Page 44 of Matched with the Player

“But I’m Kyle’s -” She paused, unsure how to finish that sentence. Girlfriend? Temporary diversion? Decoy mistress for the sake of the gossipmongers of the world?

What could she possibly be to him in the big scheme of things?

Stymied, she didn’t know how to convince this sentry to let her pass.

“Marissa!” a feminine voice called to her over the din.

She didn’t have to look far to spot the source. Two rows down in the forbidden season ticket-holder zone, Stacy Goodwell stood and waved both arms. Decked out in a fan sweater and a blue miniskirt that matched the base color in the team jersey, Stacy sat beside the man Marissa had researched for her--

Graphics chip guru Isaac Reynolds. She recognized him from his pictures. He steadied her during the enthusiastic waving, keeping her from toppling into the next row down with a hand at her waist.

“Down here!” Stacy cried, grinning ear to ear as Marissa spotted her.

“My friend really needs me,” Marissa told the usher protecting the seat section, but he was already stepping aside for her, giving up the fight to keep Marissa out.

Or maybe the guy recognized Phil Goodwell’s daughter. Goodwell owned the arenas in both Philadelphia and Pittsburgh as well as nearly a dozen others around the country. And for her part, Stacy was a highly recognizable face with her platinum hair in an asymmetrical cut and a face so beautiful she could have graced a magazine cover.

But as Marissa made her way down the stairs toward Stacy and – more importantly- the penalty box, a horn blew and signaled the game was over. Instantly, the aisles filled with fans going the other way.

“I’ll come to you!” Stacy called through the din, her hand waving over top of the mob’s collective heads. “Just a sec.”

Marissa couldn’t have argued if she tried. She tucked into the end of one row to get out of the way of people streaming up the stairs.

“I wanted to see if Kyle is okay,” she explained to Stacy when she and her date reached the spot where Marissa stood. “He was in the penalty box.”

“Well he’s out now!” Stacy hugged her, practically bubbling with a happiness that glowed. “We won!”

Had they? The score hardly registered with Marissa since she’d been so intent on seeing Kyle. Isaac move toward them, sliding a protective arm around Stacy’s waist.

“Stacy can get you downstairs where the players will be,” Isaac informed her, his dark, serious gaze seeming to assess Marissa’s deeper concern. “I’m Isaac, by the way.”

“How rude of me,” Stacy exclaimed, frowning. But she was already leading the way through the crowd.

Following, Marissa introduced herself to the man who’d inspired Stacy to make a huge, wholesale change in her life.

“Marissa Collins. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” She would have extended her hand, but they had to walk single file down a busy thoroughfare to keep up with Stacy’s blond head as she bobbed and weaved through the crowd.

“I’ve heard a lot about you,” Isaac told her, surprising her. “Although I hope Stacy won’t have a need for your services any longer.”

He said it so matter-of-factly that it took Marissa a moment to realize why. Isaac was staking claim to Stacy. She almost hadn’t believed the two of them could be right for each other when she’d researched him. He’d sounded like a bit of a techno-geek when she’d read all his accomplishments at such a young age. He held an honorary degree from MIT even though he’d left his studies young to take his first product to market.

But maybe Stacy’s vibrant personality balanced his. Sometimes people sought partners with strengths they lacked. Isaac could help Stacy channel her talents and give her the direction and backbone she needed with her dad. Stacy would ensure the genius entrepreneur had a life outside his work.

“You know, a matchmaker can tell you how compatible you will be when you enter a new relationship,” she remarked, already seeing how they’d fit together in the future. It was a service few people used, kind of like couple counseling while you were still in the giddy stages of a new romance. She wanted to be certain this relationship stuck since Stacy deserved to be happy. “We can help you avoid common pitfalls and prepare you for -”

“We’ll call you to set something up. I’m sure that would be helpful.”

For a moment, Marissa forgot all about her need to get to Kyle. Shocked this man who’d only just met Stacy would agree so easily. If anything, women were generally more apt to agree to compatibility counseling. Men usually assumed they would conquer all obstacles when they arose. She halted in her steps to turn again and gauge his expression.

“Really?” She swayed forward as a woman with a crying toddler shoved past her to reach the exit. Would Kyle ever agree to something like that? Compatibility counseling by a more objective party?

She wondered if it would help them look beyond the things that kept them apart to the elements that could potentially hold them together.

“Stacy really respects your opinions.” Isaac was a handsome man in a more unassuming way than Kyle Murphy’s all-out good looks. But there was something highly engaging about Isaac’s insightfulness and that shrewd, knowing gaze that was smart without being smug. “I would be grateful if you could warn her what to expect with someone like me. She’s happy now, but sometimes people tire of the very qualities that attract them in the first place.”

Marissa started forward again, darting around a vendor rolling a pretzel cart, not wanting to lose Stacy in the crowd. And she really did need to see Kyle with her own eyes to assure herself he was okay. But first, the matchmaker in her couldn’t resist finding out more about this intriguing relationship she had no part in crafting.

“You’re genuinely thinking about a long-term future together, aren’t you?” She didn’t mean to put him on the spot. It was obvious from the way he spoke about her.

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