Читать книгу Matchmaking with a Mission - B.J. Daniels, B.J. Daniels - Страница 10

The ringing of her cell phone wrenched McKenna out of a terrifying dream in which she was running for her life.

She jerked up in the bed, her heart pounding, her night-shirt stuck to her skin with sweat.

“Hello?”

“McKenna, I wanted to catch you before you took off this morning.”

She glanced at the clock. It wasn’t even six o’clock. “Arlene?” If she was calling to see how McKenna’s date had gone—

“I didn’t want you to feel bad about what happened last night. These things happen, although I was surprised. He seemed like such a nice young man. And he was so interested in you I couldn’t imagine why he’d cancel.”

“What?” She was still caught in the dream; danger hunkered in the room like dense fog, making everything seem surreal.

“I just feel bad because I couldn’t get hold of you to tell you. I tried your cell. You must have had it turned off. And when I called the restaurant to give you a heads-up—”

“Arlene, what are you talking about?”

“Your date last night. I just hate that he stood you up, but I have someone else who I think—”

“Wait a minute.” McKenna sat up straighter and rubbed her free hand over her face as she tried to make sense of what Arlene was saying. “I wasn’t stood up.”

“You mean he changed his mind and met you at the restaurant after all?” Arlene let out a relieved laugh. “Good, I wasn’t wrong about him. I told you Nate Dempsey was perfect for you. I’m so glad he showed up. I do wish he’d let me know, though. If he’d read the dating service agreement, he’d have—”

“Nate Dempsey?” McKenna repeated.

“Your date.” Arlene laughed. “It must have been some night if you don’t remember his name.”

Arlene was mixed up. McKenna regretted the day she’d signed up for the online dating service.

“Arlene, my date was with Flynn Garrett. Not anyone named Nate Dempsey.”

Silence. An anomaly for Arlene.

McKenna felt her first sense of unease. “My date was with Flynn, right?”

“I’ve never heard of a Flynn Garrett,” Arlene said at last. “Who did you have dinner with last night?” she asked, sounding horrified.

It was too early in the morning for this. “Arlene, I have to go.” McKenna hung up and replayed the scene at the restaurant. She’d just assumed that Flynn was her date. Now that she thought about it, he’d never mentioned the online dating service—and neither had she.

She felt a little foolish. But, then again, no harm had been done. She’d enjoyed dinner and Flynn Garrett.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t help but wonder who this Nate Dempsey was. And why he’d canceled his date with her at the last minute. Arlene said he’d been “so interested” in her?

Not that it mattered, she thought as she gave up on returning to sleep and headed for the shower in an attempt to throw off the remnants of the nightmare she’d been having before Arlene’s phone call. Her legs felt weak as if she really had been running for her life. The dream emerged again. She had a flash of Harper House. It had been dark in the dream. She’d been running away from the house, she thought with a chill, because someone had been chasing her.