Page 53 of Someone Like You

‘I’ll give you a minute.’

‘Mm-hmm,’ she murmurs.

I scamper back to my desk and plop into my chair, reaching for my phone. Gaby’s message is still on the screen.

Well, he did it again. Raff the Oblivious reigns supreme. Ava is a no-go even though I left them alone to talk. Nice gal and very pretty but no date. *shrug emoji* We did have a nice day at the spa. *smiley face emoji* So what’s plan C? *thinking face emoji*

Plan C is I take Raff by the shoulders and give him a shake.

No, that’s not fair. As far as clients go, I have had far bigger challenges. My own husband comes to mind. Pre-me and a clause in his grandfather’s will requiring that he marry before his thirty-fifth birthday or lose his inheritance, he was anti-relationships, anti-marriage, and vehemently anti-love.

Of course, matchingmyselfwith a client is a one-time-only thing.

Maybe our whole approach is off. Maybe Gaby’s right and we should wait until the New Year then regroup. Or we’re upfront with Raff about what we’re doing and ask him (nicely) to fall into line. I certainly don’t want to keep frittering away solid potential matches because he’s so oblivious to what’s going on.

I look over at Freya, who’s at her desk chatting animatedly on the phone. How likely is it that I can convince her to put this case on hiatus for now?

I re-read Gaby’s message a third time – not even the slightesthint of hesitation on her part. Sheseems100 per cent all-in on matching Raff, but…

It’s rare that I am completely off-base when intuiting someone’s true feelings – the same for Ursula, who’s far more experienced at matchmaking than I am. So, I’m not abandoning my suspicions just yet.

‘I’m free now, Poppy,’ says Ursula.

‘Great,’ I say. ‘I’ve booked us a meeting room.’

Once we’re in the meeting room – my favourite one that looks out over the Thames – I quickly take her through our two failed matches. Even though her expression remains mostly static, tension in her jaw belies her calm exterior.

While we match around a third of our clients the first time, most of the others match with the second potential. It’s rare that we need to move further down the list – in this case, to our alternate, Julia.

‘It sounds to me like it’s the set-ups that are the issue,’ she says. I refrain from mentioning that happenstance set-ups were her idea. I need her onside. ‘Perhaps he’s one of those people who does better in a group,’ she adds.

‘Could be,’ I say hesitantly. ‘But Gaby says he hates being the centre of attention.’

‘That’s it exactly. In a group, he doesn’t have to be the centre of attention. He’s simply one of many. You know, when I saw him onBritain’s Best Bakers?—’

‘Oh, I didn’t know you were into that. Tris and I love it.’

She gives me the Ursula equivalent of a smile. ‘It’s one of Richard’s favourites, but I quite like it too. Anyway, if you’ll remember, when Rafferty was amongst his fellow bakers, he was friendly, charming,sochatty – a total natural.’

‘You’re right.’

‘Perhaps that’s where he thrives.’

‘On a TV show? I don’t follow.’

‘No, I mean when he’s amongst others, when the spotlight isn’t entirely on him – it’s shared with other people.’

‘Ahh, interesting.’ As I consider her hypothesis, I walk over to the window and glance out at the Thames. It’s a grey day with light drizzle and the river is a dull greyish-brown and flowing sluggishly. I turn and face Ursula, then lean against the windowsill. ‘So, when he’s been approached by these two potentials – first at the food safety course and then at the day spa – it was a one-on-one engagement…’

‘Putting Rafferty in the spotlight of sorts,’ she says, building on my point.

‘So, he’s in the spotlight, it makes him uncomfortable, which means he misses all the signals that these women might be interested in dating him.’

‘That would certainly explain how he can be a serial dateranda deer in headlights when he’s approached out of the blue,’ she says.

‘Because when he’s dating, he’s in control. He may not feel completely comfortable – at least not right away – but he’s there by choice.’

‘Exactly.’

---