Page 1 of Unlikely Match

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JEWEL

“Win a Dream Vacation and

$20,000 Spending Money!

Sign up now for the LovesDates Inc. Challenge – a blind date with someone carefully selected just for YOU!!!”

I’ve never believed in hype. Or luck. Or that something great will just fall into my lap out of a clear blue sky. Or even love, really. But my best friend Stef has been pushing me to try new things, and threatened she'd set me up on a blind date herself if I didn't enter this contest.

Maybe I should have let her.

Staring out the dirt-smudged window of the bus, I smooth down my blue streaked hair and check my pale green nail polish for chips.

Just one. Not bad.

Is it strange that I've never really pictured what kind of guy I should be with? The main men in my life are my older brother Nick and his eight month old son, Noah.

This contest swears they're using a "highly trained professional matchmaker" at LoveDates Inc., but who knows? They could just be flinging people into a computer with totally random results. Still, I answered their questionnaire carefully, talking about my dream of an art career and getting my art into public places in the hopes of being paired with someone creative. Or, since I'm a nanny during the day, maybe someone in healthcare or home care. A nurturing kind of guy, you know?

Either way, I've been studying the last few contest winners, to figure out what they're looking for.

Because I badly need to win. A real artist has a proper workspace. If I'm ever going to get my work in front of more people, I'm going to have to produce larger collections, maybe bigger pieces, and that requires a space that isn't my dark basement apartment at Nick's house.

I figure there's no way in heck they'll keep track of where people spend the money on that trip, so I'd be able to take home a few thousand dollars. All I need is an enthusiastic date who will play the game and help us really go for it. And bingo - instant art studio.

There's a tiny part of me that feels a twinge of guilt entering a contest based on a love match on Valentine's Day, yet only caring about the money. Fingers crossed that I'll end up with someone who's in it for adventure and amusement, not some starry-eyed love-hungry guy. I'd hate to disappoint anyone.

The matchmaker's office is in the center of downtown Kingsville, with the reception area organized in rows like the DMV. I'm checked in, sign a consent form, then I'm sent to a waiting area with a number. Thank goodness I brought my sketchbook. By the time I finish three new designs, it feels like at least two hundred people have filed through and found their partners.

Looking around, I watch as a woman walks in, holds up her number uncertainly, and a man holds up a slip that matches. As soon as they're paired, a woman in a crisp, gray pantsuit hands them an envelope. Is she the matchmaker who sends these couples off with their dating assignments?

Crap… I hope I don't get sent somewhere super fancy where there's nothing on the menu I can pronounce.

As Ms.Pantsuit sits back down at her desk and the other contestants clear out, my stomach begins to sink. Am I that unmatchable? Damn. That's what I get for getting my hopes up that I could win a few thousand dollars I desperately need.

Flipping the page of my sketchbook, I doodle a series of hearts with various flowing swirls despondently. If I don't win this thing, I'll have to find another way to dig up some money to pay for an art space with windows. I could get a night job, but then I won't be able to babysit at the drop of a hat when Nick and his wife Brandy need me.

My head jerks up as a man rushes through the door, heading straight to the pantsuit lady. "Dora, I'm so sorry." His voice is deep, echoing around the now nearly empty space. He hugs her hello in a way that says they've known each other a long time. Maybe her husband? Boyfriend?

"You actually showed up!" She hands him a form, grinning. "Ready to sign your life away?"

His huge, solid frame towers over her. I thought the woman looked put together, but this man in his perfectly cut black suit looks like he could play a billionaire in a movie. It doesn't hurt that he's utterly gorgeous – his chiseled jaw would be a great template for a superhero.

I've never checked out a man in a suit and found him sexy. Yet this guy's wide shoulders and commanding presence are definitely sending warm prickles up my spine. Weird.

"Not my life." He scowls, although his dark brown eyes are twinkling. "You said all I had to do was go on one date, right?"

"Yes, yes. Unless you win, of course, then you and your lucky lady will be going on your dream vacation."

"Sure," he mutters. "Likethat'sgoing to happen." He signs the form, then shoots her a flat look. "Please promise me that I won't have to do anything undignified."

She pats his arm, laughing lightly. "I promise that your oh-so-uptight clients won't see you looking like a fool."

"I'm serious, Dora."

"So am I." She hands him a slip.

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