Melanie.
She hesitated before she pressed the send button, but he wasn’t sure what caused the reluctance. It wasn’t like there was anything embarrassing in the note. But reaching out to someone she didn’t know seemed dangerous somehow.
Then again, it couldn’t be more dangerous than making out with a married man in front of a large group of her co-workers.
She pulled up the dating services’ webpage and logged in. Her matches were displayed on her dashboard with a hyperlink to each of their profiles. Melanie clicked on Nash’s profile and was surprised to discover that he didn’t have a picture displayed. That was something of a concern. Why wouldn’t he put up a picture? Everyone knew how to take a selfie. It wasn’t like it was that hard to come across something flattering he could put up. Instead, he uploaded a picture of a beach—she thought it might be somewhere off the coast of California—with the sun going down in a big, bright ball of orange and red in the background.
The rest was pretty straightforward. He listed his profession as CEO of the family business, which suggested he was close to his parents and/or siblings, a plus in Melanie’s mind, and his romantic situation as single, never married. Melanie had suggested in her profile that she would be open to dating a divorced man, but the idea no longer seemed like a good one after what had happened tonight. He listed a half dozen of his favorite books, and Melanie was pleased to see that four out of six also appeared on her list. He didn’t write things like long walks in the rain under his favorite romantic dates. Instead, he had been more practical, listing a preference for a home cooked meal and a good movie. She just hoped he didn’t expect the woman to do all the cooking…that was one thing Melanie had never really mastered. She could repair a child’s heart valve, remove an appendix in seconds, or carve cancerous tumors out of the liver, but she couldn’t follow a recipe to save her life.
She was still reading through Nash’s short, but informative profile when a little icon at the bottom of the screen informed her that he had responded to her email.
Melanie—
No, I’m not married. Never got further than an engagement ring and the requisite picture-in-the-paper stage. And, no, I don’t think there’s anything in my profile that will surprise you. I was as detailed as I felt was necessary, but not so detailed that there wouldn’t be any room for us to get to know each other through emails. To that end, your profile suggests that you like to read but haven’t had time for it recently. Is that because of your work? Do you do other things in your free time? Do you like to hike? Or do you prefer indoor activities?
Nash
Melanie’s eyebrows rose at the mention of an engagement. She wondered who she was and what happened. Did they break up because they were young? Or was there something else? Was he unfaithful?
She really didn’t want to get involved with someone who had been unfaithful in the past. In her experience, that almost always led to unfaithfulness in the future. She had worked in a hospital setting long enough to see what long hours and professional stress could do to a marriage. If she was with a man who cheated under less provocation than that…
That wasn’t something she wanted.
It crossed her mind to just end the whole thing, but she liked some of things she saw on his profile. And she liked the no-nonsense tone of his emails. What would it hurt to just talk a little?
Nash—
I have a very busy career, so I don’t have a lot of free time…but, when I do, I like to watch TV or read a good book. Occasionally, I like to go hiking, especially in the company of good friends. In high school and college, there was a group of us who liked to go camping from time to time, but that was before I moved to Texas. I haven’t done much of that since then, though I think it would be nice to get back into it. My life recently has been centered on my career…I guess, maybe, I’m ready to step back and see what else life has to offer.
Melanie
He must have been waiting by his computer, because Nash’s next email came within minutes:
How long have you lived in Texas? Where did you live before that?
I like to camp, especially down in the hill country. My current favorite place to go is a place not far from Bandera. Unfortunately, the drought has had a detrimental impact on the area, but it’s still great for hiking and other pursuits.
Would you consider hiking a good first date?
Melanie smiled as she read that last line. He certainly was different from other men she’d dated the past five years or so. She liked that he asked questions, that he didn’t seem focused solely on himself. And he seemed interested in what she might like to do on a date. When was the last time a guy asked her where she wanted to go, or what she wanted to do?