Page 45 of Matchmaking On The Menu

Silence greets me, then…

“Oh my god,” Shelly breathes. “I knew it.”

“You did not know it,” Quadri says.

“I absolutely knew it. I said there was a vibe.”

“You say there’s a vibe about literally everything.”

“Because there usually is.”

Mary’s watching me again, quieter this time. “You’re sure?”

“Yes,” I say, more firmly now. “It’s him.”

“How?” Quadri asks.

I hesitate because how do I explain the way he moved and paid attention? I shake my head. “I just… know.”

Shelly makes a small, satisfied sound. “Well, this just got interesting.”

“This is not interesting,” I say. “This is confusing. And mildly concerning.”

“And hot,” Shelly adds.

“And hot,” Quadri agrees.

“Yup,” Mary notes.

“Oh, now you think he’s hot but when you had to serve him you swore he wasn’t even cute.”

Mary rolls her eyes. “What’s in the past is in the past.”

Shelly grabs my shoulders and turns me toward her. “Focus. We are not letting this go.”

“I am actively trying to let this go.”

“Absolutely not. A mysterious man kisses you under fairy lights, then vanishes into the night, and you want to let that go?”

“When you say it like that, it sounds⁠—”

“Correct?”

“Like a cheesy romcom waiting to go wrong.”

Shelly shakes her head. “What are we gonna do with you?”

I groan, dragging a hand over my face. This is a lot, too much. It figures I’d get the best kiss of my life while facing a life-changing decision about staying or going. Way to go universe, you’ve messed with me enough. And the worst part? A small, traitorous part of me doesn’t want to let it go either, which is deeply frustrating.

“Okay,” Quadri says, stepping in like she’s about to take control of the situation. “We approach this logically.”

Shelly snorts. “Oh, this should be good.”

“We gather information.”

“From who?” I ask.

“The town,” she says simply.