Page 20 of Sincerely Not Yours

“You moved there for GambleOnLove?”

He quirked a brow.

“Remember, I googled you,” she clarified, instigating a crooked grin from Harris.

“Yes, that’s why I moved. I went into business with my best friend, Adam,” he replied, and Gigi scrunch her brow. When she’d googled Harris, the articles she’d read noted he was the sole owner of GambleOnLove. Why had he parted from doing business with his best friend? “Our largest investors were in New York City. Ultimately, that’s where we opened our office and built a team.”

“You’re still running that business while working at Ryan & Ryan?” She was pressing for more information, but he simply nodded.

“I like to work.”

“Hmm,” she replied, clicking her nails on the metal thermos, thinking about his answer, what she knew of Harris, and what she knew of the dating app. She had a million questions, but his last name was on her paycheck. How transparent could she be?

“You look like you have something to say.” Harris angled himself toward her.

She huffed, scolding her face. “I’ve never been good at hiding my thoughts.”

“Say it,” he replied, plainly, and with a shrug. “I want to hear what your face is saying.”

This made her laugh, easing her hesitation, and she went to the first question swirling at the top of the list. “How’d you come up with the idea for the dating app?”

He looked surprised by her question. “The app? It was Adam’s idea. He’d always been a ‘big picture’ thinker. He came up with the idea after a string of bad dates and asked me to partner withhim to handle the financials.” For a moment, he looked lost in thought. Stuck in a memory? With his next breath, he focused back on her. “That’d never been Adam’s forte, and he wanted someone he could trust.”

“Hmm,” she replied, tapping her lips. “But you obviously believed in the concept of the dating app, in order to commit to it?”

“Yes, of course. I’d never get involved with a business I didn’t believe in.”

Gigi pursed her lips, trying to keep her inner thoughts from tweaking her face. It didn’t work.

“What?” he asked, looking slightly amused. “Do you have something against GambleOnLove?”

“I mean, it is kind of weird, isn’t it? To go on a date with someone you don’t know and have never seen?”

“It’s not really that weird.”

“Have you ever done it yourself?”

“Well . . . no,” he replied. “That would be a conflict of interest. I’m not going to use an app I helped to create to get a date.”

That comment sounded chivalrous, but she still squinted an eye at him. “It just seems like most people use the app for short-term dating, not long-term.” This was the nicest way she could think of to avoid calling his app a hookup facilitator.

He shrugged a shoulder, looking like he’d heard this a million times. “There’s always going to be a portion of the dating pool that’s looking for short-term commitments. That’s not specific to a dating app. But GambleOnLove has a sixty-seven percent success rate on matches. Did you know that?”

“Really?” Her eyes widened at this stat. “What do you consider successful?”

“Me? Or the app?” He prodded, throwing her off guard, but not waiting for an answer. “When a couple matches and then starts dating, they put a freeze on their profiles. Our dataanalysts follow up with our clients every six months, asking for a status of their relationship. Sixty-seven percent of our matches are still dating a year later. Thirty-three percent are married.”

“What?” she squeaked, astonished. “A third result in marriage? Really? Are you joking?”

“I wouldn’t jest about data,” he replied straight-faced, making her grin.

“I just . . .” she started, trying to pinpoint and articulate her issue with the app. “I guess I’ve always been a little old-fashioned when it comes to dating.”

“Old-fashioned? How so?” His focus was fully on her, making her feel like the most interesting thing on the Miracle Mile. Her stomach fluttered again.

“I’ve always believed in the idea of fate, you know? Like, turning the corner and dumping a full cup of piping hot coffee on the man you were meant to spend the rest of your life with. Or striking up a conversation at a bookstore with a stranger after you both reach for the last copy of the hottest new release. Or—” She pressed her lips together before she mentioned something about tripping out of an elevator and ending up tangled in each other’s arms. “There’s something romantic about those chance encounters. Plus, I kind of think it’s creepy to meet up with some random guy you don’t know.”

He huffed a laugh, looking entertained. “Who’s to say the guy you spill a cup of coffee on is your long-lost love? Maybe fate put him in your path to ruin his shirt because he’s been looking for an excuse to buy a new one?”

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