Page 37 of Off the Wall

I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. “Why me?”

“I’ll be honest with you, Nori.” Jemma takes a beat. “You became our marketing team’s first choice the moment we learned you live at The Serendipity. We’ve all heard about the little love boosts residents get there. At the end of the day, we figure that increases our odds of success,” she says. “And yours, of course.”

“What if I don’t believe those rumors?” I glance out the window at the base of the tree where proposals supposedly happened when this place was a dorm. “The magic never worked for me.” I let out a sigh. “And I don’t think a dating app will either.”

“Let me put it this way, Nori. You’ve heard the saying ‘you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince’? Well, here at Swipe Rite, our job is to weed out the frogs. Of course we can’t guarantee every match will be a home run. But ultimately, we want the world to see you exploring options and finding the love of your life, thanks to Swipe Rite.”

I blow out a long breath. I shouldn’t have let Jemma get her hopes up. “I’m sorry, but I still don’t think?—”

“If you agree to participate,” she interrupts, “we’ll pay you five thousand dollars. Up front.”

Whoa.

My jaw drops. “Did you say fivethousanddollars?”

“I did. And at the end of the promotion, after you’ve gone out with all ten matches, we’ll give you another five thousand.”

“Tenthousand dollars?” I blurt. “That sounds too good to be true.” Despite my doubt, I want this money. No, Ineedthis money. And one word rings in my ears.

Shortfall.

Anextra ten thousand dollars would cover the gap in my business loan, which means I’d be able to buy Serendipi-Tea without anyone else’s help. Sure, I might have to dip intosavings to cover the repairs on Dorothy, but that’s a huge step forward toward my future. For ten grand, I can date ten men.

What’s the worst that can happen?

“Our offer is very real, I assure you,” Jemma says. “To be fair, we’re expecting to make far more from this campaign than we’ll be paying you. And the local businesses sponsoring your dates will also benefit from the publicity. In other words, you’d be helping them as much as you’re helping us.Andyou’ll make a little money in the process. But the real benefit to you, of course, will be meeting your soulmate. Finding the love of your life would be priceless, wouldn’t it? And letting the world watch is a small price to pay.”

Something pings behind my ribs, a wrench thrown into Jemma Lane’s perfect plan. “What if I don’t find … the one? What if, at the end of all these dates, I haven’t met my soulmate?”

“We’ll already have all the promotional footage we need to curate the illusion of a happily-ever-after. You and the men you’ve dated can quietly get on with your separate lives. Just like the people on those television shows do.The Bachelor, TheBachelorette,etc. Hardly any of those couples stay together.”

“So I get the money either way?”

“As long as you fulfill your contract, yes.”

“Contract?”

“It’s fairly standard. The language stipulates that you’ll go on all ten dates, even if the first match sweeps you off your feet. The places sponsoring this promotion are paying to be a part of the campaign. To be fair to them, you must go out with all ten men.”

I let out a little snort. “After the dates I’ve been on lately, I’m not really worried about falling in love at first sight.”

“I can tell you’re still skeptical, Nori, so let me be blunt. You don’t have to believe in Swipe Rite or believe our algorithm works. In fact, you can doubt the process the wholetime. Just go on these dates and let us share your experiences. Either way, we’ll pay you the first half as soon as you’ve signed the contract.”

“I’ll do it!” I blurt before I let logic or rational thought talk me out of it.

“That’s wonderful,” Jemma says. “And if we happen to get a little help from the mystical powers of your building, well then, I say let the magic begin.”

“Sure. Yes. All the magic.”

“Text me your best email address, and I’ll shoot the contract over for you to review and sign. I’ll also send the questionnaire and prompts you’ll need to fill out so our team can create the perfect profile. You’re good with us taking the lead on that, yes?”

I bite back a smirk. “Absolutely.”

“Try to have fun with your answers,” Jemma says. “And as for the pictures you send us, they can be selfies or shots with friends and family. Work photos. Anything. Don’t overthink this part, okay?”

“Deal.” Overthinking a dating profile definitelywon’tbe my issue.

“We’re really excited to roll out this campaign,” she says, “so as soon as we’ve received everything from you, we’ll get your profile live.”

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