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“I get the impression her job can sometimes be draining.”
“So do I,” Bruno said, turning a right down the sidewalk. “The reason the date didn’t go very well was because she seemed distracted much of the time. We’d talk, have good conversation for a few minutes, and then her attention would be drawn to her phone again. She was expecting a call or a text, that much was clear. And she left early, before we finished our meal.”
“You’re kidding,” Marissa said in disbelief.
Bruno paused to watch a woman playing with her dog on a blanket on the grass. “I wish I were. She practically ran out of the restaurant. I’m not sure my ego will recover.”
Marissa laughed, and the melodic tinkle took him by surprise. Did she have any idea how attractive that sound was? It was soft, with a silky timbre and a playful lilt. The sultry undertone ignited a spark inside him and left him craving more of the sweet sound.
“You’re laughing at me,” he said.
“No. I’m laughing with you.”
“I wasn’t laughing.”
“Oh.”
He could almost see her face—the black cat eye glasses on her pert nose, her lovely mouth forming an “O” while she scrambled to think of something positive to say.
“Aren’t you supposed to try to make me feel better?” he asked, purposely putting her on the spot.
“Somehow I doubt that your feelings are crushed.”
Bruno tucked a hand in his pants pocket. “I’m absolutely devastated. I might cry myself to sleep tonight.”
She laughed again, a shorter sound this time. He’d stay on the phone all night and crack jokes if he could hear that sound every few minutes.
“You don’t take me seriously,” he said.
“No, I do not. On a serious note, I could arrange another meeting for you and Deanne. Sometimes people don’t click the first time around, but it doesn’t mean you’re not compatible. She might have been having an off night. I’ll know more when I talk to her, but what would you like to do?”
Stay on the phone with you, Bruno thought.
The brief moments of good conversation with Deanne didn’t compare to the complete transformation his attitude had gone through in the few minutes he’d talked to Marissa.
“I’m going to pass. She’s an attractive woman, and while there were some enjoyable moments during the date, I don’t think we’re a match in the romantic sense.”
“This was your first date… wait, one minute. Deanne is on the other line. Hold on.”
Phone to his ear, Bruno cut through the grass in the direction of the parking deck. He was sliding behind the wheel of his Porsche when Marissa came back on the line.
“Like I said, that was Deanne, to give me her update. I told her I was on the line with you. Turns out her father is ill, and yesterday he took a turn for the worst. They’re very close, and she’s having a tough time. She wanted me to tell you that she’s sorry for her behavior tonight, but she’s not in the right frame of mind to date at the moment.”
“That’s terrible. I’m sorry to hear that.”
“I hope she’ll be okay.” Compassion filled her voice.
“I do too.”
Marissa blew out a breath. “Anything else you want to tell me before you go?”
“No, nothing else.”
“You have a coffee date with Casey tomorrow. Hopefully, that will go a little better. Sasha has a scheduling conflict, and we’re working out the details.”
“That’s fine. I’ll give you a call right after Casey and I meet.”
“Sounds good.”
