LITMIR.BIZ

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the young man tucked her coat into a small closet, Mal looked at the gorgeous view provided by the large glass windows behind the front desk. The North Shore Mountains were shrouded in a low mist—any colder and it would be snowing up there—while the ocean looked dark and flat. As she watched, a float plane buzzed in to land.

      “Would you like a beverage? Latte? Espresso? Tea? Wine?”

      Mal turned her attention back to him. “An espresso, please.” Her stomach probably didn’t need the caffeine, but it would be good to have something to do with her hands, and since she had to return to her office at Elephants—her family’s restaurant—after this meeting, wine was out. Not that Donovan would have judged her, but it sometimes made her sleepy and she had a meeting later on to discuss a charity event to raise money for local food banks.

      “Single or double?” The man wore a slim-cut blue suit, plaid dress shirt and a sunshine yellow bow tie. His cheerful wardrobe and warm manner helped soothe her. Mal suspected that’s why he’d been hired.

      “Single, please.”

      “Great. I’ll just let Angela know you’re here and I’ll be back with your espresso. Please have a seat while you wait.”

      The chairs that dotted the reception area were large and covered in rich fabrics—mahogany leather and ivory velvet. Gold brocade throw pillows tied the two disparate colors together. Mal took a seat on one of the leather chairs. Partly because it offered a better view and partly because she felt like playing against type. Clearly, the chairs had been selected with males and females in mind. But she preferred the leather. It set her outfit off better.

      Mal double checked to make sure her cell was turned to silent while she waited. She imagined Angela would take the interruption about as well as any potential date might, which was to say not at all.

      The young man was back quickly, carrying a steaming cup of espresso in delicate white china. “Angela is ready for you.”

      Mal followed him down another hall into a large office done in the same shades of rich brown and soft whites with pops of gold. A tall, slender woman with caramel-colored skin greeted her with a warm handshake. “Angela Wilson.”

      “Mallory Ford.” She forced herself not to fidget as Angela gave her the once-over. The appraisal wasn’t obvious, but Mal recognized it all the same. She’d expected it and gave Angela a covert once-over of her own.

      The matchmaker appeared to be around Mal’s age. Her simple black dress with a skinny red belt flattered her figure and was clearly quality material and tailoring. Her arms were toned, her hair was glossy and she wore a large diamond ring on her left hand. Mal thought she looked eminently qualified to find a suitable match.

      “Have a seat.” Angela gestured to a pair of matching ivory chairs in the corner of the large office. The young man had already placed Mal’s espresso on the small wooden side table and shown himself out, so it was just the two of them. A couple of women having a get-to-know-you chat.

      Angela had already explained to Mal what would happen. The interview would be completely confidential, hence the lack of any other client in the reception area. Mal suspected they were carefully timed to prevent any crossover. She appreciated their discretion. Although she wasn’t embarrassed to have decided to use the service, she wouldn’t have been thrilled to run into someone she knew, either. It was a matter of keeping her private life private.

      Actually, it was a matter of having a private life, since her current life consisted of work and sleep. Mal was looking forward to having one again. A lovely private life with dates and dinner and sex. Which made her think of Travis, which made her hands clench.

      She forced her fingers to uncurl as she sat down and picked up her espresso. There was no reason to be tense, nothing to get upset about. Plenty of people had a bad breakup in their past, probably most people, and they seemed to find love again. She could, too.

      Mal took a small sip of the steaming coffee and resolved to be open and honest no matter what was asked. As Angela had explained during their preparatory phone call, this would make the entire process more efficient, more enjoyable and more likely to be successful and find her a match.

      And so the chat began, and she thought she was doing a pretty good job, right up until Angela asked, “Have you ever been in love?”

      Mal started. Fortunately, she’d finished the espresso so her sudden jerk merely caused the cup to rattle against the saucer. She tried to cover it by putting both pieces down quickly and adjusting them. As if the continued clink of ceramic would hide the fact that the first clink had been unintentional.

      Angela simply watched, her long legs crossed, expensive pen poised over a leather-bound notebook. Mal had been admiring it earlier, now she wished Angela would put it away.

      She swallowed, stopped fiddling with the espresso cup and sat back in the cushy seat. “No.” Her pulse, already thundering, pumped faster. “I’ve never been in love.”

      For the first time since she’d sat down, Angela didn’t make a note of Mal’s answer. “I realize it can be a difficult question to answer.”

      There was no happy answer to be found sitting in the chair. She either admitted that she’d had her heart broken and the return of said heartbreaker was how she found herself here in the first place, or she lied. “I guess I just haven’t been lucky.”

      Angela’s dark eyes studied her. Mal knew she wasn’t fooling the woman, but she did her best to meet the matchmaker’s gaze. Really, why did it matter if she’d ever been in love or not? She wasn’t interested in her past relationships—or relationship, as the case was. She was interested in meeting someone new, finding an as yet unknown individual to start a life with.

      That was her story and she was sticking to it.

      Angela slowly closed the notebook and put it and the pen down on the table beside Mal’s empty cup. “Mallory, there are no wrong answers in this session. This simply provides a basis from which we can find your most suitable matches.”

      Mal wished her cup wasn’t empty, even a drop would help the sudden dryness in her mouth, but only white china stared back at her. She folded her hands and hoped they weren’t visibly shaking. And if they were, her knee provided a perfectly good point for grasping.

      “I do have to tell you that if I feel you’re not ready or that you haven’t answered the questions honestly, we won’t move forward in the process.”

      “Pardon?” Mal felt another jolt, though her healthy grasp on her knee helped to minimize it.

      Angela nodded. She didn’t appear upset, but there was a serious look in her eye. “It’s unfair to anyone you might be matched with. We pride ourselves on only matching those people we think have a viable chance of success.”

      “I’m ready to be matched.” Hadn’t she gone through the prescreening conversation on the phone? Worn an appropriate outfit? Arrived on time and with answers? Paid the expensive fee?

      “Part of my role is deciding that. We find that often the reason people have been unable to find love is because they’re not ready.” Angela paused. “So I’ll ask you one more time, have you ever been in love?”

      Mal opened her mouth to repeat her fib and stopped. Why did she feel the need to lie? Angela didn’t know her, didn’t know her family. And they all knew the truth anyway. So who was Mal hiding from except herself?

      “Maybe we should reschedule, Mal—”

      “Once.” Her throat felt tight even before she said anything. Where was the cute, hipster receptionist with access to the espresso machine when she needed him? “I’ve been in love exactly one time.”

      Instead of picking up her pen and notebook, Angela nodded. Mal was grateful for her discretion. This would be a hard enough story to tell out loud. She didn’t need to watch someone write it all down. Immortalize it on paper forever.

      “I thought we were going to get

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