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Kendra grimaced as she looked up from her port screen. “I did it to keep Ivy and Diadora happy. It was sprung on me, so I had no choice but to agree.”

Sinead’s expression was sympathetic. “I’d have done the same, even if the alien had two heads and tentacles. Diadora has that way of making your blood chill if you don’t do what she wants.”

“And that terrifying gleam she gets in her eyes that makes you feel sick,” Nell Saunders said.

Kendra nodded. Five matchmakers were in the My Single Alien office, coming to the end of a long day of finding true love for others. Her disastrous date with Faron had played on her mind all day. At least there would be no more dates. She wouldn’t have to see him again.

“I heard your date was a looker,” Sinead said.

“He has some muscles,” Kendra said. “But he came with a rude side. We’re not right for each other.”

“I’ve seen the footage Ivy put together,” Nell said. “It looks like the two of you are in love.”

Kendra’s eyebrows shot up. “That’s not true. She can’t make out we’re into each other. That’s false advertising. He could barely stand to be in the same room as me. He left before I’d eaten dessert.”

“What did you have for pudding?” Sinead twirled a strand of dark hair around one finger.

“A strawberry pavlova. It was good.”

Nell chuckled. “The footage looks convincing. It shows you laughing, and he’s taking food off your plate.”

“He’s stealing food! Faron has no table manners.”

Sinead laughed. “That can be taught. It’s more about how he treated you.”

Her stomach tightened. “Do you really want to know how he treated me?”

“Of course. We want the gory details.” Sinead grinned and looked around the rest of the team, who all nodded eagerly.

She gave them a brutal overview of their first meeting and dinner date. She left out nothing, from his blunt questions about her sexual history to their genetic compatibility.

Their eyes were all wide and mouths open when she’d finished.

“You see! We are so wrong for each other. All Faron cares about is that I’m not some freak who will let the side down when it comes to producing babies.”

“It’s the Tolong way,” Nell said. “Don’t take it personally. That’s how they find a suitable mate. And your guy will struggle to do that. Tolongs see artificial implants, like his cybernetic arm, as a disadvantage.”

“I got the impression Faron hated his cybernetic arm,” Kendra said. “He would glare at it and hide his hand under the table. He was ashamed of it.”

“He would be. Tolongs don’t respect cybernetics. They are a strong and powerful race. To take that away and replace it with something else is seen as making them less.”

“We know that’s not true,” Kendra said. “Diadora and her cybernetic arm make her incredibly powerful. Why isn’t it the same for him?”

“For Tolongs, it isn’t. That’s why Faron must despise his arm. Did you ask him about it?”

“A little. He lost his arm in a mining accident.”

“It must be why he’s here,” Nell said. “Faron would have been shunned by his people. It would have been impossible for him to find a mate on his home planet. Maybe that’s why he was speed dating.”

“How does he expect to find love if he’s so rude?” Kendra asked.

“He was being honest.” Sinead grinned. “I’ve always thought Tolongs are like that character, Spock, from Star Trek. Logic comes first. They have no time for the fluffy stuff. Everything is about practical solutions. If you offer him anything else, he won’t be interested.”

“I have plans to offer Faron nothing, so that won’t be a problem.” She ignored the smile shared by Nell and Sinead. Faron had still been rude to her, even though that was how he’d been raised to behave. She wasn’t letting him off that lightly.

Maybe she should cut him some slack. Kendra had experienced her own share of weird and neglectful parenting. Some of her foster families had been great, while others, the majority, had seen her as a meal ticket. They’d collected the allowance they were paid for having her under their roofs and then ignored her. She’d preferred it that way. She’d always gotten nervous if a carer paid her special attention, worried they’d want something from her.

“You could always have another go with Faron,” Sinead said. “He’s obviously gotten under your skin since you’re talking about him.”