Two Wrongs Make a Right (10 page)

Pulling to the side of the road, she Googled local facilities and chose one. No harm in checking it out. Once she had the facts, she could make an informed decision. That way, if Animal Addict or Medicine Man didn’t turn out to be her Prince Charming, she’d have an alternate plan. She dialed the number and made an appointment for the next day. As a last resort, Tattoo Guy might be a possibility. She’d not seen him, but pictured a big burly guy tatted with snakes coiled around both biceps. Crossbones and skull on his chest, and a spider web on one cheek. According to Raynie, he might make a deposit for free. That sent a chill up Quinn’s spine.

At two o’clock the next day, Quinn sat across from a counselor at Austex Sperm bank. “As I was saying, Ms. Dorsey, only one out of every two-hundred applicants make it through our screening process.”

Quinn thumbed through the brochure she’d gotten. “I’m impressed. Do you limit the number of times the same donor can be used?”

“We do. One hundred and fifty times.”

The woman said it like it was a good thing. Quinn’s brain spun. One man fathering that many children blew her mind. She sat ruler straight. “So my child might have a hundred and forty-nine siblings?”

“Half-siblings.”

When the appointment ended, Quinn’s head buzzed from the news. The counselor made the term
half-siblings
sound so trivial. Was she crazy? Even if Quinn didn’t mind her child having a large family, the cost tipped the scale. When the woman said it sometimes took up to ten tries at a cost of five-hundred dollars a vial, Quinn’s heart faltered. The clinic recommended two vials per try, and with the doctor’s fee, she couldn’t afford the procedure. No, if she got pregnant, it had to happen the traditional way, and time was running out.

Quinn struggled to keep a positive attitude. In the back of her mind, she’d filed the procedure as her last hope, and now that had been dashed. Tomorrow she’d meet Animal Addict, and the pressure to make a connection caused her head to spin. If his moniker indicated profession, and not the need for a twelve-step program, he could be a serious contender. If he was a vet, he’d get Mother’s approval. She’d rather have a “real doctor” in the family, but he’d be close enough.

The next morning, light streamed through the cracks in the blinds and announced it was later than usual. Eleven-thirty displayed on the digital clock. She’d not slept this late in years. After a quick shower, she sat before her computer and started her next article.

Ten Places to Find Available Men: (in no particular order)

Golf Course: If you don’t know how to play, it might be worth your time to learn. According to research, a whopping thirty percent of men on courses are single.

A friend’s company picnic: This could be a great trade-off. Could be the available guys at your work aren’t what you’re looking for, but there might be a perfect match for a friend. You bring her as your plus one, then she returns the favor. Guess what? Mr. Right might show up.

Gym: They are considered the new bar, only with power drinks!

Parties: Your friends have connections that you don’t, so ask them to include you in any social functions they get invited to, and repay in kind. It’s the best way to network for single guys.

Volunteer groups: You’ll find lots of men giving time to charitable events. Think outside the box. Not just raising money, but donation of skills to places such as Habitat for Humanity.

Home building centers: Men love to offer advice. So take a stroll down a hardware aisle and ask a guy for his opinion about door locks, nuts, or bolts! There’s no better conversation starter.

Bars: This has to make the lists because guys till hangout there. A sports bar is even better, but you should brush up on rules and regulations first. Men love women who understand the game.

Dog parks: This won’t work unless you have a dog because you’ll look silly if you go alone. Even the breed you take makes a difference. Dr. Dawn Ruben wrote a great article about choosing the right canine to catch the perfect man. Besides, if he’s a pet owner, it at least shows he can commit to something!

Lectures/Conferences/Seminars: Especially those on spiritual and self-development. Find a guy here, and you know he’s interested in expanding his horizons, and improving personal growth.

Grocery store: Yeah, this still makes the list.

She must not shop in the right place, because in the last five years, not one guy at her corner market looked available. Plenty of men pushing buggies with babies. An abundance of guys wearing wedding rings. Numerous males with feminine products in their baskets. But not a single fellow giving her the eye.

During her last visit, she moseyed down the beer and wine aisle—twice. Took extra time perusing the cereal, frozen TV dinners, and lingered over the steaks. Even asked grilling advice from a possible candidate, but he had to wait to ask his girlfriend.

Nope. Not a heat-seeking testosterone missile in the place, except for the teenaged, pimple-faced sack boy. He seemed interested—in her breasts, but that age oozed hormones. The whole cougar thing had never interested her. She wanted a man. A real man, who had slow hands, soft lips, and the ability to fix appliances.

~~*~~

After waiting thirty minutes, and still no Animal Addict, Quinn gave up. The law of averages proved she’d be stood up at some point. There were just too many women to choose from on the site. Younger. Prettier. Frosting. She treated herself to a slice of coconut cream pie, cut her losses, and headed to Raynie’s. After parking, she stopped a moment to appreciate the fresh sign out front painted in bright colors, ‘Raynebeaux’s Crystal and New Age Gift Shop. Tarot Readings by Appointment.’

She pushed through the door, and while her friend finished with her last customer, Quinn held a crystal ball up to the light. Ran her fingers across spun glass sculptures. Twirled a hanging prism, and watched the colors reflect off the windows, then rearranged Feng Shui figurines to drive Raynie crazy.

The doorbell tinkled as the patron left, and Raynie locked the door behind him. “Ooh, hurry. Come here. There’s Rico.”

Quinn spun around. “Who’s Rico?”

“The tattoo parlor guy.”

Quinn moved to stand beside her friend and froze in place, staring out the front window. Tattoo Man swung his leg over the Harley, as if dismounting a pommel horse worthy of a perfect ten. He removed his helmet, strapped it to the cycle, and threaded fingers through long, dark hair. Tribal tats began at his biceps, ran up his shoulders, and disappeared beneath a sleeveless black leather vest. He wore tight jeans, faded in all the right places. He adjusted his junk and went inside his shop. Quinn drew a ragged breath. “Lord Jesus. He’s…he’s….”

“Yeah,” Raynie whispered. “The word you’re searching for is
hot
. I can introduce you.”

Quinn clutched her throat, and wondered how just the sight of a guy could make her nerve endings crackle, because she had some serious electricity running through her. “I wouldn’t know what to do with him.”

“That’s the beauty of it. He’d take care of the doing. Oh, I almost forgot. How’d the date go?”

“It didn’t. He stood me up. Can you believe that?”

“That’s awful. Rico could make you forget this horrible evening.” Raynie let out a long, dramatic sigh, then flashed a grin.

“Why haven’t you been with him?”

Her smile widened. “Who says I haven’t?”

Quinn scrunched up her face. “Ewww. Then I’m not interested for sure. I have a strict moral code. I don’t share penises with friends.”

Relief washed over Quinn at the thought of her final online date. She’d spent two hours last night searching the site for more possibilities, but had grown gun-shy. If a bio stated the guy was a happy person, it probably meant he told silly jokes. If he enjoyed the outdoors, then he was a Grizzly Adams, with a full beard and body odor. If he was into trying new things, that was code for wanting someone kinky.

In the beginning, she’d given all the guys the benefit of the doubt, and not one had turned out a winner. Even if Medicine Man loved to look at the stars and grow his own vegetables, it’d be silly to hang all her hopes and dreams on him. He sounded earthy, but from experience, there had to be a hidden message somewhere.

A lesson learned from previous pairings—don’t plan a dinner. Meet them for coffee. That way, if he turned out to be a jerk, or possible serial killer, it’d be a short date. The Starbucks she’d chosen, was across the street from a city park, so if things went well, they could go there to get to know each other better.

She threaded her legs into her favorite pair of jeans, buttoned up the red and black rayon blouse, and rubbed her gold Chinese-inspired pendant for luck.

The outfit was good enough. Why spend hours choosing and preparing a wardrobe, when so far, not one guy had interested her? Some had emailed again, but she’d done the fade-away. What did these guys want? A good time? She could be a good time, but wanted more than
one
good time. A permanent good time. No doubt Rico could furnish a good time—for a
long
time.

The memory of his broad shoulders, tight jeans, and inked muscles creeping from his vest caused activity in Blissville. She bit her bottom lip. Never having been with a tatted bad boy before, it intrigued her. Did he slam a woman up against the wall and just take her? Not by force, but because she wanted it.
Lord Jesus
. Slammed and taken by invitation sounded
good
.

Releasing a long, slow breath, she shook herself from the trance, put her hand to her chest and worked a button in and out of its hole. Fantasies of Rico would have to wait. Time to get going for the final date.

When she arrived at the coffee house, Medicine Man stood outside by the front door. “Hi, I’m Quinn. Nice to meet you.” He was as thin as a runner, but pale like someone who stayed indoors. So if he jogged, it must be on a treadmill.

He offered a limp handshake. “I’m Steve. Nice to meet you, too.” He opened the door and held it for her. Two points for manners, minus one for the noodle grip.

They stopped to order at the counter. The place wasn’t busy, so they had their choice of seating. He ushered her to a corner table and pulled out a chair for her. She sat, then studied his face. Not a worry line in sight. She hated that men didn’t age as quickly as women.

“You’re exactly like your bio picture,” he said and snapped her from her thoughts.

Three points. “Thank you. Sometimes the photos aren’t always accurate so I’m happy mine isn’t a disappointment.”

Over the speaker, a nasal sounding voice announced their order, and Steve returned to the counter, then came back with two cups.

She took a slow sip, giving him time to start conversation.

He reclaimed his seat, then focused on her with interest. “Have you lived in Austin long?”

“All my life. You?”

“No, I recently moved here to work at Dell Medical School, which will launch in 2016. I’m heading up the cell and molecular biology division.”

Ding, ding, ding. Ten points! “So you’re a medical doctor?”

“Yes. Your bio said you work in media. What type?”

“I write for the
Austin American-Statesman
.”

“Impressive.”

“Thank you. Mostly women’s features. I don’t cover the hard news stories.”

“I’m sure you could if you wanted.” He started to say something else, but his watch alarm sounded. Turning it off, he reached into his jacket pocket and produced a daily pill dispenser. He set it on the counter, opened a compartment, and poured a half dozen tablets into his palm. “Sorry, it’s time for me to take my supplements.”

One by one, he placed them on the back of his tongue, and sipped his half-skinny, half-one percent, two shot decaf latte to wash them down. The routine took a good five minutes, with him pointing out how important it was to administer them in the proper order for best results.

Her heart dipped, but she was still willing to give him a chance. Vitamins weren’t the worse thing he could do. He could snort cocaine.

He smiled, his blue eyes full of light. Maybe the pills were already working. “Do you take vitamins?”

“No. I should, but I’ve never been a big supplement taker. I eat fruit every day and drink a lot of water. Does that count?” She took a swig of her Caramel Macchiato.

“Not really.” He thinned his lips into a tight line. “I mean, it’s better than eating powdered donuts, and drinking sugary sodas, but if you don’t eat proper portions of the daily recommended fruits and vegetables, you should enhance your nutrition. I can recommend some excellent products.”

Man, I’d love a Krispy Kreme and a Dr. Pepper.
“Thanks. That would be helpful.”

For the next twenty minutes, they got to know each other better, and she decided he wasn’t such a bad guy. Okay, he was stringent in the vitamin and health department, but that was his field of study, so it was normal. After a few dates, he might loosen up. She liked him. Finally, all the dates before didn’t matter. Steve was a winner.

He checked his watch again. “I’m sorry, but I have to get back to work. This has been nice.”

“Yes, it has.” She waited for him to ask for her number, or make another date, but he didn’t, and she had no clue what to say next. Then he stuck out his hand.

“It’s been nice meeting you.”

What? He’s brushing me off? He doesn’t want to see me again?
She clasped his flaccid fingers and offered a weak smile. “Likewise. Good luck with the new job.” After that, she didn’t recall what he’d said, only remembered standing with her hand out as if he were still there, but he wasn’t.

Dazed, she walked across the street to the park. What went wrong? Did he condemn her because she didn’t take vitamins, or think she had no ambition, because she liked her job?

The park was filled with mothers and their children sharing play dates. They appeared perfect and content. Toddlers full of innocence. Young wives married to the men of their dreams. Or not. Maybe they weren’t happy. Perhaps they’d not found Prince Charming, but simply settled. She couldn’t criticize them for that. Finding the perfect man was a pipe dream. Five men already, and not one was worth a second date, until today, and he’d judged her unworthy. This was a terrible way to end her online dating experience—rejected. Maybe that was the universe telling her to give up on the natural sequence of things—love, marriage, baby carriage.