Page 15 of Banter & Blushes

An ear-splitting laugh floats down the line. “You bet! Later!”

This time I vow not to meddle in or stealthily observe this date. Either Cade and Caroline hit it off, or they don’t. I email Cade about the next potential match, then get ready to open the shop. Living above the store, my commute takes only seconds. I feel a little less guilty after the conversation with Althena, but I’m still dreading seeing Cade face-to-face. Maybe I’ll lay low for a few days.

“I’m notsure this matchmaking stuff is working for me,” Cade says as he strides into my shop a few hours later. His grim expression makes my heart sink. “Can we talk in private for a few minutes?”

The store is empty, so I don’t have any excuses to avoid this conversation. “Of course. Let’s sit at one of the café tables. Would you like a cup of tea?”

“No thanks,” he says, marching over to one of the tables and sitting down.

Oh no! Is this the part where he chews me out?

I reluctantly follow him and slide into the chair on the other side of the table. Despite his crabby expression, my heart still flips at the sight of him. A lock of hair dangles onto his forehead, making him look like a sexy angry pirate, and my fingers itch to move it back in place.

“I take it your date with Gabrielle Moore didn’t go well?” I should probably come clean and admit to watching the whole debacle, but I don’t.

He grunts. “That’s an understatement. I couldn’t stand her nasally voice. She’s uptight, so prim and proper it made me feel like an oaf. And she wore a perfume that I had an allergic reaction to!” The volume of his voice increases as the tirade comes tumbling out. “The entire date was an unmitigated disaster.”

“I’m sorry, Cade.” I try to sound empathetic, but inside I’m doing a happy dance knowing that it wasn’t just the reaction to the musk that cratered the date. The guilt that’s been eating at my gut fades away. Cade and Gabrielle weren’t a good match. End of story.

His shoulders slump and he rests his chin in his hand. “If it wasn’t for my grandad’s ridiculous ultimatum, I wouldn’t even consider your matchmaking services.” He grimaces and waves his hand. “Forget I said that. I’m still grumpy from the botched date.”

I wondered why this good-looking guy resorted to using my matchmaking service, and now I know. Although I wonder what exactly the ultimatum entails. “No matter what your motivation, I hope you consider sticking with my service. According to NAM, almost 80 percent of first match dates don’t go well,” I assure him. “However, on average, after at least two dates with three different matches, our matchmaking service has a 69 percent success rate. That’s far better than any dating service can claim.”

He groans. “I’m not sure I can stand another excruciating first date.”

“I understand,” I say, reaching across the table to give his forearm a friendly squeeze. His eyes widen when my hand makes contact and a zap of attractionzings between us. I thought maybe these zaps would fade the longer he’s my client, but that was just as strong as when I touched his arm in my shop after he filled out the questionnaire.

Quickly removing my hand, I clear my throat and say, “I emailed you another potential match this morning, and her matchmaker is ready to schedule a date for you two. But I understand if you want to give up.”

He snorts. “I’ll try one more time, but please make sure this woman knows I’m allergic to certain fragrances.”

Suppressing a relieved smile, I nod vigorously. “I will. Please read the email and look over Caroline’s bio before committing. Let me know by later today if you want to proceed.”

He stares at me for a beat or two, as if he wants to say something else. But the moment passes and he stands. “Thank you, Luna. I’ll review the next candidate and get back to you.” He turns and walks out, and I watch him drive away.

Should I admit to my client that I think we’d be a perfect match? What kind of matchmaker does that? I need to sit tight and see how his next date goes, this time without any interference from me. Whatever will be, will be.

CHAPTER 9

CADE

Iagree to a date with Caroline Davis, and we’re scheduled for dinner at The Golden Anchor Wednesday evening—even though I’m already having second thoughts because of my growing feelings for Luna. What if I ask my matchmaker out on a date and see how that goes instead?

I’ve got a busy schedule for the next few days, so that helps keep my mind off the date. Offers have started to roll in, and we’ve set a deadline for all contracts to be submitted by the end of the week. Hugo and I are meeting tomorrow morning to discuss the contracts I have in hand so far. I spend the rest of the day creating a spreadsheet to compare offers. It’s a great tool so my client can see the differences between contracts in a summary format.

The sun sets before I even look up from my computer. Rubbing my eyes, I make a quick sandwich for dinner, then go back through the offers one more time to make sure I haven’t overlooked any important points. By midnight I’m in bed, exhausted after reading through each fifty-page contract. Land sales require a lot of legal jargon, causing the contract to be much more bloated than for the sale of a home.

The next morning I get up early, making sure I have everything ready for the meeting with Hugo. By 8:45 a.m. I’m on my way, arriving at Hugo’s a few minutes before the nine o’clock meeting time. As I get out of my car, I take a moment to gaze at the adjoining property, and I try to imagine a high-rise hotel or condominium building sitting there. It would be a shame to spoil the viewwith an eyesore structure, but obviously it’s my client’s choice who he sells the land to.

Hugo opens the door a few seconds after I ring the bell. “Cade! Come on in, I just put on a pot of coffee.”

“Coffee sounds good.” I follow him to the kitchen where there’s a spread of baked goods on the counter.

“I remembered your sweet tooth, so I stopped by Zoe’s this morning.”

I laugh. “You’ve already been into town?”

“Yep,” he says as he pours the black brew into two mugs. “I also took my daily three-mile beach walk to the lighthouse and back. The sunrise was particularly spectacular this morning.”

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