Page 81 of The One That I Want

‘And you know how I’m going out with Harrison tomorrow night?’

‘I’m across that piece of information, yes,’ she says with a wink.

‘Right – of course you are. It’s just… something’s happened and…’

The smile falls from her face. ‘Do you need me to postpone the date? Oh, you don’t want me to cancel it, do you?’ she asks, her concern obvious.

‘I’m not sure.’

‘Why don’t you tell me what’s happened? Are you having second thoughts now we’re moving onto your real potential matches?’

‘Sort of.’

‘Is this “sort of” to do with Ewan?’

I nod and she watches me, patiently waiting for me to explain. I take a deep breath and launch into an account of the time Ewan and I have shared since we met, culminating in last night’s dinner.

‘And how did you leave things? You know, at the end of the… evening?’ she asks, obviously skirting around the word ‘date’.

‘With a promise to do it again next week and a kiss on the cheek.’

‘Describe the cheek kiss,’ says Poppy. ‘Was it a peck or softer, more considered?’

I think back to our goodbye outside The Port House – the internal battle, the kiss on the cheek, the disappointment as I walked to the Tube station alone…

The memory dissipates and my mind returns to the bar. I expel a loud breath, then meet Poppy’s eye.

‘That might just say it all,’ she says.

‘What might? And what is it saying?’ I ask, already knowing the answer.

‘The look on your face. Do you think you might have feelings for Ewan?’

I slip my forefinger into my mouth and nibble on the nail. Isn’t this precisely why I asked to meet with Poppy, to get a second opinion? So why am I being coy? We both know what my answer is.

I drop my hand. ‘I think so.’

‘Okay. So now you’re wondering if you should meet Harrison?’

‘Yes. I mean, is it fair to Harrison when I already have feelings for Ewan – even if I’m not entirely sure what they are or what they mean?’

‘Well, ordinarily, we only match a client with one person at a time and this is one of the reasons – to avoid situations where someone develops feelings for two people at once.’

‘Is there a “but” coming? Please tell me there’s a “but” coming.’

‘But Ewan is already in your life, so…’ She frowns slightly as if she’s considering a conundrum.

‘You don’t know the answer?’ I ask, panic rising.

‘Matchmaking isn’t an exact science,’ she replies, ‘but we have guidelines for a reason.’

‘That makes sense,’ I admit, my shoulders slumping. It may make sense but it’s also disappointing. For the past month, I’ve been building up Harrison in my mind and I want to meet him.

‘Hey, can you give me five minutes?’ she asks, sliding off her stool. ‘I want to call George and get his take on all this.’

A glimmer of hope!

‘Of course! I’ll be right here,’ I say, flashing a smile. As soon as she leaves, I huff out another sigh and take a sip of my cocktail.

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