Operation Soulmate Read Online Free PDF Page A

case, then how come you didn’t ask cute, sweet, shy Miss Y out yourself all this time...oh I know...”
         “Professional code” They both piped up in unison.
         “I would never go out with a client. It would seriously compromise the bond of trust between us. And anyway, coaching someone kind of takes away a lot of the beautiful mystery of getting to know them ...slowly...over time...” Blah, blah, blah, thought Geraldine.
       “Ah, so you like mystery then, do you?”
         “Sometimes...” he said, smiling enigmatically. Was he blushing slightly? Sometimes, Geraldine really couldn’t figure Ben out, at all. He was so clear and congruent in every other area of his life but was constantly contradicting himself when it came to his own personal approach to love. He liked shyness and mystery in a woman, yet also appreciated the upfront approach. Didn’t like women who wore too much make-up but couldn’t stand it when people didn’t make an effort. Claimed to be looking for a woman with depth and integrity, but always went for these model-types. It was as if there was this huge, empty space in his life, reserved for someone who so obviously didn’t exist, couldn’t exist. That level of perfection was impossible to achieve in a single human being. She deeply suspected that he’d secretly become too used to being single now and was just too scared to ever try again. Sometimes it was impossible to even imagine just what sort of woman was ever going to get under his skin and really shake him up. And there was no doubt in her mind, whatsoever, that a good shake-up in the love department, was exactly what Ben needed. Someone who would just blow his mind, so he could, finally stop thinking so much and start listening to his heart again.
         “Keep going Mr. ‘Bring it on’; you’re not even convincing yourself.”             
    Ben studiously ignored her. He was used to negotiating tricky questions about his personal life.
         “And to answer your other question, it’s my choice to be single, at the moment. I’m newly divorced and just taking time to heal and to pay my respects for what once was.”
         “Two years!! Newly divorced!! I’ll bet there are Vicars who start dating and remarry sooner.”
          “Oh, you had to bring the church into it, didn’t you? I can’t believe that even you would use religion to bolster up a weak and flailing argument. Okay, here’s the deal. Vicars and politicians look good married, it’s PR. I’m waiting for the real thing.”
          “Oh, good answer, and a love-coach wouldn’t look good married then....?”
          “A relationship coach looks best relating, truthfully , with his personal integrity in tact, don’t you think?”
          “Hmmm.” Geraldine was not, at all, convinced. She got up to warm some plates in the oven, leaving Ben to wrestle with his contradictions for a while. He’d been challenged and they both knew it. But why was he still single?! What was his problem!? He was too nice, that was his problem. Yes, he did have women throwing themselves at him, constantly, but after a few dates, they quickly became friends or he’d just end up coaching them and feeling resentful. Geraldine had stood by and watched as one glamorous woman after another had turned him on, turned him into her coach and eventually turned him unceremoniously out , into the friend zone, only to disappear in hot pursuit of some irresponsible or otherwise wildly unsuitable guy who would offer them nothing more than the thrill of the chase, the lure of the unattainable.
          Ben picked up the receiver and proceeded to order dinner, while Geraldine nodded, shook her head and whispered “Mushroom bhaji,” as he tried to concentrate on speaking to the waiter. He didn’t want to think about what was going on in his dating life. He’d decided recently that women were just a little bit too complicated these