Read Online Debbie Macomber by Where Angels Go - Free Book Online Page B

her for the three dates.
    She probably would’ve accepted a fourth except that he’d admitted their relationship wasn’t working for him. He’d been sincere when he said they should call it quits before either of them got hurt.
    Well, surprise, surprise. Luke’s rejection had cut deep and served, once again, to convince Beth that she was incapable of ever attracting another man. Afterward she’d steered away from dating at all and a couple of weeks later, she’d found the World of Warcraft and since then, almost her entire social life had been as a Night Elf and hunter.
    Now there was Peter, a man she’d never actually met. His family had suggested he “get a life,” so it was highly probably that he was single, too. Beth wanted to ask him, only she couldn’t figure out how to do it without being obvious. A straightforward question about his marital status seemed out of line at this stage.
    They’d been into the game for about ten minutes when Peter sent her another message. This might be a stupid question but are you…single, married, whatever?
    He’d asked her.
    Beth’s relief was instantaneous. Single.
    Me, too.
    Age?
    Is this an interrogation? she typed back.
    Sort of. Do you mind?
    Not really. She didn’t, because in the process she was learning more about him.
    I’ll tell if you will.
    All right.
    I’m edging toward thirty, he typed. Which is one reason my family is after me to meet someone.
    Me, too. Her heart really started to pound then. Perhaps that candle her mother had lit in church was working. Perhaps, in some quirky way, her prayer had taken effect.
    Peter was single; she was single.
    He lived in Seattle and she lived in Seattle.
    He was close to her age and a professional, just as she was.
    This almost sounded too good to be true.
    My family says it’s time I met someone, she typed next.
    They do? He seemed as astonished as she felt—as if he, too, was finding this a bit too coincidental. Eerie, even.
    A moment later, he typed, What’s wrong with you?
    Well, he was direct enough, but she’d been pretty honest with him, too. She toyed with the idea of telling him she’d been married and divorced, and then remembered Heidi’s advice. It wasn’t necessary to blurt out everything on the first date—even if this wasn’t exactly a date.
    I spend too much time playing computer games. She smiled as her fingers skipped effortlessly over the keyboard.
    I’ve got the same problem, came his reply.
    Silly though it was, Beth felt sure they were both smiling. Their conversation went on for another hour, and she was shocked to realize the game had become secondary.
    That night when Beth crawled into bed and drew the blanket over her shoulders, she fell into an easy, peaceful sleep. She woke with a feeling of expectation, as if something wonderful was about to happen. Keeping her eyes closed, she tried to hang on to that sensation for as long as she could, afraid reality would chase it away.
    The phone rang while she dressed for work. Call display told her it was her mother.
    â€œHi, Mom,” she said, answering the phone while fastening an earring.
    â€œYou sound happy.”
    â€œI am—well, kind of.”
    Her mother’s hesitation was brief. “Does this have anything to do with the man you met on that computer game you’re always playing?”
    Beth found it hard to believe she’d actually mentioned Peter to her mother. She’d done it on impulse—a bad impulse—hoping to shut down a barrage of veiled criticism and heavy-handed encouragement. Normally her mother would be the last person she’d tell. “We haven’t even met, Mom,” she finally confessed. “At least not in the flesh.”
    â€œWhat’s the holdup?”
    â€œHe hasn’t suggested we meet outside the game,” Beth said, which in her opinion was a perfectly logical explanation.