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“Uh, yeah. I mean, no. I mean …”What do I mean? Who tells another woman they should get together and compare notes about the guy they’re both seeing?
Tim jokes, “I could go to the snack bar if you want to do that now.”
Despite Shandy’s eager expression, I tell him, “I should be getting back to Jamie.”
“Have fun,” Tim says enthusiastically, making me wonder if he even likes me inthatway. Yes, there have been a few kisses, but none of them have rocked my world. Heck, they haven’t moved it the tiniest bit.
“Tim will give you my number if you ever want to get together,” Shandy calls out.
What’s happened in the dating world since I was last an active participant? It used to be you only had to worry about how to tell a guy you weren’t going to hit the sheets with him right after he took you out for a beer and free pretzels. Now, apparently, his other dates want to get together and spill the tea. That’s a big no for me.
As I walk away, I wonder how to explain what just happened to Jamie. He had to have seen that I was talking to Tim. He doesn’t give me a chance to say anything though. Instead, as soon as I get back to my chair, he asks, “Who’s Tim’s friend?”
I’m tempted to tell him that Shandy is his sister/employee/dog walker/psychic/water aerobics instructor … anything but the truth. But for some unknown reason, I come clean. “Shandy is his date.”
“I thought he was datingyou.”
I inhale deeply before letting the air slowly leak out of me. Once it’s nearly depleted, I tell him, “Tim doesn’t believe in only seeing one person at a time. He thinks we should play the field so that if we become exclusive, we won’t wonder what else is out there.”
Jamie inhales sharply like I just told him that Tim has a tail and wants me to move to the middle of the Red Sea with him to start a seahorse farm. “What do you think about that?”
“It makes sense …” Lies! But I don’t want Jamie to think that Tim and I aren’t on the same page. Just because he doesn’t want to kiss me doesn’t mean a whole slew of other guys don’t.Top secret factoid: There is no slew of other guys.
“Are you dating other people, too?” he wants to know.
Hundreds. Thousands. Three million.“Not at this time.”
“Why?”
“There’s no one else who interests me.” I don’t dare look at him, so I focus my attention onto the edge of my towel.
“No one?”
“Not a soul.”
“But you’d consider going out with someone else if they asked you?”
“I’m talking to a salamander breeder who sounds pretty promising,” I blurt out.
“Really?”
“He’s very concerned about global warming and composting,” I tell him. “He’s quite a catch.”
“If you say so …”
“How about you?” I ask. “I know you said that you don’t introduce Sammy to your dates, but surely someone has caught your fancy in the last week.” Why did I ask him that? I don’t want to know if he’s dating anyone.
“I barely see anybody but you and Sammy.” I’m on the verge of asking if I’ve caught his fancy, but I already know the answer.
“That’s too bad,” I tell him before offering, “Would you like me to ask Tim to set you up with some of the women he isn’t interested in?”
“Hardly,” Jamie scoffs. “If and when I start dating, I’ll find my own companions.” I feel his eyes boring into the side of my head. I don’t dare look at him for fear a Vulcan mind meld might occur.
“There are all kinds of apps out there to aid you,” I suggest helpfully.
“I don’t need apps,” he practically spits.
“Maybe not in Chicago. But there aren’t a lot of singletons over the age of twenty in Elk Lake. Especially in the off season.” I should know.
