Page 83 of Just for the Plot

“Adalade, I thought you never wanted another man in your life ever again.”

“That was until I found out Draco would be at this dinner.”

“And how do we know Draco?”

“I went to high school with him. He took me to a dance once, but his family ended up relocating and I never saw him again. My dear friend Gert said that he moved to San Francisco and that she invited him to the dinner party.”

“So, do you want me to go to talk you up?”

“Yes.” She nods. “But I don’t want it to be obvious, so I asked Gert if you could come and bring a date.”

“A date? Why would I need a date? I could just go as your assistant.”

Adalade shakes her head. “No, that would look pretentious, and Draco, well, he’s quite down-to-earth.”

With a name like Draco, I’d think he’s running a Fortune 500 company in a high-rise, but okay.

“So bringing your assistant wouldn’t be down-to-earth?”

“No, it would seem desperate, and I’m a lady if anything.”

“You are,” I say. “Okay, so you want me to bring a date so it looks like I’m part of the dinner party and not an assistant following you around, trying to talk you up.”

“Exactly.”

I nod. “I see what you’re trying to do. I think I could maybe ask Cougar.”

“Who is Cougar?”

I finish packing up the last piece of clothing and say, “This guy I’ve been sort of seeing. We’ve only had two dates, one of them being this morning.”

“A morning date?”

I roll my eyes. “Please, don’t get me started. It was my idea and it was terrible because I had to meet him at five thirty to make it work. Bad choices all around. Either way, he might be available.”

“What does a guy with the name Cougar do?”

“He actually plays for the San Francisco Foghorns.”

Adalade straightens up. “My dear, do you only know professional athletes?”

“Does seem that way, doesn’t it? Bennett actually set me up with him.”

“And how do we feel about Cougar?”

I shrug. “I think he has good moments.”

“‘Good moments’? That doesn’t seem too convincing.”

“We’re still trying to get to know each other. We were both so tired this morning that I don’t know if I was able to get a good assessment of him. Then again, I thought he was more normal this morning than he was the other night. So, we will see.”

“Do you think he’d be embarrassing at the dinner? Because that is not something I can afford.”

I shake my head. “No. If anything, he might be able to help out because he’s a professional football player and that’s intriguing.”

“That is true. Well, if you think he’ll do, then I say we go for it.”

“Great. I’ll get the details from you tomorrow and start working on preparations. I’m assuming you’re going to want to find something nice to wear?”