“What kind of man are you looking for?”

“I don’t know. . . .”

“Sure you do. Everyone knows a little bit about what they want.”

“Not everyone.”

“Sure you do. Start with the obvious, or if you can’t do that, start with what you don’t want—like . . . is it all right if he’s in a motorcycle gang?”

Theresa smiled and picked from the stack. Her hand was coming together. another card and she’d be done. She threw down the jack of hearts.

“Why are you so interested?”

“Oh, just humor an old friend, will you?”

“Fine. No motorcycle gang, that’s for sure,” she said with a shake of her head. She thought for a moment. “Um . . . I guess most of all, he’d have to be the kind of man who would be faithful to me, faithful to us , throughout our relationship. I’ve already had another kind of man, and I can’t go through something like that again. And I think I’d like someone my own age or close to it, if possible, as well.” Theresa stopped there and frowned a little.

“And?”

“Give me a second—I’m thinking. This isn’t as easy as it sounds. I guess I’d go with the standard clichйs—I’d like him to be handsome, kind, intelligent, and charming—you know, all those good things that women want in a man.”

Again she paused. Deanna picked up the jack. Her expression showed her pleasure at putting Theresa on the spot.

“And?”

“He would have to spend time with Kevin as if he were his own son—that’s really important to me. Oh—and he’d have to be romantic, too. I’d love to receive some flowers now and then. And athletic, too. I can’t respect a man if I could beat him in arm wrestling.”

“That’s it?”

“Yep, that’s all.”

“So, let me see if I’ve got this right. You want a faithful, charming, handsome, thirty-something-year-old man, who’s also intelligent, romantic, and athletic. and he has to be good with Kevin, right?”