Matching Mr. Right(33)
“That’s an excellent question you should ask her, not me. Have a seat and I’ll go to my table and we’ll do a quick sound check.”
Nick nodded and pulled his chair out.
Shelby took her place, grabbed a menu so she could hide her face when Lisa walked by, and then said softly, “Can you hear me, Nick?”
“Roger that.”
“Good. Hey, put your phone away.”
He frowned at the screen. “Why? She’s not here yet.”
“Don’t make me come over there. Put it away, now!”
“I just want to answer this one—”
“Nick. Stop. You don’t want to miss that magical moment. The one where she’s searching for you, you’re looking for her, and when your eyes finally meet, you both realize at the same time you’ve found the one you’re looking for.”
He laughed as he tucked his phone away. “You should be writing chick flicks instead of children’s books, Shelby. That’s the most ridiculous—” He glanced up. “She just walked in. And yet, there’s not even an ounce of that magical mojo crap you just described. I’m feeling totally ripped off here—”
“Shhhh! She’s going to think you’re talking to yourself like a crazy person.”
When Lisa reached his table, Nick stood and held his hand out. “Hi. I’m Nick. Are you Lisa?”
“Yes, nice to meet you, Nick. Shelby described you well. I knew it was you instantly.” Nick shook the tall, slender, dark-haired beauty’s hand and then pulled her chair out for her.
So far, so good. Lisa was a new client so it’d be good to see how she operated too.
When a big plate of lasagna appeared before Shelby, she smiled and thanked her waiter. As she listened in, Lisa did all the talking and Nick gave her short one or two word answers. He hadn’t paid any attention at all to his homework. He was breaking all the conversation rules.
She dug into her meal, hopeful that Nick would get a clue and ask Lisa something.
When he seemed more interested in the menu than his date Shelby said, “Thank her for meeting you on her lunch hour, then ask what she does for a living.” She’d chosen Lisa because she was a lawyer, like Beth, hoping it’d be easier for Nick to find common ground.
Nick smiled and asked Lisa the question.
Lisa laid her menu down. “Well, I just recently made a huge life change. I quit my job because I felt stifled and unable to embrace my beliefs to the fullest. So, I bought a little shop nearby. We sell crystals and hard-to-get items for those who wish to cast spells and practice voodoo.”
Nick blinked. “Spells? And voodoo?”
Shelby stopped eating and strained to hear as Lisa said, “Yes. I omitted that part on my profile because many people are closed-minded about my lifestyle. I can talk to the dead sometimes too.”
“The dead too, huh?” Nick’s brow furrowed. “And spells. Wow. That’s . . . interesting.”
Lisa nodded as she perused the menu again. “Yes, I’m quite good at them, actually. You seem a little uptight. If you’d like, I could cook you up a good cleansing spell.”
Shelby laughed so hard she nearly spit out her lasagna.
Nick said, “No. I’m good. But thanks. So, what are we going to order?” He lifted his menu in front of his face and whisper-screamed, “Get me out of this. Now, Shelby!”
This was the perfect punishment for what he did to her in front of Greg. No way was she shutting it down. It was entirely too much fun to watch him suffer. “It’s good practice. Ask her if she knows any love spells.”
He growled, “Hell, no!” before he lowered his menu and broke another rule by glaring straight at her.
She answered him with a smug smile as she ate her awesome lasagna. She’d have to remember to update Lisa’s profile when she got back home.
Nick tugged at his collar the whole time their waiter took their order. When he glanced her way again, she almost felt sorry for him. But it’d be interesting to see what he did in this kind of situation, so she ignored his pleading eyes and buttered some more warm bread.
“Look, Lisa.” Nick ran a hand down his face. “You seem like a great person and all, but I have to be honest here. I’m one of those closed-minded people you mentioned. I don’t want to be disingenuous and pretend I think we’d be a good match. So maybe—”
Lisa lifted a hand and cut him off. “Yes, I know. I read you as soon as I touched your hand. I also saw that you’re in love with another woman. You should get in touch with and accept those feelings because she’d make you happy.” Lisa called the waiter over and canceled her order. Then she said to Nick, “But you need to figure out how to forgive yourself before you’ll be truly happy. It was nice to meet you. Be well, Nick.”