Page 14 of Banter & Blushes

What seemed like my perfect match now feels like an epic fail. On the other hand, considering how awkward the date was going, was this a blessing in disguise?

CHAPTER 8

LUNA

The rest of the evening, and even the next morning, guilt eats at me and I feel dreadful after witnessing Cade’s bout of sneezing and his date’s reaction to it.Poor man!And I’m the one to blame. If I hadn’t suggested to Althena that Gabrielle might want to wear an alluring perfume, none of this would have happened.

Althena knows about my knowledge of essential oils, so it was easy to drop the hint about musk and then let the matchmaker latch onto the suggestion and pass it along to her client. On the other hand, Althena could have reviewed Cade’s personal information sheet closer and noted his allergy. But honestly, I was counting on neither Althena nor her client checking that sheet.

Yep. That makes me even lower than pond scum.

I’m so conflicted over my feelings for Cade. He’s hired me to find him his perfect match, but what if I’m his perfect match? I now know what the saying “between a rock and a hard place” means.

As I sit in my tiny apartment above the shop, I try to enjoy my morning tea and one of Zoe’s apple fritters, but guilt lodges itself in my stomach. At least when I’m in private, I can cheat with a sugary baked good every now and then. My phone rings, I check the screen, and dread fills my heart. I better face the music and get this over with. Reluctantly I swipe to answer the call.

“Hello Althena!” I reply, injecting as much positivity into my tone as possible.

“Have you heard from your client about last night’s date?”

Oh no! Now’s the part where she chews me out.

“No, not yet.” I clamp my lips firmly shut so I don’t blurt out a confession as to my duplicity.

“Well!” she says, exhaling loudly. “It was a debacle from start to finish! Your client was allergic to Gabrielle’s perfume. The very perfume you hinted that she wear.”

Busted. What can I say to defend myself?

“Um—”

“We both missed it, didn’t we? Cade indicated on his personal profile that he was allergic, but we had already set up the date. That’s our bad! Next time I’ll read every line in the profile first!” A loud snort pierces my left ear.

Huh? She’s not livid with me?Relief makes me almost drop the phone. “Do we want to schedule them a do-over date?” I squeak.

She snorts. “Nope. That’s a dead horse. Gabrielle’s a germaphobe, so you can imagine her reaction to a few sneezes!”

In Gabrielle’s defense, there weren’t justa fewsneezes.From my clandestine location in the restaurant, I observed an abundance of sneezes.

“I’m sorry about that. I thought we had a good match with those two,” I reply, infusing regret into my tone.

“No worries. I just matched Gabrielle with a doctor, and I have high hopes for success.” Althena laughs and I exhale the breath I’ve been holding, relieved that my friend isn’t angry at me and that her client has apparently moved on from the dating disaster. Hopefully Cade isn’t too heartbroken after the incident. I make a note to check in with him later.

“We might be able to recover from this minor setback. I think there’s an even better fit between Mr. Bainbridge and my client Caroline Davis. Look at her profile and match score I just sent you.”

“Let me check.” I slide my laptop towards this side of the table and wake up the screen, click on Althena’s email, and start reading. “This match does look promising with that 75 percent match score.”

“What did I tell you! Plus they both have a 100 percent match on spontaneity and communications style. Caroline also selected Hello Kitty as her choice of best friend, and her useless superpower is always finding a parking spot right in front of a business. She’s based in Jacksonville but spends a fair amount of time at her beach house right there in Seabreeze Harbor.”

Wow. Sounds like a match made in heaven.

Reading Caroline’s bio, I say, “She’s a high-ranking executive in a tech company?”

“Yes. Caroline is very career-minded, just like your client. Shall we see if they’re both agreeable to a first date?”

“Sure. Are we going to schedule at the Golden Anchor again?”

Althena chuckles. “The scene of the crime? Why not! I’ll get back to you with the proposed day and time.”

“Please suggest that your client not wear any perfume.”

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