Earlier that day
“Hello! It’s very nice to meet you! My name is Grace Graham!” The lady in front of me was practically boiling over with excitement.
“Cain Stevenson.” I nodded and shook her hand.
“I won’t take up much of your time.” She started walking towards what appeared to be her office.
Grace took me through a series of questions and most of them were already keyed into the website, but she felt that it was necessary to double check everything since Abby was the one who made the profile. I had to keep reminding myself that my niece would be disappointed if I got up and walked out before I finished my meeting with Grace. I wouldn’t be able to lie to Abby, and the truth would upset her.
“Okay, so how does this work?” I leaned back in my chair after Grace verified all of my information.
“Well, my agency usually tries to cater the experience to the individual—or couple, depending on where we’re at in the process.” She nodded and reached for a cup of coffee that was sitting on an application.
“I saw your rules. They’re interesting.” I scoffed, remembering the one about avoiding sex for three months after the first date.
“Obviously, I can’t hold you to the rules once you meet the girl you’ve been matched with, but a lot of people who have turned that first date into a lifelong romance will swear by them.” She sipped her coffee and sat it down.
“I’ll keep them in mind.” I grunted and shrugged. “I don’t even know if I want to meet this girl.”
“You’ll have some time to correspond with her before you need to make a decision about a date. I am a fan of letters. I think that it’s a good way for people to open themselves up a little bit without the butterflies that come with meeting someone for the first time.” She nodded quickly. “In your case, I think it would be best for the girl that you’ve been matched with to write a letter—you read it—and then if you want, you can write her back.”
“Interesting…” I scratched my chin in contemplation. “She looked kind of young in her picture. I’m no cradle robber.”
“She’s definitely younger than you, but I think she needs someone with a little more maturity than the guys she’s been dating.” Grace reached for her coffee again.
“What about me?” I raised an eyebrow inquisitively. “Is this all about the girl, or are you taking what I want into consideration?”
“It’s less aboutwantand more aboutneed. You’d probably be happy with a woman your age, but Chloe is unique. I don’t think age will be a factor because I believe that both of you are searching for the same thing.” She nodded again.
So, her name is Chloe.
“I don’t know that I’m really searching.” I chuckled under my breath. “I wouldn’t even be here if my niece didn’t stick her nose where it didn’t belong.”
“I think she did you a favor.” Grace smiled warmly. “I’ll let you know when I get Chloe’s letter.”
“Alright…” I shrugged. “I guess there’s no harm in reading it.”
I finished up with Grace and headed to the gym. My job required me to work twenty-four hours on, forty-eight hours off, so I had to get my workouts in when I could. I would have another night of helping Abby with her homework after I got back home, and I’d have to hope she could fend for herself the next day when I was at work. I had contemplated trying to find something with a more traditional schedule for her sake, but I really did like being able to help people, and there weren’t many jobs that offered those opportunities. I considered law enforcement after I left the Navy, but I had enough violence in my nightmares to last a lifetime.
After I finished up at the gym, I took care of a few errands, grabbed some groceries, and when I got back home, I had a text message from Grace. My letter had arrived. I wasn’t expecting to get one that quickly. I considered waiting until the next day and picking it up on my way to work, but I did have a bit of curiosity about the young woman Grace matched me with. If nothing else, the letter might confirm that we weren’t a good match and I could let Abby know it wasn’t going to work out.
Then I can have Grace remove my profile from her system and put this ordeal behind me.
* * *
Later that night
“What’s that?” Bridget walked into the living room after putting Abby to bed.
“It’s my letter—from the young woman I got matched with. Her name is Chloe.” I folded the letter and put it back into the envelope.
“What? Why didn’t you tell Abby?” Bridget sighed as she sat down across from me. “She would have been so excited. You saw how happy she was when you told her that you actually went down to the agency.”
“Yeah, I know.” I shrugged and stared at the letter. “I’m just not sure…”
“You have to write her back.” Bridget nodded quickly. “She took the time to write you—the least you can do is respond.”
“She’s twenty-three.” I raised an eyebrow.
