Taking a few quick steps, he blocked her from leaving. “I’m not a fucking matchmaker. You asked me to find someone for you, and I did. If he wasn’t perfect, it’s not my fault.”
“Perfect! I’m not asking for someoneperfect. Someone who’s emotionally available would be a good start. I don’t need another friend; I need a boyfriend!” They were nose to nose and yelling at each other. Not caring about the curious stares from the patrons aimed at them. “I can see now you’re not the person to help me. You failed with your badly chosen date for me. If Darius is the kind of man you’re going to set me up with, I’d have a better chance with online dating.”
He jerked back like she’d slapped him. A deadly calm washed over him. The wordfailedwasn’t one he swallowed easily. The last time he’d failed at something—his marriage—had been out of his control. This time, he’d deliver what Chloe wanted.
Through gritted teeth, he said, “You want me to find the man of your dreams?”
She pulled a face as if to say,duh!
“Fine, I’ll find you your Mr. Right. I’ll find you the best goddamn man you’ll ever meet, and you’ll be so grateful, you’ll be sending me Christmas cards for the rest of your life thanking me for how fucking awesome your life is.” He leaned down so their faces were inches apart. “Okay?”
Her chin jutted out, and she said, “Yes.”
“Okay,” he stepped away. “I’ll take you home.”
He shoved the timber doors open and left the bar. Now all he needed to do was find the perfect guy. There was no way he was going to fail atanythingagain.
Chapter Sixteen
WhenChloegothome,she was still mad at Theo for not taking his matchmaking duties seriously. But more than that, she was mad at herself; she never should have asked him for his help. What was worth doing was worth doing yourself, and all that.
As much as she hated the thought of online dating, several of her university friends had met their spouses online. Pulling out her phone, she opened up her dating profile and scrolled through the options. None of them leaped out at her.
Not a one.
After twenty minutes of searching, she closed the app even more frustrated than before. She couldn’t learn anything useful about a prospective mate from a picture and a profile. There needed to be sparks—passion—and that was definitely lacking in an app.
She glanced at the clock. She could still go out, but what good would that do? Anyone out at a bar was likely trolling for a hookup, not the long haul. And the thought of speed dating gave her the heebie-jeebies.
Which brought her back to square one: asking her friends to hook her up with their single male acquaintances. And at the rate she was going, she was going to be single forever. Darius was far and away the best of the bunch, as pathetic as that was.
Darius was a nice guy—objectively handsome, even—with dark-brown skin and twinkling black eyes. Except for they hadn’t been twinkling all that much during their date. Less than five minutes in, they’d become tear filled. As much as Chloe appreciated his ability to show his emotions, she hadn’t been attracted to him. At all.
Argh, this is hopeless!
Needing a comforting voice, she dialed Daniela. Hazel and Blair were great, but nothing seemed to faze Daniela, and she desperately needed a steady ear right now.
Her friend picked up on the second ring. “You’ve got ten minutes. Go.”
“In the middle of a crisis?”
“Always,” she answered over the sound of a clacking keyboard. “But I’ve got ten minutes for you.”
It was as good as she was going to get. “My life sucks,” Chloe stated.
“Join the club.”
“No, really. I can’t find a husband!”
“And that’s a problem?” She could hear the amusement in Daniela’s voice.
“It is if you want to get married and have babies.”
“Technically speaking, you don’t need a husband for the latter.”
Daniela would know; she’d had her own child via artificial insemination. Chloe knew she didn’t have it in her to be a single parent. Plus she really wanted what her two brothers had with their wives, a partner who she could rely on and love through thick and thin. An image of Theo swam into her thoughts, and she just as quickly shoved him under. “But I want a husband!”
“That’s fine.”
