Great.
I look suspiciously at my parents as they both beam at me. “Why is it so crowded in here?”
“MakeYourMatch.com went live this morning,” Mama says proudly. “Benny! Show your sister what you’ve done.”
Ben winks at me as he opens the swing door and I slide behind the bar.
I look down at his laptop and the photos of Logan and Gigi, and Ginny and Dave on the homepage.
Two pairs of contestants in the Make Your Match Contest: Which Soul Mates Will Finally Give Jane Austen Her Independence Day?
Daddy points to the big booth behind him. “All four contestants are here tonight.”
Gigi and Logan, Ginny and Dave are sitting with Blake and?—
“Who are the two Gigi look-alike blondes?” I say.
Ben chuckles. “Gigi’s two sisters. Both married and on a girls-only vacation.”
“Isn’t that great?” Daddy beams. “And we got a slot on the news. We’re on TV in ten minutes.” He points to the flat-screen already on above my head. “The reporter was here all morning, making sure he had his facts straight. Real nice guy.”
A movement catches my eye behind the fake plant Mama had installed by the front doors.
I recognize the cameraman—Jon I think his name is—lurking. I’m sure Skip isn’t far behind.
I look over at Ben, and he sees the same thing. He grins and shakes his head.
“Mace, you doing all right?” he says in a low voice.
“Why is everyone asking me that these days?” I say.
Freedom leans over the bar. “Maybe because you’re acting like a scorpion’s caught in your bra.”
I stare over her head at Logan as Gigi leans in close to him and bats her eyelashes. He doesn’t react.
I wonder if, in private, he kisses her on the lips in that slow, unhurried way he always did with me. Like he had all the time in the world. Like nothing was more important than the feeling of his mouth on mine.
Logan glances up like he feels me looking. My cheeks burn, but I wave casually.
“You don’t need a man.” Free’s watching me closely.
“I know that. I would have just stayed married if I thought so, right?”
“Right. Except…” Free gazes over at Logan and then returns her serious expression to me. “It’s like I can see your lipstick still on his face.”
Riley has just turned away from kissing Wink, and she overhears. She laughs and high-fives Free. “So true, honey.”
Ben holds out his hand. A quarter sits in his open palm. “Y’all want to bet on Make Your Match? Will either couple actually go through with their wedding?”
Riley immediately grabs a quarter out of the tip jar and places it on the counter. “Count me in. No on Logan and Gigi.”
“I don’t bet,” Free says. “I don’t like gambling with money.”
“Good for you, honey,” I say to her. “Ben, seriously. Stop.”
“I’m betting against Logan and Gigi, too,” he says. “We’ll see if I’m right, huh?”
He and Riley laugh, and the two of them pocket their quarters.
