Mismatched

9. Ebony

            
"Just promise that you won't give Zara any alcohol!" Ebony said, as Bailey walked from her office the next morning.

"But I can have a wine or a beer, right?" Bailey asked, hanging onto the door frame.

She sighed. "If you must."

He saluted her. "Then I'll see you Sunday night."

Ebony had a bad feeling about this. Bailey and Zara had scored nineteen percent compatibility on the Kismet database. But Mrs Harrostone had said to abandon the computer scores and go with intuition—or something like that. Now that Ebony had gone with her gut-instinct, she was scared. Even more scared when Bailey turned to Jake in the waiting room, and said, "It's your turn, man. Ebony does not mess around with the questions. Be warned."

Great. Now I sound like a tyrant. This is going to be awkward.

"Consider me warned." Jake smiled as he entered the office.

Ebony closed the glass door, careful not to repeat the previous night's mistake of getting too close. Jake was already lounging in the chair as she rounded her desk and sat down. She stared at her computer and squinted at the blurry fonts. Not ready to look at Jake, she patted the desk and found her glasses the next second, putting them on. She spun her chair towards the man lounging in his seat. He was watching her as if she was an abstract painting he couldn't decipher but found enjoyable, nevertheless. It did not put her at ease. Nor did the fact that he had a face she could stare at for hours. She hated to admire the superficial things, but it was hard not to, especially when she knew there was so much more to Jake. Like fixing bracelets for strangers. Tracking her down because he'd been unable to call. Leading her to Bailey.

"Morning, Jake," she said.

"Ebony."

"Shall we get started with the questionnaire?" she asked, skipping the normal preamble about Kismet. 

He nodded for her to proceed.

She read automatically from the screen. "Question one: Why did you decide to come to Kismet Matchmaking Agency?"

His gaze cooled. "I think you know the answer to that one."

"Ah, yep. Let's skip that one—and number two. Okay, question three: Are you looking for a relationship that is short-term or long-term?"

"That depends."

"On what?" 

He smiled cryptically. "On the girl."

"Oh." She needed to find him a horrible girl! One with the lowest compatibility match. No! What was she saying? That would be unethical. She was a terrible matchmaker. Terrible! "I'll put a yes, as we only accept clients who are interested in long-term."

He nodded, shifting restlessly.

"Question four:" Ebony winced at the computer screen, ready to click past it.

"Question four?" he asked, smiling.

"Have you had any previous serious relationships, engagements, or marriages?"

Jake looked ready to leave. "All of the above."

Jake has been married and divorced!

Images of him down on one knee, slipping a ring onto a girl's finger spun through Ebony's mind. He had already met a girl special enough to marry. What if no other woman could match his previous love? All women probably paled in comparison. Not that Ebony should care—she had a 'no man' vow after all. But still she wondered...