Page 42 of Failure to Match

“We have. We’ve been there since he took that very first breath, and believe you me, Miss Paquin, we’ve seen and heard it all. Even the things that weren’t meant for our eyes or our ears.”

“And we can’t blame him for how it’s all turned out, can we?”

“Would have left a blister in my mouth too, had I been in the poor boy’s shoes.”

“I don’t think that’s the expression, Mabel.”

“Is it not?”

“No, love. It’s bitter taste. Blister sounds much more unpleasant,” Molly said.

“Well, then it’s just more accurate, isn’t it?”

“Either way, he’s mistaken, dear. Or maybe misled is the better word. Or maybe—oh, I don’t know. Mabel, you explain it.”

“He’s afraid is what it is,” Mabel said boldly. “That’s the root of it. Petrified of it happening to him. And who wouldn’t be?”

“But we can’t let it just go on like this, can we? He has us now, but what happens when we’re gone?”

“He needs companionship,” Mabel said to me. “Someone who understands him. Someone he can confide in.”

“How else would we be able to rest? There’s no other way.”

“We’d be tossing and turning in our graves with worry. We can pay you, of course?—”

“I already tried that,” Molly said. “She won’t take the money.”

“Well, why not? We’re asking you for a service.”

I slid forward on the couch, putting my cup down. “Okay, listen, I understand what you’re trying to do for Jackson. It’sobvious that you care about him, and while this is all very sweet, I gotta be honest—I can’t force someone into a relationship if it’s not what they want. And Iabsolutelycan’t force them to fall in love.”

There was a short pause as Molly and Mabel glanced at each other, and I had a distinct feeling they were exchanging more than just looks.

“We’re not asking you to force him into anything, dear,” Mabel said.

“That wouldn’t work well at all, would it?” Molly agreed.

“No, it would not.”

“The boy is too stubborn to be pushed into doing anything he doesn’t want to.”

“And love isn’t something you can control, is it?”

“It is not. He can’t be forced into love, but he also can’t stop it from happening, can he?”

Mabel nodded. “No one can. That’s what we’re trying to say.”

“What we need from you is to set up the opportunity. Find him someone who speaks his language, whounderstandshim. Someone he can’t resist.”

She said it like it was just that easy. Like she wasn’t asking for a miracle.

Molly shifted in her seat when I didn’t respond. “We know you’ve had a hard time getting the information you need from him. And I assure you, regardless of what program he’s forced into, it’s not going to get better.”

“He’s already made enough temporary adjustments to skew your data. And don’t get me started on the interviews you have planned.”

“You won’t be able to get any of the answers you really need. Not in thirty days.”

Following their back and forth was sort of like watching a tennis match. They didn’t even pause.

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