Free 204 Rosewood Lane by Debbie Macomber

eat,” she said without hesitating. “I’m sick of men who want skinny women. I want a man to take me to a fancy restaurant and ask me to order an appetizer and suggest I save room for dessert. Better yet, I’d like a man who did the cooking himself.” She glanced around the shop. “Does anyone know someone like that?”
    A sudden silence cut off the lively conversation. “Well, actually, I do know someone who cooks,” Maryellen said slowly, thinking of Jon Bowman. “Jon’s a chef at a truly wonderful restaurant.”
    â€œWhy’d you break up with him?” Rachel asked.
    â€œWe’ve never, uh, actually dated.” Nor would they, despite her curiosity. Maryellen loved Jon’s work and he intrigued her as a person, but her interest in him wasn’t romantic. No men in her life, no matter how attractive: that was her Number One rule. “I’d be willing to introduce you, Teri, if you wanted.”
    â€œYou would?” The other woman’s voice lifted with enthusiasm.
    â€œSo what do we do next?” Rachel asked, glancing around the shop. “It looks like we’ve all dated a man who meets someone else’s criteria, which is great but isn’t helping any of us right now.”
    â€œWe could throw a party,” Jeannie said. “Sort of drag out our discards for the others to sort through.”
    â€œA rummage sale of old lovers,” Teri suggested. Her client laughed, and the other women at the shop joined in.
    â€œI’ll wear my black blouse,” Rachel said decisively. “I don’t care if Larry ruins that.” Then, looking at Maryellen, she added in a whisper, “I can’t afford to be picky. My car’s in sad shape.”
    Jane reached for the calendar. “We could make it a Halloween party,” she announced. “What do you think?”
    The immediate consensus was that a Halloween party was a good idea.
    â€œThat’ll give us a little more than two weeks to come up with some fun ideas. Let’s get this organized.”
    â€œYeah.”
    â€œYou bet.”
    â€œCount me in.”
    Maryellen wasn’t sure how it happened, but despite her original reluctance, she soon found herself involved.
    â€œHow are we going to get the guys to come?” Jane, the most practical of the group, asked. “I don’t think Floyd would be interested in dating me again.”
    â€œLarry could be married for all I know.”
    â€œAsk,” Maryellen said. “And you need to be up-front with them. Explain to the guy that you’re bringing him to the party as your guest, but he’ll be meeting other women once he gets there.”
    â€œI’ll let Larry know that someone’s dying to meet him,” Teri said.
    â€œPerfect!” Rachel sounded absolutely delighted.
    When Maryellen left Get Nailed, her head was spinning. She really hadn’t meant to become part of this scheme, although she’d started the conversation.
    She didn’t know how the others planned to handle this, but she certainly wasn’t going to wait for the last minute to mention the party to Jon. When Teri had talked aboutwanting to meet a man who enjoyed food, he’d come instantly to mind. In retrospect, Maryellen regretted mentioning his name. She didn’t know what had prompted her. It was probably because he’d been in her thoughts ever since their last meeting. This latest group of photographs was some of his best work to date, and she’d been almost sorry they’d sold so quickly.
    Considering that she’d suggested the direct approach to the others, she felt obliged to follow her own advice. She waited a week, and then dialed the phone number listed in her Rolodex.
    Jon answered on the second ring. “Hello.”
    â€œJon, hello, this is Maryellen Sherman.” She hesitated, waiting for some kind of acknowledgment. “The manager of the Harbor Street