Sweet Matchmaking

by Nicole Ellis

  “I can see how that would be nice.” She fiddled with her napkin. It was too bad that the house he was remodeling was in Haven Shores. She’d love to have a newly remodeled vintage home. Then again, the price point would probably be much higher than anything she could ever hope to afford.

  As if he’d read her mind, he asked, “Hey, are you interested in buying a house in Haven Shores? I might know someone who’ll have a house on the market in a few months.” He winked at her.

  She laughed. “No, I’d like to stay up in Candle Beach. I really dislike driving, so I like living close to work.” She stared off at a distant point in the cafeteria. “Anyway, I’m not even sure that I’m going to buy a house anytime soon.”

  “Why not?” He stared at her as though she were crazy.

  She sighed. “Well, it’s just me. I don’t have any plans of getting married anytime soon and the idea of taking on a large mortgage on a teacher’s salary is a little intimidating.”

  “I understand what you mean about taking on the mortgage, but I’m sure it will work out for you.” He sipped from his glass of water, then set it down on the table.

  “Do you really think so?” She’d run the numbers over and over again and even with a second job at the bookstore, it would be tight. She didn’t want to get in over her head like some people had when the housing market crashed.

  “I do.” He stood from the table and picked up his tray. “I mean, look at me. I’m on a teacher’s salary as well and I’m on my third house.”

  “I guess.” His house renovating business wasn’t exactly the same thing because she wasn’t able to do the work herself if something went wrong with a house.

  “Besides, I doubt you’ll stay single for very long.” He added quickly, “Not that you have to be in a relationship to buy a house.”

  She looked up and laughed harshly. “The suitors aren’t exactly banging down my door. I’m a teacher in a small town and most everyone I know is already married, or well on their way to a wedding. I never meet anyone that I’m interested in. Maybe I’m too picky.” She slumped a little, then forced herself to stand up, picking up her tray in the process. “Sorry. I shouldn’t be telling you all this. It makes me sound really pathetic.”

  Patrick appeared to be thinking about what she said. “You know, I have a friend in Haven Shores that might be perfect for you.” He searched her face. “Do you mind if I give him your phone number?”

  Did she mind? She stared at Patrick. If his friend was anything like him, she was sure they would make a good match. The last time someone had tried to set her up, it had fallen through before she even met the man. This arrangement had to be better than that.

  “Um. I guess that would be okay.”

  They walked over to the tray return area and left the cafeteria.

  “Are you really okay with me giving my friend your contact info?”

  Was she? She peeked at him in her peripheral vision as they walked. Why couldn’t Patrick himself be available? His fiancée was a lucky woman.

  “Yes. That’s fine.” She forced a smile. “I’d love to meet him.”

  “Great.” He went quiet again, barely speaking to her until they’d entered the dorm lobby. “Well, I’ll see you later. Give me a call if you want to have dinner together later.”

  “I’ll do that.” She scrutinized his face. Why was he acting so distant?

  They rode up together in the elevator and he said goodbye when they reached her floor, but his demeanor was flat. Had she done something wrong? She shook her head. She hoped she hadn’t offended him somehow because she didn’t have many male friends and Patrick seemed like he’d make a good friend.

  4

  A week after the course ended, Sarah stood in the back of her classroom admiring the décor. She’d been working hard all week in between shifts at the bookstore to make her room a welcoming place for the incoming fourth graders.

  “I like it,” her friend Maura said from the doorway. Maura’s dark brown hair swished around her shoulders as she turned her head to view the whole room. “You added a rug to the reading nook, and new pillows.”

  “I saw the rug at a department store in Haven Shores for half off and couldn’t resist.” Sarah walked over to the green rug with a border of purple flowers. “It looked like something out of The Secret Garden.”

  A book had fallen off the bookshelf, so she knelt down on the rug, her knees sinking into the plush fibers. She carefully reshelved the book and stood, eying the rest of the room for anything out of place. The school didn’t give the teachers much money for decorating their classroom, so she usually ended up spending some of her own funds, but it was worth it. The kids were going to love it.

  “How’s your office?” Sarah asked.

  “Not much has changed since last year.” Maura laughed. “I did get a new ‘hang in there’ poster for the wall.”

  Maura had been a guidance counselor at Bluebonnet Middle School next door for the whole time Sarah had been teaching in Candle Beach. Sarah had seen Maura crocheting in the shared middle school/elementary school staff room and had asked her to teach her how to crochet a blanket for her then baby niece. They’d bonded over crochet patterns and had been good friends ever since.

  “How was that class you took in Seattle? Did you enjoy it as much as last year?”

  The first thing that came to mind when Sarah thought about her drama class was the way the skin around Patrick’s eyes crinkled adorably while he was telling a joke. Her face flushed, thinking about how much she’d enjoyed spending time with him during the multi-day class. She tried to regain her composure, but Maura caught her reaction before she could do so.

  Maura narrowed her eyes at Sarah. “Why are you blushing?”

  “I’m not,” Sarah said, willing her complexion to return to its normal color.

  “You are.” Maura leaned against the doorframe. “Did something happen at the class? Did you meet a nice guy there?”

  “Well, no. I mean, yes, I did hang out with a male friend I made last year and his roommate while I was there, but neither of them are single.” She had gone to dinner with Andrew and Patrick all three nights of their stay and she’d had a wonderful time with them. She’d almost forgotten what male companionship was like, even if it was completely platonic. But it had been completely platonic, so why was she acting like it wasn’t?

  Heat crept up her neck again and she fanned herself. “It’s hot in here. I wish they’d turn the air-conditioning on if they expect us to be here the week before school starts.”

  Maura looked at her dubiously. “I think the thermostat outside my room said it was seventy-one degrees. Maybe you’re having a hot flash.”

  “It’s not a hot flash! I’m barely thirty. Maybe it’s hotter on this side of the building than it is on yours.” Sarah walked over to her desk and took a long drink from her reusable water bottle. The ice cubes she’d stuck in there earlier had done their job and the chilled water slid down her throat, cooling her immensely.

  “Probably.” Maura eyed her again. “So, did you have a good time in Seattle?”

  “I did.” Sarah smiled. “The class was interesting. I was afraid it might be a repeat of what we learned last year, but this one was more advanced, and I learned some new techniques. I’m looking forward to sharing them with my class and maybe putting on a short play in the spring.”

  “Sounds fun. Anything else new with you?”

  “Um.” Sarah thought for a moment. “I’m thinking about buying a house in Candle Beach.”

  “You are?” Maura squealed. “That’s so awesome. You’ll love it and you will finally have room for your yarn collection.”

  Sarah laughed. “I’ll need a second bedroom just for yarn at the rate we’ve been going.” She and Maura had gone on a yarn crawl a few weeks ago and visited several fiber shops along the coast. The result had been way more skeins of yarn than she could possibly use in the next few years. They were currently stuffed into the top shelf of her
bedroom closet, but her collection kept spilling over and hitting her on the head every time she opened the closet door.

  It would be nice to have more space. Her one-bedroom house was nice enough, but no one could call it spacious. In fact, her brother Adam had once called it her hobbit hole because of the arched back door and small interior square footage.

  “I don’t know though.” She moved some books around on her desk. “Buying a house is a big deal.”

  “Yeah, but this is where you want to settle, right?”

  “Yes, but I never thought I’d be buying a house on my own.”

  Maura waved her hand in the air. “You’ll be fine.”

  “That’s what Patrick said.” Sarah quickly shut her mouth, realizing her friend would pounce on his name.

  She didn’t disappoint. “Who’s Patrick?”

  “My friend from the class – the attached one,” Sarah said pointedly.

  Maura nodded, surprising her by letting the mention of Patrick pass. Evidently the prospect of her buying a home was even more important than the possibility of a new man in Sarah’s life. “Okay, so what did he say?”

  Sarah sighed. “He said I should go for it. He buys houses all the time and remodels them for fun though. I don’t know how to do any of that.”

  Maura shrugged. “So? You’ll learn, and you’ll buy a house that isn’t a fixer-upper. Problem solved.”

  “What about if the district has to downsize teachers? If my contract isn’t renewed next year I won’t be able to make my mortgage payments.” Lawnmower engines roared outside, and the sweet smell of freshly mowed grass filtered in through the open window as the maintenance staff prepared the grounds for school starting next week. Her brain whirred so quickly that her thoughts threatened to drown out all sounds from outside. There were so many things that could go wrong.

  “You can’t think about everything that could go wrong,” Maura said, echoing her thoughts. “You’ll go crazy if you do.”

  “But that doesn’t mean they won’t happen,” she said stubbornly.

  “And it doesn’t mean they will.” Maura sighed. “With the best things that can happen in your life, sometimes you just have to leap.”

  “I guess.” The idea of buying a house was really starting to gel in her brain but it was such a big undertaking. Her friends were all telling her to go for it, so why was she so nervous? Sometimes she wished she could jump into things without thinking them through completely, but that had never been her style. Even as a kid, she’d watch the other children playing a new game on the playground and wouldn’t join in until she’d first figured out all the rules.

  “Anything new with you?” she asked Maura.

  “Nope,” Maura said. “My summer was pretty boring. I went to California for a week to visit my parents, but other than that, I stayed home and puttered around the house.”

  “And I thought I was boring,” Sarah said in a teasing voice.

  “Hey!” Maura exclaimed. “Hold your punches.” She sobered. “But seriously, I’m starting to think I need to sign up for one of those dating apps. That’s the only way I’m going to meet someone around here.”

  “Well, don’t take the last available man,” Sarah said. Secretly though, she was a little happy that she wasn’t the only one who wasn’t in a relationship. And if Maura, with her long dark hair and classic good looks, wasn’t dating anyone, there must be pretty slim pickings in the area.

  “Don’t worry, I won’t. And if I do meet someone, I’ll make sure he has a brother for you, deal?”

  “Deal.” Sarah grabbed her purse and keys off the desk and walked toward the door. “I’d better get going. I have a shift this afternoon at To Be Read.”

  “Me too. I’ve got a hot date with a baby blanket for my nephew.” Maura exited the room first and Sarah locked the door behind them.

  5

  Patrick leaned back in his chair and kicked his feet up on the footrest in front of him, gazing out at puffy clouds floating high over the ocean. He sighed and took a swig from the bottle of beer he’d set on the glass outdoor end table. A hummingbird hovered over a flowering bush next to the deck, its wings moving in a mesmerizing pattern. He felt the stress melt out of his body. This was the life.

  “Comfortable?” Parker asked as he walked out onto the deck with a bowl of chips. “You look like you’re about to move in.”

  Patrick laughed. “Sorry. I’m a little sore from crawling around on the floor in my house, working on the baseboards. It feels good to sit out here in the sun and relax a little. And you can’t beat this view.” The afternoon sun felt wonderful as it soaked through the fabric of his jeans and warmed his aching muscles. “Thanks for inviting me over.”

  “Yeah, no problem. Gretchen went out of town for a friend’s baby shower and I’m all by myself for a few days.”

  “So you’re saying I’m second best,” Patrick said in a deadpan voice.

  Parker stared at him, his hand holding his beer bottle frozen in mid-air.

  “I’m joking.” Patrick laughed at his friend’s expression. “I really appreciate this. School starts soon and then my days will be full. It’s nice to spend time hanging out with a friend before my life returns to the chaos that is the school year.” He dipped a chip in the bowl of salsa Parker had set on the glass patio table in front of them.

  “Have you given any more thought to selling your house?” Parker asked.

  Patrick chewed slowly, giving himself more time to think. “I don’t know. I want to say yes, but I don’t want to be hurried either and I’m not sure how much time I’ll be able to devote to finishing the house once school starts.” It was a big decision and he still wasn’t entirely certain that he wanted to move on from his dream house quite yet.

  Parker nodded. “My client is still interested. I’ll let them know about your reservations and see what they want to do.”

  “How is business going?” Patrick asked.

  “Good.” Parker beamed. “Gretchen and I are making a name for ourselves in the area and we’ve got new clients signing on every day. What about you? Are you looking forward to school starting?”

  Patrick shrugged. “I like meeting the new kids in my class and watching them learn throughout the year, but sometimes it’s not that exciting. I’ve been teaching fifth grade for close to ten years now and I pretty much have my lesson plan down pat. Although, I took a class recently about introducing dramatic arts and I think I’ll try some of the techniques out this year. Maybe that will liven things up.” He swiveled around to look toward the side yard leading to the street in front of Parker’s house. “One of my classmates was from Candle Beach actually.”

  “Oh, really?” Parker asked. “Who? It’s a small town, I probably know them.”

  “Sarah Rigg. She’s a teacher at the elementary school.”

  Parker smiled. “I do know Sarah. She’s friends with Gretchen’s group of friends. I think they’re going to need to start calling themselves the Candle Beach Women’s Club because they’re always meeting up at the local wine bar and hanging out together, just like the older women in town who call themselves the Ladies of Candle Beach.”

  “She’s nice,” Patrick said carefully, his heart quickening at the thought of Sarah. Her warm brunette hair and engaging smile made his throat catch every time he saw her. Unfortunately, she only saw him as a friend.

  “She is.” Parker looked at him. “Are you interested in her?”

  He shook his head. “No, no. We’re just friends.” He remembered his promise to her to give his friend her phone number. “In fact, I was thinking about fixing her up with a friend of mine.”

  Parker laughed. “I hope her luck with a blind date this time is better than what happened to her last time.”

  “What’s that?” When he’d spoken with her about his friend, Sarah hadn’t mentioned being set up before.

  “My sister, Charlotte, was supposed to set Sarah up with someone – my childhood best friend, actually – an
d she accidentally fell in love with him herself. Sarah still teases her about it.”

  “Wow, that’s rough.” He was quiet for a moment. “No, my friend is a nice guy. I think they’ll hit it off.”

  “Good,” Parker said. “Sarah deserves to be happy.”

  “Uh-huh.” Patrick looked up at the sky. For some reason, the idea of Sarah being happy with another guy was really eating at him. She’d made it clear she had no interest in him, so he needed to get over any feelings he had for her ASAP. “Have you set a wedding date yet?”

  “Yes, we’re planning on getting married in December. You should get a wedding invitation soon. Gretchen’s handling all of that.”

  “Great. I’m happy for you, man. She sounds like a great girl.”

  “She is.” Parker grinned. “Now we just need to find someone for you.”

  Patrick held his hand up. “Wait a minute here. Just because you found the perfect girl doesn’t mean there’s one waiting for me somewhere.” He shook his head. “I’ve been down that road before. At this point, I’m probably better off staying single.”

  Parker eyed him. “Don’t let your experience with Nina color your entire future. Not all women are like that.”

  He sighed. “I know. For now though, I think I’m going to focus on remodeling the house and teaching my fifth grade class this year. Those should keep me busy enough.”

  “Sounds pretty boring.”

  Patrick shot him a mock glare. It may be boring, but it decreased his chance of being hurt again.

  “Say, I’ve been thinking,” Parker said. “Would you be interested in taking on a partner in your renovation business?”

  He looked at Parker. He’d never really thought of it as a business, more like a hobby where he made some extra cash once in a while. “Why, are you interested?”