Page 8 of A Heart to Find
“Never you fear. We will fix this right away.” Hannah reached out and ran a gentle hand over Keira’s cheek. “How do you know him?”
“We went to school together. High school. Well, middle school, too. He hurt me. Badly.”
Keira shivered at the memories that threatened to rob her of this chance at happiness.
Hannah stiffened visibly. “I don’t know how he slipped past our careful background checks and personality profiles. He abused you?”
“No, no. Not like that. He wouldn’t abuse anyone.”
“Sometimes abuse is subtle. Was he a bully in school? Did he call you names? Isolate you from family? Threaten your pets?”
“No, none of that. He never did anything to make me feel unsafe.”
“Then I’m not sure I see what the problem is…”
Keira sighed, feeling more and more pathetic by the second.
“He was my first love. Well, I loved him. We were together for a while. It ended badly.”
“Did he cheat? Forgive me for prying, but I need to present this case fully to our team so we can learn from our error.”
“I don’t think he did.” Keira threw her hands into the air, frustrated at her inability to express the damage he had done. “Things ended abruptly. And then I never saw him again.”
Hannah studied Keira for so long, Keira wondered if she had been slapped onto a specimen slide for a scientist’s perusal. The back of her neck started itching—for real this time—and she could practically feel hives emerging on her chest.
“How long ago did this breakup occur?”
She had never felt so small. So irrational. So…dramatic.
Keira stared at Hannah’s still-bare feet as she tried to force the words past her tightening throat.
“Ten years.”
“Hold your head high, sweet dandelion. Your feelings are nothing to be ashamed of.”
Hannah tilted Keira’s chin up with a confidently placed finger. Her eyes, full of warmth and a knowledge Keira wished she possessed, urged Keira to listen.
“Ten years is a long time. A lot can change in ten years.”
Keira could only shake her head, dread welling up inside her. She refused to think about the money she had spent. The vacation time she was wasting. The pain of facing this man after he had broken her heart so thoroughly.
“Listen, rosebud. We want you to find love here. For whatever reason, you were matched up with someone from your past. I personally oversee the matchmaking process, so I can assure you that no joke has been played on you. I have to ask you to put your faith in our matchmaking systems. And also maybe a little faith in fate. And if it doesn’t work out at the end of the two weeks, I will be sure you get another two weeks and another match. Plus a full refund since this is such an unusual thing to happen. Deal?”
“Can’t I skip ahead to the next match? I don’t need the refund. I just need an out. I can’t even pretend to try with this man again.”
“Tell me, Keira. What made you decide to come here?”
Keira giggled, nervous energy releasing in a whir of silly.
“To find love. The reason everyone comes here.”
“That’s the outcome. But why here? You could find love anywhere. Why did you choose to put a great deal of money and time on the line to find love, rather than having a friend set you up or going the easy route of hanging out at your local bar? Why not a dating app? Why did you come to Sweetheart Island Resort?”
Keira’s shoulders slumped and her chest grew itchier.
“Because I want something more than basic love. I want my soul mate. And this place has a great reputation for helping people find that.”
“Precisely. You put your faith in our matchmaking systems. And we matched you with a man you think can’t possibly be your match. Everyone here has baggage they have to unpack. They all come with preconceived notions of how other people are. All I ask is that you put those ideas on the back-burner and let us guide you for the next two weeks. Stop letting the past inform your future. Trust the process. Think we can try that?”
