Page 47 of Mismatched

Before I can think how to respond, Henry blusters in, making a beeline for the desk.

“Francie, may I have the tape roller? Thank you.”

My green-haired employee ducks behind the desk, popping back up to hand it to him, twirling her curls in her other hand. Henry rolls the device over the lower parts of his dress pants in a practiced motion without noticing her heart eyes, then finally straightens, noticing us.

“Henry, this is Marisol Lopez,” I say, making introductions. “She owns the subscription box company I told you about.”

“Oh, yes.” His eyes sharpen on her. “Good to meet you. Henry Hill.”

“It’s a pleasure,” she says, shaking his hand. I tease Henry all the time for his three-piece suits, but Marisol’s wearing a smart-looking wrap blouse and linen slacks, and it strikes me how professional they look. I have no real reason to feel insecure, but just for a second, it’s like my mom is in the room. Eyeballing my Life Goal: Pet All The Dogs T-shirt and asking if I really wore it to work. I pull my gray hoodie off the back of the reception chair and zip it up, trying not to feel like a little kid watching the adults.

“Can’t stay,” Henry says, distracted by his phone. “Scarlet’s bellyaching about the new point of sale system. Again.”

I knit my brow. Normally, Scarlet channels all her complaints directly to me, at full volume. “Huh. Marisol and I were just there and she didn’t say anything.”

Henry shrugs, though he keeps smoothing his hair and inspecting his clothes. “I’ll uh... I’ll just run through it quickly with her again. Then I’ve got that meeting with the bank I was telling you about. Nice to meet you.” He nods at Marisol, and then he’s out the door.

“What I would give for a man to talk to the banks for me,” she says, rolling her eyes.

I raise my brows in surprise. “Really? It doesn’t seem like you need one.” As soon as the words are out of my mouth, I wince, wondering if it sounded like a personal comment.

She shrugs. “You’re in such a great position, Lydia. Your branding is on point, and The Pooch Park is very clearly meeting major demand. I see now why Henry couldn’t resist dipping his toes in. I would’ve done the same in his position.”

“Thanks. I don’t know, sometimes I feel like such an accidental success.”

“Sounds like a case of imposter syndrome,” she says gently.

I frown. “Where do you see your business going next?” It’s a polite question, but I’m genuinely curious. She follows me into Henry’s conference room and I grab us each a water bottle from the fridge.

“I’m conducting market research for some new subscription concepts. In addition to WoofCrate, I also have a crafting box, a home brewing box, and an ‘intimate pleasures’ box.” She glances at me and rolls her eyes. “That last one was my ex’s idea. I hate giving him credit for it, but it’s been a massive success.”

“Oh.” I wish my face didn’t redden at the mere mention of sex. I might be getting more comfortable in my bedroom, but definitely not outside of it. “Were the two of you in business together?”

She barks a laugh. “Thankfully not. I just get to profit off his deviant ideas. But to answer your question, what I’d love more than anything is to grow my company to the point I can actually step back and have more time with my daughter.”

I raise my eyebrows. “Really? It seems like you already balance everything so well.”

“Thanks.” An expression I can’t quite identify crosses her face. “I’m glad that’s what it looks like. Being a massive success will be part of my revenge plan post-divorce.”

I twist the hem of my T-shirt. I don’t want to pry. But I like Marisol a lot, and she doesn’t seem shy about her personal life. “You said it was a recent breakup?”

“Yep. Just a few months ago. Erik—that’s my ex—was outed in this article about married people cheating. It came out right after Paloma and I moved here to be with him.”

A hot prickle travels up the back of my neck. “Really?”

“When I first found out, I was devastated. Embarrassed. Disappointed in myself for not seeing it.” She sighs. “But now I’m just pissed.”

I meet her eyes, my stomach somewhere on the floor. There is so much I could say—want to say. I know exactly what she went through because it also happened to me. I went through all the devastation, felt all the same things.

But I stop before any of this reaches my mouth when I realize... I actually didn’t.

Unmatched brought her relationship to an end. But in the most backward way, it became a beginning for Anton and me.

Or at least, it felt that way until this week.

“That... that sounds like a lot to go through,” I whisper.

She exhales. “Trust me, I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. But when I’m feeling less sorry for myself, I know it’s the best thing that could’ve happened. I don’t think Erik’s that into being a dad. If I’m careful, I think I can win sole custody.”

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