‘Golly,’ I say, a little scandalised. Rox is always calling me a prude, so there is that to consider too.
Jasper shakes his head. ‘If you’d have seen Jellybean’s face, it was all tongue-in-cheek. If Princess hadn’t ripped me away by the ear, I’m sure there would have been some kind of explanation.’
Thank God she’d been there to rescue him.
‘You are so naïve,’ Princess says. ‘That girl was undressing you with her eyes.’
He frowns but stays silent.
Sabrina enters the fray and Princess fills her in on the latest. ‘Oh.’ Sabrina laughs. ‘No, she didn’t mean an actual fling. In the bar, the cocktail special this evening is called a Festive Fling! It sounds like she was simply asking if you’d like to try a Festive Fling cocktail…’
Jasper lets out a belly laugh. ‘I told you it was nothing.’
It’s my turn to blush. ‘Poor Jellybean. We misjudged her so badly.’ Jasper crosses his arms and gives me the ‘I told you so’ stare-down. I screw up my nose. ‘Sorry.’
‘I’m sorry too,’ Princess says, bowing her head. ‘I may have grabbed your ear a little too hard trying to extricate you from her clutches.’
‘It’s still ringing.’
‘I can’t help but think I played a part in this whole charade too,’ Karen admits. ‘Sorry, Jasper. You’re looking at the queen of snap judgements here and I’m beginning to see it might be the thing that holds me back from finding love myself.’
‘What do you mean, snap judgements?’ I ask. If anything, Karen’s been the opposite in most conversations, listens intently and then makes informed comments.
‘Oh, you know, fifty first dates and not one of them made it to a second. I’ve got this defective part of me that can’t seem to look past an ick. The guy could say he was into playing poker and I’d be out of there in a flash – imagining our future, card-game nights with his buddies, me relegated to the bedroom. No thanks. That’s what my brain tells me, that I’m always going to be shoved aside for whatever reason.’
‘Ah, so you reject them on the first date before they can potentially reject you?’ Jasper asks with a sad smile.
‘Wow, yeah, I guess that’s exactly what I’m doing. Isn’t that crazy?’ Karen lets out a surprised laugh. ‘I hadn’t quite made that connection, Jasper, but that makes perfect sense. I’m getting in first, rejecting them over the silliest things, so they don’t get to reject me first. For example, my last date mentioned that he wasn’t a fan of spicy food, so I ended the date right then and there, despite having felt a spark between us. I regret that, but what I told myself was to think of all the spicy food I’d miss out on for the rest of my life. When really, it was about rejecting him first before he could reject me.’
‘You were protecting your heart,’ I say. ‘And now you’ve recognised that you’re self-sabotaging, you can easily fix that without lowering your standards or changing who you are.’
‘Huh. That makes so much sense.’
CJ drums her fingers on the table. ‘Do you still have his number? You could reach out to the guy, right? But don’t explain, don’t apologise, just say you’re ready for the second date whenever he is.’
‘But what about the spicy food thing?’ Princess’s face is a picture, as if she’s mourning the loss of spicy food too.
‘Maybe he’s never tried the right kind of spicy food?’ Barry says. ‘He might be open to trying it. I would be, if that was a deal breaker for my beloved.’ He gives Princess a longing look.
‘Oh no, it’s too late,’ Karen says, dropping her head. ‘He’s probably chalked that date up as a disaster.’
‘You’re doing it again,’ CJ says gently, patting the top of Karen’s hand. ‘Making excuses as to why it won’t work. Be vulnerable, just this once, and see what happens.’
I hold my breath, hoping that Karen agrees.
There’s a full minute of silence as if we’re all too afraid to talk and interrupt her contemplation. Finally, she blurts, ‘What have I got to lose? I’ll text him now.’
We shriek and clap for our friend.
‘And if he turns me down, well, at least I’m more aware of my dating foibles now, so that’s progress.’
‘Right!’
Princess claps her hands together. ‘Karen, you’re a fox, and don’t you forget it. Who’s up for the staff Christmas pantomime held in the library in an hour?’
‘Me!’ I say. ‘And you, Jasper? We can have a drink in the bar beforehand.’
‘If you’re up for a Festive Fling, I am too.’ The sizzling look he shoots my way just about stops my heart right then and there.