Page 30 of Imperfect Match (Imperfect Match 1)
Jealousy pinches me hard, and I try to ignore it.
“What are they talking about?” Aspen whispers, hovering close behind me.
I wave a hand over my shoulder to shut her up. “I don’t know yet.” Turning my head so my ear is cocked toward them, I close my eyes and listen more carefully.
“My younger brother actually works there,” Reid is saying. “Talk about dream job.”
“Totally!” Kandace agrees.
“He comes home and talks about how hard his day at work was, and I’m like, ‘Really, bro? Tough day at the comic store?’”
Kandace’s squeaky giggle floats through the fern, and I wince. “Strike one, annoying laugh,” I whisper to Aspen. “Sounds like nails on a chalkboard.”
A server comes by, and we both order a martini, vodka for me, gin for Aspen—but only after she inquires about the botanicals in the spirit and whether it was handcrafted locally or not.
“Now what are they talking about?” Aspen pesters.
“Boring stuff. Their jobs. Colleges. Comics.”
My sister frowns. “That is boring. Maybe they don’t have any chemistry.”
I perk up. “Maybe they don’t.”
Our drinks arrive, and I take a sip, cheerful at the thought that maybe I was wrong and Reid and Kandace aren’t a good match.
And then.
“You know, this is so nice,” I hear Kandace tell him. “I was really nervous about tonight because I don’t really date much. My sister made me try My Heart’s Desire after my last relationship ended badly, and at first, I was totally against the idea. I didn’t think there was any way it would work.”
“No?”
“No. I was convinced I’d be forced to go on a bunch of really terrible blind dates with slobs or jerks or creeps. But I’m happy to say I was wrong. You’re none of those things.”
“Are you sure?” Reid jokes.
Squeaky laugh. “Pretty sure. And you’re so easy to talk to. I haven’t felt so relaxed on a date in forever. So if it’s all an act, don’t even tell me. I don’t want to know.”
Reid chuckles. “Okay, I won’t.”
“So what about you? Have you been on many dates with the agency?”
“Never. This is my first one.”
“Really?” Kandace sounds happy about that.
“Really.”
“Actually, that doesn’t surprise me. A guy like you probably doesn’t need an agency. You must have beautiful women falling all over you all the time.”
“Nah,” says Reid. “Just once or twice a day.”
More squeaky laughter. He’s got to be annoyed by now. God knows I am.
“Handsome and funny,” Kandace says. “I don’t get why you’re still single if you don’t want to be.”
“I don’t mind being single,” Reid tells her. “It’s better than going on a lot of bad dates.”
“Tell me about it. I’d pretty much given up before Willow called me with your profile as a match. She’s really good at her job, isn’t she?”
