“Okay,”Isay, “tell me aboutSpencer.”
Rowanshifts uncomfortably. “Well,Idon’t actually know much about him, butPeteris a pretty good guy and he recommended him.”
“Prettygood?”
Maggieopens her mouth to say something, but then motions to my shirt and says to her husband, “Ican’t even take her seriously.Didyou have to grab her that shirt?”
Ilook down at the shirt for the first time.I’venever seenMaggiewear it, so maybe it’s one she only wears to bed.Acrossthe chest, it reads,Icould agree with you, but then we’d both be wrong.
Maggieseems to be trying to ignore my shirt by focusing intently on my eyes. “Youknow a good way to get to knowSpencer?Goon a date with him.”
Ilook atRowansince this was initially his and his coworkerPeter’sidea. “Nameone thing thatSpencerandIhave in common.”
“Wedidn’t actually talk much about his personality.”
“Sothe only thing we have in common is that we are both single.”Whydo married people think that’s all it takes for people to date and fall blissfully in love?Doestying the knot make people instantly forget what dating is like?
“Oh!”Rowansays like he just realized the final pile-of-money-winning answer in a game show. “Theguy likes spy movies!Soyou have that in common, too.”
Myarms are crossed, my eyebrow is raised, andI’mgiving them my best “You’rejoking, right?” stare.
IthinkI’veused it on my sister too much, though, because it has lost all effectiveness.Shesays, “Tellme how many guys you’ve run into at work or in town who are on your mental list of guys you might want to date.”
Okay, nowI’mthe one who’s shifting uncomfortably because that list is alarmingly close to zero.Okay, itiszero.Maggie’sgot me, and she knows it.Thevictory smile is showing through her exhaustion.
“Doesthis weekend work for you?” she asks.
“Fine,”Isay, mostly becauseIcan hear a bit ofMission:Impossiblecoming through the door that separates her house and my apartment, and from what littleIcan hear, it’s at a really good part, and saying yes will get me back to it the quickest. “Butif it’s a bad date, it’s the last time you two set me up.”Andthat’s the rest of the reason whyIsay yes.
“Deal,”Rowansays, andIthink it might be worth going on the date if only to forever close the door on them setting me up.Ieven shake his hand to make it officially official.
WhenIget back into my apartment,Liviasks, “Thattook a while.Addireally wasn’t doing well, huh?”
“Shewasn’t, but she is now.Pleasetell meIdidn’t miss the part where he breaks into the vault at theCIA, hanging from the ceiling in a harness, almost falls to the floor, and hovers just inches above it.”
“Withthe bead of sweat that’s about to drop from his face, and you know it’s going to hit the floor and get him caught, but then he catches it at the last second?”
Inod, feeling the excitement of the scene all over again.
“Yeah, you totally missed that.Butthe good news is, you haven’t missed the part with the helicopter and the train in the tunnel.”
Iplop back on the couch asEthanHuntis at a payphone, clearly aiming to let theIMFtrace his phone call. “MaggieandRowanwant me to go on a blind date.”
“Didthey show you a picture of the guy?”
“No.Andthey don’t even know much about him.”
“Oof.That’srough.”
“Theylured me in with one job and then ambushed me, like what we just watched in this movie!HaveIlearned nothing from all of our hours spent watching spy movies?”
Livishakes her head in commiseration. “Butwhat are you going to do?Sayno to helpingAddijust in case there might be an ambush?”
“Nota chance.”
“Yousaid no to the date, though, right?”
Igrimace. “Notexactly.ButI’msure it’ll be fine.”