He likes to ‘dine out,’ ‘socialize with friends,’ and ‘go to the movies.’”
“Why haven’t you shown me this guy before?” Haven demanded.
“Honestly? Because this profile bores me to tears.”
“Maybe he’s just not that good at—”
Elisa scrunched up her face, and they both started laughing.
“Right,” said Haven. “He’s in marketing. He should be able to write a profile of himself that makes him sound worth meeting. But honestly? I’m in PR and I could never write those profiles. If I made them too cute, I always felt like I was fake, and if I made them honest, they sounded boring.”
“That’s why you have me to do it for you,” Elisa said. “So it’s up to you. Do you want to give this guy a chance?”
“He sounds perfect.”
“Okay, let’s go for it. I’ll set something up for this weekend. And I’ll gently suggest that he wear something a little more—pressed—than what he’s got on in this photo.”
“That sort of spoils it, if you have to tell him, right?”
“Well,” said Elisa with a mischievous grin, “if it gets him laid, maybe he’ll learn from it.”
“Who said anything about anyone getting laid?”
Elisa looked up from the laptop screen. “How long, exactly, are you planning for your current dry spell to last?”
“Why break something two years in the making?” Haven winced.