“Me too! Especially because of this other actor. She’s got a kid who’s sick, and she doesn’t have insurance. She needs this to turn into a steady gig. I’ve been trying to get donations to help her with hospital bills. And we’ve been taki
ng turns at the hospital to give her a break.”
“That’s so sweet. You know, maybe Mr. Gherring could help.”
“Is he that kind of guy? I’ve just seen the stuff in the news about him being such a big playboy.”
“I don’t know what his donation policy is, but he’s a kind and generous man. Maybe I could talk him into sponsoring the play. In fact, this might be a good way to get the two of you together.”
“What do you mean by together?”
“You know. Together as a couple. Didn’t you volunteer to date him when we talked about him before?”
Ellen started laughing. “I was only kidding. There’s no way Steven Gherring would date me. I’m nobody.”
“He goes out all the time with up-and-coming actresses.”
“I’m not up-and-coming, I’m more like ‘trying to pull myself up and hope to come someday in the future!’”
“You never know until you try.”
“Why don’t you date him?” Ellen crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes.
My heart gave a little jump at the thought, but I knew I wasn’t his type. Not even close. Ellen was striking, and a genuinely nice person. Of all the prospects I’d considered so far, she was the one who seemed most likely to treat him the way he deserved to be treated.
“Trust me, I know what he likes. For instance, he always dates younger women.”
“But you’re younger than he is, aren’t you?”
I didn’t want to explain that I was looking for a woman he could start a family with.
“I’m not sophisticated enough for Mr. Gherring.”
“I’m not sophisticated either. And if he’s that snobby, I wouldn’t want to date him anyway.”
“He’s not snobby at all. He’s really nice, and he doesn’t talk down to me or treat me like a secretary. He even bought tickets for us to go see Parsimonious, the Proper Wizard last night.”
“There’s no way he would want to go out with me. You have a better shot at it.”
“If you meet him, you might be able to talk him into sponsoring your play.”
That got her attention.
“Really?” She bounced in place. “If you think he’d make a donation, I’d be glad to meet him. And I can introduce him to the other leads, too.”
“I’ll set it up when he gets back from Switzerland. I have a feeling I’m right about y’all. I’m a really good matchmaker.”
Charlie arrived at the checkout counter. “Are you making a match for Ellen?”
“Yes. With Mr. Gherring.”
Ellen shook her head. “She’s only matching me with him to sponsor our play.”
“But once they meet, anything could happen,” said Anne.
“I love this store!” Emily arrived and placed several books on the counter. “I wanted ten, but I’m only getting three.”
“This is my sister, Emily,” said Charlie. “She’s addicted to books. We’ve tried to get her some professional help, but she refuses.”