Page 27 of Love in Fine Print

First, I want to say I miss you. I know that I’m dead, so you might think I can’t possibly miss you, but believe me, I do.

I know it probably came as a shock when Marv told you that I’d left the business to you since we never talked about you taking it over. But it is my final wish that you run Ever After Matchmaking for eighteen months. Give it everything you have. Dedicate yourself to it like you have to football. If after eighteen months you aren’t happy, then by all means, close the doors. I know that some people might be interested in buying it, but if it’s not going to be in the family, I would rather it be closed.

You might be wondering why I chose eighteen months. Well, I figure a year is not enough time and two years is too long to ask from you. When I had your father, it took me nine months to carry him and another nine months before I fit into my pants again. And having a business is sort of like having a baby. So congratulations, you are the proud father of a matchmaking business.

Just kidding. Hee hee.

But seriously, if it doesn’t work, if the doors don’t stay open, you have to promise me that you’ll close them with a smile and be happy. All I’ve ever wanted is for you to be happy.

I love you a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck,

Gran

P.S. Please look after Beverly. She’s not as tough as she thinks she is. Without me, she’s going to be lonely. And a lonely life is no life at all. Thankfully, I never knew that life because I had you in it, my sweet, sweet Benny. You were my best thing.

I set the letter down and ran my fingers through my hair before picking up a photo of her and my grandpa that was on her desk. The photo was taken at her high school graduation. In it, she was in her cap and gown and Grandpa Lewis was in his Army uniform.

They got married two weeks after she graduated high school, and a week before he was shipped out. He was gone for over a year, but they wrote letters and made it work.

Things were so different in her time. People got married when they were teenagers and stayed married their entire lives. There was no internet that connected people from all over the world. No catfishing.

Yet somehow, it didn’t matter how the world changed. What technology or fads were. Up until she’d had her stroke, Gran was still making successful matches. I looked around at the walls that were covered with photos of couples at their weddings, birth announcements, and happily ever afters. This was her legacy and I could not fuck it up.

As much as it pained me personally, I hoped Olivia’s date did go well. Maybe then, I’d be able to honor my Gran, which was all that mattered to me.

Even if it meant seeing the only woman who had knocked the wind out of me, with just a look, happy with another man.

11

OLIVIA

As I passedthe window to head into the restaurant for my date, I caught my reflection in the mirror. My hand was still in a cast, but my ankle had healed to the point that I no longer needed a crutch. At this point, I would take that as a win. I still wasn’t sure how I felt about Ben setting me up, but I had to admit, my curiosity was piqued. Whoever the man was that was waiting for me was going to tell me a lot about what Ben thought of me.

The LBD I’d changed into at work before leaving had inspired Trevor to send me the sweat emoji. Making a gay man sweat was a good sign that I was on the right track.

His text also challenged me that I wouldn’t be able to make the one-hour mark tonight with my date. I was notorious for bailing within thirty minutes of meeting someone. One drink, maybe two, and I was out of there.

I was fully aware that Trevor was using reverse psychology to get me to agree to give this man sixty minutes of my valuable time. But being aware of his tricks and schemes didn’t mean they wouldn’t work. He knew my Achilles’ heel. A challenge. Ifsomeone didn’t think I could do something, I did it to spite them.

Hell, my entire career was proof of that.

Was it the healthiest expression of my time and life? No. It wasn’t. Healthy me would live for myself and not give two shits about OPO (other people’s opinions). Unfortunately, I wasn’t healthy.

Accepting Trevor’s challenge, I set the alarm on my phone for sixty minutes before I stepped inside the restaurant. I was pleasantly surprised when I gave the hostess my name and she informed me my date was waiting at the bar.

Time was valuable to me, and I appreciated when other people respected mine. Being late to a date, even five minutes, was a huge red flag, one I would never be able to ignore.

That was one tick in his favor.

The second tick came in the pro column when I approached the man at the bar, and he looked like the photo on his profile. Every few months, I’d forget the horror that dating apps were and reactivate my accounts. Then, within a few weeks, a month tops, I’d delete them once again. In my experience, they were filled with people who misrepresented themselves. They exaggerated or flat-out lied about their jobs, living situations, and relationship statuses, which was bad enough. But in my estimation, the worst faux pas was not looking like their photograph, which had been my experience when I met the people in person. They were either twenty years older than the photo, had a lot less hair, or had put on at least fifty pounds since their photo had been taken.

This man had some gray around his temples, but I’d seen that in the pic. He had a strong jawline, a sharp nose, and dark eyes. He was attractive enough, but not butterfly level of hotness like Ben was, which was just fine by me.

Just thinking his name sent a shiver racing through me. I was still trying to shake off the effect that Ben had on me, as I said, “Darius?”

He turned around and reached out his hand. “Olivia, even more beautiful in person.” When I placed my hand in his, he brought it to his mouth and kissed the back of it.

Internally, I cringed.

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