Perfect Match

by Lila Monroe

  “I keep telling myself that.” She sighs. “I just don’t know … The audition circuit is so exhausting. If this one doesn’t work out either, I think I’m going to have to make a big decision.”

  She wouldn’t really quit, would she? “Hey,” I say, grabbing her hand. “You’re great. You know I wouldn’t lie to you. If I thought you should give it a rest, I’d tell you. But you’re meant to be acting. Anyone who sees you up on a stage knows that. You’ve just had bad luck and directors who haven’t appreciated you.”

  “Thanks,” she says, with a smaller smile than before. “It does mean a lot for you to say that. I just … It’s hard not to start thinking there must be some way I’m just not good enough, if I’ve gone this long without making an impact.”

  “Well, I’m sure you’ll get this part, and then you won’t have to worry about it. Don’t you always say that show business is fickle? It’s got nothing to do with you, right?”

  “Right. I’ve just got to keep telling myself that.” Her expression turns a little brighter. Then she looks at me. “How are you doing? You seem very chipper today.”

  “Oh, you know, I figured I’d spent enough time pitying myself. It’s over. I’m moving on. Lots to do, lots to be excited about.” I smile back at her, but it feels stiff.

  Jill knows me too well. She shakes her head. “It’s okay to still feel hurt, you know. It hasn’t been that long. And he really threw you for a loop.”

  “We hardly knew each other that long,” I say. “There’s barely anything to mourn. Better I found out now than months down the road.”

  “You can say that,” Jill says, “but I heard how you talked about him. I saw how you lit up when you were going to meet up with him. Maybe it wasn’t a long time, but you were in love with him, weren’t you?”

  My throat closes up. I look down at my glass of water, wishing the screwdriver I ordered had already arrived. “Yeah,” I say quietly. “I did. At least, the guy I thought I was with. I don’t love the guy he’s being right now. So the best thing I can do is get over it.”

  “Just don’t push yourself too much. You don’t have to pretend you’re totally okay when you’re not.”

  I grimace. “You know, the thing that’s bothering me the most now is … We’re almost ready to release Perfect Match. But I still don’t understand how two people as theoretically incompatible as we were could have hit it off as well as we did … Why couldn’t I see the problems? How did I manage to fall for him? If the algorithm works, then that shouldn’t be possible.”

  “I don’t know,” Jill says. “Is it really that strange? I mean, what is it they say? ‘There’s a thin line between love and hate’? Either way, you care.”

  A thin line between love and hate.

  I freeze as the words echo in my head. Like what Peter said, on our date, that other old cliché. Opposites attract.

  There is a truth to it. All the emotions that come out of a clash in personalities, they can so easily tip either way. I never really took that factor into consideration with Perfect Match, did I … ?

  “McKenna?” Jill’s voice pulls me back.

  I hop off the stool and fumble with my wallet. “I’m so sorry,” I apologize. “I had a brainwave. Good luck with the callback! You’ll be awesome.”

  I grab her in another quick hug. Before Jill can protest, I’m rushing out the door.

  Why didn’t I think of this before? It’s so obvious. It’s there in the research. It’s there in the rom coms. Hell, even Jane Austen knew it worked. Maybe I just didn’t want to believe in that kind of randomness. But a good researcher knows you have to go by the facts, not let your own biases get in the way.

  I barrel right through the Maverick space to my office and right into the app framework.

  Yes. Yes. This is totally doable. It’s going to take some major tweaking, but I can already see how it’ll take shape.

  I’m typing away when Riley and Warren appear. “She’s really in the zone today, isn’t she?” Riley says to Warren in a teasing tone.

  “It’s good,” he says. “Less work for me.”

  I laugh, looking up. “You can forget about that. Oh, no. We’re rewriting the entire code.”

  Warren’s eyebrows practically leap right off his face. “What? We’re launching this thing in two weeks.”

  “I know,” I say. “That’s why we’ve got to get started right now.”

  “I don’t get it,” Riley says, coming over to my desk. “What are you changing that’s so big? I thought we had everything perfect.”

  “Not quite. Or maybe it was too perfect.” I spin my laptop to show them the changes I’ve started making. “There’s always a little bit of luck when it comes to love, right? Sometimes people who shouldn’t work at all end up being perfect for each other. So we’re going to add a little spice and surprise to the matching. Most of the people you see are the ones who should be totally compatible with you. But there’ll also be a couple of imperfect ones thrown in—people who are the complete opposite, the worst possible match. But you won’t know which one they are before you meet.”

  Riley claps her hands. “Ooh. I like it! That’s the perfect gimmick to get people even more excited about trying the app out. None of the other dating sites do anything like that.”

  Warren nods slowly. “But it is going to require a complete reworking of the code.”

  “Yeah,” I say. “I’m sorry about that. It’s going to be tight. I hope you didn’t have any major plans. We’re in for a few long nights.”

  32

  McKenna

  There’s nothing quite like the feeling of Christmas morning when you’re a kid. Your eyes pop open, and your heart is already racing in anticipation of the presents under the tree. I missed that feeling when I got older and the holiday lost some of its magic.

  But the morning Perfect Match launches, I wake up feeling the exact same way. It’s a day full of possibility. Everything I’ve been waiting for over years and years of hard work, all coming together now.

  Word has gotten around. Tessa pops out to wish me good luck as I’m leaving. Jill catches me in the stairwell. “Make me proud!” Barb calls after me on my way out the door. Through the windows of the taxi, I catch sight of a bus shelter poster, a billboard, and another, with the Perfect Match logo all counting down to launch.

  It’s really happening. My little app is going to be out there in the world.

  My heart is thudding by the time the cab drops me off at Maverick Capital. Upstairs, there’s champagne bottles and glasses set out on one of the tables. A clock sits beside them, ticking off the minutes until the app is officially live. Hallie is rounding everyone up. Jack stands by the table, idly running his finger along the rim of his glass.

  My good mood falters. A pang shoots through me, seeing him. The pain isn’t as sharp as it used to be, but it’s not gone either. Especially not when he looks up and gives me a small smile.

  “Good morning,” he says quietly. “Big day.”

  “Yeah.” I glance around at the gathering crowd, breathing through my jitters. I don’t know how to talk to him. He’s softened in the last two weeks, but he’s stayed distant. There’s been no more photos of him with Claudia and she hasn’t come around, so maybe that’s over. But I have no idea what he’s thinking.

  “We really made a good thing, didn’t we?” I ask, trying to swallow back my regrets.

  His smile grows. “Yes, we did. Are you ready to say a few words?”

  “I can manage that.”

  Jack steps around the table and claps his hands.

  “Today we launch Maverick’s latest investment, Perfect Match,” Jack says. “I believe in all of us celebrating victories like this together. So feel proud of what you’re part of, get a little tipsy if you want, and make the most of the day! But first, the creator of Perfect Match, McKenna Delaney, has something to say.”

  I take his spot by the table to a round of applause. Everyone is looking at me and grinning�
��and I don’t mind. Confidence settles over me. I’ve earned this moment. I grin back at Riley and Warren and all the others I’m just getting to know.

  “Perfect Match started as a kernel of an idea years ago,” I say. “I’ve spent every spare minute since then working to turn that idea into a reality. And as cheesy as it sounds, today I get to see my dream come true. I couldn’t have asked for a better team standing with me on the way. This isn’t just an app or a product. We’re going to change love and relationships for the better. I can’t wait to watch it happen with all of you.”

  Without meaning to, I find myself looking for Jack. But he’s vanished—off into his office? My heart sinks. He didn’t even want to stay long enough to see the launch through.

  The clock chimes. Riley checks her tablet and gives a whoop. “We’re live!”

  Everyone breaks into applause again. I let myself be swept up in the flood toward the table. Corks pop. Champagne flows. I pour myself half a glass and clink it with what seems like every other person who works in the office. There’s nothing left to do but accept the congratulations.

  After a while, everyone drifts back to their own offices. I settle in at my desk, resisting the urge to check Perfect Match’s stats. It only just officially launched. We can’t make any judgments of its success that fast.

  I do look over the online press. Early reviews from beta testers are already popping up—all of them positive. The release announcements we arranged have gone up as scheduled. There’s chatter all over the online forums. We’re making some kind of mark already.

  I’ve just gotten up to grab an espresso when Riley pulls me over to the couch. “Okay, McKenna,” she says. “Now it’s your turn.” She brings up the Perfect Match app—the official version—on her tablet.

  I groan. “I’ve already done that. It didn’t go so well. I’ll give it another shot when I’ve got less on my mind.”

  Riley shakes her head. “Nope. Come on. Set up a new profile in the full version, see what happens. You owe it to the users to give the system a proper test on our end.”

  I look to Warren, but if I was hoping to get backup, it’s not coming from him. He smiles. “She’s right. Can’t have the creator refusing to use the product. That just looks bad. Anyway, if there’s some bug we haven’t thought of, it’s a lot better if you notice it.”

  I can’t imagine anything has slipped by us at this point, but I don’t feel up to a long argument. “All right. Give me that.”

  I set up a new profile in the app and go through the questions, answering them quickly but accurately. Hey, it’s not a real test if I half-ass it. Riley hovers beside me on the couch. I’m not sure what she’s so excited about.

  A list of matches appears on the screen. The one at the top is highlighted—currently online.

  “Ooh!” Riley says. “Let’s check him out.”

  I tap through to his profile. He’s an attractive enough guy—nice eyes, square chin, some muscle showing under his shirt. Not a lot of information in his profile, but based on his questions, he’s a high match.

  “Swipe right, already,” Riley says. “It’s not a real test run unless you see it all the way through.”

  I wrinkle my nose at her. Fine, why not? I swipe.

  Five seconds later, a message pops up from the dude. I’m game if you are. Got time for a lunch date?

  My body balks. Riley nudges me. “Go for it! You’re going to go crazy sitting around here all launch day anyway. Take your mind off it. Let’s see what activities you get.”

  I take a deep breath. Riley’s right. This will be a perfect distraction. And if I don’t feel anything more for this guy than I did for Peter, well, that last time didn’t go so badly.

  I think I can swing that.

  The app gives three options for a date. I’m not in the mood for a movie or a cooking class, so that leaves … an arcade.

  Works for me, my date texts. See you there.

  I hesitate again, remembering playing all those classic games with Jack. But that’s over now—I need to make new memories. I drag in a breath.

  Okay. Let’s do this.

  He sends me an address. Not too far from here. There. I can handle this. Just a way to take my mind off launch stress. It doesn’t have to mean anything more than that.

  “Here I go,” I say. “Wish me luck.”

  Riley bounces on her feet—she’s really excited about this random guy—and Warren gives me a salute. “We’ll hold down the fort.”

  When I get to the address the app gave me, it’s an old arcade. It also appears to be closed. The lights beyond the main doors are dim and the door jars when I try to open it. No one else is around. I waver, considering taking off, and an employee appears on the other side of the door. She opens it for me. “Sorry about that. Come on in.”

  Inside, the hallway is eerily silent. I look around. What the hell is going on?

  “Excuse me,” I say to the woman. “I’m a little confused …”

  She motions to the main doors. “I think you’d better let him explain.”

  Okay. I keep walking and push the doors open. My jaw goes slack. Candles are lit on every surface, and there are rose petals strewn in a pathway on the floor, leading to a guy who’s just turning to face me.

  It’s Jack. The glow of the candles glints in his dark curls and lights up his striking eyes. My heart flips over.

  “You made it,” he says. I just stand there gaping at him.

  “I— What—”

  “Is it a little much? I figured it was better to go overboard than underperform.” He winks at me. “Your employees helped. I remembered your trick of hacking dating apps.”

  Oh. Oh. Of course Riley and Warren were on in this. I should have known something was up. But I’m still having trouble forming coherent speech. “I don’t understand …”

  He moves close enough to cup my face. Suddenly there’s nothing in the world except the warmth of his hand and the intensity of his bright eyes gazing into mine.

  “I am so sorry, McKenna,” he says, his voice dropping. “I was an ass, and I know it, and I’d understand if you can’t get past it. But I’m hoping this will start to show you how much you mean to me. I can’t lose you.”

  “But I thought …” My head spins, and I have to fight for words. “You acted like you didn’t want anything to do with me.”

  “I know, and I’m sorry. I pride myself in taking risks, but it turns out I wasn’t really prepared when it came to love.” He looks at me, sincere. “I didn’t know how to open up and trust someone. So when I realized how much I’d fallen for you, I latched on to the first excuse I had to believe the worst. There’s no justification for it.” He adds, “I’m ashamed of how I treated you. But I can do so much better now, if you’ll give me a second chance.” He swallows, then meets my eyes again. “I love you, McKenna. And I don’t need an app to tell me you’re the one for me.”

  A rush of joy fills my chest. He’s never sounded more raw and honest. “You really mean that?” I whisper, almost not believing it.

  “Yes,” he says, leaning even closer. “With all my heart. It’s yours if you want it.”

  “I guess it’d be a fair trade,” I say, smiling. “since you already have mine.”

  I’ve seen a lot of smiles on Jack’s face, but nothing like the one he gives me then. A smile that promises this is only the beginning.

  Then he closes the last distance between us to press his lips to mine. I kiss him back, gripping the back of his neck. Reveling in the heat of his body, in the way his mouth meets mine, hot and tender.

  Mine.

  “I should have told you earlier how I was feeling,” I say when he draws back just an inch. “I was scared too—about losing control of my work, about trusting you’d want anything serious.”

  “Well, I did have something of a reputation,” Jack says wryly. “I don’t blame you for any of that. Let’s focus on making the most of our time going forward.” He curls his hands around mi
ne. “Care for a game?”

  I beam at him. “How can I say no?”

  He cues up the pinball machine, and we play, his arms tight around me and his kisses taking my breath away.

  He may not be the match I imagined I’d find, but you know what? He’s undeniably one-hundred percent perfect for me.

  Epilogue

  “That dress should be illegal,” Jack murmurs, his voice muffled as his lips brush my neck in the darkness of the closet. “I can’t wait one more second to be inside you.”

  My laugh turns into a gasp. He already has me pressed against the wall, his hand dipped under the dress’s bodice. If it should be illegal, then what his thumb is doing to my breast should be, too. I bite back an outright moan. “Good thing I came prepared then.”

  “Hmm?” He kisses his way back up to my jaw. His other hand pulls my hips even more tightly against his. I can’t stop myself from rocking against the hard length of his cock through our clothes.

  “You remember those crotchless panties you commented on the other day … ?”

  His mouth stills. I can’t see his face, but I can tell from his voice that his expression has turned incredulous. “You didn’t.”

  I smile. “I did.”

  “Dear God.” He yanks up the skirt of my dress and slicks his fingers between my legs. I whimper at the contact, and he sucks in a breath. I’m wet and waiting for him. “I’ve just died and gone to heaven.”

  “Please don’t die yet. You promised me you were going to fuck my brains out.”

  “Right. Right. I do like to keep my promises.”

  With a chuckle, he hitches me higher against the wall. I fumble with the zipper on his slacks. Between the two of us and a lot of panting, we manage to free his cock in five seconds flat. Jack catches my mouth with his and thrusts into me.

  I groan into his mouth, clutching his shoulders. Yes. There. Harder. Deeper. It’s been nearly six months since the first time we made love, but he still makes everything around me disappear the moment he’s inside me.