Page 18 of Living La Vida Mocha

“Hey.”

“Well?” The look she shot in my direction had me shrinking into my seat. She never sugar-coated a thing. It was what I liked most about her and hated at the same time.

I huffed, not liking at all where the conversation was going.

Gerry and I were a complicated mix. He’d been my favourite server at a high-end downtown restaurant, and I’d always requested his section whenever I had a work date there or when Amanda could meet me. Then I needed a date, and so I casually asked him out to a work function – where all the expenses were paid, he just needed to be there – for no other reason than to show my incorrigible boss how I had interests outside of work. Those interests were romantic because deep down I had a feeling Tory was interested in me and if I showed up with some arm candy, maybe he’d back off. It worked. Thank goodness.

Gerry became my plus-one on several occasions, and I attended the one staff function where he introduced me as his serious girlfriend. It was off-putting because it came with strings, and yet, I wasn’t ready to cut the strings. I enjoyed his company; he was funny and had a certain charm about him that put most people at ease. In short, he was a good look on me and we fit well together.

Karma was laughing her face off. Like being fired from my job and then losing the shiny decoration of Gerry at the same time, as if, since I no longer had a job, I had nowhere to show a boyfriend off anymore. What a disaster.

I picked at my grilled chicken. “What now?”

“I don’t know,” she drawled out the words. “Actually, why don’t I ask Kevin to see if one of his single friends wants to join us on a double date?”

Before she’d finished her sentence, I was already shaking my head. “How about no thanks?”

“Aw, come on. It could be fun.”

“Is this your way of telling me things are getting better between you and Kevin?”

Her gaze dropped fast to her salmon. “No. But I was hoping a fresh influx of people and dating ideas would spark something.”

“Still that bad, eh?”

“He’s great. On paper, he’s a ten. In the sack, he’s a solid seven.” She tipped her hand back and forth. “Maybe a seven-point-five, but still.”

“But there’s still no chemistry?”

She sagged into her seat. “I’ve tried everything I can think of, and I come up empty. There’s just nothing there, and I figured maybe if we put you and one of his friends together, something will click for us.”

“Maybe, but I’m not interested in dating.”

“Except for Carter.”

I stabbed a piece of chicken and dragged it through a string of sauce. “I’m not interested in dating him, it was just nice to see him again.”

“It’s almost a two-hour drive just for that pleasure.” A smirk filled her face, and she pursed her lips off to one side in a knowing way.

“What?”

“That’s all I’m saying about that.” She popped a piece of her roll into her mouth. “So, how are things on the work front?”

“Like my dating profile – one disaster after another.”

“Oh gee whiz.”

“Everything I look at doesn’t excite me. The job writeups are boring as all get out, and if those are bad, the job itself can’t be much better.”

“What about a headhunter? Or looking at a temp position?”

“I never thought about those.” They were valid jumping off points. A headhunter would find me the job of my dreams, or so I was led to believe. “I’m not sure I want something temp though. I’d like something that will last—”

“Longer than a couple of years?”

“Precisely.” I chewed on my chicken and scanned the restaurant.

It was full, as always. The same lunch groups were at their same tables. Everything was always the same. Nothing ever changed.