Free Déjà Date by Susan Hatler Page A

of dizziness overtook me. I gripped the counter for support.
    I needed to go see my mom as soon as possible and beg for more time to complete my dad’s Carpe Diem list. But due to my (still unnamed) pup’s intermittent hacking, I first had to first take her to the check-up appointment I’d made at All Things Furry—the vet clinic where my roommate took her cats.
    The vet had come highly recommended by Ginger’s friend, Ellen Holbrook, who also happened to be an old co-worker of mine. Although Ellen and I had both worked in the same department for years, I was practically the only woman at the company who hadn’t been invited to her wedding—or later, to her baby shower.
    This was of the many reasons I groaned when Mary Ann called as I was leaving the vet’s office, and asked if she could invite Ellen to my girls’ night on Friday.
    “Ellen’s baby is due any day now and she’s been cooped up in her house since she’s been on maternity leave,” Mary Ann pleaded, emphatically. “A spa night with the girls is just what she needs.”
    “Spa night?” I blinked, setting my little pooch on the front passenger seat, along with the bag of expensive medications I’d had to charge on my credit card (yep, kennel cough). When I released my pooch she immediately scrambled toward the front passenger’s side window, propping herself up on her hind paws so she could press her nose against the window and study the two kids running through the parking lot.
    Ruff! Ruff!
    “Yeah, doesn’t a spa night sound fun?” Mary Ann’s voice bellowed enthusiasm. “You’ve had an emotional week, and I think it would be good for you.”
    Apparently she thought it would be good for Ellen Holbrook, too. I was already feeling like an outsider at my first girls’ night ever. Thanks, Dad.
    I sucked in a breath. “Honestly, I don’t think Ellen would want to come to a party I’m hosting.” I connected Mary Ann to my car’s speakerphone, then set my cell down so I had both hands free. “I’m pretty sure she doesn’t like me,” I said, hoping she’d tell me I was being paranoid.
    Long pause. “Okay, that’s another reason I’m suggesting the spa night. It’s come to my attention that Ellen and some of the other gals find you a little intimidating.”
    “Me?” I’d been backing out of the parking space and braked way too hard when she’d called me intimidating, remembering that Avery had said the exact same thing to me the other day. “What do you mean?”
    “Oh, you know .” Her voice rang out cheerfully. “How you’re always so put together, and look like you just stepped out of a fashion magazine. Personally, I say more power to you. But apparently some people find it off-putting. Surprised me, too.”
    “I appreciate your honesty.” I slammed my foot on the gas, making the car lurch forward before I sped down the street. I’d worked with some of those women at the office for over four years, and had always thought I’d done something wrong to make them not like me. But it was my appearance? I pressed my lips together. “In grade school, I was made fun of for being an ugly duckling. Now, nobody likes me because I look too good?”
    “It’s not that they don’t like you,” she said, quickly. Then she sighed. “Don’t get mad at me for saying this, but you are kind of hard to get to know. I mean, every time I want to hang out with you I pretty much have to invite myself.”
    “When have you had to . . .?” My brows came together as I thought back to when we’d gone out to dinner last weekend, to breakfast at the bakery on Monday, and then to get my (nameless) dog last night. She’d initiated each invitation. Shoot, she’d even called me just now. I shook my head, and sighed. “You’re totally right. I guess I have trouble reaching out.”
    “It’s no biggie. I just think Ellen might have an easier time getting to know you in a relaxed environment like a spa night.” She lowered her voice. “It’s