The next day
“Iget to write my first letter! The guy Grace set me up with is interested!” Lola came walking into the living room with a pad in her hand.
“That’s—great.” I nodded and pursed my lips. “You have fun with that, I’m still working on my job applications.”
Lola had filled me in on how the matchmaking process worked atWhat the Heart Wants. Apparently, Grace was quite old-fashioned. She wanted the people that were matched up to write letters to each other instead of just meeting for a date. If they were still interested after exchanging a few letters, then they could have their first date. Surprisingly, she even asked that the couples refrain from engaging in any form of sexual contact for three months after their first date—just to make sure things were headed in the right direction before intimacy complicated things. I wasn’t sure how she would enforce a rule like that, so I had to assume it was more of a suggestion than a requirement.
“Chloe, your phone is buzzing.” Lola motioned to my cell phone, which was sitting on the table in front of me.
“Oh.” I leaned to the side to look past my laptop. “I assumed it was your phone—I never get any calls unless it’s you.”
“Maybe it’s Mr. Firefighter.” She batted her eyes seductively.
Great, she’s named him. I shouldn’t have told her anything about the guy Grace matched me with.
“Hello?” I slid my finger across the screen.
“Hi! Chloe! It’s Grace fromWhat the Heart Wants!” Her voice was quite cheerful.
“Hey…” I raised an eyebrow, unsure why she was calling.
“I just met with the gentleman that I matched you with and he’s interested!” She sounded absolutely delighted. “I know you said that you weren’t sure, but I thought I’d give you one more opportunity before I break his heart.”
“Break his heart?” I chuckled. “He doesn’t even know me.”
“He’s kind of like you.” She sighed but didn’t lose an ounce of her cheer. “He’s not entirely sure about this either, but he’s willing to give it a shot. I really think you should do the same.”
“Who is it?” Lola tilted her head and tried to communicate with me without speaking above a whisper.
“It’s Grace.” I covered the bottom of my phone. “She’s just following up.”
“Don’t you dare say no!” Lola’s eyes opened wide. “I’ll help you with the letter—please give this a shot.”
Oh my god…
“Chloe, are you still there?” I heard a bit of concern in Grace’s voice.
“Yeah, I’m still here. Sorry.” I exhaled sharply.
I can’t believe I’m considering this.
“I have a good feeling about this.” Grace’s cheer returned. “I think you’ll regret it if you don’t give it a shot.”
“Fine…” I sighed and nodded. “I’ll write him a letter.”
“Wonderful!” Her cheer turned into extreme excitement. “I’ll let him know that he should expect a letter from you shortly! You can handwrite it and drop it off here, or you can type it and send it to me by email—your choice!”
“Okay.” I sighed again. “It looks like Lola is going to handwrite hers, so I’ll do the same.”
“Perfect! I look forward to seeing you again real soon!” She hung up the phone before I could respond.
“This is so exciting!” Lola hopped up from her seat. “I’ll grab you pen, and we can figure out what you’re going to say. I can work on mine later.”
“No, hold on.” I held up my hand. “If I’m going to do this, I should probably do it myself.
“Oh.” She sat back down. “You don’t want my help?”
“I probably need it, trust me.” I chuckled nervously. “But, if I’m going to write him a letter, I should try to make sure they’re my words, you know?”
