Page 35 of Hearts Like Hers

“Okay. Take it easy,” Autumn said, feelingbolstered by the support. She took a seat next to Hadley on the couch, and withHad peering eagerly over her shoulder, she opened the website she’d avoided forweeks. Faces of the donors, all handsome-looking men—okay, some not sohandsome—dotted her screen. “Where does one even start?” she asked, alreadyfeeling overwhelmed by the breadth.

“With that one,” Hadley said. “He looks likeLeonardo DiCaprio, and you know how I feel aboutTitanic. I will sing Celine Dion right nowif you do not stop me.”

“No Celine. You can Celine later. Focus.”

“Trying.”

“All right, let’s take a closer look at theLeo look-alike,” Autumn said, clicking on his face as Hadley began to quietlyhum the theme fromTitanic.“No humming either.”

Hadley balked. “Do you know what you’reasking?”

Bachelor number one was definitely goodlooking. Sandy blond hair, bright blue eyes, and a smile showcasing shiny,straight teeth. She sat taller. Maybe this whole exercise would turn out to befun after all. What was there to be afraid of? That’s when she saw it. “He’s amortician,” she announced, pointing at the screen of doom. “No, no, no. What ifmy child is fascinated with dead things? I don’t do well with bodies. I don’teven go to scary movies. I’d live in fear.”

“You’re being ridiculous,” Hadley said. “Mydad loves golf and horse shows. Your mom is shallow and opportunistic. Neitherof us inherited those traits.”

“Yeah, well, that’s not a risk I’m willing totake.”

“Okay, fine. I’m with ya,” Hadley said, asAutumn took them back to the general pool. “Oh, okay. Look. This one looks likeSuperman. He even has the smart little curl in front. Click him. Click him!”

“I do like superheroes.” Autumn clicked hisface and scanned his profile. Tall, athletic. He’d been on his high schoolrowing team. She didn’t know much about rowing, but that seemed impressive. Youhad to be strong to row, and practice religiously, so dedication went alongwith it.

“And he’s an artist, too. Sensitiveandathletic,” Hadleypointed out.

Okay, Autumn liked those qualities. A lot.Kate’s words echoed in her head. But would she want to be friends with thisguy? She kept reading to find out.

“He’s also arrogant,” Autumn supplied indismay. “Listen to his paragraph where he explains his motivation to donate.‘I’ve accomplished more in the past ten years than most people do in theirentire lives.’ Who says that about themselves?” she asked. “No one should. Idon’t care if you’re an astronaut sitting on the moon. He’s eliminated simplyfor bragging.”

“Just like that, huh?”

“Just like that.” Autumn turned to Hadley.“This is too important to mess around with, you know?”

Hadley nodded. “Vanquish his ass.” Shewhispered the last word of the sentence.

“Still haven’t mastered the swearing, huh?”

“Not yet,” Hadley said, and stared quietly atthe ground in shame.

They sat together on that couch for the nexthour and a half. Hadley seemed to find her groove, knowing when to encourageAutumn and when to back off. And just when Autumn was ready to close thelaptop, call it a night, and steal a few hours before returning to Venice, shesaw the profile. An eighth-grade English teacher who’d visited twenty-eightcountries and was taking night courses in the pursuit of his master’s. He wasdecent enough looking, wore glasses, but wasn’t perfectly chiseled like some ofthe other prospects. Somehow that made him friendlier to her, more accessible.

“I like him,” she said to Hadley, afterscanning the ins and outs of the profile. “He seems like a real person, someoneyou could grab a beer with and talk about world issues.”

Hadley squinted. “You never talk about worldissues.”

“Well, maybe I aspire to. If he were myfriend, I just might do it.”

Hadley smiled. “Valid point. I like him,too.”

After they scanned his family history andfound no major issues, conflicts, or skeletons in the proverbial geneticscloset, Hadley turned to her. “What’s the verdict?”

“I’m going to sleep on it, but I think maybeI’ve found him.” She shot a glance to the stars. After her and Kate’s trip tothe observatory, she’d become increasingly aware of their presence, alwayswatching over her. Did they just witness a major moment in her life? She smiledat the likelihood.

Hadley squeezed Autumn’s hand. “Your face litup when you read his profile. This could likely be the guy.”

Autumn opened both palms. “He likes art andfootball. Both.”

“Can’t go wrong playing fantasy football inan art gallery.”

“Right? And, Had”—she gestured to thenow-closed laptop—“he even mentioned that a good cup of coffee is how he likesto start his day. That’s good people right there.”

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