The bell on my door dings, pulling me from the funk I’ve found myself in since the announcement of his upcoming nuptials. A tall, handsome man with dimples so deep, most women drool over them stands inside my office. I’ve had beautiful women use my services on occasion because they feel like they keep attracting the same type of man, but drop-dead gorgeous men are unicorns in my office.
“Hi.” I push away from my desk, holding out my hand while breaking the distance. “Juno Bailey, your matchmaker.”
He shakes my hand and I make a mental note: firm handshake, smooth skin, kind smile. “Hello. I’m Jason Graham.”
“Nice to meet you. Please help yourself to a cookie. Sorry about the children’s theme going on. Mix up at the bakery. Would you like a drink?”
He glances at the box and shakes his head. A guy like him probably stays away from refined sugar and has already had a protein shake after his workout this morning. Think, Juno. “Thanks, but I’m good.”
“Have a seat.” I motion for him to sit in the chair in front of my desk.
“This place is cute. I don’t come to Lake Starlight very often.”
I eye the tattoo peeking out of his shirt sleeve. He’s dressed casually, in jeans and a nice V-neck T-shirt, but a T-shirt no less. Which means he doesn’t have a demanding white-collar job that takes him out of the state. Many women don’t prefer when a man has to constantly travel for work.
“Thanks. I’m born and bred, so I’m a bit prejudiced. Go Spartans!” I raise my fist.
“No worries, I’m not originally from Greywall.”
That’s good, since Greywall and Lake Starlight are rivals in the high school sports circuit. So much so that sometimes grown adults still have riffs.
“When did you move to Greywall?” I ask.
“About two years ago. I’m originally from Seattle. Followed my fiancée to Alaska.”
I frown. “I’m sorry.”
He looks at me skeptically.
“I figure if you’re coming to a matchmaker, you’re no longer engaged?”
He laughs and nods. “Right. Slow on the uptake. Our engagement ended about six months after I followed her here, but I fell in love with Alaska. Go figure, right? I love the one state with more males than females.”
I smile. “Don’t worry. I can’t imagine you’re a hard person to match. Mind if we start in on the personal questions?”
He straightens in his chair. “Shoot.”
I ask him the series of questions I’ve developed and find out that he’s an optometrist. His office is closed on Mondays, but that means he works Saturdays. He loves the outdoors, which is a given since he fell in love with Alaska. You have to be somewhat of an outdoors person to live here. He’s an avid hiker and adventure enthusiast.
“Have you ever done an excursion with Lifetime Adventures?” I ask.
“No. When I first moved here, I checked them out, they seemed really serious and I felt like I might not be able to keep up, but I see they have some novice survivalist excursions now.”
“My brother owns it.” I pull one of their cards out of my desk. “Tell him I sent you.”
He twirls it in his hand. “Perfect.”
“Now let’s get into what you’re looking for in a woman. Please feel free to be as picky and specific as you’d like. I can’t say I’ll get all the boxes checked—I might find a blonde who’s better suited for you than a brunette—but tell me what you’re attracted to.”
He eyes me and his cheeks turn a slight pink. “Are you really asking me to pick my dream girl?”
“I am.”
He rubs his hands together, and we both laugh. “I’d say she’s five-five or so. A smile that makes you feel like you walked into a house that smells of freshly baked bread. Eyes that show all her feelings.”
My pen stops on the paper. “That’s it?”
He laughs. “She has to want a serious relationship and have a sense of humor. I know a lot of guys probably come in here and tell you that. But for me, it’s a must. To be honest, there’s a reason I came to you.”
I drop the pen on the paper. “Why?”
“I know of your family. I hope that doesn’t sound creepy.” He cringes.
It should, but it doesn’t. The Baileys are pretty well known in the area. Mostly because when your parents die at the same time and leave their nine kids as orphans, a small town bands together and I think, in a sense, a lot of Lake Starlight’s residents think of us as their own.
“I came here for the last Founder’s Day with a friend and he was telling me the story of your family during the parade. The Baileys are fortunate at finding love, so I figured I’d go to the expert.”
I inwardly laugh. He wouldn’t think that if he knew I’m about to watch my best friend marry someone else because after years of friendship, I just realized I love him. I wouldn’t call me an expert in anything other than failure. “Well, my siblings have had success, but I must warn you, I’m still single, along with two other siblings.”
He chuckles. “I find that hard to believe.”
“Well, Kingston is messed up—that’s a whole other story—and Sedona is still young. She’s pretty serious about this soccer—”
“I meant that you’re single.”
I rear back and heat fills my cheek. Stop blushing. You cannot blush in front of a client. “Oh. Yeah. Well.”
Pull it together, Juno.
I manage to straighten my back in the chair and stop being awkward as hell just because someone compliments me.
“I can’t date a client.” Best to be upfront if that’s what he’s getting at.
“What if I wasn’t a client?” He raises his eyebrows. “I guess I expected someone more like her when I walked in.” He points at the picture of my Aunt Etta on the wall.
Yeah, he’s right, she sure looked the part. She was in her seventies when that picture
