Operation Date Escape

to tell you ‘ the one ’ doesn’t exist?”
    “I’m not so sure about that.”
    “Are we talking about my love life or yours now?”
    “Joe is...” she sighed softly, “the total package. And if I was done sowing my wild oats, he would be the one I’d consider sticking with for the long run.”
    “You’re falling for this guy.” What was it about firefighters that made it so easy for them to steal women’s hearts?
    “ He’s nothing like the other guys I’ve dated. They could all be whipped so easily. But Joe, he takes control and I like it.”
    Nanci had never allowed any man to get that close to her heart. She just hoped Joe wouldn’t break it. “F.Y.I. - Women don’t have oats to sow, so you can settle down anytime you’re ready.”
    “We do too. You just forget how to sow them. Wait, I take that back. You managed to do quite a bit of sowing with Cole.”
    “Let’s leave my oats out of this.”
    “Ah, so you admit you have some.”
    Kelsie rolled her eyes. Sometimes Nanci could be as exasperating as her mother. “So where are we going anyway?” she asked, determined to change the subject.
    “ Some of my patients have been talking about a new dance club called Wicks they’ve been to.”
    “Where’s it at?”
    “Near downtown Columbus. It’s supposed to have great music. A huge dance floor. And half price drinks for ladies on Friday nights. I thought we’d give it a try.”
    “ Sounds like fun.” And far enough away from Worthington to risk running into Cole and whoever it was he’d moved on from her with.
    * * *
    Cole paused to check his answering machine as he had done every day since Kelsie ran out on him. No messages. Not that he expected to hear from her. Women on the run didn’t stop to leave messages for the guy they were running from.
    Grabbing the bucket he’d filled with sudsy water from the kitchen sink, he headed outside to wash his truck. It was a mindless task and right now he didn’t want to think about anything.
    Fifteen minutes later, Joe pulled into the drive behind Cole’s truck. “Guess who I just talked to,” he called out through the open window.
    Cole looked up from the bumper he’d been washing. This was easy. Who else put a smile on Joe’s face like that? “I’m guessing Nanci.”
    “Guess again.”
    He straightened and leaned against his truck. “I’m not up for guessing games.”
    “Okay, I’ll give you a hint . It usually comes with frosting on it.”
    “Joe,” Cole warned.
    “ Nice try but you’ll only find me with frosting on me when Nanci is in her kinky mode,” he replied with a chuckle.
    He tossed the soapy sponge his friend’s direction.
    “Hey!” he exclaimed as he ducked to avoid the foaming missile.
    “Just tell me ,” he said, reaching for the hose to rinse his truck off
    “Cupcake.”
    That had Cole’s head snapping around. “You talked to Kelsie?”
    His friend nodded.
    “Where did you see her?”
    “ I didn’t. I spoke to her on the phone a little while ago.”
    Cole rolled his eyes. “You called her? Damn it, Joe−”
    H is friend threw up his hands. “Hold up there, buddy. Before you go getting all pissed at me, I didn’t call her. Nanci called me and Kelsie was with her, so I asked to talk to her. You know, to put a few good words in for you.”
    He groaned. “You didn’t.”
    “I did ,” his friend answered without hesitation. “I told her what a great guy you were and that it was too bad things didn’t work out between the two of you.”
    What was he talking about? Things weren’t over yet. “In case you’ve forgotten, I haven’t given up on Kelsie yet.”
    “I know. That’s why I told her that you had and that you were moving on.”
    “You what?” he snapped. “What the hell were you thinking?”
    “ Relax, buddy. I wanted to see how she’d react to the news.”
    It took a moment for his friend’s words to sink in. Joe wasn’t carelessly flinging words around. He was trying to gauge how Kelsie really felt. “And?” he asked, hoping Joe’s good mood meant her reaction was what his friend had hoped for.
    “Let’s just say that she wasn’t exactly thrilled by the news you had decided to move on.”
    Cole ’s worried expression gave way to a wide grin. If Kelsie wasn’t happy about him deciding to see other women, there was definitely more than a flicker of hope left for him to cling to.
    Joe laughed. “Nanci gave me hell for upsetting Kelsie, but she’ll get over it once I