Page 16 of Just Another Silly Love Song

I sighed and sat down at the table on the other side of the kitchen counter, tapping my fingers on the maple wood. “I seriously doubt it.”

She put her finger to her lips. “Shhh!”

“Reggie is calling from Torrey Pines. You’re on the air with Dr. Tough Love. What’s going on?”

“My girlfriend says I don’t do enough for her.”

“Well . . . is she right? I’m guessing she is if she had to tell you that.”

Grandma Joyce pointed to the radio. “See right there? He’s intuitive and knows how to dig deep and get the info before he dispenses the advice.”

I rolled my eyes. “The only thing he dispenses comes from the back end of a bull.”

She put her finger to her lips again. “Shhh!”

“I have no idea if I do enough for her,” the caller said. “I think I do.”

“Well, there’s one of your problems right there if you don’t know,” Dr. Tough Love pointed out.

“How do I even measure how much is enough? I do lots of things for her.”

“Yes, but do you do the right things? What one woman wants may be different from what another woman wants.”

The caller sighed. “I’m so confused.”

“Welcome to the club, my friend. A woman is like a complex puzzle. Just when you think you have her all figured out, you notice there’s a piece missing.”

Grandma Joyce gestured to the radio with her head. “That’s what I’m talking about. The man gets us.”

I shook my head. “He gets on my nerves.”

Dr. Tough Love chuckled. “If you’re open to taking care of her needs, whatever they may be, anything at all, then it’s an easy fix. Have you tried asking her what you could do to make her happy?”

“Yes! When I asked her she said I should know!”

Dr. Tough Love sighed. “Men aren’t mind-readers, you know.”

I jumped to my feet and pointed to the radio. “I knew that annoying voice sounded familiar! It’s him!”

Startled from my outburst, Grandma Joyce flipped one of the pancakes onto the counter. “What are you talking about?” She picked up the errant pancake with her fingers and slapped it back on the griddle.

I jabbed my finger in the direction of the radio. “Dr. Tough Love. I met him at Peet’s Coffee before I went into the radio station and got canned. He’s the guy who stole my parking spot. And let me tell you he’s just as annoying in person as he is on the radio.”

“I thought you said the man bought you a mocha. How is that annoying? Sounds very sweet to me.”

I hesitated. “Well . . . yeah . . . he did get me a mocha, but—”

“I can’t believe you met Dr. Tough Love. Oh, I am so jealous! Did you get his autograph?”

“No, Grandma Joyce, I did not get his autograph.”

“Your loss. Is he as gorgeous in person as he looks on those billboards?”

“No.”

“What do you mean, no?”

“It’s self-explanatory.”