Speed Dating (10 page)

HERE IS TODAY’S HOROSCOPE: VIRGO: You are on a search for wisdom. At least, you should be.

R
ound Two,” Mads said. She and Lina were setting up the second Speed Dating party at Vineland. Holly had begged off, claiming
her mother needed help getting ready for a dinner party that night.

“I don’t believe that for a second,” Lina said. “She hates helping her mother.”

“I don’t believe it, either,” Mads said. “She’s chicken.”

“Can’t face her adoring public,” Lina said.

“She only likes
E-li,”
Mads said. Mads and Lina had tried to convince Holly that another Speed Dating party might bring another soul mate, but Holly
insisted that you can’t have more than one at a time.

The partyers trickled in and took their seats at the long table in the garden. Mads quivered at the sight of Sean in seat
#3. She’d quivered when she had seen his name on the sign-up list. She’d quivered when she had seen him at school. She’d quivered
when she’d heard his name. He made her quiver, that’s all there was to it.

Quintana slinked into a seat near the end of the table. “I can’t believe she’s back for more,” Lina whispered to Mads. “She
got at least four dates out of the last party.”

“I know,” Mads said. “Speed Dating works really well for her.”

“How many dates does a girl need?” Lina said. “Do you think she does it for the ego rush? Being constantly reminded that so
many boys like her?”

Mads had wondered about this herself, and come to a different conclusion. “I think she’s an idealist. She’s looking for her
ideal guy, and she doesn’t want to rule anyone out. So she has to meet as many guys as possible.”

“Did she say that?”

“No,” Mads said. “It’s my theory. Is everyone here?”

“We’re missing Girl #15,” Lina said. She checked the
sign-up list for the one name not checked in. “Gia Gersh.”

“Check your cell,” Mads said. “Maybe she called to say she’s running late.”

Lina checked her phone. “There’s a message.” She listened for a few seconds. “She’s not coming,” Lina said. “She’s home puking
her guts out. Stomach flu.”

“What are we going to do?” Mads asked. “Now we have an extra boy. They’ll have to take turns sitting for six minutes with
no one to talk to and nothing to do.”

“Unless you take Gia’s place,” Lina said.

“Me? Why me? I have a boyfriend.”

“You don’t have to date any of the guys,” Lina said. “Just talk to them. So they won’t feel ripped off.”

“Why don’t you do it?” Mads asked.

“Because Walker’s meeting me here later and it would be weird if he saw me,” Lina said.

“I guess,” Mads said. Stephen wouldn’t come near the Speed Dating parties. He’d said he was afraid the hormone surge would
give him vicarious acne. “I’ll have to tell the boys up front that I have a boyfriend and I won’t date them.”

“Just be nice to them,” Lina said. “We don’t want bad word of mouth. Do it for the good of the blog.”

“All right.” Mads took the last empty seat, at the end of the table next to Quintana. She’d be able to watch
Quintana in action. And, of course, she’d get six minutes with Sean.

“Hey, girl,” Quintana said. “What are you doing here?”

“Filling in for a sick Speed Dater,” Mads said.

“Well, don’t steal any cute ones away from me,” Quintana said.

“I don’t think you have to worry about that,” Mads said.

“Everybody ready?” Lina asked. “Go!”

Mads focused on the boy in front of her. Alex Sipress. She knew him from school. In fact, she’d hung out with him once at
a party at Sean’s house. She’d been tipsy that night. Okay, drunk. Okay, she’d puked. In Sean’s mother’s room.

“We meet again, Octopussy,” Alex said. “I already know the short but sweet story of your life. Want to go out one night?”

“I can’t,” Mads said. “I have a boyfriend.”

“So what are you doing here?”

“Filling in for a sick girl. I’m just entertaining you until you go to the next person.”

“Oh.”

Mads didn’t know what to say next. Entertaining fifteen boys for six minutes each was not going to be easy.

They sat quietly. It was awkward. In the silence,
Mads heard Quintana say, “I like excitement, but it’s like a drug. You’ve got to keep upping the dose, doing more and more
risky things… .”

The boy she was talking to listened, rapt, practically bouncing in his seat.

“That guy wants to leap over the table and jump on top of her,” Alex said. “Right now.”

“Yeah,” Mads said.

“Do I get her next?” Alex asked.

“No. You have to go around to the other end of the table and work your way down. You get Quintana last.”

“Is that good or bad?”

“Depends. Probably good. You’ll be the last guy she sees, so she’ll remember you best.”

“Awesome.”

“Time!” Lina called. “Everybody switch.”

Alex got to his feet. “Thanks for killing six minutes with me.”

Quintana’s boy moved into the seat across from Mads. Mads studied him. He was short, chubby, with pale brown hair. He wore
a Giants T-shirt. His looks were unmemorable, except for the beads of sweat on his upper lip. Mads hoped for his sake he had
a killer personality.

“Hi, I’m Dave. So what’s exciting about you?”

What’s exciting about
you? she wanted to ask. “You know
what?” she said. “Nothing is exciting about me. Why don’t we just sit here and listen to the people next to us talking? You
don’t mind, do you?”

“Her?” Dave nodded at Quintana. “I could listen to her talk all day. But preferably all night.”

“You’re witty, Dave,” Mads said. “Too bad I already have a boyfriend.”

Dave gave her a funny look, as if there might be something wrong with her. Then they turned their attention to Quintana. Mads
hoped she and her boy, Jason, would be so into each other, they wouldn’t realize they were being eavesdropped on.

“Of course I take showers when I have to,” Quintana said. “When I’m in a hurry or after gym or whatever. But I really love
a good, long soak in the bath. With almond-scented oil, that’s my favorite. Just lie back, naked, the sun streaming in through
the window, making me all warm… .”

Did Quintana know what she was doing to this guy? His mouth hung slack as he absorbed what she said. A drop of saliva appeared
at the corner of his lip, grew bigger, then dripped down his chin.

“You’d think she was talking about food,” Mads said.

“From now on, I’m switching to baths,” Dave said.

“Jason, why are you staring at me like that?” Quintana said. “Just because I said the word ‘naked’?”

“N-n-n-naked,” Jason stammered.

Let me try that,
Mads thought. She tapped Dave’s hand to get his attention. “Hey. Dave. Listen to this.” She paused, licked her lips for maximum
effect.
“Naked.”

Dave didn’t seem to hear her. He was still mesmerized by Quintana. Mads tapped him again. He turned toward her groggily. “Huh?”

“Did you hear me? I said
naked.”

“What? Yeah. Is time up yet?”

Mads sighed. Why didn’t it work for her? Was it her voice? Her intonation? The context?

“Time’s up!” Lina called.

Dave got up to leave. “Uh, I’ve got to—” He walked away without finishing the sentence. It was as if his mind had melted.

“Nice knowing you, Dave,” Mads called after him.

“I’m bored,” Quintana said as the next boy took his place.

“You don’t seem bored,” Mads said.

“Don’t I?” She frowned. “These boys don’t have much to say, do they? I’m doing all the talking!”

She turned to her new partner. “Is it hot today? Or is it me?” She pulled her sweater over her head, leaving only a white
tank top. “There. That’s better. Now, who are you?” She reached across the table and smoothed the
boy’s rumpled shirt so she could read his name tag. “Jason. I just had one of those.” She glanced at the first Jason, who
was now sitting across from Mads but still riveted to Quintana. “Are all Jasons as good-looking as you two?”

Mads sat through more of this, boy after boy after boy, making mental notes, until Sean finally reached the chair across from
Quintana. Mads told her boy—nameless, faceless, at this point she hardly cared who he was—to sit down and be quiet if he knew
what was good for him. She didn’t want to miss a word of the Sean-Quintana bout.

Quintana: Hi, Sean.

Sean: Hi, Quin. Tana. Anyone call you Quin?

Quintana: Sure. My family. Old friends. But what are you doing here? I thought you were taken.

Sean: Hey, I’m not married. Anyway, Jane’s pissing me off. She’s been hanging with this college dude, so I thought I’d make
her jealous.

Quintana: Oh. Well, how’s it working so far?

Sean: Not so good. Till now.

Quintana: I’m not sure I want to be used to make another girl jealous.

Sean: Then I won’t. I’ll dump Jane altogether if you’ll go out with me.

Quintana: Just once? You’d dump your girlfriend for one date with me?

Sean: That’s what I said. You in?

Quintana: Well… okay. Why not.

Sean: Excellent. I’ve got another date this Friday, but she’s got a curfew. What if I pick you up afterward, say, eleven?

Quintana: You’ll dump your girlfriend, but you won’t cancel your date with another girl?

Sean: You’re right. I can always see that girl another night.

Lina: Time!

Sean: See you Friday?

Quintana: I’ll think about it.

Sean: Okay. You think about it, and I’ll see you Friday.

He moved over to Mads. He was the first boy of the day who didn’t have to be forced to drag himself away from Quintana. He
grinned at Mads and said, “Hey, kid. Paint any pictures of me lately?”

Quiver.
“Not lately,” Mads said. “I’ve been doing animal portraits. But if you feel like posing, I could draw you again.”

“Maybe. My mom says she wants a portrait of me for the living room. But I think she means a professional portrait. No offense.”

“Oh.”

“Not that you’re not a good artist or anything. Just… you know.”

“Sure.”

Sean looked around, scanned the table, and got up. “Well, I really just came to this thing for a kick, see who’d show up,
you know. I got what I wanted out of it. Think I’ll split. Later.”

“Later.”

He walked away from the table with a wave to Alex and another to Quintana. Now there were more girls than boys at the party.
Mads was no longer needed as a place-holder. She got up and joined Lina at the head table.

“Learn anything?” Lina asked.

“Yes,” Mads said. “I learned that boys really, really like Quintana.”

“You already knew that.”

“I know,” Mads said. “But now I’ve got a PhD in it.”

To:     hollygolitely

From: your daily horoscope

HERE IS TODAY’S HOROSCOPE: CAPRICORN: Life is full of mysteries. Why should today be any different?

H
ow did you find this restaurant?” Holly asked. It was Friday night, their first date, and Eli had brought her to a tiny Mexican
place in Santa Marta. Santa Marta was about an hour’s drive from Carlton Bay, and even smaller. The restaurant, Lucia’s, sat
on a cliff overlooking the ocean. It was dark and candlelit and decorated with Mexican handicrafts. “It’s very romantic,” Holly
added.

“Oh, I have an interest in Mexico, and Mexican
things,” Eli said. He tapped his fork against hers so it made a
ting.
“The candlelight turns your hair into gold.”

Holly self-consciously touched her hair. “Thank you.”

She couldn’t believe this night had finally come. She’d been thinking about him so much since the Speed Dating party, imagining
his face, trying to guess what he would say to her if they were alone together. Which wasn’t easy, since he hadn’t given her
much to go on the first time they’d met. And he’d taken so long to get in touch with her, it made her uneasy. Yes, he said
he was afraid he’d fall in love with her too quickly, but Holly’s fake-o-meter buzzed slightly at that excuse, as much as
she wanted to believe it. Still, what choice did she have but to meet with him, then wait and see?

“Tell me about yourself,” Eli said. “I want to know everything.”

“Hmm,” Holly said. “Where should I start? The creature that is Holly has many lives, many moods, many facets.”

“I can see that,” Eli said. “Tell me about your family. Do you have any brothers or sisters? What are your parents like?”

“I have an older sister, Piper. She’s a freshman at Stanford. We get along okay when she doesn’t pull her Queen Bee trip on
me. We get along better than ever now that she’s away at school.”

“Is she beautiful like you?”

“She looks different from me, more like my mom. I think she’s prettier. She’s really thin, and her hair’s darker than mine,
and she has freckles. She’s cool-looking.”

“And your parents?”

“Curt and Jen? They’re okay. They don’t bother me too much. My dad likes to tease me sometimes. They go to a lot of parties
and dinners. They pretty much let me do what I want.”

“You’re so lucky,” Eli said. “My family has me in a dynastic stranglehold.”

“A what?”

“I don’t blame them. It’s only because there’s so much at stake. My father has a ranch down in Santa Barbara. He left us two
years ago to live there.”

“So your parents split up, huh? Sometimes I think mine should. Just get it over with, you know?”

“No, you shouldn’t wish for that,” Eli said. “Trust me, it’s a terrible thing when it happens. My mother—I probably shouldn’t
say this, but my mother has been addicted to painkillers ever since.”

“That’s terrible,” Holly said. “She must have been so hurt when he left.”

“Well, yes, she was hurt when he left, but the stab wounds didn’t help, either.”

Holly gasped. “Stab wounds? What are you talking about?”

“My poor mother,” Eli said. “She’s had to have a lot of surgery ever since… ever since Imelda stabbed her with her own diamond-studded
stilettos.”