Page 94 of It's Not PMS, It's You

I just stared at him.

Sitting in front of me was a man who admitted when he was wrongandactually asked for directions. Two of the qualities I was hoping to find in a man, even though I knew the odds were better that I would spot the Loch Ness Monster.

I needed to take a picture of Gustav.

He was a rare man and he now had my full attention.

Maybe I was finally going to get lucky and meet a decent guy.

He squeezed the black portfolio in his hands. “Sometimes the small chit-chat of a date can get in the way of what’s most important to successful business people like ourselves.” He opened his portfolio, pulled out a slip of paper, and handed it to me. “Here are my qualifications, as well as my investment portfolio. This can help you make a quick decision as to whether or not I’m worth your time.” He winked. “I think my investments and net-worth speak for themselves. Let me know if you have any questions or need me to expand on anything that you see there.”

Wow. This guy was well-prepared.

Smart, well-dressed, and right to the point.

I always appreciated a man who didn’t beat around the bush.

Although I had to admit this was a little weird as I eyed the document that told me he was worth over twenty million dollars and had a house overlooking San Diego Bay.

Yes, another item on of my list of traits when I started on this dating journey was to find a man who was fiscally responsible. Someone who knew how to manage his money well, and had an impressive portfolio of growth stocks, treasury securities, municipal bonds, plus a high-yield savings account, and multiple real estate holdings.

Gustav had all of these things and more.

I nodded, reading the information. “Harvard, huh?”

Gustav nodded. “Graduated top of my class.” He pointed to the document. “I’m sorry I ran out of space and I’m not a fan of two-page documents. I thought I would tell you verbally that I do have eleven other investment properties not listed under my real estate holdings. Palm Springs, Las Vegas, New York, Miami, Costa Rica, just to name a few. I have a team working for me at the moment to acquire more international properties. I’m open to investing in any part of the world. The goal has always been to be well-diversified.”

I nodded. “You can’t have a much better goal than that.”

Gustav had almost all of the things I was looking for on the list I had created. He was confident, kind, smart, successful, fiscally responsible, open-minded, good looking, and had good decision-making capabilities.

On paper, he was perfect and matched everything on my list.

Why wasn’t I doing backflips over him?

I should be leaning forward in my seat, eager to get to know as much as possible about him before the three minutes were up. I should be visualizing us on a real date and looking forward to it. The truth was, that was the furthest thing from my mind.

Are you looking for a soulmate or a business partner?

Dee’s question popped into my head, front and center.

According to her, the traits I wanted in a man were ridiculous.

I was beginning to see her point.

She said I needed someone with a sense of humor.

A man who was compassionate, honest, and down-to-earth.

Someone like Nick.

Oops, I did it again.

I brought Nick back into the equation and I really needed to stop doing that.

The bell rang and snapped me out of my thoughts. “Wow, that was fast.”

Gustav nodded. “Time flies when you’re having fun.” He stood and held out his hand. “It was a pleasure to meet you.”