Let the Reading Begin!

Welcome back! Today we begin reading the first chapter of Romance by Design. This story is set in eastern Pennsylvania in Knotty Pine, a small (fictional) town located near Stroudsburg in the Pocono Mountains.

          

                      Chapter One

“I have another blind date for you, Goldie.” 

         “Another one?” Goldie almost cut off the cell phone call. Why did her brother think her love life was his responsibility? Ever since he and Anna celebrated their fourth anniversary, Mike had been throwing men at her, like throwing mashed potatoes at the wall.

         And none of them stuck.

She crammed the small phone between her ear and her shoulder as she pulled a frozen dinner from its box and shoved it in the microwave. “Okay, Mike, who is it this time? Another intern or single doctor you met at the hospital?”

         “Au contraire, my sister. Brian has been frequenting our church for the past two years, and the thought never surfaced to set you two up.”

         “A guy from your church?” Goldie pushed a few buttons to start the microwave. “So he’s a Christian?”

         “Yes! I questioned him extensively, especially after that disastrous date you had with Jason Tully. But this guy is a Christian gentleman. In fact, he’s not only an usher at our church, but also the assistant treasurer.” Mike cleared his throat. “Don’t say me nay, Goldie. Brian’s ready to meet you.”

         Great. She didn’t know whether to be excited or depressed about her brother’s latest find for her, but a tiny ray of hope pricked her heart. “If he’s good with money, I suppose he liked my name––Goldie Silversmith.”

         Mike laughed. “I should enlighten him about your real name.”

         “Don’t you dare!” She opened a kitchen drawer. “What’s he like? Does he have a good personality?”

         “It’s, uh, superb. Excellent! He’s astute, quick-witted, um. . .charming.”

         Goldie put her hand on her hip. “Your scholar-talk is failing, brother. What’s wrong with him?”
         “Nothing. He’s the strong, silent type.”

“So he’s mute?” She pulled a fork from the drawer. 

“No, he talks. Somewhat. Anna has engaged him in conversation several times at church, but after the initial greeting, he usually stands there and smiles at her, not seeming to know what to say.”

         “Mike!” The fork clattered to the floor. “Not another Aiden Granger! That man’s teeth gave me nightmares for a week.”

         “Brian doesn’t smile that much, although his smile is rather toothy. He’s just quiet, that’s all. You might have to carry the bulk of the conversation, especially at first, but he’ll come around. He’s excited about taking you out to eat. We set it up for tomorrow night at the Kaffee Klatch.”

         Goldie sighed. “Okay, I’ll try it again.” All her blind dates had started—and ended—at the Kaffee Klatch. Frieda, the owner, was going to think Goldie was a nutcase. “If we have some awkward moments, Mike, I’m going to text you under the table. And you know the rules—you have to drop what you’re doing, stroll into the coffee shop and rescue me.”

         “Well, eh, that’s a problem this time, Goldie.”

         “A problem?”

         “I have a medical conference this weekend in St. Louis, and Anna’s going with me.”

         “What? You’ll be out of town?”

         “We’re leaving in the morning, but don’t worry. I have the utmost confidence in you. Besides, you always babble on about nothing when you get nervous.”

“Oh, thanks a lot, Mike!” The microwave dinged, and she took out the tray.

          “I lectured Brian extensively, and he won’t do anything inappropriate. He said he won’t even kiss you goodnight, no matter how great the date is.”

         How comforting. She glanced at her fingernails, which definitely needed help. “So he’s picking me up tomorrow evening at my house?”

         “Yes. Seven o’clock.”

She set the dinner on her tiny two-person table. “Now be honest, Mike. Tell me what this guy looks like. Is he fat? Does he have hair?”

         “He’s tall, dark, and handsome.”

Goldie could hear a smile in her brother’s voice, and she huffed out a breath. “That’s what you always say! But I happen to remember that Joshua Minor was short and bald, and Nathan Stanwood had a limp.”

         “He couldn’t help it––he’d been in a fight.”

         “Yeah, a great date he was.”

         “Listen, Goldie, I promise you will enjoy the evening like never before.”

         “You always say that, too! But I hope you’re right this time.” That tiny prick of hope dug a little deeper.

         “Hey, I’m just helping you out. Remember your three-step plan?”

         “I know.” If only she had never told her brother about the three steps—Step One: date a good man; Step Two: establish a long-term relationship; Step Three: marry the guy.

         But the men Mike picked out for her always flunked the first step.

         They said their goodbyes, and Goldie glanced out her kitchen window. A soft June breeze wafted inside, and she closed her eyes as she took a deep breath of the warm evening air.

Another blind date.

To be truthful, these dates gave her something to look forward to as she typed away in the church office. But something was always wrong with the guy. How she longed to find that one man God had chosen for her, a man who—

         “Meow.” Her small calico cat jumped up on the counter.

         Goldie picked her up. “Can you believe this, Felina? A blind date with Kyle somebody or other. . .no, that’s not his name.” Setting the cat on the floor, she shook a little dry cat food into the feeding dish. “What was it?” Frowning, she slipped into her seat at the table. “Was it Dylan?”

Bowing her head, she murmured a quick prayer of thanks for the food. As she ate, she watched Felina chomp down on the dry cat food with her back teeth. “Brian!”

She frowned. Was that right?

            Maybe Brian—or whoever—would be her heart’s one true love, and these blind dates would come to an end. After all this was blind date number seven—the perfect number. 

* * *

Come back on Wednesday for Chapter Two, and meet our hero.

Until tomorrow, God bless!