Page 7 of No Mane, No Gain

Gerri’s expression softened. “I see. And I’m guessing there’s a story behind that?”

Olive nodded, tracing patterns in the condensation on her water glass. “My father... he cheated on my mother when I was sixteen. It tore our family apart.”

“I’m so sorry, dear. That must have been terribly difficult for you.”

“It was. I mean, I’ve had boyfriends since then, but I’ve never really been able to fully trust any of them. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop, you know?”

Gerri reached across the table to pat Olive’s hand. “That’s perfectly understandable. But you can’t let one man’s mistakes poison your view of all relationships. There are good men out there, Olive. Loyal men who would never dream of betraying their partner’s trust.”

“I know that, logically,” Olive sighed. “It’s just hard to believe it sometimes.”

“Well, that’s where I come in,” Gerri said with a wink. “My job is to find you a man who will restore your faith in love. Someone who will cherish you and earn your trust. But you have to be willing to give him a chance.”

Olive nodded slowly. “I want to. That’s why I reached out to you. I’m tired of being cynical and guarded all the time.”

“Good girl. Now, let me give you a piece of advice.” Gerri leaned in conspiratorially. “When you meet the man I set you up with - and trust me, you will meet him - I want you to forget everything you think you know about your ‘type.’ Forget your checklist of must-haves and deal-breakers.”

“But you just asked me all those questions about what I like,” Olive protested.

Gerri’s eyes twinkled. “I know. But here’s the thing, dear. Sometimes what we think we want isn’t actually what’s best for us. I promise you, the man I choose for you will be perfect foryou in ways you can’t even imagine right now. But you have to keep an open mind and give him a real chance. Can you do that for me?”

Olive hesitated, then nodded. “I’ll try. I promise.”

“That’s all I ask. Now, there’s just one more thing we need to discuss before we make this official.”

“What’s that?”

Gerri’s expression turned serious. “I understand you’re in a bit of a tricky situation with your family. They’re pressuring you to go through with an arranged marriage, is that right?”

Olive’s stomach clenched. “Yes, that’s right.”

“Don’t worry about it. The important thing is this - I need you to promise me that no matter what happens, you won’t make any rash decisions about ending your engagement until you’ve met your intended fiancé in person. So I am going to set you up with your perfect match, but if you decide you’re going to end your arranged marriage, you will meet with your arranged fiancé in person. Can you agree to that?”

“I... I guess so,” Olive said slowly. “But why is that so important?”

Gerri smiled enigmatically. “I just think it’s more respectable to end something that’s been in the works in person. Do we have a deal?”

Olive considered for a moment, then nodded. “All right, deal. I promise I won’t try to break off the engagement without meeting him first.”

“Excellent!” Gerri clapped her hands together. “Then we’re all set. I’ll be in touch soon with the next steps. In the meantime, try to relax and stay positive. Your perfect match is closer than you think.”

As they finished their meals and prepared to leave, Olive felt a mix of excitement and trepidation swirling in her chest. She’dtaken the first step toward finding true love, but the journey ahead was still shrouded in uncertainty.

“Thank you for lunch, Gerri,” she said as they stood to leave. “And for everything else. I’m looking forward to seeing what you come up with.”

Gerri pulled her into a warm hug. “Oh, honey, I promise, it’s going to be one hell of an adventure.”

Back in her penthouse that evening, Olive poured herself a glass of wine and settled onto the couch with her laptop. She opened up her vlogging software and hit record.

“Hey, romance lovers! It’s Olive, and do I have a story for you today. Remember how I’ve been talking about maybe trying out a matchmaking service? Well, guess who I had lunch with this afternoon?”

She paused dramatically, taking a sip of wine.

“That’s right - the one and only Gerri Wilder from the Paranormal Dating Agency. Now, I know what you’re thinking. Paranormal? What’s that about? Trust me, I was skeptical too. But after meeting Gerri, I have to say... I’m intrigued.”

Olive launched into a recap of her lunch with Gerri, carefully editing out the more personal details. She described Gerri’s unique questioning style and her insistence on keeping an open mind.

“So here’s the deal, guys. I’m going to go through with this. I’m going to let Gerri set me up with whoever she thinks is my perfect match. And I’m going to document the whole process right here on this vlog.”

---