John was in the middle of another long day of investor presentations, which involved visiting pension managers and explaining why they should invest in his new fund, when Barbara called and asked how his day was going.

“Busy,” he said. “Hand grenades everywhere.”

“You should try and get out for a walk, the weather’s beautiful. Maybe wipe the shrapnel off.”

“What’s up?” John asked curtly. The weather was getting warmer, but he wasn’t interested in advice on how to survive his day.

“We’ve got a book launch on Friday night. Are you free?”

“Umm,” he stalled. All he really felt like doing was going home and crashing on the couch in front of the TV.

“Do you already have plans?”

“Just checking my day planner.” He knew he hadn’t organized anything. He fought the urge to conjure up a quick lie. “Yeah, I’m free.”

“Thanks. And a favor …”

John drummed his fingers on his desk. “Yeah,” he said, frustrated without even having heard it.

“You wouldn’t happen to have a friend for Mandy, would you?”

“Who’s Mandy?”

“The author.”

“What? Sorry, no.”

“What about Mac?”

“Babe, you don’t want to go there. Setting up people is dangerous. No good ever comes of it for the person who plays Cupid.”

“It’ll be fine. Besides, there are virtually no single eligible men in their 30s in New York anymore.”

John rolled his eyes. “There’s plenty.”

“Well, for Friday night we just need one.”

When the working week came to an end, John got home 20 minutes before Mac and Mandy were due to arrive. Mac initially refused the set-up, demanding to see Mandy’s full bodied photo even after John had put forward the argument Mac owed him for all the monotonous nights John spent with clueless, wafer-thin, barely 21-year-olds over the years. Fortunately the snapshot had gotten him over the line.

John showered and dressed in the white shirt and blue tie Barbara had pulled out for him. Checking himself in the mirror though, he wasn’t sure.

“Does this look all right?” John called from the bathroom. “Maybe I should just wear a shirt and jacket without a tie.”

Barbara appeared in the doorway, putting on earrings. “You look great.”

She was wearing a paisley dress, where swirls intermixed with circles and the flowing silk chiffon draped down, meant to blow in the wind. Sophisticated lace hemmed the bottom, from where Barbara’s slender legs appeared.

“Do I need the tie?”

“It looks suave.”

John felt a bit too “worky” in his Monday to Friday uniform. He changed into a dark gray shirt and black tie under a black jacket. John went back to the mirror. He was happier, if not happy.

The buzzer rang—Mandy had arrived. She looked nice enough, although the photo had been pretty forgiving to her actual dress size.

The introductions out of the way, Mandy sat down and Barbara fetched some nibbles from the kitchen.

“Would you like a glass of wine?” John asked.

“A glass of white would be wonderful, thanks.”

John joined Barbara in the kitchen, plucked a bottle out from the fridge, pulled out the cork and poured them all a glass.

Barbara joined him. “Where’s Mac?” she whispered.

“On his way,” John said loud enough for Mandy to hear as well. Barbara flashed him a look, which he found hard to interpret, but knew it wasn’t good.

As Barbara brought humus dip and biscuits to the coffee table, John called Mac to find out what was keeping him. He then brought the wine to the girls. Barbara flashed him that look again.

“Mac’s stuck at work. He’s going to have to meet us there.”

“Tell me a bit about him,” Mandy asked.

John focused on the question rather than Barbara’s gaze. “He’s a good friend. He’ll be a good date. But he’s not someone you would want to get serious about.”

Mandy’s face couldn’t help but show her disappointment.

He finally turned to Barbara, straight into the glare of her unhappy double barrel headlights. John shrugged and added, “I’m just giving her realistic expectations.”

“Don’t mind him,” Barbara said to Mandy as she sipped her wine. “John doesn’t believe in setting people up.”

“Not that this is a set up, but it’s playing with fire,” John said.

The three jumped in a cab to Christies at Rockefeller Plaza. When they walked in, Mac was at the bar.

“You must be Mandy,” he said, kissing her on the cheek.

“And you must be Mac.” Mandy’s smile radiated.

Barbara finally smiled at John.

Barbara introduced John to all the girls from work throughout the night. A few were married, but most were single. It felt like he was on show. He’d never heard the words “my fiancé” so many times in one night. Her colleagues didn’t hesitate to talk about him like he wasn’t there, saying things like “He’s adorable,” or “He’s a real catch.” He was happy with the compliments at first, but they started to wear thin as the night wore on.

When the time came for Barbara to introduce Mandy to the crowd and for her to read the first chapter of the book, John and Mac took the opportunity to position themselves at the bar.

They cradled their drinks, chatted, and scanned the room. Publishing was obviously as predominantly female as banking was male. Barbara had some attractive colleagues. One in particular was a knockout. She was holding court with two guys and another woman. Her bright red dress and heels couldn’t help but attract attention.

Mac stared a second longer than he should have and they briefly made eye contact. A minute later she came over and stood next to them at the bar. The barman came to her instantly and she ordered a glass of champagne.

“So you’re Barbara’s fiancé. We haven’t met, I’m Eloise,” she said in a French accent while extending her hand. John shook it lightly. Her touch was as magnificent as her accent. “I’m John and this is a friend of mine, Mac.”

“Nice to meet the guy all the girls at the office are talking about.” Her light brown hair with highlights was up in a bun, but she brushed a few loose strands from her face. John found her intoxicating.

“Are you French or French Canadian?” asked Mac.

“French.”

She smiled revealing her magnificent white teeth and both John and Mac couldn’t help but smile back.

John glanced toward the girls and noticed Barbara watching intently. She immediately turned away, giving John the instinct he was getting himself into trouble.

“So what do you do, Eloise?” asked Mac.

Eloise explained that she was a publisher of romance novels, which bored the men, despite their feigned captivation. Sensing Barbara’s glare, John excused himself and joined his fiancé, one of her work colleagues, and Mandy.

“What was that all about?” Barbara asked.

Mandy appeared uninterested, but John knew better.

“Nothing,” he said. “She just introduced herself.”

“I’ll bet. She’s a real bitch,” said a work colleague of Barbara’s, joining them.

The three women exchanged a look.

John glanced at Barbara for some elaboration.

“Eloise doesn’t get along with many of the other girls at work.”

Mac made his way back over after Eloise left him.

“Actually, she doesn’t get along with anybody except the guys,” Barbara said.

The girls laughed.

Mac said his goodbyes at 11, giving Mandy a kiss on the cheek. She awkwardly gave him a business card in return, despite the fact he hadn’t asked.

Mac smiled magnanimously. “It was a great night. Thanks for allowing me to accompany you. And, congratulations on the book. It’s a great achievement.” He turned and walked to the exit as the girls’ eyes followed him. Mac swiveled through a revolving door, said something to a girl on the other side and it became obvious she’d been waiting for him. He kissed her and they walked off with his arm around her back.

The girls turned back to John, Barbara glaring. He winced.

“I’m going to use the bathroom,” said Mandy and walked off.

“Told you,” John said to Barbara, making a strategic error.

“Don’t say another word.”

“That’s Mac,” he said, compounding the mistake.

“Don’t be smug. Did you know he had another date tonight?”

“No. Of course not.”

The cab ride home was tense. Barbara was giving John the cold shoulder because of Mac while thoughts swirled through his mind.

“Why are you pouting?” Barbara finally asked from the other side of the back seat.

Don’t answer. Make something up. John waited a second, and then said, despite himself,“I felt like a bit of a handbag tonight, to be honest.”

“Don’t be silly. That’s only the second work event you’ve come to and it was great to finally introduce you to the rest of my colleagues.”

They settled back into silence.

“Did you find her attractive?”

“Who?”

“Eloise.”

“No.”

“You can tell me if you did.”

“Sure.”

There was a moment’s silence.

“So you did?”

“What?”

Barbara looked unimpressed.

“No. I was just acknowledging that obviously I will find other women attractive at times. It’s just natural. Just like you will find other men attractive.”

“I don’t find other men attractive.”

“Uh-huh. Anyway, I didn’t find Eloise attractive.”

They sat in silence the rest of the way home, oblivious to the sounds of New York as they each had conversations with the other in their head.

Once home, they stayed in their own worlds. The only acknowledgement was a half-hearted kiss good night.

John lay in bed in the dark, thinking. Just because I was attracted to another woman doesn’t mean I love Barbara any less. Men always look at a beautiful creature, no matter how fleetingly we catch sight of her. It’s innate. Besides, Eloise came up to me. It wasn’t like I approached her.

“Did you fart?” she asked the next morning.

John laughed. He had turned away to ensure the smell went the other way and tensed his butt cheeks to ensure it had come out silently. Apparently, these considerations had been in vain.

“Yeah, sorry.”

“It’s disgusting.”

“Well we did have a few drinks last night.”

“Why do you have to do it in bed?”

“Because I’m a man. That’s what men do.”

“You don’t have to be one of those men.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You know. One of those guys who’s always adjusting himself in public, sitting with his legs apart to advertise his manhood, farting in bed, and leaving the toilet seat up.”

John couldn’t work out whether she was joking or being serious. He guessed serious.

“You’re only perfect gentlemen if you want sex.”

“Have I really upset you that much by farting in bed?”

“It just shows no consideration for me at all.”

“What are you talking about?”

“It doesn’t.”

“You know I love you.”

“Love’s a verb, not an adjective.”

“You stole that.”

“It’s a doing word. Love is in your actions.”

John put his arm around her, hoping to change the topic, preferably to sex.

“It wouldn’t hurt you to do the occasional thing around here as well,” she said. He knew she was referring to cleaning up.

Barbara was cuddled up with her ass now in his groin but he figured sex was off the menu this morning.

“I do things. I just do the manly things. Besides, that’s what the cleaner’s for.”

“Since I’ve moved in you haven’t done anything.”

“I don’t think you’re being fair.”

“You’re all the same.”

“What?”

Barbara was quiet and John couldn’t see her face.

“Are you crying?”

“No.”

He noticed a tear stream down her cheek. This is crazy. Crying because I farted in bed.

“This is obviously a glass-half-empty day, isn’t it?”

“I’m just calling a spade a spade.”

“Last night you were rapt to show everyone your ring and introduce me around. Now you’re complaining because I’m a man.”

“You’re right. I shouldn’t expect too much.”

“This is the way I am, Babe. It’s better than pretending to be someone I’m not and then after we’re married discovering the real me.”

“Yes, I’m very lucky.” The sarcasm in her tone was overwhelming.

“Hey, I’m not holding a gun to your head.”

She tried to pull away, but John held her to him, not letting her go.

“All I’m asking is that you be a bit more considerate of me. Do your business in the bathroom and clean up after yourself.”

John kissed the back of her neck and groped a breast with his other hand. She tried to pull away with more force this time and he held on again.

“Get off me. Don’t ever do that again.”

“I was just trying to change the subject.”

“Well, there’s other ways to do it,” said Barbara.

Frustrated, he got up to take a shower.

“Fine, walk away.”

“I’m trying to avoid a fight.”

“It’s called talking,” she called after him.

John came back to say one last thing. “Don’t get high and mighty. You’re not perfect either. Your world revolves around chocolate for a week, and for that week, you don’t give a shit about anything but yourself.”

“What?” she asked, raising her voice.

“You heard me.”

“You asshole.”

“You wear tops and dresses which show off your tits and ass and then complain when guys stare. What the fuck do you expect?”

“You pig.”

“You think you’re sensual, but it’s a travesty if I want sex more than three times a week.”

Barbara turned away and John walked off.

I don’t love her, not like this.

* * *

A week later and there first fight was long past. When Annie and Hank flew in from Chicago that weekend to meet Barbara, they all met for lunch at their mother’s place, which she cooked with some hired help. Rob and Jill were also invited. Succulent pasta with red snapper, prawns, and scallops in a tomato-based sauce, which dwarfed the noodles, was served for main course and devoured. John took Annie aside when he got the chance. He hadn’t got off his chest the feeling of being a showpiece at the book launch and the subsequent fight. Something still wasn’t sitting well with him.

“She just wants her girlfriends and colleagues to see what she has,” said Annie. “It’s normal. When a guy buys a Ferrari, he feels successful and good about himself. Girls don’t care about cars. We want to feel good by showing off our man, especially if he’s attractive and successful.”

“But the night was about the ring and my job. It could have been any guy on her arm.”

“It wasn’t any guy. She loves you. She just wanted to show you off.”

John digested it, although still wasn’t completely satisfied. “So what do you think of her, sis?”

“She’s great. Smart, sassy, beautiful. I think you’ve done well.”

“Yeah,” he agreed, thinking.

Annie sensed something in her brother. “Nothing’s perfect every minute of every day, you know.”

After lunch, Rob hit his spoon against his wine glass and stood.

“If I can make a toast? I just wanted to say how happy I am for John and Barbara, who make such a beautiful couple. Barbara, you are marrying an outstanding man and person. I wish you all the best for the future and I look forward to seeing young children soon.”

Everyone clapped.

Children?

Realizing his embarrassment, Barbara kissed John.

“I’m looking forward to more grandchildren too,” John’s mother said.

“Joshua and Christina are looking forward to cousins as well,” said Annie.

Everyone laughed.

“Okay, we get the message,” John said, having recovered his composure. “Thanks, Rob. I’d be honored if you’d be one of my groomsmen and say a few words on the day, as well.”

“I’d be honored to,” replied Rob.

After they sat down and silence had taken hold of the table, John’s mother asked how their start-up business was coming along.

“Great,” said Rob.

“What’s happening?” she continued.

“We’re hopeful of raising over $200 million,” said John.

A few blemishes aside, the day went fine. John went home feeling good about Barbara, but he realized he had more to learn about the quirks to her personality. Not that they had been with any ex-girlfriend either, but things obviously weren’t always going to be smooth sailing. Annie’s endorsement helped and he was reassured the bumps weren’t going to be massive ditches and high hurdles and he and Barbara would be able to work through them as they arrived.