Cupid's Mistake Read Online Free PDF Page A

course, as it were. He might meet an
attractive woman at the grocery store or on the street somewhere and ask her to
go for a drink. Or take a liking to a friend of a friend. He did still have a
few friends, he'd reminded his cousin, even after being out of touch for so
long. Besides, he had business interests to launch.
    No rush.
    But Sally hadn't earned her reputation as a bull-terrier by
mistake. Once she got it in her head to pair him up, she'd thrown herself into
the project wholeheartedly.
    It was as annoying as it was endearing.
    "Stop!" she'd commanded, a hand held in the air to
halt his objections of her taking charge. "Leave it to me, Benjamin. Trust
me, you need help."
    Sally had spent the two weeks since New Year's Eve 'shaping
him up.' After an emergency trip to her friend Sid's favorite barber—Ben
still wasn't used to his smooth cheeks and short hair—he'd tried to put
his foot down on the rest. He should have known better.
    She'd hounded him into a couple of do-it-herself treatments
involving his travel-roughened skin and nails, over which she was sworn to
secrecy. On pain of death. In between visits with extended family to renew his
relationships—and wow, Sally's kids had grown—he'd dealt with reestablishing
his financial connections, checking over his many accounts. Creating the
foundation for his business plans.
    And every free moment, Sally had dragged him through a
seemingly endless supply of clothing stores to replenish his wardrobe.
    God, he hated shopping. He'd have been happy with a few
pairs of jeans, a couple of shirts and sturdy shoes, all ordered online, but
Sally had had other ideas. She'd preyed on his inability to deny her anything
and made free with his wallet. His closet now rivaled hers for sheer volume of
contents, and that was saying something. He'd probably never wear half of it.
It was embarrassing.
    Then had come the ultimate humiliation—the dating
service.
    "There's nothing wrong with letting nature do its
thing," Sally had argued, "but there's nothing wrong with giving it a
helping hand, either."
    "I've barely been home a couple of weeks, I'm not ready
to date," he'd said.
    "It's never too soon when you've been gone half a
decade. Just consider it practice."
    "Says the woman hunting for her third husband."
    "Don't snark, Ben."
    Staying with his cousin while getting his life back together
and finding his own place had its drawbacks. She'd badgered him senseless for
two days straight, until it was just easier to cave. Thanks to a personal friendship
with the woman who ran the service, Sally had finagled him to the front of the
line and right onto the site, expediting the waiting period and background
checks. Undoubtedly, his financial profile and relationship to Sally, also a
member of the club, had helped pave the way.
    Two days later, he had his first request.
    He hadn't even looked at the woman's profile, had just waved
his hand at Sally and let her have her way. She'd set the whole thing up via
email. He didn't think that was the usual way it was done, but he didn't argue.
    "Mission accomplished," Sally had said
triumphantly.
    "That's a bit premature, don't you think?"
    Sally had shrugged, the picture of angelic innocence.
There'd been something about the smirk lurking around the corner of her mouth
he hadn't quite liked, but he trusted his cousin. She wouldn't set him up with
anyone abominable.
    Besides, he'd made her a deal. He'd go on a date with a
woman of Sally's choosing, and she would throw her considerable energies into
helping him find his new place, whether the date panned out or not.
    When he'd taken off six years ago, he'd left with only a
knapsack and a driving need to get away. To escape the pain of his wife's loss.
He'd sold nearly everything they'd owned, including the condo in San Clemente
and their vacation cabin in Big Bear. The few belongings he'd kept had been
stored and waiting for him in Sally's three-car garage or in her guest room,
where she'd