Read Online The Dating Intervention: Book 1 in the Intervention Series by Hilary Dartt - Free Book Online Page A

 
    “No, not always. Hold on.”
    Summer covered the mouthpiece of her phone, and Delaney heard muffled shouting.  
    “Sorry. Now Luke is walking around in a shirt, socks and shoes – nothing else – claiming he’s going to town naked from the waist down. We have to load the car in three minutes.”  
    Delaney couldn’t imagine having to wrangle all those kids, every single day. She could barely get herself ready in the morning. Just thinking about getting four kids ready made her want to commit to lifelong abstinence. Well, not really .  
    “Don’t you have a suit?” Summer’s voice cut into her thoughts. “You bought that suit when you were job hunting before, right?”  
    “It’s ten years old. It’s ugly. And it’s in the garbage.”  
    “Oh. You could wear pants and a nice sweater. Spend today working on your resume, then. And buy some nice paper to print it on. I gotta go. I don’t think Luke has any clean underwear, actually. He might really be going commando today.”
    Crap. Delaney didn’t have a suit, she didn’t have a resume and she didn’t have a printer.
    “I guess it’s time to go shopping,” she said.  
    Her phone chirped. It was a text from Summer.  
    A suit in the garbage is not an excuse to go shopping. Don’t procrastinate. Work on your resume.  
    “How did she know ?”  

    ***
    It was her first transgression, Delaney thought, but it probably wouldn’t be her last. She was supposed to follow all directions issued by Summer and Josie. But if they wanted her to find a new job, she needed a suit. If they wanted her to print a resume, she needed a printer. Yes, she admitted to herself, she could have spent the morning working on her resume on the computer. But what fun was that? A little retail therapy never hurt anyone. Josie would definitely agree.
    Manic. It was the only word to describe the shopping trip.  
    Delaney started at Juniper’s only department store, where Candi, a gray-haired, pink-lipsticked older woman who dotted the i on her nametag with a heart, helped her choose a new suit. Gray with white pinstripes.  
    “You know, honey, this is almost exactly like the suit I bought when I started my first job, as the receptionist at a bowling alley. It was 1976.”  
    Great. Perfect.
    They moved on to shoes after that (Candi pressed for bright pink patent leather heels but Delaney chose black). Candi decided the outfit wouldn’t be complete without a string of pearls.  
    “Good luck with your interviews, honey,” Candi said as Delaney took her bag. “I can just see the potential inside of you! Let me give you a hug!”
    Surprisingly touched by the gesture, Delaney felt tears spring to her eyes as she inhaled Candi’s floral perfume and hugged her back.  
    Now, iced tea in hand, she headed to the office supply store. Why stop at a printer and resume paper? I need to be prepared.  
    If she was going to get a job, she had to let the Universe know she really wanted one. She had to act like a professional. She had to feel like a professional. She had to be a professional. At least, that’s what Summer would say. She filled her basket with everything she thought she’d need for the job hunt: bright yellow paper clips in fun shapes, a new pencil holder for her desk, colorful stacking file holders and new pens.  
    Fully stocked for resume writing and job-hunting, Delaney headed to the grocery store. She spent a long time perusing the frozen foods aisle in search of something that would look homemade for tonight’s dinner but she came up empty. The girls would know.  
    Lemon chicken. She could make that, no problem. She’d show Summer and Josie she knew how to cook. It had been a while, but she managed to find the chicken, breadcrumbs, lemons and butter in a half hour. She grabbed some asparagus for a side dish and started feeling a bit smug. What else? Mashed potatoes. The kids would love mashed potatoes.
    Throughout the day, she found herself glancing over