Unforgettable Embrace by Joanne Clancy Read Free Book Online Page A

for the first time in a long time. Amazing what a new hairstyle and clothes can do for a girl, she thought, as she admired herself in the mirror for the hundredth time.

 
    Chapter 7
     
     
    The girls' evening at The Boardwalk turned out to be a roaring success. Rachel and even the usually confident Jen were in a little trepidation at the thought of talking to random strangers, in the hopes of finding love, but it had turned out to be a thoroughly enjoyable evening. Liz was a bit of a veteran at blind dating, so she reassured the girls to just look on the experience as an opportunity to meet new people.
    “ The key is to think that it's just a date. Look on it as fun, practice your flirting technique, especially you Rach,” Liz advised.
    “ Hey, I'm not that bad, am I?” Rachel asked.
    “ You are that bad,” Liz and Jen replied vehemently.
    “ I'm just out of practice with all this flirting.”
    “ Waaay out of practice!” Liz and Jen chorused in unison.
    “ OK, OK, no need to give me a complex,” Rachel retaliated defensively, “so how does this blind date evening work then?”
    “ Well, it's based on an American concept,” Liz explained, “whereby men sit in one row and women in another row. You have three minutes to sit at each table and when the gong sounds you move on to the next table. Everyone has a pen and paper and if you like each other you can exchange details.”
    “ Three minutes doesn't seem like nearly enough time to know if you might want to go on a date with someone,” Rachel exclaimed.
    “ It's plenty long enough,” Jen said, “trust me, three minutes can often feel like a life time.” “Besides,” Liz continued, “it doesn't take long to make a first impression-good or bad.”
    “ Try everything once, that's my new philosophy,” Rachel sighed apprehensively, “so I'll give this blind date malarkey my best bash.”
    “ That's my girl,” Liz said, taking her friend's arm as they made their way into The Boardwalk.
     
    There was a great buzz in the café. Everyone was standing around in small groups, chatting happily. There were two rows of ten tables located in the middle of the room, with a big bronze gong placed rather dramatically in the centre. A very dapper looking man suddenly began speaking.
    “ Ladies and gentlemen, I hope you are all well this fine evening. Welcome to our Blind Date Bonanza, the first of its kind at The Boardwalk Café. If all you lovely ladies would queue in an orderly fashion on the left hand side and gents to the right, we'll let the fun begin.”
    There was a slight scuffle while everyone got in line, but before long the seats were full and the gong was busily resounding every three minutes.
     
    Soon, it was Rachel's turn to take a seat. Her first encounter was with Brian, a tall, rather attractive man. He was quite nervous, as was Rachel, but the gong chimed before they became too nervous and Rachel quickly and with much relief moved on to the next table.
    Her second encounter was with Frank, a loud-mouthed American, who completely dominated the conversation. Rachel just found herself smiling and nodding at Frank, who was still talking about himself when the gong chimed.
     
    The evening picked up when she got chatting with Jonas, a very handsome Swedish man. She even found herself flirting with him and not too awkwardly, much to her own surprise. She was getting the hang of blind dating.
     
    An hour later and the three girls were at the end of the table, their blind date evening at an end. “Well, how did you get on Rach?” Liz asked.
    “ I got a few numbers and a couple of email addresses,” Rachel smiled.
    “ Excellent,” Jen said, “I got a few numbers myself.”
    “ Me too,” said Liz, “some decent prospects there.”
    “ I wonder if they'll call,” Rachel pondered her list. “Course they'll call,” Jen said.
    “ Yeah, and there's nothing to stop you calling them, Rach,” Liz said, “this is the twenty first century after