Looking for Love (6 page)

“
That, and the house is falling
apart.”

“
What do you mean?” She stood
over him, scrutinising the new lines forming on his forehead and
around his eyes. She’d known Ross since they were in high school
and to see him starting to age ten years later pinched at her heart
a bit. For some reason, she’d thought he’d be young and carefree
forever.

“
I bought a scrap heap.”

“
You chose it.”

“
I know. But once I bought it, I found all these hidden
problems—cracks in the foundations, drainage problems in the
garden, ant infestation in the roof, window latches broken, frames
rusted.”

That’s the
first time she’d heard about all his house problems.

He rubbed his forehead and she
wanted to give him a head massage all of a sudden to ease the
tension.
He
just looked so vulnerable and tired.
Like someone very dear to her, she
couldn’t bear to see that look on his face—helpless and despondent.
It burst her mood bubble.

“
Really? You never told me.”

“
I’ve kind of been in denial.”

“
But you’ve been there two years already.”

Why didn’t he tell her things?
She told him everything. Okay, she hadn’t exactly mentioned
The Album
yet.

“
I know.” He c
ricked his neck with his palm.
“Never mind about that. I’ll end up fixing it all myself, weekend
by weekend. Maybe it’s a good thing you’re busy with your new
business now. You won’t be seeing much of me.”

“
I can help you out on Sundays.”
She hovered over him, pondering whether to massage his tense
shoulders. Poor chap, worked to the bone.

“
What? Then you won’t get any
rest at all?”

“
I don’t know. Maybe helping you
will give me a rest in a way.” They’d always enjoyed doing tasks
together.

“
Nah. I don’t expect—”

She punched
his arm. “Don’t be such a martyr. I’m going to help you. What’s
decided is decided.”

“
Getting stubborn in your old
age?”

“
Mmmh.” She huffed at him. “I’m
not old like you—you’re already getting wrinkles. I just noticed
them now.”

He stood up
and grabbed her hands. “Don’t lie to me.”

He pressed his nose and
c
ross-eyes
right near her face, the tiredness gone and a mischievous grin
lighting his face. Close up, she took in his rainy-day grey eyes
flecked with snowflakes, the centre dark and deep, sucking her in.
His eyes had always fascinated her.

“
You’re just jealous that I’m two
years older than you and a whole ton wiser
,” he continued.

“
Wise. You?” She pulled away before he could tickle
her.

Ross
had gotten into this tickling habit
the last few months, and she didn’t feel right about it. She had
her suspicions he was developing feelings for her, and really, that
wouldn’t go down well at all. It would totally mess up their
friendship and then, what would she do without him? Sure, her
chicky friends were her life, but Ross was a great sounding block
when her relationships with them went bad. And they’d had their
moments. Plus, it was great to have a guy to call when she needed a
handyman or car repair advice. Or just a logical shoulder to cry
on. Not an emotional, PMS, mood-swing girly shoulder.

He dug his fingers into her waist, but she
pulled away and ran to the kitchen before he could tuck in. Her
heart pounding with the chase and relief of breaking away before he
got really into her, she pulled out some mugs and brewed some
filter coffee in her coffee machine.

The doorbell
rang.

“
I’ll get it,” Ross
shouted.

Before she could stop him, he
opened up
,
and she came round to stand before her very first customer. Well,
she hoped it wasn’t a peddler or religious converter at her front
door.

“
Hi, I’m looking for Ella
Haviland.” The woman stood awkwardly, her face red from an obvious
blush yet she wore a neat pants suit with her hair straightened and
elegant, as if for an interview.

“
That’s me.” She swallowed as her
mouth dried up.

“
I read on the Zululand Fever Website about your matchmaking
business.”

“
That’s right.” Ella nodded, a
big smile taking over her face and her heart doing crazy spins
inside her body.

“
Well, I have… May I talk to you
in private?” She glanced quickly at Ross.

“
Sure, of course. Come through to
my office. Would you like some dark roast coffee? We just started
brewing some.”

“
Oh, okay. That would be great.
Thanks.” The lady stood beside her.

She looked at
Ross, hoping he’d
help.

“
I’ll bring it through?” he asked.

“
Thanks,
honey.” She squeezed his arm. He
flinched.
What was with the guy lately? It’s not like I’ve never
called him that before.

She led her client through to
the office.
Client
. She’d always wanted to have her own clients. Silly,
really.

“
Please take a seat. Now, what
can I do for you?” She sat down at her dining room chair made into
a temporary office
seat until she could buy one of those swivel typist
chairs.

“
Hi, my name’s
Bernice
, by
the way. Bernice Collings. Um…well, I have a problem. I like two
men at the same time.” She bit her lip, and her gaze flickered from
her lap to around the room but nowhere near Ella’s face.

“
Hey, it happens to the best of us.”

“
Really?” She let out a breath
and looked right at Ella. “I feel so terrible. I’ve been leading
them on—I’m romantically involved with both, and I just can’t
decide who to break up with. I think I love both of
them.”

Ouch!

“
I don’t know if you can help me.
You mentioned in your advert that you don’t just match couples, but
you can
also
advise on existing relationships. By the way, what qualifications
do you have?”

Ella
had been expecting this question.
Just not so soon.

“
Well, I have read up a lot on
relationships. I follow several psychology blogs and have done some
part-time courses on family relationships. I also counselled young
people part-time at the Open Door Crisis Centre.” At least she
could say that.

“
Okay.” Bernice
nodded.

“
I think my biggest qualification
is that I care. I’ve been through the mill with difficult
relationships, and I can spot a fake a mile away. I want to help
people bypass that suffering.”

“
Yeah, haven’t we all been
there?” Her client visibly relaxed, assuring Ella her arguments had
hit home.

Ella
nodded. Let her talk a bit, although
inside, she screamed to try out
The Album
.

“
Look, I don’t know how to start.” She lifted her head up to
the ceiling as if to find illumination there. “Let me tell you how
I met them.”

At that moment, Ross brought through their
two coffees on a tray with sugar and milk.

“
You’re a star.” She blew him a
kiss before he walked out.

He stood by the door, frozen for
a moment. Then disappeared.
Huh?

Bernice
took some calming sips of coffee and
then put her glass mug down to start her story.

Ella
listened and actually enjoyed the
whole saga because she could identify with so many things she and
her friends had been through mirrored in Bernice’s
situation.

“
Well, that’s it. I hope you understand now why I can’t choose
between the two.”

“
Really, you didn’t have to justify yourself.”

“
No, I do. If anyone knew…” She
sighed. “I’m a home group leader at our church. I-I suppose I have
a reputation to uphold.”

Ella
swept her hand across the desk. “Your
heart is more important than your reputation. In the end, you have
to live with whoever you choose. People’s opinions of us change
from year to year.”

“
I know.” She nodded. “That’s why
I’m here. I nearly didn’t come, but I’m glad I did.”

“
Okay
. All I need is a photo of you and
one of Steve and another of Rob. Leave them with me for a few
hours.”

Bernice
narrowed her eyes at Ella.

How did she do
this without sounding cuckoo?

“
I want to consider what you have
told me about your relationships with these men. I’ll also do some
research on them on the Internet and social media—get a feel for
what they’re like. You can fill in this questionnaire about
yourself before you leave, too.” She handed her the questionnaire
Pauline had designed specifically for the purpose of looking like a
professional business and not a palm-reader. “If you come back on
Monday night, I’ll tell you who I think will be best suited to
making you happy forever. You are looking for a long-term
relationship? I only work with those who—”

“
Of course I am. I love them both and want to spend the rest of
my life with at least one of them.” She let out a shaky breath. “I
feel like I’m going to rip out one of their hearts. How do I do
this?”

Ella
stared into Bernice’s pretty blue
eyes. “I don’t know. I don’t envy you one bit.”

“
You’re lucky—you’ve already got
a decent guy. What guarantee do I have that the one I choose will
want to spend the rest of his life with me?”

Ella
swallowed to hold back a choke.
Bernice had thought Ross was her partner? She supposed calling him
honey and blowing him a kiss could give someone that impression. Oh
well, maybe Ross being here had given a good impression to her
client—that she wasn’t single and had found love successfully. As
much as she wanted to rectify the misconception, it wasn’t the
focus of the interview. She took Bernice’s hand as she stretched to
get the form and a pen. “I know you’re going to make the right
decision. If what I advise you to do doesn’t sit well with you,
then you’ll follow your heart anyway. I think I’m just like a
magnifying glass or binoculars—revealing what’s hidden in your
heart.”

“
Thank you,
Ella. I feel at peace. I know
it’s going to end well.” Scratching in her bag, she took out a
photo of each man and a photo of herself. “Good thing I keep a
photo of them with me and I had some extra passport photos in my
bag. Else, I would have had to come back.”

“
You could always email them to me and I can print them
out.”

A sudden fear gripped her. What
if
The
Album
didn’t
work again? Silly thought really, but this woman depended on her,
was paying her for the job. She couldn’t mess up.

While the young woman filled in
the form, she sat there, the blood pounding in her ears and the
tension building. Never would she have expected a situation
like
Bernice’s, and she hadn’t realised how much a part of her
first client’s life she would feel.
The Album
had better work else she wasn’t going to
poke around with people’s lives ever again.

Once the form had been filled, she led the
young woman out and promised to call her on Monday. Turning around,
she searched for Ross. He sat in her study reading something on the
laptop.

“
Thanks for making her the
coffee.” She felt bad for asking his help like a
servant.

He turned to
her and smiled. “You were in there quite a while. Did you help
her?”

“
Not quite yet.” Should she tell
Ross about
The Album
? What if he thought she risked everything for nothing?
What if he criticized her impulsive decision? She’d always been so
cautious.

“
So, you’re going to find her a handsome match?”

“
Um…this situation is a bit different. She’s already got… Never
mind.” She began to walk out the room.

“
Wait, El.”

Right now, she wanted him to
leave. Usually, she enjoyed his peaceful, friendly company, but
now, she wanted to go to
The Album
and put the photos in. In fact, she was supposed
to call her three friends to watch the first official couple’s life
unfold.

“
What?”

“
Do you want to find someone for me?”

He grinned
, and she stepped back, nearly
bumping into the wall behind her.

“
Sorry?”

“
I’m serious. I need a
girlfriend. You even said it—it’s been over a year since I had a
serious relationship.”

“
You said I’m being foolish
starting this business and now you want to make use of my
services?”

He shrugged. Was he testing her? Seeing
how well she did this?