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“It’s a good networking opportunity regardless,” Warren said.
I hadn’t really thought of the event that way. I certainly wasn’t here to meet anyone. I was only here to keep Thea from meeting someone.
A chime sounded from the bar, quieting the crowd of people. The woman who handed out the name tags stood up, clearing her throat as her cheeks turned red.
“Could all the ladies please take a seat at the table listed on their name tag? Take the seat closest to the windows.”
Thea wished Warren and I luck before finding her seat.
“Before the men join you, I’ll go over the rules. You’ll find a sheet of paper and a pen at your seat. Keep it with you. You can take notes about your date. Each date lasts five minutes. I’ll chime the bell and you’ll have thirty seconds to move to the next table. Men will move, ladies will stay where they are. Once you reach table twelve, go back to one. The dates will last just over an hour, at which point, you’re welcome to talk to whoever you want and also turn in the bottom half of your sheet. On the bottom half of your sheet, you’ll find all twelve tables and you’ll indicate which person you would like to date again. Tomorrow, you’ll receive an email with the name and phone number of anyone you matched with. Questions?”
A few hands raised. No, we wouldn’t get someone’s number if they didn’t circle our name too. Yes, we had to go through all the tables, even if we’d dated the person before. No, we weren’t obligated to stay at the bar after the speed dating was over.
I checked my name tag and sat across from a shy woman who looked fresh out of high school and vaguely familiar. A minute into the date, I realized she was my employee’s cousin, and in fact, just graduated from high school.
I successfully navigated three dates, leaning on the sheet of questions more than a little for two of them. At the sound of the bell, I said goodbye to Lindsey, a Franklin Notch resident who’d been three years my senior in high school. She talked about her ex for the entire five minutes, leaving me relieved when the bell rang. I scanned for Thea.
She stood up from the table, brushing a kiss over Warren’s cheek before sitting back down with a smile. An ugly rise of jealousy pitted at the bottom of my stomach and I tried to push it back unsuccessfully.
“Hi, Ben.” An actual stranger greeted me.
“Hi…” I squinted at her name tag. She smiled, leaning forward so I had a better view. “Dana. I don’t think we’ve met before.”
She shook her head. “Probably not. I’m new in town.”
The bell chimed and I relaxed into the seat. “Well, that’s not something you hear very often around here.”
“So I’ve found out.” She set her arms on the table, lowering her voice conspiratorially. “Apparently, out-of-towners are a hot commodity at events like this. Everyone seems to know each other.”
I laughed. “Yeah. You might actually be the first stranger I’ve met tonight.”
“So, you haven’t circled anyone’s name yet?” Dana asked with a grin, eyes glancing down at my sheet.
I shook my head. “Not yet. What brings you to the White Mountains?”
Dana raked a hand through her blonde hair. “A job, actually.”
“Wow.”
“Is that another thing you don’t hear often?”
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but there aren’t a lot of opportunities for work that aren’t scooped up by a local.”
“Well, I’m a vet, so there’s a high bar to entry.”
I tilted my head. “A veterinarian?”
“I mean, if you want to get fancy with the title, sure. It’s right here in downtown Pierce, actually.”
“Dr. Dan Roberts?” I asked incredulously.
“You know him?”
I nodded. “I do. I know you, too. We were supposed to meet yesterday, in fact.”
Her eyes got wide, darting to my name tag. She winced. “Ben Clark.”
“That’s me. Whitney said you would be at the rescue Friday at seven and you never showed.”
