Emmy looked at their joined hands. Thought about Grant's voice in his brownstone, low and honest:I want to feel like I'm home with someone.
Thought about Madeline's gentle observation:His heart wasn't in it.
Thought about her own answer, barely whispered:Someone I don't have to pretend with.
"Okay," Emmy said. "Okay."
Harper's smile returned, tentative but real. "Yeah?"
"Yeah." Emmy squeezed her hand. "Tell me about the date. What are you going to wear?"
Harper launched into a detailed analysis of her closet options, and Emmy listened, and the tight knot in her chest loosened just slightly.
But Harper's words stayed with her.
You're so desperate to prove you're good at this that you need the reflected glory from everyone else's love life.
Was that what she was doing with Grant?
She pushed the thought away. Focused on Harper's voice, on the mimosas, on the safe territory of outfit choices.
The official feedback from Madeline came through the Elite Connections portal while Emmy was walking home. She read it on the sidewalk, squinting against the afternoon sun.
Client Feedback Form - Madeline Talbott
Date: Grant Knight (Client #4847)
Venue: Oleana
Overall Experience: Positive
Comments:
Pleasant evening, great conversation. No romantic chemistry on my end, but I wish him well in his search.
Professional. Sanitized. Nothing like the real conversation they'd had that morning.
Emmy closed the app and kept walking.
The hollow feeling in her chest didn't go away. But she was getting good at ignoring it.
The text came the next Sunday afternoon, while Emmy was staring at her ceiling and pretending the conversation with Harper hadn't left bruises.
Tyce
Woodhouse. You alive?
Emmy picked up the phone. She'd been texting with Tyce sporadically since the tournament—he'd sent the ostentatious flowers, she'd sent the personality assessment, he'd returned it with half the questions answered and a winky face where his attachment style should be. Professional communication at its finest.
Emmy
Depends who's asking.
Tyce
Still mad at me?
Emmy stared at the screen. Was she? The video had 2.3 million views. Elite Connections' name recognition had never been higher—and every legitimate prospective client was giving them a wide berth. Cecelia had nearly handed Tyce to Sabine.
