English & Enchanting

By Ellie Forsythe

Poppy George does not have a conventional job. She works in a world of men, which makes dating very difficult. After being dragged to a speed dating event, Poppy has to learn to confront her own ideas about men and learns she has some prejudices of her own to overcome.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Black Shire Publishing
• Release date: May 28, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310544972

Ellie Forsythe

Hi! I'm Ellie Forsythe and I'm a chicklit writer. I found the genre in an airport on a trip and fell in love. I could hardly think of writing anything else and I love to base my books in Scotland.

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English & Enchanting

By Ellie Forsythe

Copyright 2015 Ellie Forsythe

Published by Black Shire Publishing

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

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ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Chapter 1

There was very little wrong in Poppy George’s life. Her biggest problem was that she didn’t have enough time and as problems went, it wasn’t too bad. Not enough time to spend with her family, not enough time to see her friends and definitely not enough time to find a boyfriend.

Her job and her upwards trajectory in her career consumed almost everything. Her attention, her time, her life. Not that Poppy complained much or often. She loved her job and the worst thing that could be said about it was that though she was surrounded by men, she couldn’t date a single one of them.

It was her one rule. Don’t date the employees. The fact that most of them were contractors helped. Few respected her enough to tempt her and beyond that, construction workers were rarely her type. She liked them thin and nerdy.

Poppy, you better be filling that form out, Jackson shouted from the kitchen. The words were punctuated by the sounds of chewing, taking a little away from the threat Jackson intended.

Of course I am, Poppy replied, sighing.

She rested her cheek on her hand as she scrolled through the profile that she was filling out. It was her third profile of the day and it was making her eyes hurt. The same thing over and over. Her age: thirty-three. Her height: 5’8. Her hair: blonde. Her eyes: grey. She deliberately withheld her profession, putting something generic each time, like management.

I’m going to come in there and check it before you submit it, Jackson said, her voice carrying much more than she probably realized. It tended to echo around the small flat with its sharp edges and minimalistic approach to decorating.

I should just let you fill it in.

Maybe you should.

If Poppy had thought that Jackson would actually willingly fill in her online dating profiles, she would have happily handed the computer over. But Jackson Pope was a big believer in doing things yourself. She had been since Poppy had first met her, when they moved into the same room in their first year at uni.

Done, Poppy called back after another minute.

She leaned back in the chair, making it creak as she craned her neck, trying to see around the wall hiding her friend. Jackson took another minute or so to appear. She held one of Poppy’s new creations, crumbs littering the floor behind her, the smell of citrus following.

Enjoying them? Poppy asked, grinning.

Jackson nodded, mumbling something about how good they were, her cloud of dark hair bobbing about her head. Poppy had been experimenting with biscuits that didn’t use baking powder. She’d thrown some clementine zest in simply because she knew that Jackson loved clementines.

Drawing up a chair next to Poppy’s, Jackson sat and the two of them looked at the online profile Poppy had created. Though Jackson grimaced at the picture Poppy had chosen, she didn’t say anything, instead reading through everything else. She edited the little personal comment section, nodding her head along as she had to the other two Poppy had done earlier.

Good enough? Poppy asked.

Jackson withheld her answer for another few seconds as she finished it off. Poppy suppressed another sigh. This profile hadn’t been markedly different from the other two she’d written up. There was no reason to comb over it like Jackson was doing.

Looks good, Jackson finally said. Ready to submit?

Poppy clicked the submit button before Jackson could change her mind about any of it. Then she was live. Again. Her shoulders slumped as she gazed at her completed profile, now ready and waiting to interact with the thousands of other hopefuls on LookingforLove.com.

Don’t look so depressed, Jackson said, elbowing her. This is a good thing.

It’s disheartening that this is what I’ve come to, Poppy said. It wasn’t the first time she’d said it to her only female friend and she doubted it would be the last time either.

Don’t think of it like that. It’s a good thing. You’ve said it yourself, you don’t have time for a normal dating life. You don’t have time to go out and find someone the traditional way. This is what you have time for.

Poppy groaned, scooting her chair away from the computer. She stood to stretch, her arms reaching up for the low ceiling. Jackson’s flat was smaller than Poppy’s, but much more centrally located. She didn’t have a car and used the public transport system to get around.

Have you heard from Sarah? Poppy asked her friend.

Jackson shook her head, her hair flopping. Her mouth turned down and she gazed moodily at the computer screen. Shoulders hunched, the grey hoody Jackson wore bunched over her stomach.

Don’t want to talk about it? Poppy asked.

Nope.

So Poppy shut her mouth and turned away, continuing her stretches. She’d been bent over that computer far longer than she liked to be on a weekend. It was one of the rare weekends that she didn’t have to go into work or get anything done. Her current project was winding down and should be completed in the next three to six months, depending on weather and a few other variables.

Though Poppy had a degree in architecture, once she’d graduated, she’d had the same trouble as everyone else finding a job. Instead, she’d had to fall back on her work experience, construction. It had been over ten years since she’d graduated and she still worked in construction, never finding the desire to try and start a career in architecture. She was happy just where she was.

Jackson broke into Poppy’s thoughts, rising from the chair. Poppy stared at her friend, trying to decide if Jackson was brooding about Sarah again or not. It looked like not. Jackson’s face wasn’t drawn as it was when she was thinking about her on-again-off-again girlfriend.

Poppy followed Jackson into the kitchen. She smiled as Jackson headed straight for the plate of biscuits Poppy had brought along. At this rate, she would be able to take a clean plate home with her that evening.

There was something else I wanted to talk to you about, Jackson said after her first biscuit. She had another in her hand, ready to be eaten.

Uh oh, Poppy said with an exaggerated shiver, grinning.

Jackson glared at her as she leaned up against the white countertops. I’ve signed us both up for a speed dating event tomorrow night.

Poppy’s mouth fell open when her brain processed that information. What?

Jackson nodded, looking determined. Her nostrils flared and she sat down at the round kitchen table, taking a bite of the biscuit in her hand. Poppy stared at her until she’d finished.

What do you mean? I thought the deal was that we’d both do online dating, Poppy moaned, collapsing in the other chair at the same table as her friend. Her hands rested on the glass top, soaking up the slick coolness.

It was. But I know you. You’ll have those profiles up and you’ll leave them. You’re not going to check on them or do any follow-ups.

Poppy flushed guiltily, watching her hands pink. Not necessarily, she hemmed. Besides, you never said I had to do anything with them.

It’s been three years since you’ve had a boyfriend, Jackson said with a penetrating look.

And longer since you’ve spent any meaningful amount of time with Sarah, Poppy countered, pulling her hands off the table. They were spots of cold on her thighs now.

Right. Which is why we’re going speed-dating, Jackson said, her dark skin glowing under the soft kitchen lights.

Poppy leaned back in her chair, her socks slipping on the wooden floors. She glared up at the ceiling, those lights blinding her. Speed-dating. Had it really come to that?

"Don’t even start on that thought