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“Dammit, again.” At this rate I would never get the new novel finished, never mind another twenty thousand words to my editor by month’s end.
I stood up, in search of a distraction. Anything that would take my mind off Tara and her big green eyes. Her curves. Her smile. Her voice. I picked up the phone, thumb poised over Tara’s name on the screen, figuring it was better to just reach out to her to remind myself that maybe, just maybe, she wasn’t as great as I remembered. That was the thing about women, they got stuck in your head as this great, big screen version of themselves, leaving you transfixed. But the next time you saw them you realized they were relatively normal.
Not special.
Before I could muster up the courage to press the call button, my doorbell rang and I jumped to answer it. Hoping it was Oliver or Xander, or even some of the other men I didn’t know quite as well, but with whom I’d started to form friendships. Anyone or anything to give me something else to think about. To obsess about. As soon as the door was open, I had to bite back a groan at the sight before me.
Sophie and Eva, dressed all in white and wearing too bright smiles, but that was where the similarities ended. “Ladies. To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“Your platinum package with Time for Love, of course.” Eva flashed a wide grin. “Are you going to invite us in, or do we need to schedule some basic date etiquette classes with Olive?”
“God no,” I groaned and took a step back. “Come on in, then, and tell me why you’re here.”
“Have you spoken to Tara recently?” Sophie’s face was a look of pure innocence that I didn’t buy for a second.
“You know I have, since you harassed her about us hanging out recently. Why are you really here?”
“That is why,” Eva insisted. “We’re not prying…” she began hesitantly.
“Okay we are prying,” Sophie said, “but we’re being paid to pry to a certain extent, so really, we’re just doing our jobs.”
“Eva,” I groaned. “Spit it out.”
“Ok, fine. Did Tara say anything to you about the high compatibility rating you scored through our algorithm? The extremely high compatibility rating,” Sophie added for emphasis.
“What?” None of the words she said made any sense, so I stared blankly and waited for an answer.
Eva took a few more steps into the living room and dropped down on the sofa, making me wish Lila was here instead of hanging out with Brittany.
“Sophie can explain it best.”
My gaze swung to Sophie and I nodded for her to join us in the living room. “Tell me about it.”
I listened as closely as I could while Sophie talked about her algorithm and expected outcomes, anticipated outcomes and their opposites. She went on and on about the score being ‘over ninety percent,’ which was good, when it came to school grades and restaurant ratings.
“So you see, this is a special match.”
“Because it doesn’t happen often?”
“More or less, yeah,” Sophie nodded and continued. “It’s not just the rarity, but also the high number. This almost never happens, which means it’s something you have to explore. Not just for the sake of TFL but also for your own future.”
“Your very own happy ending.” Eva enthused. “Even if that’s not exactly what you’re looking for.”
I knew what she was getting at, and though I was grateful she kept my secret, but I refused to be held hostage. “What happened to relationships are complicated.”
“They are, but that’s only because people have a knack for taking simple things, like love, and turning them into nuclear physics.”
“Or maybe some other people like to make a big deal out of things that just aren’t a big deal. Tara is a cool woman, and I like spending time with her. As a friend. No matter what your algorithm says.”
“Don’t give me that crap,” Eva insisted. “I’ve seen the match work myself and this is more than just research, more than having a bit of fun. It’s more than whatever you intended going in, and I know that might be scary for a big strong man like yourself.”
“I’m not scared,” I scoffed.
“But you need to look at what you could be missing out on by ignoring this.”
“No offense, but I was married once before ladies. I know that happily ever after is a load of work and that only people who love and respect each other are willing to put that work in, day in and day out.” My ex hadn’t been willing, and we hadn’t made it. It was a mistake I didn’t plan to make again.
“Exactly, right!” Sophie grew even more animated. “That’s why this is all so exciting, don’t you see? It’s rare for this kind of match to happen, never mind with such a small sample size. You have to pursue this, Chris. You have to.”
