Veronica laughed again. “Oh, I doubt that. You need someone with elegance and sophistication. Now, we should get started on your intake paperwork and then I’ll conduct the interview.”
She reached for the tablet, but he placed his spread fingers over it, stopping her from lifting it.
“What do you meansomeone with elegance and sophistication?” he asked.
Veronica stared at him with her mouth open. Then, she gathered herself. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
“But what did you mean?” His eyes moved over her in a quick motion, somehow taking in every bit of her appearance in a blink. “You seem both elegant and sophisticated to me.”
Veronica quailed inside. She could feel his curiosity pushing against the walls she tried to erect between her and others, but he felt everything so strongly there was no protection for it.
“I only meant that, upon seeing you, without knowing anything about you, I envisioned you with a female who matched you in beauty and success.”
“And you don’t?” he prompted, his black eyes lighting with an inner fire.
Something else was coming from him, something Veronica didn’t want to name because it disconcerted her too deeply.
Before she could scramble for an answer, the phone rang.
Veronica jumped and looked down at the phone on the other end of the table. “I’m sorry,” she said without looking back at him. “I need to take this. I’m the only one in the office.”
She got to her feet, feeling unsteady and off-balance, but somehow managed to make it to the other end of the table without falling.
She plucked up the handset and said, “Mystical Matchmakers, this is Veronica Salt.”
“Hi, Veronica. It’s Nova Eckhart.”
“Ms. Eckhart, how are you today?”
Veronica glanced up to see Jasper’s intense black eyes studying her. She turned her back to him because she found she couldn’t speak while they stared at each other.
“Veronica, please call me Nova. We’ve talked about this.”
She nodded even though Nova couldn’t see her. “Of course. What can I do for you?”
There was a pause.
“I’m afraid I need to cancel my membership to the service,” Nova said.
“Oh, my. Is everything okay?”
There was a smile in Nova’s voice when she answered, “Yes, everything is okay. Uh, Torin and I have decided to give things a go. We discussed it this morning and we’ve agreed to be exclusive for the duration.”
“The duration?” Veronica repeated.
Nova sighed. “We’re going to try, but you know as well as I do that not every relationship works out. No matter how much you want it to.”
“Do you think that’s what’s going to happen between you two?” Veronica asked.
“I don’t know,” Nova answered. “But I hope not.”
“If you don’t want that to happen, I doubt it will.”
“Thanks, Veronica. I appreciate all your help and your…advice. I have to get to work now.”
“Of course, Ms.—Nova. Please call me if you need any further help.”
“I will. Bye, Veronica.”
