by Kait Nolan
What she needed to do was pretend she already had a new boyfriend and was deliriously happy. Yeah, right. How lame could she possibly be?
On a whim, she started typing in words in the Google search bar. Fake boyfriend, pretend boyfriend, virtual boyfriend. She looked at her computer screen in amazement as the last one got a possible hit. The other keywords had brought up weird stuff, but this one looked like a legitimate site.
Intrigued, she clicked on the link for virtualmatch.com. To her surprise, this was exactly what she had been looking for. Well, not seriously looking for. But still.
She started reading all the particulars to this app and started smiling. What fun this could be! For a low introductory price, she could receive emails and texts from a “boyfriend”. Everything was completely anonymous. The employees of Virtual Match weren’t allowed to see any personal information about clients.
A wave of loneliness washed over her, and she realized she really wanted to do this. She could live in a fantasy world for a while, and at the same time, she could pretend to everyone that she had moved on. Yes, this was something she could do!
Anna carefully filled out the online application. She answered all the questions honestly so the match would be a good one. Her mouse hovered over the “submit” button for a moment as nerves tied her stomach up in knots. Was she really going to do this?
“Anna, dinner!” said her mother from the other side of the door. “I told you it was at seven.”
“I’ll be right down,” said Anna as she clicked the button.
As they sat at the table, her mother kept up a constant chatter while her father winked at her and rolled his eyes. She grinned at him, and her mother caught what they were doing.
“Really, Jim, stop encouraging her. She’s already lost what manners I taught her.”
Her father turned adoring eyes to her mother and gave her a look, causing her to blush. Anna had to admit, her parents had always seemed so much in love, and she envied that. She’d thought that’s what she would have with Brian, but it hadn’t turned out that way at all.
“By the way, Anna, I saw Shea Lassiter at her family’s store the other day, and I told her we were having a party to celebrate your homecoming. You ought to go see her today. After all, you two were best friends in school.”
Anna winced. Everyone had thought they were best friends, and she guessed they were, but she’d never felt that close to the girl. Shea had a cruel streak, and Anna had been embarrassed at some of the things she had said and done to her classmates. Carly and Ella had always gone along with her so they could keep their status as the most popular girls in school. Anna had voiced her disapproval many times, and she could have very well lost her favor with Shea, but most people genuinely liked Anna, so she was popular in her own right. So Shea kept hanging out with her. Hopefully, the girls had grown into better women.
“Mother, I haven’t seen Shea in years. I would feel awkward. Really, let’s just wait until the party, and then I can see all my old friends. When have you decided this event of the year will be?”
“Really, Anna, must you be so sarcastic? We’ll have it at seven o’clock on Saturday. I’ve already called the caterers. Luke Talbot really has our gardens looking wonderful, so we might open up the French doors and let the party spill out into them.”
Anna hesitated a moment then said, “Mother, speaking of Luke, I was driving out toward the south end of town today. It looks worse out there than it did when I was growing up here. It made me really sad. Luke’s house was the only one that looked halfway decent.”
“I know, dear. Your father and I, along with several others, have tried to start a community reform, but none of the residents on the south end will let us do anything to help.”
Anna looked at her mother with sudden affection. Constance Palmer might be a bit of a snob, but she had a kind heart.
“I don’t understand that. Surely there’s something that can be done,” Anna said.
“You can’t force people to accept help, Anna. Pride is a powerful thing.”
“I know. It’s just so sad. Luke seems to be doing okay, though, right?”
“You always did take an interest in that boy,” said her mother. “He seems to be a good, hard-working man, and he does a great job with everyone’s gardens. Anna, don’t be naïve, though. You know he wouldn’t fit in with our social circle, and he knows it, too. Whatever friendship you might have thought to pursue when you were in school…well, I hope you’re not thinking along those lines now.”
Anna laughed. “You’re such a snob, Mother. But, no, I wasn’t thinking about trying to begin a friendship with Luke. I’m sure he doesn’t want anything to do with me.”
“What do you mean by that?” Constance asked.
“Well, he let me know in no uncertain terms what he thought about me driving my BMW around the south end of town. I wonder what he would think if he knew my car was all I owned.”
“Now, sweetheart,” said her father, “you know everything we have is yours. The circumstances of your divorce are unfortunate, but I know it wasn’t your fault. You have a home here for as long as you like, and you’ll want for nothing.”
Anna took a bite of her fish to keep from answering her father. It rankled that she had to depend on her parents. This whole social thing smothered her. What good was money and status when she felt alone and miserable?
Her phone chimed, letting her know she had a new email. She checked the display as her mother frowned, probably appalled that she would even have the phone at the dining room table. Anna’s heart did a little stutter as she saw the words of the email. Congratulations. We’ve found your Virtual Match.
~*~
Luke was pleasantly surprised to find an email from Virtual Match saying he was approved for the job. It said they were a couple of days early because there was such a demand for the app, and they needed to hire employees quickly. He ran through the orientation and found the whole concept unexpectedly easy. They were going to start all their employees out with just one client until they got used to how it worked, then they would gradually assign other clients to each employee. He hoped he could handle the job.
When he had finished, he got another email telling him they’d already found a match for him and that he should go ahead and start as soon as he was ready. He grinned. This was going to be fun.
Looking at the phone number and email address, he tried to formulate a first contact sentence. He felt suddenly shy and wondered if he was really up to this. Maybe he should send an email first. A text seemed so much more personal since it was in real time. An email was more like something you send and can be read later. Not as much back and forth.
He sat back in his chair and ran his hands through his hair. What could he write? Should he pretend they had been close for a while, or should he just start by introducing himself? He assumed that, eventually, she would want to show texts to her friends and family to prove she had a boyfriend. After all, that was what this was all about, wasn’t it? Or was his match just lonely? He didn’t have access to that information, so he decided to start slowly.
Hello. My name is Bill. Welcome to Virtual Match. I hope you’ll be satisfied with me as your match.
Man, did that sound lame? He wasn’t sure. He deleted the last sentence. The company had given him a basic profile and a name, so he had to stick with Bill. It was so strange to call himself something other than his real name, but those were the rules. His profile said he was an insurance salesman. He hoped she didn’t know anything about insurance, since he knew nothing about it and couldn’t answer any questions.
He typed, I’m very pleased to meet you…virtually. This should be fun. Tell me a little about yourself. I sell insurance for Randolph Insurance Agency. I don’t go door to door, but I take clients in my office. It’s a boring job.
He clicked “send” before he started deleting again. He knew this email was a big snooze, but he really didn’t know what to say. He had done so much
better on the test he’d taken, but he had known there wasn’t a real person he was trying to impress. Well, except the company, but that was different. He read over his email again and groaned. But it was too late. It was already sent.
Luke closed the email window and started to get up from the chair, but then he heard a ding. It was his email notification sound. He pulled the account back up and saw it was from the email address of his match. He clicked on the email and held his breath.
Hi. I’m Mandy. I’m looking forward to our conversations. I think this will be fun, too. I used to work in an insurance office, so I know how boring it can be. What kind of insurance do you sell? Life insurance? Term or whole life? Or do you sell health or car insurance? I haven’t heard of Randolph, but it could be local. I’m from California. I’m between jobs right now, so my life is pretty boring. I’m going to a party on Saturday, but I’m not looking forward to it. I’m not much of a party girl. I would rather just sit and read. Or maybe put on an old pair of jeans and dig around in the garden. I like to take walks and even hike sometimes. What do you like to do for fun? Tell me you’re not a party guy.
Luke was nervous about the insurance thing since she knew about it. Did Virtual Match make their clients think the profile of their “boyfriend” or “girlfriend” was true? Did it really matter? After all, the whole thing was a game of pretend, anyway. But, for some reason, it really bothered him not to be completely honest with Mandy. Was that her real name, or did the clients use aliases like the employees did?
It surprised Luke how much alike the two of them seemed to be. Virtual Match must really be good at putting the right people together.
BILL: I’m definitely not a party guy. I like to read, too. Hiking is a lot of fun. I like to get back to nature and breathe fresh air. I hate to be indoors for too long, so that’s another reason my job is so boring. I would like to do something else someday if I can. I’m also into gardening. It seems we have a lot of things in common.
Another email came in.
MANDY: I guess your employer did a good job putting our profiles together. So, here’s the thing. This party Saturday…well, I’m seeing a lot of old friends, and I don’t want them to think I’m lame or anything. During the party, which starts at seven, I would love it if you texted me like we’ve been seeing each other for a while. Is that okay?
He thought for a moment. He wanted to be careful in what he said.
BILL: Let me ask you, and please don’t be offended. How intimate do you want our conversation to be? How close are we supposed to be? I don’t want to do anything to make you uncomfortable, but I want your friends to be green with envy. Just let me know how far to take the text conversation.
~*~
Anna stared at the computer screen in her room. He had asked a legitimate question, but it still caused butterflies to flutter anxiously in her stomach. How should she answer this question? She had been nervous since the first email he sent. This felt so weird, and yet it was so exciting at the same time.
MANDY: Let’s pretend like our relationship is brand new. That way, we can be all mushy without being too intimate. I recently ended a relationship, so my friends know I would just barely be starting a new one.
She had waited only about a minute before a new message came in.
BILL: Thanks for letting me know how you want to proceed with this. I can totally be all mushy if you like. :) I’m really sorry about the breakup of your relationship. Had you been with him long? You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. I don’t want to overstep my bounds and get too personal. But you can tell me if you want. It’s up to you.
Should she tell him, or should she say she didn’t want to talk about it? Anna bit her lip, trying to decide how personal she wanted to get with this guy. It was nice talking to him, but she knew this was just pretend, and she had only paid for six months. Soon, he would be gone, and maybe by then, she would have a real life again.
MANDY: That’s okay, I don’t mind telling you. We had been together for five years. I caught him cheating on me. That’s really all I want to say about it, okay?
The next email came through almost immediately.
BILL: I really am sorry. That’s a long time to be together. I hope your life gets better. You deserve to be happy. I’ll touch base with you tomorrow sometime. I have a lot of work to do tonight before I go back to the office in the morning.
Anna felt disappointed. Then she was mad at herself for feeling that way. Talking with Bill had driven away the loneliness for a little while. And that was why she had really signed up for this, wasn’t it?
MANDY: I don’t know how you could possibly know if I deserve better, but thank you. I hope you get a good night’s sleep. Nighty night.
Nighty night? She groaned, but she had already clicked “send”, so it was too late to take it back. He probably thought she was a real loser, but he had to be nice to her. That’s what she paid for. It had been fun, even if she had been nervous.
Anna turned down the covers on her bed and slipped underneath. She was glad to be home, but at the same time, it didn’t feel exactly right. She would get used to being here, though. It was just a matter of time. She was still dreading the party, but she was resigned to it. She smiled. At least she would have fun showing her friends texts from Bill.
Chapter Four
Saturday morning dawned bright and sunny. Anna stretched and yawned, enjoying the comfort of her bed a few minutes longer. She and Bill had had a couple of short, innocuous conversations since that first one, and she’d enjoyed the interaction. This had put her in a better frame of mind, although she had to keep telling herself this wasn’t real. Right now, she didn’t care if it was real or not. She was having fun with it, and it was getting her over her funk.
She decided it was time to get up, or she’d hear her mother on the other side of her door announcing she was late for breakfast. She took a quick shower and headed down to the dining room.
After she was seated, her mother said, “Are you excited about the party tonight?”
She considered her answer carefully. “I don’t know. It’s going to be strange seeing all those people I haven’t seen in years.”
“Oh, it will be just like you never left.”
I hope not. “Sure, Mother, it’ll be fine.”
“Aren’t you excited to see all your old friends? I can’t believe you haven’t visited any of them yet. Especially your three best friends. You four were the most popular in school. I know you have a lot to catch up on.”
As she watched her mother’s smiling face, animated with the excitement of the party, she didn’t have the heart to tell her what Shea was really like. She’d never said anything when she was growing up because she was sure it would have upset her mother. No need to rock the boat now.
“Thank you for having this party for me,” Anna said, feeling a sudden warmth toward her mother, who really only had her best interests at heart. “I’m sure it will be fun.”
Constance’s smile widened. “Of course, dear. Only the best for you.”
~*~
Luke loaded his truck with his gardening tools and got in. He usually didn’t like to work on Saturdays because he liked to spend the day with his father. Who knew how much longer he would be around? But Constance Palmer had asked if he would come by and put some finishing touches on the gardens behind the house so they would look good for Anna’s party.
Anna. He hoped he wouldn’t run into her while he was there. As much as he disliked her and all she stood for, he still couldn’t stop his heart from beating a little faster when he thought of her. And it made him angry. Putting the truck into gear, he kicked up some dirt as he sped out of his driveway.
When he arrived at the Palmer house, he drove around back where he would be working. He pulled out all his tools and walked into the garden. This was his best work, the most breathtaking garden in town. He got out his pruners and started deadheading the few roses that had gone past their prime since he
had been here the other day. He always took pride in his work, and even though this party was for her, he did his best to make this garden look amazing for tonight’s festivities.
When he was finished, he’d worked up a good sweat, and he wiped his brow, smearing dirt across his forehead. He could feel the grit, but it was actually a good feeling. Luke turned at the sound of the sliding glass doors opening and was surprised to see Anna coming out with a glass of iced tea.
“Mother told me to bring you this,” she said, handing over the glass.
“Thank her for me,” he said. “I was pretty sure it wasn’t your idea.”
“Why would you think that?” she asked.
“Well, considering your past behavior, I imagine you’re pretty self-centered. Add to that the way you were driving around flaunting your wealth….”
“Is that what you think?”
“Of course it is. Why else would you be driving that BMW around the south side of town? Do you know how hurtful it is for everyone to see that?”
To his surprise, tears sprang to her eyes. “I can’t believe you!”
“Why are you back, anyway? Why didn’t you just stay in your comfortable little life in California?”
She said, “I came back because I got a divorce, okay? Does that make you happy?”
“Divorce never makes me happy. But I guess he left you well off, so you can drive around in your fancy car and show everyone how special you are, huh?”
Anna gave him a strange look and said, “You really don’t know me.”
He gave a short laugh. “No, I guess I don’t. You never gave me a chance, did you?”
She spun around and fled into the house, and he was glad to see her go. Well, mostly. He drank the tea down and set the glass on a little bistro table.
As he gathered up his tools, he thought back to that day Anna’s friend, Shea, had come to see him. He’d been picking out the clothes he wanted to wear to the barbeque the next day, when there had been a knock at his door. He’d been surprised to see Shea standing on his doorstep. He’d invited her in, but she refused, asking him to come outside.
