ôI very much doubt whether the President found his wife on a dating site,ö said Lynnette. ôIÆm sure heÆs got better things to do than to trawl those awful sitesùno offense, Valina.ö
ôNone taken,ö said Valina graciously. She knew better than most that the notion of finding love on the internet still carried a certain stigma, and worked hard to erase it.
ôItÆs exactly because the President has so many things on his mind that he doesnÆt have time to go out and find himself a partner,ö said Emma Kulhanek. ôThe man is so busy all the time I can easily imagine how he would turn to a dating site to find love again.ö She smiled a little smileas she demurely crossed her fingers in her lap. ôIn fact I think youÆre providing a wonderful service, Valina. To bring people together is an act of compassion.ö
Lynnette glanced over to Emma. For some reason the two ladies had never got on. Perhaps because Lynnette saw herself reflected in Emma, though in a more banal way.ôYou would say that, Emma,ö she said. ôYouÆre exactly the kind of person Valina caters to.ö
Emma frowned.ôAnd what kind of person is that, may I ask?ö
ôWell, the hopeless romantic, of course.ö
ôThereÆs nothing wrong with being romantic,ö now Charlene piped up. ôIn fact itÆs romance that provides a glimmer of hope for humanity.ö
ôWhich brings us right back to our book,ö said Marge, managing a nice segue.
ôDidnÆt you and Valina go to school together, Emma?ö asked Carlotta Brook. The archery clubÆs chairwoman was tall and boyishly coiffed, and had at one time been a professional archer, even going so far as to earn herself an Olympic medal in her chosen discipline. She still had the sinewy athleticism that had served her so well, as well as the no-nonsense attitude.
ôYes, we did,ö said Valina, whoÆd been checking her phone. ôSeems like such a long time ago now, doesnÆt it, Em?ö
Emma smiled.ôIt certainly does. Though having kids of my own, it all seems to come back to me. Especially since theyÆre going to the same school we went to. Though itÆs all quite different now, of course. Especially since IÆm teaching at the very school I was a student at.ö
ôHard to credit that youÆre both the same age,ö said Lynnette, glancing from Emma to Valina. ôYou seem soà different.ö
EmmaÆs smile wavered. ôIf youÆre trying to tell me I look old, you can come right out and say it, Lynnette. No need to beat about the bush.ö
ôLadies, ladies,ö said Odelia, holding up her hands like a referee. ôWeÆre all friends here. All united in our appreciation of fine literature?ö
There were murmurs of agreement, though judging from the looks Emma was shooting in LynnetteÆs direction, it was clear that the latterÆs insensitive remarks would be addressed at a later date.
ôIs it true that George Clooney found his Amal through your site?ö asked Adra, whoÆd dipped in and had secured herself another chocolate chip cookie. The old lady clearly was more interested in any gossip Valina was willing to dispense than in fine literature.
ôThat would be telling, now wouldnÆt it?ö said Valina finely.
ôGeorge doesnÆt need a dating site,ö said Carlotta. ôThat man had to fend off the women throwing themselves at his feet back in the day. With all the ladies vying for his attention he could have started a dating site on his own, with him the only male.ö
ôIs there anyone here who actually found love through a dating site?ö asked Lynnette. ôAnd it doesnÆt have to be ValinaÆs site, though of course hers is the Rolls Royce of sites.ö She gave the businesswoman an ingratiating look. ôIÆll go first, shall I?ö she immediately added. ôI responded to some of those dating ads in the paper onceùyour paper, actually, Odeliaùbut unfortunately found them slim pickings. The men I ended up going out with were all horribly uncouth, I must say.ö She slightly tilted her chin. ôDross of mankind.ö
ôSo how did you find Franco?ö asked Charlene, referring to LynnetteÆs husband.
ôQuite the old-fashioned way, actually,ö said Lynnette. ôWe bumped into each other at a fundraiser for orphaned kids. He had just bid on a marvelous Willem de Kooning, and I had bid on an amazing Jackson Pollock, and when we went backstage to make the necessary arrangements, we got to talking. His views on life and art perfectly matched with mine, and so when he asked if I wanted to see his art collection, of course I said yes.ö
ôYouÆre sure he was referring to his art collection and not something else?ö said Emma.
Lynnette shot a look that could kill in her fellow book club memberÆs direction and shrugged. ôYou donÆt have to tell us how you met your hubby, Em. IÆm sure itÆs a story so saccharine itÆll make our teeth hurt.ö
ôIt wasnÆt through a dating site, if thatÆs what you mean,ö said Emma, bridling a little. ôBut it was a romantic tale, thatÆs true. When our school needed a new online learning platform, Norwell was the man in charge of design and construction. So we got to work together very closely indeed. And during one of those late-night meetings I suddenly realized that I was looking forward to seeing him much more than I should. And as he later admitted, he felt exactly the same way. Three months later we were married.ö
ôAnd how about you, Odelia?ö asked Valina. ôHow did you and Chase meet?ö
ôThrough work, I guess,ö said Odelia. ôHe was this cocky cop whoÆd joined our local police force and hated me meddling in police affairs. So we ended up crossing swords quite a lot, even as we tackled some of the most baffling murder cases. But once I saw past his cockiness, and he got downfrom his high horseà Well, we just hit it off.ö
ôOh, how romantic!ö Adra cried. ôAnd so much more interesting than discussing a boring book, wouldnÆt you say?ö
ôOdd that they would get together for book club and think talking about books is boring,ö said Dooley, who was lying on the couch next to me.
ôIÆm sure theyÆll get around to discussing the book eventually,ö I said, though clearly Marge wasnÆt holding out hope, as evidenced by the fact that sheÆd already put her copy of the book down and was sitting back, resigned to listen to stories about first meets.
ôI guess when you and Tex first met dating sites werenÆt around yet, were they?ö asked Lynnette, addressing their fearless book club leader.
ôNot sites as such,ö said Marge, ôthough just like you I did respond to an ad in the paper. Though when I say responded, it would probably be closer to the truth to say that my mom responded and then guilted me into going. You see, IÆd just broken up with my boyfriend, and was feeling a little down in the dumps, and Ma thought I needed cheering up.ö
ôMom!ö said Odelia. ôYou never told me you met dad through a personal ad.ö
ôWell, I did,ö said Marge. ôHe was a medical student back then, and one of his fellow students had actually sent in that ad, so when he showed up for our date he was less than excited, feeling he had to go through with it, or be accused of being disloyal. And since I felt exactly the same, itwasnÆt a propitious start. But much to our surprise, we hit it off immediately, and have been together ever since.ö She smiled at the recollection. ôThough IÆm not sure my mother still doesnÆt regret setting us up for that date.ö
ôAre you kidding?ö said Charlene. ôAny mother would kill to see her daughter go off and marry a doctor.ö
ôI know, but my previous boyfriend was the son of a local millionaire businessman, so in my motherÆs view a mere doctor was a step down in my fortunes. Though I never saw it that way. Also, my former boyfriend is in prison now for kidnapping his own wife, so itÆs safe to say my motherÆs views on him have since gone through a major modification.ö
They all laughed at this, but then ValinaÆs phone chimed and she got up. ôIÆm sorry, but I have to take this,ö she murmured, and hurried off into the kitchen. We heard her talking rather heatedly into her phone, but then as more people shared the details of their love life with the others, we forgot all about Valina and her urgentcall. Until, that is, she came hurrying back into the living room to grab her coat. ôI have to go, Marge,ö she said, shooting a look of apology in the latterÆs direction. ôSomething came up at the office.ö