“Oh, come on Mara! You really aren’t interested?”

“Nope.”

“Not even a little bit?”

I shook my head and slid the coffee to Xander. “No, Eva. I’m not interested, not even a little bit. But I appreciate the thought.” The women of Pilgrim were a persistent bunch, giving me a core group of friends that I’d never had before. It was nice, comforting even, but not when they refused to take no for an answer.

“Mara,” she groaned. “Be reasonable.”

“Leave her alone, Eva. Maybe she’s scared.” Xander’s arrogance and that matching smirk were almost as annoying as Eva’s attempt to get me to sign up for her matchmaking service. He was taunting me, trying to get a reaction out of me.

“I’m not scared of anything, especially not a man. Not any man.”

Xander puffed his chest out like a peacock, his smile wide and cocky. “Then why don’t you just go into Time for Love and fill out the questionnaire?”

“Because I learned my lesson already about how untrustworthy men are, how quickly and easily they forget about those they pretend to love. I’ve been there. I’ve done that. And I have no interest in learning that particular lesson again. If you’re so damn concerned, you go fill out the questionnaire.” Saying those words, out loud and to Xander hurt too much for me to enjoy the way his skin paled, the despair on his face. “Now, can I get anyone anything else?”

Eva shook her head with a mischievous smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow at five. That’s when your shift ends, right?”

“See you later, Eva.” It was as rude as I could be when my emotions were so raw, so I settled for dismissive. “Thank you for choosing Bread Box.”

“Five o’clock,” Eva sang as she hurried out of the bakery, leaving a wake of perfume and fear behind her.

There was no way I could get out of going to Time for Love, I knew that. So all I had to do was hold strong in my determination not to date anyone.

Ever.

Xander

I walked down the streets of Pilgrim, a man on a mission, not to be stopped or deterred from that mission. By anyone.

“Hey Sheriff, you got a minute?”

I shook my head and flashed a regretful smile at the older man who owned the hardware store. “Not right now, Leland. I’ll circle back when I’m done, all right?”

“Yeah, it’s nothing that can’t wait,” he called after me. Since there was no hint of worry in his voice, I picked up my pace, walking the straight line until I reached my destination.

Kendra flashed a wide, beautiful smile at me when I walked inside. “Welcome to Time for Love, Sheriff. Are you here to find your forever match?” The amused lilt in her tone didn’t change my mind at all.

“You could say that. I need a favor.”

Kendra nodded and folded her arms, the tall stilettos she favored putting her eye to eye with me, the half-moon reception desk between us. “I’m sure if you ask nicely, you’ll get the friends and family discount.”

“That’s not…that would be great, actually, but that’s not why I’m here.”

“Then why are you here?” Olive’s voice came from my left, and I turned to look at her.

This was it, my moment. I’d gotten up this morning determined to do something about the sorry state of things between me and Mara, so I spent the morning catching up on paperwork as I worked out a plan in my mind. Then it hit me.

“You can’t match Mara with anyone.”

Arms folded over her chest with one brow arched, Olive looked at me like I’d gone crazy. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me. You can’t match Mara with anyone else.” Judging by the looks both Mara and Olive sent my way, I sounded even crazier than I felt.

Olive stared at me for a long moment, nodding as she assessed me. “I’m willing to hear you out. Come on back.”

Relieved, my shoulders relaxed and I followed her back to her office, where I dropped into one of those small ultra feminine chairs in front of her desk. “Thanks, Olive. How’s the baby?”

Her expression softened. “Wonderful. Amazing. Exhausting.” She smiled and rolled her eyes. “That pretty much sums up parenthood. But Liam has the baby for the day, so I’m available to hear you out. Now tell me Xander, why shouldn’t I find a match for Mara?”

“This chair is damned uncomfortable. How do people sit in this?” I grumbled to myself as I squirmed in search of a position that was as close to comfortable as possible.

Olive laughed and shook her head. “That discomfort you’re feeling is because you’re about to tell me something you really don’t want to, but you have to if you want my help.”

Right. “I thought you were the nice one.”

“I am. Now talk.”

“Okay.” I nodded and let out a long, rushed breath. “Mara and I knew each other. As teenagers. She was my first love.” That was the most abbreviated version of the story I could manage.

Tags: Piper Sullivan Erotic
Source: readsnovelonline.net