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Despite her appearance, there is hardiness about her, a strength of character unmatched by most, which quickly clears up any misconceptions you had about why she might be known by her friends as the “one-date wonder.”
It’s not that she couldn’t get a second date.
Most guys simply didn’t make the cut.
She’s dating someone now, but the 23-year-old president of her own public relations company (www.silverlining.ws), who grew up in Edmonton and now lives in Toronto, spent 3 1⁄2 years single while studying psychology at the University of Alberta.
And during that period she went on more than 400 first dates — roughly one every three days.
Her entertaining and excruciating experiences — and those of other women — are the subject of a book she’s writing with a friend, entitled The Little Black Book.
“Bad first dates, being swept off our feet, learning from mistakes and finding the loves of our lives are all experiences every woman can relate to and is always looking to share,” she says.
Bottom line: She hates first dates.
“They’re so cliché. You go to a fancy restaurant, the guy’s not being himself and he’s busy trying to impress you with his great job, house or car. It’s annoying and frustrating.
“People thought I was useless at relationships. They called me the Queen of Singledom. I was just happy being on my own until I found the right person. What can I say? I’m picky.”
It’s not that she knew what she was looking for, exactly. She just knew what she didn’t want.
Like the guy who showed up at her front steps holding a huge sunflower. “I just opened the door and thought, ‘Ohhh no,’ ” she laughs.
There was the marathon date at the Thai restaurant with the guy who wouldn’t stop ordering despite the fact the date wasn’t going well.
With another guy, she needed a restraining order. She later found out he’d stalked her for years, right from the time he saw her in a play when she was 18 years old.
One moving day when Reiniger had her hair pulled back, old sweats and no makeup on, she was asked out nine times.
Amazingly, though, none of the attention she gets seems to go to her head.
Even more incredible is that, with all of those first dates, she’s never even once had a one-night stand.
“I’m very traditional that way. Most of my friends have slept with lots of guys. I’ve witnessed their heartache when things didn’t work out. It comes down to practicality. There’s the emotional baggage, STDs and pregnancy to worry about. I just don’t want to deal with all of the crap that comes with sex,” Reiniger says.
Who is the lucky guy who has won her heart?
“Mike Grand.”
They dated off and on toward the end of university. He was the president of the ski club and she was director of Student Group Services. Because of their mutual stubbornness they never admitted they liked each other, or that they were really even dating.
“So it just faded off because that’s not sustainable,” Reiniger says.
Two years later, he hadn’t forgotten her. He’d just finished his masters degree and she’d moved to Toronto. He sent her an e-mail, and after they’d corresponded for several months, he visited her.
“We kind of knew we were in trouble,” laughs Reiniger.
If you call trouble falling in love, finally.
“You just know when it’s different. It just feels right. There’s no weirdness about it,” she says.
“Not many guys can keep up with me. I’m confident. He’s confident. We don’t need each other. But we’re better together, which makes us a good couple.”
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