“You trust your clients to close up shop?” Dillon asked.
“I screen my clients before I invite them to enter my system,” Leslie said. “Besides. I know where you live.” She gave him a big smile. “You’re a good guy.”
Emma and Leslie left Dillon in the room, closing the door behind them.
Dillon sighed and focused on the monitor. “Name. Dillon Jacobs. Age. Old enough to know better.” He chuckled, glanced at his watch, and then got busy answering the questions. He hoped the woman he was matched with would be punctual, orderly, well-kempt, a business professional who could whip up a spreadsheet with her eyes closed, early riser, liked dogs and who also liked to ride horses. After all, if things did work out—which he wasn’t convinced they would—she’d be living with him on the ranch. Oh, and she should be tall so he wouldn’t have to bend down too far to kiss her. He pressed enter to save his profile, straightened the keyboard and mouse and pushed back his chair to stand when a huge crash of thunder rattled the building.
Damn. He needed to get to the Firehouse Lounge before the sky opened up. Dillon hurried toward the door.
Chapter 2
Ariana Davis waited at the empty reception desk of her friend Leslie Lamb’s office. As Leslie had mentioned, Ava, their friend and the receptionist wasn’t there, having taken off the afternoon to go with her daughter to the dentist.
The logo on the front of the desk read BODS. She frowned, wondering what BODS stood for and regretting coming. She would have turned and left, but she’d promise Leslie that she’d at the very least give her dating service a try.
One date.
Her pulse kicked up a notch, and her breathing grew slightly ragged at the thought.
“I’m not ready for this,” she murmured, feeling her anxiety level rising.
Using some of the techniques she’d learned about meditation, and now taught at her studio, she inhaled deeply, closed her eyes and pictured a placid lake where the water was still, the moon reflected off the surface and all was calm.
Her heartbeat slowed, and she breathed normally again.
“Ariana, I’m so glad you came.” Leslie’s voice pierced the placid lake and brought Ariana back to the office and the reason she’d come.
Opening her eyes, Ariana forced a smile to her lips. “I have to admit, I almost called to say I couldn’t come.”
Leslie’s brow wrinkled. “Oh, sweetie. Are you that worried about dating again?” She came around the desk and pulled Ariana into her arms. “We all talked about it at the Good Grief Club meeting. You won’t completely move on with your life if you don’t get back out there.”
Ariana signed. “But it’s such a crap shoot. I’ll never find a man as sweet and perfect for me as Sam was.” Her eyes welled with the ready tears.
“I know you feel that way. Emma felt the same about Marcus and look how happy she is with Coop. We’ll find someone for you. Trust me.”
“What scares me is the thought of finding someone else and losing him, too,” Ariana said. “I think it’s safer to live alone than to give my heart away a second time, only to have it broken all over again.”
“You can’t live life expecting the worse,” Leslie said softly. “You don’t teach that at your studio, do you?” She took Ariana’s arm and walked her around the desk to the hallway leading into her suite of offices. “No, you don’t,” she answered for her. “You help your clients to see the beauty in life that makes it worth living. You show them how to let go of the things they can’t change and change the things they can. You help them find their mental balance as well as their physical balance.”
“Life is all about balance,” Ariana said, nodding. “When you lose someone you love, it shifts the balance.”
“And it’s up to the individual to redefine their balance.” Leslie grinned. “I learned that from you. In your yoga class.”
Ariana smiled. “I said that, didn’t I?” She drew in a deep breath. “Change can be good. But not all change can be controlled.” Her brow furrowed. “Sam proved that. Since his death, I try not to let the little things bother me.”
“You can think of my dating service as a little thing. Don’t let it bother you. Let the system do the work of finding the right person for you.”
“To date,” Ariana stated. “I’m only promising to go on one date. I’m not ready for anything else.”
“One date,” Leslie agreed. “You’ll see. BODS will match you with the right person. It’s up to you if you want to see him after the first date.” Leslie squeeze her arm. “I’m certain you’ll be happy with the results and want to see more of him.”
“One date,” Ariana insisted. “That’s all I’m promising.”
“Okay.” Leslie guided her past an open door to a conference room with a large dark table and white leather chairs all around it. She passed a closed door on the left and stopped at another door, pushing it open to reveal a small desk with a white leather chair and a computer. “I’ll help you get set up, logged on and save your photo. Then, as I told you before you came, I have to leave before you finish entering your profile. You can leave when you’re done. If you want someone to walk you out to your car in the parking garage, the security guard on the first floor can help you.”
“Thanks, Leslie. I know I need to get back out there, and I appreciate that you care enough to help me.”
“If I didn’t think you could be happier, I wouldn’t push so much. Give yourself a chance.” She hugged Ariana. “Now, let’s get this system up and running.”
Leslie logged on, brought up the software program, helped Ariana snap a good photo of herself using the webcam and saved it to her profile. Then she stood back and nodded. “The rest
