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“You’re single,” she said, stating the obvious. “And so am I. Plus, we both love dogs. It would be crazy for usnotto date, right?”

“I don’t know if having similar interests is reason enough to go out with someone,” I said.

She winked at me. “Oh, I see. You’re one of those guys who loves playing hard to get.”

The girl had a knack for making someone feel uncomfortable. She was cute, yes, but I had no desire to date her.

“I really should get going,” I said. “Archie’s getting hungry, right boy?”

“He’s not the only one who’s hungry, if you know what I mean,” she said with a blush. “I could use a candlelight dinner for sure.”

I let out a cough and waved at her. “Bye, Melissa.”

Then I ran off before she could say or do something else that was way out of my comfort zone.

Not the only one who’s hungry? Phew. She was a bit too full-on for my taste.

After a refreshing shower, I fed Archie, who then settled down for a nap on the couch.

I put on a suit, as instructed by Diane, and chose a matching tie. I would focus on the fundraiser, getting as many people as possible to bid to win a date with me, and completely avoid coming into Olive’s vicinity. Surely that wouldn’t be too hard to pull off.

Yeah, right. I should’ve known avoiding someone in this small town was nearly impossible.

“You’re sharing a table with Olive,” Milly said, leading me through the community center. “Since you two are colleagues, that shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

I hurriedly walked behind her, trying to catch up. “Do I really need a table? Doesn’t it make more sense for me to walk around or something?”

She tutted and shook her head. “All candidates for the silent auction should remain seated and available to talk to. Anyone who’s donating should be able to first check you out, right?”

I raised an eyebrow and tried to remember why I had agreed to do this in the first place.

“Here you go,” Milly said, stopping at a long white table where Olive was spreading out tarot card decks and crystals. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m needed at the food table. I heard someone made blueberry and cherry donuts, and I haven’t done a quality check yet.”

She rushed off, leaving me alone with Olive.

“Hi,” I said with a sheepish smile.

“Oh, hello.” She looked as shocked and nervous as I was feeling. “I’m just preparing my table.”

“Okay.”

I sat down and swiped my phone open. I had to keep busy, or I’d be tempted to stare at Olive the entire time. I couldn’t resist stealing glances at her, though. The way she swiftly shuffled her cards was enthralling.

A man who looked to be in his fifties approached our table. I was happy for the distraction.

“Hello, Hugo,” Olive said, giving him a warm smile.

“Hi there, Olive. Do you mind if I take some pictures? I’m doing an extended article forOld Pine Cove Weekly.”

“Go ahead.”

They chatted for a while about the fundraiser before Hugo moved on to the next table. She caught me watching her, and one of her eyebrows shot up. “I’m sorry, wasn’t I allowed to speak to him, in case I disclosed some secret information?”

“Are you making fun of me?”

She crossed her arms. “I wouldn’t dare.”

“This is no joke, you know.”