Page 34 of No Match Found
His eyes lingered on my lips—not the corner—for another second, then he nodded. “All set.”
“Thanks,” I said stiffly, my cheeks warm. I didn’t know what it was that was snagging in my brain—the fact that he’d had theimpulse to wipe the lipstick, or the fact that he’d stopped himself. Either way, I walked toward Table of Origin feeling more jittery than I liked.
When I reached the hostess’s podium, I looked around until I spotted Jeff. He was seated at a table to the left, and he rose at the sight of me. He wore a suit that had probably been pressed when he’d arrived at work that morning, but the backs of the knees were creased after a day in the office.
I smiled at him, thanked the hostess, and walked over.
His eyes raked over me swiftly, and he put out a hand.
It had been a long time since I’d been on a date, and even if the greeting felt a bit business-y, I was grateful he hadn’t tried to hug me or kiss me on the cheek.
I suppressed the impulse to look over my shoulder and see if Grant had noted the greeting. His jokes about Jeff wanting to skip ahead physically had clearly been off-base.
Jeff made polite conversation as he helped me into my seat. I thanked him once I sat, then noted Grant walking up to the bar.
He set his notebook down, took a seat on a stool, then winked at me. He was close enough that I wasn’t sure whether he’d be able to hear us or not. I hoped not.
“I’m glad you took me up on tonight,” Jeff said as he took his seat. “Free time can be hard to come by for me. I’m sure the same is true for you.”
“Definitely,” I replied. “I’m glad it worked out for both of us.”
He smiled, showing a mouth of straight, white teeth. “Me too. I’m about to leave on a business trip, but I was anxious to meet you. I’m at a stage of life where I’m not really interested in wasting time if it’s not a good fit.”
It was exactly what I’d said to Grant yesterday, but when Jeff said it, it was like he’d casually set an anvil on my shoulders to see if I could manage the weight. He was here for one purpose: to see if I was a waste of his time.
He opened his menu. “So, how long have you been at Matchify?”
“I, uh…well, as long as it’s been around. I actually started the company.”
His gaze flicked up, and so did his brows. “Wow. Impressive. And very ambitious.”
“It was a joint ambition. You can’t make it in our industry without a community of talented people surrounding you.”
“Oh, absolutely. But even then, it takes a lot of drive to head up a brand-new company and have it do as well as yours has done.”
The waitress came over for our drink and appetizer orders, temporarily halting conversation.
“I’ll have the pear and sage sparkler,” Jeff said. “And the beet salad.”
My gaze swept to Grant, whose lips lifted at one edge as his eyes met mine. Guess hecouldhear.
Oh, joy.
I forced my attention back to the waitress and ordered a water and the braised leek croquettes.
Jeff was a lot like I’d imagined—nice, polite, smart, and well-versed in the tech industry. As we ate fresh but tiny portions of food, we sympathized over constantly shifting regulations, the near-impossibility of bona fide vacation time, and impatience with small-talk in meetings.
It was becoming clear why Matchify had matched us.
So why did I feel like I was at a business lunch?
I found myself periodically glancing at Grant. Didhesense it even from where he was?
I hoped not. I needed him to think this date was a slam dunk—that Matchify had really nailed it.
And maybe it had. Matchify might not be the issue.
MaybeIwas the issue—me and my robotic intensity.
