Page 30 of Perfect (mis)Match

I refocused on Piper and the hipster. Yeah, shedefinitelywasn’t enjoying the interaction. So why wasn’t she using the firepower I knew she had?

I frowned. There was something off between them, and I was through standing on the sidelines and letting it happen. I trusted my instincts that Piper needed backup as I marched over and slid my arm around her shoulder. She tensed, glanced up at my face, then sank against me with relief, curling her arm around my waist in turn.

“Babe, you disappeared on me,” I complained, smiling at her and then shifting my focus to the guy. “I was starting to get worried.”

“Yeah, I was catching up with, uh, my friend.”

I could tell by the way she said the word “friend” that he was anything but.

“Hey,” I said, gesturing with my coffee cup in lieu of reaching out for a handshake. “I’m Vincent Forde.”

He stood a little straighter. Perhaps he recognized my name? “Hey, I’m Matthew Burns.” He shifted his attention back to Piper. “You didn’t mention you were dating someone.”

“You didn’t ask,” she said in a strained voice. “You were too busy telling me about your job, remember? I was waiting for you to take a breath.”

She said it with a smile, but the barbs were there. Attagirl.

“Hey babe, I think we should go take a look at the artisanal soaps and massage oils I just passed,” I said. I squeezed Piper closer and gave Matthew a devilish look. “Big plans for this afternoon, if you know what I mean.”

Piper giggled, and Matthew shifted uncomfortably.

“Of course, I don’t want to keep you two,” he said sheepishly. “Piper, I’ll catch you later. It was good to see you. It’s been too long.”

He glanced at me before he walked away, a deferential bro-code moment to signify that he knew he’d overstepped with Piper. I didn’t nod back at him, so he knew I wasnotokay with his familiarity with her.

Once he was out of earshot, she heaved a sigh.

“Oh my god,thankyou! You totally rescued me.”

“From?” I asked.

I noticed she didn’t move away from me. It strangely felt natural to have her pressed up against me.

Piper waved her hand at his retreating form. “Long story. He’s a pain in my ass, that’s all.”

I finally moved away from her so I could look directly at her. “Do I need to track him down and give him a talking to?”

Piper laughed at me. “Okay, tough guy. Take it down a notch.”

“I’m serious, if he makes you uncomfortable, I can step in.”

She shook her head. “No, I’m fine, he’s just a pushy ex.”

Immediately, I wanted to know how serious they had been, why it ended, and when—but did I have the right to ask?

Screw it. If she didn’t want to tell me, she was more than capable of letting me know.

“What’s the story with him?”

Her mouth tugged down. “It’s a little embarrassing. I, uh…I made assumptions about our relationship. I thought we were something real, but it was all in my head. He didn’t feel the same way about me, and it took me way too long to figure that out. Now I don’t trust myself, you know? Like, how could I be so wrong about the whole thing? I was really falling for him, and all the while, he didn’t care about me at all.”

I suddenly hated the hipster even more. How could anyone not understand how special Piper was?

She stared at the ground as we made our way through the stalls, and I had to hold back from pulling her close to me again.

“His loss.”

She looked up at me with grateful eyes. “Thanks. It’s weird, though. For months after it ended, I didn’t hear from him atall, but lately he keeps texting me. Of course I’ve been ignoring them, but then he showed up here…” she shrugged. “It just feels off. Like he’s stalking me.”

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