Free Dating for Two (Matchmaking Mamas) by Marie Ferrarella Page B

sold under the Imagine That banner. There were six people here, not counting her. Gypsy, her assistant, was also their go-to IT person. Rhonda and Mike were the ones who did most of the brainstorming with her while Judith, Neal and Christian took the drawings and made them into three-dimensional toys. They had become as much a part of her family as her mother was.
    “Guys, I’ve got to go,” she announced, trying to remember where she’d left her oversize purse.
    “But you’re the guest of honor—you can’t leave,” Christian protested.
    “We’ll have to stop partying,” Gypsy said, pouting.
    “No, you won’t. You all worked hard,” Erin told them. “You go right on partying. But I have a promise to keep.”
    “Right, dinner with your mother,” Mike said, nodding his head. “You’d better go. You’ve already stood her up once this week.”
    Erin stared at him, only slightly dumbfounded. “Does everyone know every detail of my life?” she asked.
    “What life, sweetness?” Christian teased. “You live here, remember? With us. All we’d need to do is put in a couple more hours a day and we’d be like that reality show where a whole bunch of people live together.”
    “Except that we have more class and we don’t get on each other’s nerves,” Gypsy said brightly.
    “Speak for yourself,” Mike deadpanned. “Me, I’d mow the lot of you down in an instant for box seats at a Dodgers game.”
    “He’s kidding,” Gypsy said with a nervous laugh, then looked at Erin as the latter began to leave. “He’s kidding, right?”
    Despite her uncanny ability when it came to computers, Gypsy had the innocence of a child at times. “Yes, he’s kidding, aren’t you, Mike?” Erin said pointedly.
    Rail thin and dark haired, Mike saluted her. “Whatever you say, my liege.”
    “Maybe we should keep less long hours,” Erin concluded.
    “From your lips to God’s ears, boss,” Mike agreed, calling after her.
    Erin merely waved her hand over her head to indicate that she’d heard. But she kept walking, knowing if she stopped even for a moment longer, chances were that she’d never get out.
    And there was a little boy out there, waiting for a dinosaur.

Chapter Six
    E rin parked next to the curb, turned off her engine and then took a deep breath as she gathered herself together.
    This wasn’t something she normally did, but then, the last couple of days had definitely been spent out of her comfort zone. First addressing a classroom of children, then pitching a partnership with a toy-store chain and now this personalized delivery service. Not exactly on the same level as slaying dragons, but still, for her, not something she was all that accustomed to.
    But to not do this would somehow be breaking her word to a child, even if that word had been given through a third person.
    Okay, let’s do this and go.
    Getting out of her vintage white Civic, Erin rounded the hood and went to the passenger side.
    “Let’s go, big fella,” she said to the large stuffed dinosaur that had been riding shotgun over to Jason Kendall’s home.
    The plan was simple enough. She was going to put the Tex the T. rex toy on the front doorstep, ring the doorbell and leave. No explanations seemed necessary. All Jason needed to do was take one look at the dinosaur and her presence would have been superfluous.
    She managed to get the putting-down part and the ringing-the-doorbell part right, but when she herself turned to quickly leave, the left heel of her stiletto got caught in a minor crack in the cement step that she hadn’t even noticed until it took her shoe prisoner.
    So instead of pivoting and going, she pivoted and suddenly found herself lunging forward because her left shoe, which sported laces up past her ankle, didn’t go along with the momentum of the rest of her.
    When the front door was opened in response to the doorbell, the person standing in the doorway found her in a crouching position on the front step. For a