Page 18 of Matchmaking the Rival

“I’m always tired. I fall asleep everywhere these days. Just stay with me and watch this episode.”

I sighed. “I never can say no toThe Vampire Diaries.”

“And you can tell me more about Cade.”

“I still have to wrap my mind around this evening, to be honest. Besides, he’s a competitor, so I’ve got to be careful.”

My sister gestured as if she were zipping her lips. "Okay, I promise not to say anything more until you give me the green light."

"That's unlike you."

"I know, but I've decided to have mercy on you tonight."

We cuddled on the couch like we did as kids. She fell asleep before the episode even ended. I tiptoed around her, covering her up with a blanket that had a pumpkin pattern on it. My sister loved the fall season as much as I did.

I requested an Uber and arrived in front of my building fifteen minutes later. The tips of my ears were ice-cold from the moment I stepped out of the car until I entered the front door. The cold was a big minus of the cozy months.

I put my palms over my ears, warming them up after I pressed the button for the elevator. I wasn’t in the mood for stairs, even though this was the slowest elevator in the world. It always took forever to arrive, but tonight took the cake.

When the doors dinged, my phone vibrated in my purse. I rummaged in my bag but only found it when I was in the elevator. Of course, I lost my signal as the doors closed. Taking it out, I glanced at the screen. My stomach somersaulted. I had a missed call from a number I didn’t have saved.

Oh God. What if something happened to my parents? Or sister?

Don’t panic, Meredith. You have all their numbers.

But what if it’s a paramedic or something?

The second I stepped inside my apartment, I intended to call back, but my phone vibrated. The same number was calling.

I pressed the green button to answer, drawing in a sharp breath as I brought the phone to my ear.

“Hello?” I was sure I sounded panicked.

"Good evening, Meredith."

It was Cade. Relief raced through my body. I couldn’t believe I’d gotten myself so worked up. But how did he get my number?

“Cade. It’s you. So this was your master plan? Bribe your way into getting my phone number?"

"Of course. I actually thought I’d only find your email, but the organizers had your phone number too. You still haven't told me what you've been up to all these years."

"Why would you even want to know?"

"I just do.”

I had no idea what to say to that.

“Cade?”

“Yeah.”

“We’re competitors."

"I know that. There's no clause saying we can't fraternize. Hell, they held an event for that."

"You’ve checked the clauses? I thought you didn't care about rules."

"I don't want to mess this up for either of us."

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