Page 35 of Close Match

Pulling back, I scan her from head to toe. “It means you should know you’re going to wish you didn’t eat for three days once you get started.”

As I start moving us forward again, I think I hear her say, “I didn’t eat because I was so nervous.”

Ah, well, crap.

As we approach the table, I give my mother and Ev a reassuring smile. “Look who I ran into at the hostess station.” I drop Lynn’s arm and place a hand at the small of her back.

Ev gets to his feet slowly. “Lynn?” he whispers in shock. “You look just like Elle did but…”

She holds out her hand. “With your eyes. I always wondered where they came from. Mom said it was from a distant relative.”

He scrambles around the table and clutches both of Lynn’s hands in his. They stare at each other as I move around to Mom. It’s beautiful, awful, and painful to watch. I curl Mom into my chest when I hear Lynn ask, “So, which do you prefer? Everett, Ev, or Rhett? Monty gave away your full name earlier when he was trying to prevent me from screaming holy hell after he accosted me in the foyer.”

Mom bursts out laughing. I have to defend myself. “I did not ‘accost’ you. I was merely trying to detain you as you looked like you were ready to bolt.”

She snickers. “What are you? A cop or something?”

Mom and Ev answer, “Something,” in unison. I tack on, “I was, but I recently changed jobs.” Her lips part in surprise.

“Let’s sit. Get some drinks. I’m Charlotte—Char—Monty’s mother.” Mom holds out her hand for Lynn to shake. Lynn reaches past me and squeezes.

“It’s a pleasure. And please, everyone, make it Linnie. That’s what my close friends and my family call me.”

Linnie. It suits the sharp, funky woman sitting next to me much better than Lynn does. “So, who’s sitting where?” I ask.

Ev’s still in a state of shock. He’s barely moved since his daughter approached the table. “Why don’t you sit next to Linnie, sweetheart. This way, I can snap Ev out of his stupor,” Mom suggests.

“Probably a good idea,” I joke.

“So, it is Ev,” Linnie confirms, as I hold her chair for her.

Since he seems incapable of speech, I answer for him. “Yes.”

She turns to her father and asks, “Then why use Rhett on your profile?”

Ev opens and closes his mouth like a fish. It’s Mom who answers. “When Ev was younger, a lot of people knew him by that name. If they wanted to make a connection, he figured that would be the name they recognized.”

Linnie’s about to respond when the waiter approaches our table for drinks. She orders a Shirley Temple with crushed mint in the bottom. Mom looks at her appraisingly. “That sounds…delicious. Can I have one as well?”

Linnie blushes. “I don’t drink, but please don’t think you don’t have to on my account.”

“I host luncheons all the time, and people are always trying to top one another for the menu. You’ll excuse the fact if this taste as good as it sounds, I’m totally going to steal the idea.” Both women laugh.

“Be my guest. I had it once with lemonade at a restaurant, but I decided to nix the lemonade.”

“You do you, Linnie.” I toast her with the water glass sitting at my right.

“So, how was your flight down?” Ev’s voice is low and quiet, but at least he’s broken his self-imposed silence.

Linnie picks up her glass of water and takes a small sip. “A bit bumpy. I had some rough weather.”

Ev frowns. “It’s been a beautiful day.”

She shrugs. “It was horrible yesterday. I flew through torrential rain over Delaware. I swear, I thought the state wanted to keep me it seemed to take so long to go over it.”

“Why didn’t you say you were coming in last night? You were all alone?”

“Sometimes, I need a little downtime. Time to just…be. I’m not a huge fan of flying to begin with, and I knew I’d be anxious meeting you. I decided to come in a day early so I could curl up with a bowl of ice cream, reread your emails, and be talked off the ledge of insanity by my sister. Who, by the way, says hello. Since she’s read every email you sent, she feels she knows you already.” Ev’s face is a mixture of humorous tragedy.