"Please call me Dylan. After all, I just word vomited all over you."
There was a smile in Veronica's voice when she replied, "Okay, Dylan. First of all, Ms. Proxa and I are so happy to hear that your relationship with Mr. Dugan is going well. That's our goal here at Mystical Matchmakers, to find everyone the match that fulfills them and brings them joy." She paused. "That being said, you don't sound very joyful at the moment. You said that the two of you are living together and he said he loves you, but that it was too fast. Do you mind if I ask why you think things are moving too fast?"
"Because we don't truly know each other. That kind of intimacy takes time. Innate knowledge comes from being with each other, learning all the little quirks and ins and outs of their personality and habits."
"You have a good point," Veronica said. "But you also said you're living together. Did he pressure you into that?"
"Not really," Dylan answered with a sigh. "A man has been stalking me and he broke into my house last week. Clay wanted me to move in with him because he works from home and he wanted to protect me."
"Oh, my. It sounds like you've been having an extremely stressful time in your life."
Dylan released a bark of laughter then bit her lip. She hadn't meant to laugh. "Sorry. It's not funny, but you did hit the nail on the head. I'm really freaked out because the guy just won't leave me alone. He keeps sending me messages. At first, he seemed hurt and confused, but now he's angry with me because he can't find me and I haven't been responding to his messages. He says..." Dylan stopped speaking because her throat wanted to close up. She cleared it and continued, "He keeps talking about punishing me and calling me names. The police are involved now and there doesn't seem to be anything they can do because I don't even know who it is. I didn't recognize the phone number he used when he first started calling and texting and I didn't recognize his face when he broke into my house."
"Oh, Dylan. I'm so sorry. I can tell that you're frightened." She paused. "Is there anything we can do here at the service? Do you think it was someone you went on a date with before you met Clay? But you said you didn't recognize him, so that doesn't work, does it?"
"I didn't get a very good look at him when he was in my house. He was wearing a ball cap pulled low over his face and I turned and ran as soon as I saw him. I was scared to death on top of it, so the entire moment was kind of blur."
"So, it's possible you've met him before and didn't recognize him?"
"It's possible," Dylan agreed.
"Maybe you should go back through some of the men you dated before you joined our service, and even the ones we matched you with after you joined, even if you didn't go on a date with them."
"I will."
"Now, back to what you said about Clay. Every relationship has its own timetable. Every person has their own level of comfort. You're in a situation right now that's thrown the two of you together. But instead of thinking of it as too fast or too scary, try thinking of it as an opportunity to learn more about each other. You have a chance to see parts of Mr. Dugan that you might not see for months if you weren't together."
Dylan blinked. "I never thought of it that way."
"Is that good or bad?" Veronica asked.
"It's good," Dylan reassured her. "It makes this less frightening."
"Good, then I'm glad I could help. So, I'm assuming that since the two of you are living together, you aren't interested in resuming our service."
"No, I'm not."
"That's wonderful. I wish you both the absolute best."
"Um, have you called Clay about this yet?" Dylan asked.
"Oh, well..." Veronica cleared her throat. "I'm not supposed to share private information about clients but since Mr. Dugan left our service not long after you met, he's technically no longer a client. But that's all I can tell you."
Warmth suffused Dylan's chest and abdomen. Clay was serious when he said he thought she was the right woman for him.
"That's okay," Dylan said. "Thank you, Veronica."
"It's been my pleasure," the other woman answered, warmth in her voice.
They said their good-byes and disconnected. As she put her phone away and got back to work, Dylan thought about what Veronica had suggested. Not just about going through her old dates and matches to see if she recognized the man from his photo, but about seeing her situation with Clay as an opportunity to learn more things about him.
Any other time, she would have flat-out refused to move in with a man she'd just started dating, but in this case, she hadn't had a choice. Since living with him was her only option at the moment, she would look at it from that positive light rather than obsessing over the fact that their relationship was moving at warp speed rather than a brisk walk.
Dylan's mind was as busy as her hands as she stocked shelves, helped customers, and handled paperwork. Since the break-in and the stalking, her boss made sure she was never in the store alone. Dylan had tried to argue against it, but it had been a useless endeavor.
Still, now that she was thinking about who it might be, she was grateful that there was someone there. Especially when male customers walked in.
The rest of the day passed quickly and Dylan didn't notice the man watching her as she walked out of the store.
