Page 29 of The Alibi Club

Jamie’s anxiety spiked along with her skepticism as she shifted in her chair. Lorna Gray was charismatic and powerful, but she was not going to get into Jamie’s head. “No, not at all.”

Lorna paused and pressed her smile into a thin line.

Jamie felt like she was about to be interrogated; a thin sheen of sweat emerged on her forehead.

Lorna began, “You should know right out of the gate that I don’t take on every single person that crosses my path. I look for specific people to fit my curated blind date setup.” She looked at a file. “I have to admit, your experience as a forensic psychologist got my attention. Not your everyday profession.”

“Was. I was a forensic psychologist. Long story.”

“I bet. I also bet your ability to read people is incredibly keen. You don’t do well in that profession without having a razor-sharp understanding of human behavior and motivations. I’ll bet you can see the truth under the surface. Am I right?” Lora raised a carefully manicured eyebrow.

Jamie nodded and sat up in her chair with a sense of pride and wariness.

“And this talent of yours, I imagine it’s served you well in all areas. All except love?”

“I do all right,” Jamie said, backed by zero confidence. She swallowed instead of answering the second part.

Damn you, Derick.

Lorna continued, “Funny, isn’t it? The skills we hone without even knowing it. One of the reasons I’ve been so successful in matchmaking is because I can read people, too. For instance, I’ll bet you’re probably cursing that dapper friend of yours, Derick was it? For making you come here.”

Now Jamie raised a recently plucked eyebrow, but kept her mouth shut in the event it might betray her. Lorna continued.

“And I think there is another far more pressing reason you even agreed to come to me for help. More than just the horrors of online dating.” Lorna stood and started circling Jamie. “Hmmm. Let me guess. An ex-boyfriend recently got married? You’ve just had a big birthday? Or … could it be … you’ve been asked to yet another wedding?”

Jamie shifted in her chair and instinctively looked for the exit. God, it’s hot in here. She pulled on the collar of her shirt.

“Oh, is that it? Your last single friend just got engaged?

“My mother,” Jamie murmured.

This made Lorna stop and look up, and she nodded, seemingly knowing. “Ah. A dating issue complicated by a mother issue. I love a good challenge. We all have our reasons, don’t we.” Lorna chuckled like a James Bond villain.

“It’s worse than that,” Jamie admitted. “I have to bring a suitable candidate to her wedding or…” She let that part slide. “And I need a little help finding the right guy. I am confident I could have found the right person, but I’m in a time crunch.”

“Well, I’m not going to sugarcoat it,” Lorna said flatly and swirled around. “Your dating life is a fiasco. A goat rodeo of romantic proportions. With nothing to show for it but a scarred heart, I’m guessing a mild drinking problem, and a propensity to stay home and binge-watch period piece dramas. Sense and Sensibility, Emma, Pride and Prejudice? Jane Austen becomes a melancholy favorite for the lovelorn.”

“I’m not lovelorn!” Jamie protested. She felt like she’d been slapped in the face with a three-day-old fish; the truth was cold, shocking, and left a slimy, shameful residue.

“Jamie, don’t you see? I’m here to change that. Whatever brought you here, another birthday, another bridesmaids’ dress, another obituary that reads single woman, never married, survived only by her rescue dog, or in your case, a demanding mother who requires you to whip your love life into shape, you’re here now. And hope starts here,” Lorna said gently, as she put a finger on the expansive marble table and stared at Jamie.

Jamie began to feel something like hope at Lorna’s delivery. She certainly had gravitas.

“Most dating services set you up, charge your credit card, and forget your name. That’s not how I do it at Dinner for Six. I am personally involved, and let’s just say I have a knack for this kind of thing.”

Jamie became more intrigued. “You’ve got my attention.”

“Good. Because I’m going to drop some truth on you, not give you a pep talk. You’re still single…” Lorna picked up Jamie’s dating profile, quickly scanned it. “And you’re forty-one. You don’t need fairy tales; you need reality. The reason you are not married has everything to do with you. Don’t think I’m right? Let me ask you a question.”

Jamie sat ramrod straight, stung from the straight talk.

“When was the last time you went out on a real date? Hookups don’t count.”

Jamie’s face went pale. She wasn’t going to show her vulnerabilities to Lorna Gray; she was like a terrifying Maleficent of Matchmaking. So, no talk of Nathan at all. She considered bringing up the series of online flash first dates, but they didn’t really count. So, she thought about Chaz and answered, “I had a boyfriend, but we broke up.”

“Did this boyfriend take you on dates in the beginning? Proper dates. No going halfsies.”

Jamie thought about Chaz, his chiseled chest, his top knot, his day job selling Skechers, his reggae-vibe-no-worries attitude, his commitment issues. “We didn’t really go on dates. He’d usually come over.”