Page 91 of Matchmaking On The Menu

“About what?”

“Everything.” A small, humorless huff. “If it’s good enough. Different enough. If anyone’s going to care.”

I glance at him, really look this time, the tension in his jaw, the way his focus stays fixed somewhere just beyond reach.

“That sounds exhausting.”

“It is.”

We walk a few more steps, and a different quiet settles between us. It’s heavier, more charged.

“Feels like I lost something,” he adds, almost like he didn’t mean to say it out loud. “The part that made it… mine.”

I pick up a piece of glass that has eroded into a clear stone. I don’t want him to see I’m surprised by him admitting something so personal to me.

I tuck the glass into my jacket pocket, my finger curling around it.

We walk along in silence for a while until I pluck up the courage to blurt out the question that’s been on my mind all afternoon. “Can I ask you something?”

He looks at me. “Sure.”

“What’s your name? Your full name.”

His eyes narrow slightly, not in suspicion, but amusement, like he already knows exactly where this is going.

“You’re going to look me up.”

I don’t even hesitate, meeting his gaze without blinking.

“Obviously.”

That gets another laugh out of him, but there’s hesitation there too now. A flicker of something more guarded, like he’s deciding how much of himself to hand over.

“Why is it important?”

“Isn’t it obvious? I’m on a hike with a man who carries around a camera like it’s an extension of his soul. I feel like a Google search is the bare minimum.”

He studies me for a second, his gaze lingering, weighing something I can’t quite see.

He sighs. “Theodore Rowlins.”

That name sounds important. I pull out my phone immediately.

“Dannica—”

Too late. I type it in.

And then…. Oh my god.

The screen floods with images, articles, interviews, exhibits, awards. His work stacks faster than I can process. It’s everywhere.

I look up at him, standing there like this is no big deal.

Like he’s not… this.

BREAKING: MAN WITH PERFECT JAWLINE ALSO INCREDIBLY TALENTED. UNFAIR ADVANTAGE SUSPECTED.

I slowly lower my phone. “You’re a big deal.”