The Husband Maker Boxed Set

by White, Karey

  Aleena: yay! Things must be going well. Just remember, he’s your rebound. Don’t go falling in love and moving to Scotland or I’ll be sorry I encouraged this.

  No way was I giving her the satisfaction of responding to that. I glanced at the screen of my phone before I put it away and paused. Was it really almost five? We had been wandering together for almost four hours.

  Flynn was leaning casually against the counter. “She’s looking it up,” he said.

  “Yeah, um, it looks like we don’t have it. In fact, I don’t see anything at all by that guy.”

  “Calum Kennedy.”

  “Yeah. Him.”

  “Well thank you for looking.”

  I put the Tony Bennett CD on the counter. “I’ll take this,” I said to the clerk then turned to Flynn. “Looks like I did better than you.”

  “I was at a substantial disadvantage, I think.”

  “Excuses, excuses.”

  I paid the clerk. When we emerged onto the sidewalk, I handed the little paper bag to Flynn. “This is for you. A little souvenir to help you remember San Francisco.”

  “Thank you, Charlotte.” He tucked the CD into his bag of books and then pulled me into a quick side hug. “But don’t you fret. I don’t think I’ll be forgetting San Francisco any time soon.” He squeezed my shoulder and left his hand there as we started to walk. When he moved his hand, I realized I probably wouldn’t be forgetting Scotland any time soon, either. And I’ve never even been there.

  I found myself distracted and unproductive on Wednesday morning. Just after I had arrived, my twin brother, Will, had called to check on my mental and emotional state.

  “How’re you holding up, Chuck?”

  “I’m okay. The first few days were rough, but now I’m back in the saddle.” I did my best to sound like I was my normal, pre-heartbroken self.

  “Back in the saddle?” Will sounded skeptical.

  “Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do when you get bucked off a horse? Jump back on?”

  “Well, didn’t you technically get bucked off six months ago?”

  “I used that time to brush myself off.”

  “So that’s what you were doing? I guess we didn’t need to worry about you after all?” Will has always looked out for me, but still, his serious tone took me by surprise.

  “You were worried?”

  “Of course. We all were.”

  “So you’ve all been talking about me behind my back?” We both laughed.

  When I was about thirteen, I had complained to Mom and Dad that Will and Angus were talking about me behind my back. We’d had a lengthy discussion about how it’s not really talking behind your back if you only say things you would say in front of someone. To prove their point, they had called Will and Angus in and had me look at them while they repeated the conversation they’d just had. As it turned out, it was terribly embarrassing for all three of us.

  While I stood there and watched, Angus told Will what some of the kids at school had said about me. “Mr. Harbaugh was teaching us about genetics and Jim and Alan leaned over and said, ‘Too bad for Will’s sister. She must have got all the giant genes. She’s an Amazon. She’s taller than any boy in our class.”

  “Did they get in trouble?” Will asked. He rolled his eyes at us, not enjoying this little re-creation.

  “No. Mr. Harbaugh didn’t hear them. But I told them they were just jealous and if she was a freak then every supermodel was a freak, too.”

  Angus’s face had turned redder and redder as he told the story and I’m pretty sure mine had done the same.

  “Thank you, Angus,” my dad had said.

  Mom had put her hand on my shoulder. “See, Charlotte. If it’s something they can say to your face, then it’s not a mean thing to talk behind your back. Sometimes we have to talk about each other because we care about each other.” Then she had turned to the boys. “Just be sure you only say things you would be willing to say to Charlotte’s face.”

  They had nodded and made a hasty escape to the back yard.

  “You haven’t bounced back the way you usually do, Chuck,” Will said. “It seems like you took the breakup with Kyle especially hard.”

  “Yeah, I did. But I’m bouncing back now, so you can tell everyone I’m A-okay.”

  A few minutes after we hung up, Mom called. “Will says you sound great and you’re getting back on the horse.”

  I laughed. “That didn’t take long.”

  “He knows I’ve been worried about you. He probably just wanted to put my mind at ease.”

  “You don’t need to worry, Mom. I’m okay.”

  “What’s this about the saddle and the horse?”

  “I went on a date yesterday.”

  “That’s great, honey. Did you have a nice time?”

  “Yeah. It was better than I expected.”

  “How do you know him?”

  “I met him at Imperial Palace when Aleena and I went there for lunch last week. He’s from Scotland. He’s in the states visiting his brother.”

  “Scotland?”

  “The Isle of Lewis, to be exact.” Mom took a deep breath. “What’s wrong, Mom?”

  “Nothing’s wrong. I guess I would have been happier to hear this if your date was from somewhere a little closer to home.”

  “You don’t need to worry. It wasn’t even really a date date. I’m just testing the waters again, you know?”

  “I’d rather you tested the waters here in the bay area.”

  We laughed. “The bay area waters have been awesome for me, haven’t they?”

  “Oh, Charlotte.”

  “It’s okay, Mom. You don’t need to worry. I’m not moving to Scotland.”

  I nearly gave up on work when Aleena called a short time later. She wanted a complete report on yesterday’s activities and to tell me that Angus had called and they were going to dinner on Friday.

  I had been at my desk nearly two hours and the only work I had accomplished was emailing Huck at Adventureland (yes, that is really his name) to let him know I would be sending him proofs by the end of the day.

  I pulled out my pencils and markers and started coloring the last postcard, marveling at the good fortune that gave me a job that paid me to color. I was shading a red bumper car when my cell phone chirped. I was surprised to see Flynn’s number.

  “Hello.”

  “Charlotte.” The sound of Flynn saying my name sounded so exotic and lovely. I needed to record him saying it over and over so I could listen to it when I needed a little pick-me-up. I was replaying the lilt of his pronunciation in my mind when he said it again, but this time as a question. “Charlotte?” That had worked out nicely.

  “Yes. Hi Flynn. How’s it going?”

  “Good. I’m swimming here at Bruce’s pool while both you and Bruce are working. It feels wrong, somehow.”

  “Well, you are on vacation so you shouldn’t feel guilty.”

  “A vacation by myself, unfortunately, which isn’t nearly as fun as vacationing with someone else. By the way, thank you for taking the day off yesterday. I had a grand time.”

  “I did too. Thanks for inviting me. Where did you and Bruce end up going to dinner?”

  “We went to a place called Marcroft. Have you been there?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “It was good. You should try it sometime.”

  “I will. I’m sorry Bruce has been so busy while you’re here,” I said.

  “Aye, so is he. But they moved up the deadline on his biggest project ever. He doesn’t have to work Saturday or Sunday so we’ll do something fun.”

  “Aren’t you leaving Sunday?”

  “Aye, but not until late. We’ll have all day.”

  “That’s good.”

  “So, Charlotte.”

  “Yes?”

  “Speaking of Bruce, he suggested I see if you can help me out again.”

  “Help you with what?” I have to admit the idea that I might see
him again made me more excited than I had expected.

  “If ya can’t pull it off, no worries, but I want to see more of the Pacific Ocean. Bruce said I should go to Big Sur and a town called Carmel.”

  I smiled when he pronounced it like the candy.

  “I guess it’s a few hours away, so I’d like to make it a day trip. Any chance I could schedule an appointment with ya for the day?”

  I almost laughed at his avoidance of the word “date.” I mentally checked off the projects I was working on and knew I was on track with all of them. I had plenty of vacation days and Jayne would probably sing and dance if she knew I was seeing Flynn again.

  “I’ll have to clear it with my boss, but I think I can.”

  “Brilliant.” Flynn’s delight made me even more excited. I wasn’t sure if his enthusiasm was because he wanted to see me again or because he wouldn’t have to go sightseeing alone. It really didn’t matter. Except I guess it did a little. It occurred to me that I hoped he actually wanted to see me again and I wasn’t just a choice born of desperation.

  “I’m going to rent a car. Bruce is going to the project site tomorrow, so I can’t take his.”

  “Don’t waste your money renting a car. I can drive.” Then I remembered the size of my car. “Unless a Volkswagen Bug would be too uncomfortable. You’re a big guy.”

  Flynn laughed. “My car at home is an MG. Not much bigger than a Bug. I don’t want to trouble ya though. I can rent a car.”

  “If you don’t mind the size, you should save your money. We can take my car.”

  It didn’t take long to iron out the details for the next morning. When I got off the phone, I walked to Jayne’s office. The door was open so I knocked on the door frame.

  “Charlotte. Come in. Sit down.”

  I sat down opposite her. Was it really less than a week since she had told me about Kyle? Time was such a strange thing

  “How are you doing?” Jayne gave me a sympathetic smile.

  “I’m okay. I’m trying not to think about Kyle and it’s helping. When I do think about it, I know he and Wyatt make a good team, so I feel a little less awful.” Jayne nodded. “The reason I’m here is because I wanted to see about taking another day off tomorrow.”

  Jayne’s expression changed from pity to party so fast I couldn’t help but laugh. “Is this because of your handsome highlander?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Really? Handsome highlander? And he’s not mine.”

  “Whatever. Is this about him?”

  “Yes. His brother is still tied up with work.”

  “So he says.” She waggled her eyebrows at me.

  “He is. He’s working on a big project and they moved the date up.”

  Jayne flicked her hand at me. “Fine. Seems pretty convenient, but I’ll go with it.”

  “Anyway.” I dragged out the word for effect. “He wants to go to Carmel and Big Sur and invited me along. Is there any reason I can’t go?”

  “You’ve got Adventureland about finished, right?”

  “Sending the proofs out this afternoon.”

  “What else are you working on?”

  “I’ve got the lunch boxes for Six Flags and the package for Trees of Mystery and the playing cards for Jackpot. I’m ahead of schedule on all of those.”

  “Of course you are. Go have fun tomorrow.”

  “Thanks, Jayne.”

  I was almost out the door when she stopped me.

  “Charlotte. I’m glad you’re having fun with this guy, but don’t fall for him. I can’t have you moving to Scotland.”

  I shook my head. “Why does everyone keep saying that?”

  “Because contrary to what you might think, one of these days the odds are going to be in your favor, and you’re going to fall madly in love with someone who’s smart enough not to let you get away.”

  What a sap I am. Suddenly I was overcome with emotion. I put my hand on my chin to keep it still and swallowed hard. When I could speak without my voice cracking, I said, “Thank you, Jayne.”

  She nodded twice and I left.

  “I should have let you rent a car,” I said as Flynn origamied himself into the passenger seat of my bug. He adjusted the seat back as far as it would go, which was about an inch farther than it had been when he squeezed in.

  “No, this is fine. Really. I wanted to ask if you’d care if I drove back though. I’d like to say I drove the California coast.”

  “Of course. Do you want to drive now?”

  “Naw. The way back is good. I’ll just enjoy the view as we go.” He looked at me pointedly, his eyes playful. I tried to ignore my warm cheeks and I turned to check out the back window, which was a mistake because my car is so small it put our faces much too close together. If my cheeks were warm before, they were burning now. “Don’t fret. I’m talking about the view of the ocean, although you look very pretty this morning.”

  I wasn’t sure what to say. Thank you? You look really nice too? Don’t forget this isn’t a real date? I spent so long wondering what I should say that it became awkward to say anything, so instead, I put the car in reverse and backed out of the parking place.

  I felt bad for Flynn stuffed into the car like a Jack-in-the-Box. It was just too small for him. Angus had often been squeezed in here like this, but that was Angus, and it was usually just for a few minutes. This would be for a whole day. I regretted my offer and wished we were in a comfortable sedan.

  “What’s chewin’ on ya today?”

  “What?”

  “You’re wearing that frown again so I know you’re thinking on something.”

  “I do that a lot lately, don’t I?”

  “So it’s me brings it outa ya?”

  I shook my head. “I didn’t realize I looked upset when I was thinking. Sorry. I was just thinking about how uncomfortable you’re going to be spending so long in my little car.” I smiled to show him I wasn’t angry.

  Flynn patted my hand on the steering wheel. “I really will be fine. My car’s not much bigger than this and I’ve survived this long. We’ll just have to pull over and see the sights along the way and stretch our legs.” His hand completely covered mine. I have long fingers, so that’s a rare thing. I thought about Kyle’s hands. They were about the same size as mine. Had I ever dated anyone with hands as large as Flynn’s? I couldn’t think of anyone.

  I could feel Flynn looking at me. I didn’t want to appear angry or deep in thought so I said the first thing I thought of. “You have really large hands.” Oh brother. Like he didn’t know that.

  Flynn held his hands out in front of him and I noticed they were covered in the same freckles as his face.

  “I could have played basketball if I’d grown up here, but there’s not a lot of basketball in Stornoway.”

  “I don’t think I’ve ever dated anyone with such long fingers.” I groaned inside because I could tell by Flynn’s mischievous look that I had said the wrong thing.

  “So you’re calling this a date?”

  I shook my head and shrugged and Flynn laughed.

  “Good.”

  I wasn’t sure what to say to that and Flynn must have been at a loss, as well, because neither of us spoke for several minutes. It wasn’t an uncomfortable silence. It felt friendly and easy. I made my way through the morning traffic and merged onto the freeway that would take us to the Pacific Coast Highway.

  “Have you dated a lot of men with stubby fingers?”

  I snort laughed and Flynn joined me. On the laughing part.

  “Sorry. I hate that I snort sometimes.”

  “It doesn’t bother me.”

  “You caught me off guard.”

  “My question?”

  I nodded, still laughing.

  “I was just curious. You mentioned that mine were the largest hands you’ve dated. I wondered if you’ve dated a lot.”

  I sighed.

  “Not a happy subject?” he asked.

  “It’s not that.”

  “Yo
u’re still sad about the man you broke up with?”

  I should have felt uncomfortable talking about guys and dating with a man I was sort of dating for only the second time, but I didn’t. There was something strangely easy about talking to Flynn. Maybe it was the fact that he lived on the other side of the world that seemed to give me the freedom to say what I was thinking instead of filtering myself. Or maybe it was just that he was warm and friendly and had a quick, good-natured smile.

  “Yeah. I’m still sad about that. He’s engaged now.” Flynn waited, like he expected me to say more. “But it’s not just him. I sort of have a dating reputation that isn’t easy to live with.”

  “You have a reputation?”

  I laughed. “That didn’t come out right. Does a girl having a ‘reputation’ mean the same in Scotland that it does here?” I put air quotes around “reputation.”

  “Probably. But you don’t seem like a girl with that kind of reputation, so you must mean something else.”

  I nodded. “I do.” And then I told Flynn about being called the husband maker. I didn’t go into specifics about every guy, but enough that he understood I wasn’t joking and that it was a well-earned nickname. He asked a few questions, but mostly he listened without laughing at me.

  When I finished talking, he looked thoughtful for a few minutes. I started to think he had nothing to say about the sad tale I had just shared, but finally he spoke.

  “You’re lookin’ at it as a bad thing, but I think that’s wrong.”

  “There’s a good way to look at it?” I glanced at him skeptically.

  “Ya make men think about growin’ up and settlin’ down. So they do.”

  “With someone else.” I was glad I needed to watch the road. I didn’t want to look at him looking at me.

  “I guess they weren’t the right one for you. But Charlotte—” why did I melt when he said my name?—“ya make them think gettin’ married would be a good thing. It might not be great for you, but I think you should take it as a compliment.”

  I didn’t speak. For the second time in two days, someone had chiseled away at the shell that had been forming over my once hopeful heart. I blinked hard. It was one thing to feel comfortable enough with Flynn to tell him about my nickname. It was quite another to melt into a weepy mess when we hardly knew each other. But his words did something to me. They made me a little teary, but that wasn’t all. They softened some of that shell. For more than six months, fear had been calcifying there, making my hope harder and harder to find. Would every man find happiness with someone else? Would there ever be a man who found his happiness in me?