“That would be great,” Grace said.
“I know a place just down the street where we can get falafel and kebabs, if you like either of those.”
“Perfect.” Grace closed her laptop and stood, stretching. Alex did so, too. His brown hair was slightly tousled.
“Follow me.”
Out on the sidewalk, they wove in and out of the downtown San Valentino pedestrian traffic. There were a few people in business attire, but most of the passersby looked like they were enjoying days off. They wore shorts and dresses, held cones of ice cream, and snapped photos with their phones or cameras. It was a warm June day, already ramping up to a hot California summer, and lots of people were here on vacation.
Grace searched for a topic to discuss with Alex. She didn’t want to land on anything too personal, so she ended up asking about work.
“How did you come up with the idea for MatchupNow?” she asked as they strolled.
“It was inspired by what I saw at college,” Alex explained. “Lots of my friends used dating apps, but mostly, those apps were all about quick hookups and flings. Which is great, if that’s what you’re looking for. Some of my friends wanted a real relationship, though, and I decided to see if I could create an app that would let them find lasting connections. Plus, I was taking a class in app design at the time, and I figured a dating app would make an interesting project.”
“And that’s how MatchupNow was born,” Grace finished. “As a school project. You were serious about taking every assignment seriously—this one brought you all the way to running a well-known company.”
“Exactly.” Alex winked. “At first, the app was mostly a fun coding challenge for me, but when I saw how much it helped people, including my friends, I dug deeper and tried to make it better. That’s how it really took off.”
“It works,” Grace said. “Actually, my best friend met her husband on there.”
“Really?” Alex grinned. “I’m always happy to hear success stories. What happened?”
“My friend, Susie, was having trouble like you mentioned before—she used dating apps, looking for lasting connections, but just found people wanting to hook up. Eventually, she tried MatchupNow. A guy named Steve was her first connection. They went on a few dates, and the rest is history.”
“Steve and Susie.” Alex grinned. “Maybe I need to build an alliteration feature into the app.”
“You should.” Grace laughed. “Ooh, you should add a feature that creates cute couple names!”
Alex laughed. “I like the way you think.”
“That’s me.” Grace flipped her hair. “Always creative.”
“You are. And we’re here,” Alex added. He pointed to a small food truck parked near an open space. There was a line of about five people outside, and a few others were walking away with wraps in silver foil. A delicious smell of onions and spices wafted out of the stand and made Grace’s stomach rumble.
“It smells great,” Grace said appreciatively. They got in line, and Grace scanned the menu and picked out a falafel wrap.
“So, what did Susie say when you started working for MatchupNow?” Alex asked as they moved forward a place in line.
“She was thrilled.” Grace grinned. “She told me I should use the app for research for my new job—but I think she’s just hoping I’ll find a boyfriend.”
Immediately, Grace regretted her words. This wasn’t the kind of information one should share with a new boss, even if they’d just been joking around a few minutes ago.
In truth, Susie, as well as Grace’s other friends, had been pushing her for years to try dating, but Grace always had a reason not to. She’d been too busy with her parents, then with college, then with her first few jobs. She’d always wanted love and a family of her own, but that had always felt like a “someday” dream.
“So, you aren’t dating anyone?” Alex asked.
Grace glanced at him, her cheeks flushing. “No.”
“I see.” He looked away again, his expression unreadable.
Part of her wanted to ask if he had a girlfriend, but she was already far too uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation. Thankfully, they moved to the front of the line and placed their orders at just the right moment.
“Let me pay this time,” Grace insisted. She quickly tapped her card against the reader before Alex could protest.
“Next time, it’ll be on me again,” he said.
“Sure. If you’re fast enough.”
