Page 33 of An Overdue Match
“Thank you,” I sigh. There isn’t a point anymore denying I penned those letters.
Tai laughs at my visible relief.
“I’m glad one of us thinks this is funny,” I grumble.
“Oh, Angel, I can almost promise you that one day you’ll find the humor in this situation as well.”
“Not likely.”
He shrugs, unperturbed. “The way I see it, you need my help.”
I jerk, my shoulder bumping the back of the gazebo’s bench. “Excuse me? Why would I needyourhelp?”
He gives me a look as if to sayIsn’t it obvious?“You did just try to set up a man about to be married with a woman not his fiancé. That’s pretty disastrous, don’t you think? And who’s to say the next time you attempt to matchmake that the people in question aren’t also in a relationship you don’t know about? Or related? I mean, I know Appalachia has a reputation in other parts of the country, but we really aren’t keen on dating our relatives.”
My mind immediately goes to Tai and Hayley and the fact that I never knew they were cousins. I blanch. Tai’s right. I stand by my belief that book preferences are a great way to see if two people are compatible, but I made a huge mistake not factoring in more personal information. Like if they were engaged. Or related. Or had been in a previous relationship with each other that ended badly for one reason or another.
Good gravy there are a lot of scenarios I didn’t take the time to consider before bulldozing ahead in my excitement to have a part in the act of falling in love again.
I eye Tai warily. “And you’re willing to do that? Help me with the personal information so I don’t make the same mistake again?”
He nods. “I am.”
My shoulders sag with relief once again. “Thank you.”
“But I want something in return.”
My spine snaps back to its rigid position.
“In exchange for helping you with this matchmaking scheme of yours, which I feel I need to go on the record as saying is a bad idea—” He pauses as if giving me time to respond. Which I don’t because I never asked nor wanted his opinion on the matter.
When I don’t say anything, he continues. “In exchange for my help, you agree to accompany me to different outings and events of my choosing at prearranged times.”
I blink at him. He can’t be serious. “Let me get this straight. You’re blackmailing me to go on dates with you?”
He winces, looking away from me. “Not blackmail. We’re ... striking a bargain.” He pulls his gaze back to mine. “You need something from me and I need...”
You.
He doesn’t finish the sentence, but that’s how it would’ve ended. I needyou. Because he’s not asking meforsomething. Like house-sitting when he goes out of town or helping him with a DIY project or looking up books at the library to help him trace his genealogy. He’s asking forme. My side of the bargain would beme.
My breath is punched out of my lungs.
“It’s a gray area,” he mumbles under his breath.
Who is he trying to convince, me or himself?
I stare at him. A bargain like this doesn’t help me figure outhis protagonist/villain role at all. His morals might be as gray as this bargain of his.
“So,” he asks uncertainly, “do we have a deal?”
I chew on my bottom lip, thinking. I had a little hiccup with Dalton and Stacey, but I can do better. IknowI can make a successful love match. Spending more time with Tai goes against every grain of self-preservation I have within me, but if I don’t agree to his proposed arrangement, then I risk doing more harm than good with the hearts of the people of Little Creek, and I can’t have that on my conscience.
The only other person I could question about fellow townspeople would be Hayley, but she’d get suspicious real quick if I asked if a specific man was single, especially since I’ve made a stink about not dating anyone. My friend would hound me until I cracked, and I’m just not ready to unpack my baggage in Little Creek yet.
I hold out my hand for Tai to shake. “Deal.”
15
