“Rob Goodfellow,” I mock gasp and clutch my chest, daring to tease him. “Are you telling me you believe in magic?”
“I mean…yes?” He shrugs. “If the crystal slipper fits. You have a rare and special gift. I know you don’t always believe it.”
I get goosebumps. Did he just readmymind?
“It can be hard to believe in magic, Rob,” I confess. “Even when it’s your own. Especially when it’s your own.”
“I get it,” Rob nods emphatically. “Believe me, I do. But I think that’s what people want in these uncertain times. More magic. It’s what we allneed.”
We both sit silently for a moment before I ask a question.
“I don’t understand exactly what it is that you want from me,” I say. “I’m not sure the way the matches happen in my books would work on a reality show. Not to mention the fact that the matches in my books are allfictional. The stakes are quite a bit lower than they would be in real life.”
“I don’t know,” Rob waves away my concerns. “Real or imaginary, what I’m curious about is how you, or rather the mystic matchmaker, knows who to put together. What’s the methodology behind all the stories?” Rob asks.
“I’m not sure I can explain that part,” I wrinkle my nose. “It just comes to me, and I just know.”
“So THAT,” Rob snaps his fingers. “That is what I am talking about. That is why I have faith in you. You have the ancient wisdom and magic that this show needs. You ARE that magic, Isla.” He laughs triumphantly. “Iknewyou had it flowing through your veins. I just knew it! It’s not just in the stories you write.”
Rob jumps to his feet and paces around the garden, wiggling his toes in the crystal-infused pebbles as he takes each step.
“I think I have to tell you now that this show is a passion project for me. I’ve always known that there are great and mystical unseen forces around us. There are reasons why some of us belong together or maybe don’t. And those forces cannot be explained with ones and zeros. They cannot be quantified or calculated. They can only be felt by special gifted individuals, such as yourself.”
Rob pauses in front of me, leaning forward slightly as he speaks. He’s actually a little breathless, passion and conviction radiating from him as he speaks. He bites his lip and sighs.
“Listen, I’ve sown some wild oats in my time. Nobody could call me a monk. I wanted to believe in the idea of soulmates and the power of true love, but,” he shrugs, seeming lost for words. “Then I found your stories, Isla. And guess what?”
“What?” I ask.
“Your books spoke to me. I became a little obsessed. After reading your books, I finally had the courage to open my heart. I trusted the universe to lead me to love. And it did. I found my soulmate, Isla. All because you sparked that belief in me.”
He holds up his hand to show me his ring.
“So when Rory and Marco also suggested you for the show? I nearly passed out. There are no coincidences. It was serendipity. Synchronicity. Part of the grand plan! It had to be you. You ARE the show. If you don’t want to do this show, I don’t want to do this show!”
I shake my head in disbelief. “Wow, that’s really weird. I don’t have a lot of male readers. How did you find my books if you don’t mind my asking?”
“My mom and my sister are huge fans. My granny was, too. I started reading the series when I was visiting her in Cornwall for Christmas a couple of years ago. I particularly appreciate the way that the mystic matchmaker works to undo centuries-old feuds and right past wrongs with her matches. We tore through all nine books by Valentine’s Day. Speaking of which - I loved your take on Lupercalia on theLit Loversepisode you did!”
“You listened to that?” I ask.
“Of course. And while I certainly don’t condone animal cruelty, I think the world would be a better place if more people were open to the possibility of the divine nature of love. It’s just a miracle, isn’t it?” I can’t help but notice the tear in Rob’s eye as he twists his wedding ring on his finger. “If you don’t want to do this show, I don’t want to do this show. But I certainly hope you do. For the sake of the couples we have lined up, and for the sake of the world. Think how many lives we could change with that message of hope.”
“Okay,” I say, suddenly feeling a bit breathless, as well. “But how do you see it working? What would I be doing?”
“We’d want you to weigh in, right away, on the singles we’ve selected and matches we’ve made - see if you have a feeling about any of them,” Rob says. “And of course, we’d want you there to oversee the dates and help plan the couple’s outings. We’d essentially want you to work the same sort of magic you do in your books, only in real life.”
“But my books are fiction,” I say. “I’ve had some luck setting up friends but I’m not sure I can get the same kind of results as the mystic matchmaker in real life.”
“People want to believe, Isla. Your books give people hope. That’s more than half the battle. Everyone wants tobelieve.”
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“I absolutely believe in soulmates. But I don’t think it’s as simple as stumbling on your perfect match and boom, you click and fit. When worlds collide, your shape changes. You grow together.”
~Isla Fairfax, Playing with Matches Confessionals
“So the algorithmcan tell when people are lying?” Rory, the assistant producer, is quizzing me in the conference room. I’m back at Goodfellow Productions after grabbing a quick lunch with Rory and Rob at a nearby Mexican place. Rob is taking another meeting while Rory and I go over some of the details of the show.
