By the end of the meal, I had laughed more than I had in months. And I realized I liked the guy. He was funny in a subtle way.
I was looking forward to fake dating my boss.
CHAPTER 12
DANE
The investor meeting had gone well. I was set to make another small fortune by year’s end. I should have been elated. Instead, I felt restless.
I left the conference room and found myself wandering through the office instead of returning to my desk. The IT department was first, where I checked in on the app update that was supposed to roll out next week. Then past the marketing team’s bullpen, where Heidi’s people were huddled around monitors working on social media content.
Finally, I made my way to the matchmakers’ section—the heart of Cupid’s Arrow, the people who actually made our promises real. AI could only go so far. I liked to call the area the literal heart of the company.
The matchmakers worked in a semi-open space filled with plants and natural light, a deliberate design choice to make it feel less like an office and more like a creative studio. They needed space to think and be inspired.
I paused by one of the desks where a young woman named Kendra was working on something on her screen. She glanced up when she noticed me, looking slightly startled.
“Mr. Kavanagh. Hi. Is there something I can help you with?”
I glanced at her screen and saw Ina’s face. “What’s that?”
“I was told to make sure this profile was completely deactivated from public view.”
It was Ina’s Cupid’s Arrow profile. The one Lucas had created for the campaign.
I moved closer, unable to help myself. “Is there a problem with it?”
“No, no problem. It’s just… it’s a really good profile. Like,reallygood. Whoever filled out the prompts knew exactly what they were doing. It could be really popular.” She scrolled down, and I read the text.
What makes you laugh:Bad puns, good theater, and people who take themselves just seriously enough to be funny without meaning to be.
Perfect Sunday:Brunch with someone who doesn’t mind if I steal bites from their plate, a matinee show, then walking through the city until our feet hurt. Bonus points if it ends with hot chocolate and people-watching.
What are you looking for:Someone who still believes in magic. Someone who thinks finding the perfect gift is a love language. Someone who won’t judge me for crying at Disney movies.
I stared at the screen and a wave of emotion swept over me. “She filled these out herself?”
Kendra nodded. “Yeah, Lucas sent her the forms and she sent it all back the same day. Usually when we create dummy profiles, they feel kind of hollow, you know? But this one feels real. Like if it was actually active, she’d have hundreds of matches.”
“But it’s not active.”
“No, definitely not. Lucas was very clear about that.”
I wasn’t sure if Kendra knew what we were doing. I doubted it and I preferred to keep it that way. The profile was all aboutcreating a paper trail that proved we metonCupid’s Arrow instead ofatCupid’s Arrow.
I nodded and went looking for Lucas, finding him in his office with Heidi. They were both hunched over Lucas’s laptop, and when I walked in, they looked up with matching expressions of glee.
“Perfect timing,” Lucas said. “Come look at this.”
I approached warily. “Look at what?”
Heidi turned the laptop to face me. On the screen was a grainy photo of two people standing outside a restaurant. I was clearly visible, smiling down at a woman whose face was only partially visible in profile. My arm was around her waist, pulling her close, and the way I was looking at her?
I looked happy. Like a man who’d just had a good date and didn’t want it to end.
“Where did this come from?” I asked, even though I knew the answer.
“My team,” Lucas said proudly. “They got about twenty shots total, but this one is the best. See how you can tell it’s you, but her face is mostly obscured? That’s perfect. It creates mystery. People are going to want to know who the mystery woman is.”
