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The parking lot is dark. Great for kissing in, not so great when you want to actually see the shape and size of the vehicles nestled closely together. I wind my way down the last row of parked vehicles without a glimpse of his big black truck.
I nose my Prius out toward Main again. Just before pulling out, my phone rings.
The instant I pick up, a chorus of voices trills through the speaker.“You have a match!”
Mark’s boyish tone mingles with Teagan’s excitable soprano. Claire’s in there, too, sounding much happier than she was earlier today.
I laugh, but shake my head. “Okay, guys, what is this about?”
Now Mark’s voice fills the line. “Gem, your boy called in this evening. I spent two hours drilling him, and—”
“Wait, my boy?”
“Your family friend. Parker Manning. I was trying to eat dinner earlier, and he called up. I was a couple minutes from leaving for the night. I have this new video game at home that has—”
There’s a muffled rustling sound, then Teagan’s voice is in my ear. “Gem, you there?”
“Yeah, what’s going on?”
“What Mark is taking forever to say is that Parker filled in his own profile. Mark called us all in to code it. We ran it through the system as a priority, because of how you’ve been going on about the funding on the line.”
I hear another rustle as Mark yanks the phone back. “Gemma, this family friend of yours… his profile’s air-tight now. Spot on. Totally accurate. He asked us to run his numbers with yours, and you guys are a 94% match. Do you realize that’s the best compatibility score we haveeverseen?”
My hand starts to tremble.
I suppress the urge to squeal like a six-year old on Christmas morning, when it’s time to open presents.
Behind me, headlights approach and then glare in my rear-view mirror. The car behind me is too polite to honk, but I catch the driver’s drift when the headlights inch closer to my rear bumper.
“Thank you guys for doing this,” I say through my smile. “You all are amazing, and I truly appreciate you. I have to run, but I will give you an update soon, I promise.”
“Love is in the air!” Mark says.
“And bonuses!” Teagan adds hopefully. “Big, fat, bonuses!”
I laugh as I hang up.
The car behind me loses patience and honks, so I pull out onto the street. When I check the clock on the dashboard and see that it’s now 10:15, I consider heading up to the cabin. It’s late, and if Parker’s not here at the bar, maybe he’s up at the ski house.
Then I remember: Ransom’s private lessons. Parker probably picked the kid up from that grocery store and then settled in at the high school for the session.
I step on the gas and cruise that way.
The feeling of freedom that blossomed in my chest earlier tonight has given way to full-fledged happiness. I can’t stop smiling, and I have so much energy that I keep tapping my hands against the wheel like it’s a bongo drum. Me and Parker are a match!
I want to roll down the windows and shout it:‘Ninety-four percent! He’s my Mr. Right!’
That might get me arrested for disturbing the peace, though, and I won’t be able to run into Parker's arms if I’m locked behind bars.
And I really want to run into his arms.
Please, please be here,I think, as I spot the faded Higshcool sign up ahead. There’s some sort of muzzle-faced creature painted under the school’s name. It looks like a cross between a fox, a dog, and an alligator. Must be the school mascot, but what is it?
I don’t have time to decide, because now I see a gaggle of shadowy forms huddled on the sidewalk not far from the sign. The half-dozen figures stand in a knot, chins wagging. I wouldn’t even take a second glance at them, except for the fact that now I see Parker’s truck on the shoulder of the road, not far from where they’re gathered.
The pale beams of my headlights glitter against fragments of glass that are scattered across the pavement.
No.
