For someone who believes in magic, even the everyday kind. -Your Secret Cupid
My breath caught. Those were my words. From my Cupid’s Arrow profile. The one Lucas had created for the campaign. The one that was supposed to be private, deactivated, just for show.
Someone had read it.
I set the note aside carefully and opened the box.
Inside was a small, leather-bound journal with gilded pages. But it wasn’t just any journal. When I opened it, I saw that the first page had been inscribed in elegant calligraphy:“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.”
Shakespeare.As You Like It.One of my favorite plays.
I flipped through the pages and tucked inside was a gift certificate to a bookstore in the Village that specialized in rare old plays, along with a second smaller envelope.
I opened it with shaking hands. Inside were two tickets toWickednext month. Premium seats. I stared at them, my vision blurring slightly.
Someone had paid attention. Someone had listened when I talked about theater and my love of Broadway. I looked around the office. I wasn’t sure what I expected, but I supposed I hoped my Cupid would jump out and announce their presence.
I picked up the journal again, running my fingers over the embossed cover. It was the kind of thing I never would have bought for myself. It was far too nice. It was definitely too much. But it was also perfect.
CHAPTER 16
DANE
I’d been having a relatively normal Friday until I made the critical error of leaving my office at precisely the wrong moment.
The marketing department had commandeered the conference room closest to my office. The glass walls gave me a perfect view of Heidi gesturing enthusiastically at a presentation screen while her team nodded along like disciples receiving wisdom from on high.
I should have turned around and gone the other way.
Instead, Heidi spotted me and waved me in with way too much enthusiasm. It was too late to pretend I didn’t see her. When I was younger, I always wanted an invisibility cloak. That would have come in handy a lot.
“Dane! Perfect timing. We were just about to come find you.”
I stepped into the conference room, and the energy immediately shifted. Her team sat up straighter and the air got thicker. It was a particular kind of tension that came from people about to pitch something they knew I probably wouldn’t like. I had come to know that feeling all too well.
“What’s this about?” I asked, remaining standing near the door.
“We’ve been analyzing the metrics from the Valentine’s campaign,” Heidi said, pulling up a slide covered in graphs and numbers. “Engagement is through the roof. Website traffic is up 67%. App downloads are up as well. Social media mentions of Cupid’s Arrow have increased.”
“I’m aware. You email me these numbers daily.”
“Right, but what you might not be aware of iswhythe numbers are so high.” She clicked to the next slide, which showed a compilation of social media posts, all featuring the grainy photos of me and Ina from our two outings. “The public is obsessed with your relationship. Not just interested—obsessed. There are Reddit threads dedicated to figuring out who the mystery woman is. Fan accounts posting theories. People are emotionally invested in your love story.”
“It’s not a love story. It’s a marketing campaign.”
“Same thing,” Heidi said, undeterred. “To them, it’s the ultimate romance—the bachelor who helps everyone else find love finally finding it himself. It’s catnip for our demographic.”
I crossed my arms. “Get to the point.”
“We want to do another commercial. A longer one, maybe ninety seconds. Something that showcases the entire Cupid’s Arrow process from start to finish.” Her eyes were bright with the kind of fervor that made her excellent at her job and occasionally terrifying to work with. “We’d show your profiles, footage of our matchmakers working to pair you up, clips from a date, the whole journey. Make it feel authentic. We want to give people a behind-the-scenes look at how Cupid’s Arrow actually works.”
I stared at her for a long moment, waiting for the punchline.
When none came, I laughed. “You can’t be serious.”
“I’m completely serious. We ran a survey with our target demographic and the response was overwhelmingly positive. People want more of this story. They want to see how ithappened and how the algorithm brought you together. They need to see how it works so they can believe it.”
“No.”
