by M K Lansbury
“So, Jensen, tell me about your family.”
Yes! Jackpot. He cannot give a short response to that. Hah!
“We don’t really speak.”
Ugh! I'm done. I'm so done.
***
Dating and exhaustion had become synonymous.
It had taken every ounce of her willpower to put in any effort for her third date. She would’ve backed out but knew Chet would be disappointed with her. The three-date challenge had to go through. If anything, they could use this research to rework the algorithm some more before the big launch.
Zara glanced at her watch and realized she was ten minutes early. Oh well. Zara decided to wait for her third Soul Mate match at the bar and ordered a cocktail. She needed some false bravado to get through this one.
One last date. Then you’re off the hook.
Zara and Ally had decided to compare notes only after all three dates were complete. So Zara had no way of knowing how Ally’s dates had gone. It was all a big secret until the big reveal during their next meeting in one week. Zara hoped Ally’s dates went better than hers. It killed her to imagine Ally going through this same torture.
She’d made a whole bunch of notes on how the app could be improved to match prospective matches better. Zara believed that the dud-dates were all due to one factor. The males entering factual information about their likes and dislikes. Her last match, Jensen, for example, had mentioned in his profile that he was a people person. Love family barbecues and entertaining friends at my house.
Zara could personally attest to the fact that those were lies. The man rarely spoke. And family barbecues? He didn’t even see his family.
How were woman ever going to find their true Soul Mate if people were going to lie about themselves?
“You have got to be kidding me.”
Zara spun around and almost spat the sip of her cocktail right back in her glass when she saw a man standing there at the table. But she didn’t spit it; she let it burn a painful path down her throat and fought the cough that brought tears to her eyes.
“Lance?”
“Is this a prank?”
“What?” Zara’s heart was beating blood so fast through her veins she was getting a little dizzy. Disorientated and confused. She was going into shock. Lance Chase was the last man on earth she’d expected to see here.
Was he her match?
No, it couldn’t be. He must be there to see someone else.
“This is a prank, right? You decided to show up and make fun of me?”
He looked so cute. Well, cute wasn’t a word that you could use to really describe Lance. He had an aura of power and unwavering confidence that made cute kind of clash with everything he was. But the smile on his face was cute.
Or maybe you’re being an idiot about him. Stop crushing on him.
“No, this isn’t a prank. What are you . . . Are you using Soul Mate?”
He chuckled. “I told you at the Tech Talks that I’d sample Soul Mate. Why wouldn’t I? It’s important to test out Finder’s competition. But, wow.”
Zara needed a moment to figure out what was going on. She turned toward the bartender, her eyes wide, and took another sip of her drink, then another. She needed something to bolster her courage.
Her hands shaking, she smiled at Lance and tried not to worry too much about the amused enchantment on his face.
“Your table is ready.” The server motioned to them.
“Our table is ready,” Lance announced endearingly. He walked beside Zara, beating the waiter to pull the chair out for her.
“Aren’t you a gentleman?”
“Always.”
Zara drew in deep breaths. You can do this. A date with Lance Chase, CEO of your competition.
“You know what this means, right?” Lance squinted at her from across the table.
“What?”
“Maybe Soul Mate actually does work. Bringing like-minded people together. We have a lot of similarities.”
“Like what?” She liked how he led the conversation. The last thing she wanted was another date where she was pressured into eating in awkward silence that stretched too long, asking whether the chicken was correctly seasoned or not. “No, wait a minute. Back up. Just wanted to confirm you're saying Soul Mate is a success?”
He laughed. “I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s a success.”
Zara relaxed in her chair. She couldn't understand why she always got so nervous around him. He was always so easy to talk to. So normal. Yet, not normal at all. He made her heart beat faster simply by being there.
“I still have my doubts. Maybe Soul Mate isn’t good at connecting on the basis of similarities. How do you even know we have anything in common?” Zara joked.
“Oh, I do my research, Zara Rodriguez from Valentine, Nebraska.”
Zara’s mouth fell open; a hot blush stained her cheeks as she laughed at his quip. “Well, looks like I have a stalker now,” she joked, not offended at all. She was having a good time. She always had a good time when Lance Chase was around. Even if her blood did pump a lot faster through her heart valves and her extremities went numb trying to keep up and her head got really fuzzy . . .
“I did my research on you and your friend, Ally. Knowing your competitors keeps you one step ahead of them.”
“Now, are you sure you should be sharing that piece of wisdom with the very woman you call competition?”
He grinned, his grey eyes warming visibly. “The playing field should be even. So I'm going full disclosure on my trade secrets.”
Zara tilted her head to the side, mesmerized by the mystery he represented. The more she came to know about him, the more she wanted to know. She was insatiable.
“Ally Dupont and Zara Rodriguez, lifelong friends and now business partners.” He leaned closer. “Graduated from Colgate University. You worked for Big See Consulting before you joined forces with Ally on the app, an app she developed over the course of three years. Should I go on?”
Zara couldn't bite back her smile as she held his gaze. “Lance Chase. Wunderkind tech player, fierce competitor, unwavering reputation as a playboy. Should I go on?”
His laugh resounded through the restaurant and through her ribcage. It made her turn warm and gooey and melty inside. She had to draw deep breaths to fight the effect the sound had on her senses.
Luckily, the server arrived to take their orders. Lance ordered a chicken pasta, and Zara ordered the same.
“I’ve never eaten here, so I’m willing to go with whatever you’re ordering. I hear you have high standards, so this pasta better be good if you want to keep your reputation intact.”
“Zara, you should only believe half of what you read about me.”
Zara shrugged. “But what if I find it all entertaining?”
“Don’t believe the hype.”
Something about the way he said it made her believe him. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
His grin made his eyes crinkle up at the corners. “How about, instead of relying on research and hearsay, we actually try to get to know each other?”
A chuckle burst from her chest. “That sounds like fun. What would you like to know?”
“Well, I'm extremely curious about your childhood.”
“Are you?”
“Yeah. What was it like growing up in Nebraska?”
Zara straightened, visibly excited at the prospect of talking about her hometown. “I grew up on a farm in Valentine. I woke up to squawking chickens and neighing horses. I used to wake up early just to feed all the animals myself before I left for school. Over time, my parents knew I had it covered. I've always had a thing for animals.”
“You have any pets now?”
“Nope. My apartment is barely big enough to house myself, let alone a pet. I promised myself I’d only adopt a pet if I could offer it a great life. Locked in a small apartment all day while I work is not the kind of life I want to
give an animal. They deserve better.” She smiled. “What about you? Are you an animal guy?”
He shook his head, sadness darkening his eyes. “I had a French Mastiff, Booger, when I was little.”
Zara chuckled. “Booger? You actually named him that?”
“I was seven and thought it was funny. I loved him. We were best friends. But when I was twelve, he got a tumor in his spine and died. I was so heartbroken and haven’t even thought about getting another pet since.”
Zara’s smile faltered a little, imagining this authoritative man as a preteen, crying over his lost pet. It broke her heart. It also broke her heart to think he was in so much pain that he’d sworn off pets forever. “Everyone deals with their grief in their own way.”
He drew in a deep breath. “I still have his collar at home. It’s hanging by the side of my bed.”
Her heart twisted in her chest almost painfully. She had to swallow the lump of unshed tears in her throat. “That’s so sweet.”
He shrugged, trying to look tough even though he’d let his sensitive side show through the façade. Zara didn’t want him to be uncomfortable and was glad when the server arrived with their meals. She didn’t want to pry, and she couldn’t deny that every time she saw him, he seemed to leave her branded with something about himself.
No man had ever left her feeling like he was essential to her existence. She liked who she was with him: totally, unapologetically herself. There was not an ounce of pretense in Lance Chase, and it was a breath of fresh air.
***
“I’m stuffed.”
Two hours had passed, and Zara was staring at the large plate of dessert they’d shared. A plate with only crumbs left.
“Yeah, me too. Thanks for sharing your cheesecake. I should’ve just ordered one for myself.”
“I’m glad you didn’t. That was a very big slice.” And I loved clanking my fork against yours on the plate. Zara glanced at her watch, and her face fell . “Oh, god. It’s ten-thirty.”
“Do you have to be somewhere?”
“No, I . . .” Zara knew she should leave. She was sitting in a restaurant having a great time with the CEO of her best friend’s competitor. No! That was a no-go area. In hindsight, if she was true to Ally and Soul Mate, and just a tiny bit smart, she would’ve bailed as soon as she saw who her match was. But she’d stayed. The consequence was she now felt like a thief.
“I really should get going.”
He smiled almost knowingly. “I understand.”
“Should we get the bill?” Zara motioned to the server with a brief smile.
He grinned. “It’s taken care of.”
Zara hadn’t seen a waiter show up with the bill. But she could hardly challenge him.
Her head was spinning with a gazillion questions as she made her way out of the restaurant. Closing her eyes, she inhaled the polluted, slightly humid September air of New York.
“This was a lot of fun. I'm so happy with Soul Mate. I’m never using or recommending another dating app to anyone.”
He chuckled good-naturedly. “I think I’ll have to give credit where credit is due. This was an incredible match. Kudos to you and your team.”
Zara inhaled sharply. “Look, Lance, I don’t know how to say this . . .”
“You don’t have to. We both had a lot of fun tonight, and let’s just leave it at that.”
Her mouth went dry; her head tilted slightly back to meet his gaze. He was so tall and so incredibly hunky. She felt tiny next to him, and she didn’t know why she liked that.
“Let’s leave it at that.”
Zara sighed in relief. But couldn’t deny the tinge of regret poking her ribs. “Yeah, it was a lot of fun.”
“Plus, the meal was really good. Maybe we’ll both happen to wind up at the same place at the same time again.”
Zara nodded, but there was little conviction in his voice, let alone in her nod.
It was clear both Zara and Lance were doing what they were supposed to do, not what they wanted to do.
They couldn't possibly date. And they couldn’t be friends with this tangible, electric minefield of attraction crackling in the space between them.
This playboy was off-limits.
EIGHT
The Secret Called Lance
Come on, tell me how they went!”
“You go first,” Zara murmured. She had been dreading this moment. In a bid to prepare herself for the inevitable, she glanced out the Soul Mate board room window and took deep breaths. They came out shattered and shaky.
The midmorning sun was bright. New York’s September humidity left her skin sticky even inside their air-conditioned office. She rubbed a Kleenex over her upper lip and hated to admit that she was sweating in nervousness at the prospect of talking to Ally about her dates. The three-date challenge had concluded with her doing the unthinkable: forming an emotional connection with the last man on earth she could be with.
Ally bit her lower lip, her eyes brighter than she’d ever seen. She looked like she was ready to shoot off her chair in excitement.
“You obviously want to go first, so just tell me. How were they?” Zara couldn't help but get wrapped up in Ally’s excitement bubble.
“I have one word for you: Tristan.”
Zara squinted at Ally. “Is that a new coding language?”
“Oh, come on! Be a good sport. Say Tristan who?”
Zara chuckled. “Tristan who?”
“Tristan Reddy. He’s charming, such a sweetie. A gentleman. And he’s really, really hot!” she mouthed the last word, glancing around the office in case anyone heard.
“You're just calling him hot. It’s not a bad word. That’s a good word.”
“I don’t want to jinx it,” she whined, the smile spread wide on her face.
Zara loved seeing her friend like this. It had been a long time since Ally had been so excited over a man. “You can’t jinx someone’s good looks. So, deets. Blue eyes?”
Ally waved that comment off with a hand. “Blue eyes are overrated.”
“Oh, really?” Zara chuckled. “Tell me more. How did it go?”
Ally sighed with a cheeky grin on her face. “It was amazing. He was so kind. He held the door for me, which I’m a sucker for. He seemed genuinely interested in my work and Soul Mate. And you know how men I’ve dated in the past always found ways to downplay my accomplishments? Tristan was exactly the opposite.”
“Not threatened by your capabilities? That must be refreshing.”
“Yes. But it was different. He didn’t act like I was an anomaly. Tristan was just . . . it was the norm for him to see successful women.”
“Raised well for sure. A good upbringing is very attractive.”
“He has a strong female role model in his life. His mother. And his sister is just the most wonderful, level-headed human being.”
“Wait a minute. Tristan brought his whole family along for the date?”
“Date?” Ally leaned back, blowing on her imaginary nail polish. “Three dates.”
“What? Ally!”
“I matched with him eight days ago. And then he invited me to his farm. And we—”
“A farm!” Zara crooned. “Oh, Ally, that’s so cute. What was it like?”
Ally shrugged, biting back a grin. “It was nice, actually. It kinda smelled like Nebraska.”
“You mean, like manure?”
“Yes! It reminded me of all the days I spent at your house. Waking up every morning to the scent of fresh manure.”
“You’re gory, Miss Dupont. Eww.” Zara threw a pencil at Ally. But she knew exactly what Ally meant. The memory was as real and fresh as if it had been yesterday.
“I met his sister at the farm. Trish. She’s adorable. She’s working on her Ph.D. in psychology, but she’s also an aspiring singer. I was so impressed.”
“Like the t-shirts say, the future is female.”
“Tristan actua
lly has one of those.”
“When do I get to meet this progressive, sweet, hot Tristan?”
“He’s away on business right now, but he’ll be back in two days. We’ll set something up ASAP.” She paused. “You don’t think I’m going too fast, do you?”
Zara grimaced. “He invited you to his farm. He introduced you to his sister. If there’s anyone taking this too fast, it’s the Tristan.”
“I don’t mind that.”
Zara chuckled.
“Well, that’s enough about me and Tristan. How about your dates? Good matches?”
Zara smiled, but then it just lay there frozen on her lips. She opened her mouth to speak then shut it. “They were all right.”
“All right? No, no, Zara. They had to be better than all right. You were using Soul Mate. One out of three matches has to be a great match—one that you feel is worthy of your attention.”
Zara didn’t want to hear about that one-out-of-three. That one-out-of-three was the one she could not go out with. They just didn’t work out.
“Okay. Tell me about them. Start from date one.”
Zara was horrified when Ally pulled out a pen and paper to jot down notes. Great. Make notes of my horrible, traumatic date nights.
“The first guy, Brad, talked about money way too much. Actually, it kinda seemed like a sales pitch. He made his money in a pyramid scheme.”
“Let me guess: he wanted you to take part.”
“Exactly.”
“Okay, we’ll figure out a way to filter out those sorts of things.”
That made Zara nervous. Because she was very quickly coming up on her third date. “The second match. I don’t remember his name. I think it was Johnson, no, Jo . . . Jensen! He didn’t speak.”
“Like, not at all?”
“I think he doesn't get out much. Or maybe he’s an introvert.”
“Introverts are some of the most fun and interesting people I’ve ever met.”