Page 5 of A Heart to Find
Hannah shared stories about the history of the resort. She teared up as she told the story of how she lost her husband long before she should have, and how meeting Olivia Matthews in the widow support group they both attended had led to the dream of starting this matchmaking resort. Neither of them wanted to find a new partner when they knew they had already lived full lives with their respective soul mates, but the idea of turning away from the world of love was too much to bear.
Her smile returned as she opened her arms and gestured to the eager crowd.
“So Sweetheart Island Matchmaking Resort was born!”
She went on to detail how she and Olivia had decided they would bask in the glow of their past romantic lives while playing Fairy Godmother–using their exclusive matchmaking science, of course–to individuals who needed a nudge toward their soul mates.
Soul mates.
Sweat formed on Keira’s hands and in her armpits. This wasn’t a good start. What if her match wanted to shake hands? Oh no—would she actually have to wipe her hands on her pants?
This was too much.
She barely registered the rest of what Hannah Willows was saying. All she could hear was a pounding in her head and the rush of nerves telling her to get up and run.
“Keira, they called your name!”
“What?” Keira shook her head as if to clear the pounding away.
“They called you. They said to go over to the wall over there to meet your match. I hope I’m next!”
Dread dried her lips, so she licked them furiously before chewing on her bottom lip. She caught herself and stopped, all while trying to move through a room that seemed to swim around her.
She couldn’t appear nervous. She had to project confidence.
She wanted to find the love of her life and get started on living the partnered life she dreamed of. She wanted kids of her own who could never be taken from her, a home to share with a man who respected her, one who could make her laugh and only cry tears of happiness.
Images of her future life—a somewhat passive man sitting by the fire with her cat, Snuggles, on his lap while sipping hot cocoa Keira had made for him after he cooked a lovely meal for her—helped her spine straighten.
This was getting real.
She handed the card that had been in her orientation packet to the woman on the side of the room she had been directed to. Any second now. She’d be meeting the future love of her life. Her very own Mr. Right. A man who was as invested in finding his soul mate as she was… otherwise, he wouldn’t be here.
A man like no other she had ever met.
Keira smiled as the lady handed her a card the size of a business card. She glanced down at the name, wondering if one day they’d name their child after him or if they’d want the name to stop with her husband.
But then the name on the card registered with her brain.
Jared Marshall.
First, she felt the blood drain from her face.
Then she almost fell over.
She regained her balance and tried to dig deep for a sense of humor.
“I’m sorry, there’s been a mistake.” A big mistake.
The lady smiled and compared the card to her clipboard. “Nope, it’s all good. Look, he’s right here.”
The room chose that moment to spin again. She wanted to run, but her feet stayed planted on the floor.
There was no way.
No way at all.
The universe couldn’t be this cruel.
