Page 38 of Matched with the Grumpy Secret Prince

We’ve fallen into a rhythm—talking here and there, pausing when one of us gets lost in our work, then picking up again like we didn’t skip a beat.

“So,” Sophie says, breaking the silence, “what’s the strangest project you’ve ever worked on?”

I glance up, smirking. “Strangest?”

“Yeah,” she says, tilting her head, her expression curious. “Something completely out of left field. The kind of thing you’d never expect as a landscape architect.”

I chuckle, setting down my pencil. “That’s easy. The chicken maze.”

Her brow furrows in confusion. “The what?”

I lean forward, resting my elbows on my knees. “A few years ago, a family hired me to design a maze in their backyard. For their chickens.”

She blinks at me, her pen stopping mid-twirl. “You’re joking.”

“Dead serious,” I say, grinning. “They wanted this elaborate thing with hedges and little tunnels. They even requested a fountain in the middle.”

She stares at me for a moment before bursting into laughter, the sound bright and infectious. “You actually did it?”

“Of course,” I say, shrugging. “They were paying, and honestly, it was kind of fun. The chickens seemed to enjoy it, too.”

She laughs harder, clutching her stomach as she leans back on her hands. “You built a luxury maze for chickens. That’s… I don’t even know what to say.”

“Hey,” I say, raising a hand in mock defense. “Don’t knock it. Those chickens were living their best lives.”

She shakes her head, still laughing, and for a moment, I forget the awkwardness from earlier, the tension hanging between us.

Her laughter fades into a soft chuckle, and she looks at me, her eyes warm and sparkling. “I don’t think I’ll ever hear a story like that again.”

“Probably not,” I admit, smiling despite myself.

The air between us feels lighter now, and I find myself wondering if this is what it could always be like with Sophie—easy, unguarded, real.

But as she turns her attention back to her planner, that thought lingers, heavier than I’d like to admit.

Because even as the distance between us shrinks, I know a part of me is still holding back.

And for her sake—forbothour sakes—I need to make sure it stays that way.

SOPHIE

The next morning, I wake up feeling lighter than I have in days. There’s a strange sense of relief buzzing beneath my skin, like a knot I didn’t even realize was there has finally come undone.

And I know exactly why.

It’s Graham.

After everything—his coldness, the awkward pie moment, and the tension hanging between us—it feels like we’ve turned a corner. Sitting on the grass at the Holloway estate, laughing over that ridiculous chicken maze story, something shifted. For the first time, it felt like we were on the same page, like we could work together without all the weirdness getting in the way.

As I brush my teeth and pull my hair into a loose bun, I smile at the memory of his grin when he told the story and how his deep laugh seemed to warm the space around us.

For once, I’m not dreading the idea of spending the day with him. In fact, I might even be looking forward to it.

When I arrive at the flower shop, Mia is already in full swing, arranging a colorful bouquet for a customer.

“Morning!” she says brightly, glancing up as I walk in. “You’re looking chipper today.”

“Am I?” I reply, setting my bag on the counter.

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