by Amanda Tru
“You wouldn’t trade the life you have now for the life you had then.” He’d known her better than just about anyone.
“You’re right. I wouldn’t trade my life with Charlie and the children, but I do miss the anonymity sometimes.”
She sighed, then turned, a bright smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye. “Do you remember the time we watched that late night special on the 1970s?”
Mark shook his head. “Not really.”
The queen pulled something out of her purse. “An ad for one of those online dating sites came on. We joked about it, and you said if you were still single at thirty, you’d consider one.”
Right. That conversation he remembered.
“Don’t think I forgot your birthday.” She held out the envelope. “Or the conversation.”
He took it from her. “You didn’t need to get me anything, ma’am.”
“Regardless, take it.” She shoved it toward him.
Mark took the envelope and slipped his finger under the flap. It opened easily. “A membership for Betwixt Two Hearts? What’s that?”
“It’s a new online dating service. They sounded intriguing when I heard about it. I remembered the conversation and signed you up. You’ll need to fill out the questionnaire, but I expect you to do so this week.” She gave him a mock glare. “As your boss, I can make that an order.”
“That won’t be necessary.” He turned the informational card over in his hand. “I’ll do it.” Maybe he’d at least get a couple of dates out of the deal. Evenings away from work wouldn’t be a bad thing.
“Good.”
Lindsey, Charlie’s daughter, bounded into the room. Now a teenager herself, she’d grown into a lovely young woman. “Addie, Dad says he’s ready when you are.”
“I’ll be right there.”
The teen bounced back out of the entry.
Mark smiled after her. “How are you going to survive a plane ride with a kid with that much energy?”
“She’ll settle down and play with her little brother or something. It’ll be fine.”
“Good.”
Queen Adeline picked up her purse. “It was good seeing you, Mark.” She nodded toward the envelope. “I expect a report on how that goes next time I see you.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
With that, she was gone. Mark went back to his office at the house next door and went to the website listed on the card. He used the login information given to create his own profile and spent over an hour going through the questions.
He held out little hope that this website, as different as it claimed to be, would help him find a woman he wanted to take out more than once or twice.
As he read through the information on the website, he realized the queen had signed him up for the most expensive of the options. He would, allegedly, be getting a match made just for him by someone in an office somewhere comparing his answers to someone else’s and deciding they’re compatible. He opted to use the computer-generated matches, at least at first.
Once he downloaded the app to his phone, he decided that was good enough for the night. He checked in with the night crew then went to bed expecting less than nothing to come from this insane idea of the queen’s.
But at least he could tell her he tried.
Casey Smithton flopped back onto her bed, her phone in one hand as the other covered her face. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“Nope.” Her best friend’s voice echoed across a poor connection. “We’re moving to Alaska.”
Casey knew it was an amazing opportunity for Rachel’s husband, a conservationist, but she hadn’t thought the job would actually come through. After all, Joss was fresh out of college with no experience. Maybe that’s why he got the job. No one with experience wanted to move to the Alaskan outback. No one sane anyway.
It also meant Casey was without a job and a place to live.
Rachel’s CHUVsy shop also employed Casey and was run out of Rachel’s old bedroom in Casey’s two-bedroom apartment. CHUVsy was the newest, and almost biggest, online site where Custom, Handmade, Unique, and Vintage items were sold. When Rachel married Joss, she’d moved across the complex, but the business stayed. Rachel’s half of the rent was the only way Casey could afford the place.
“Think about it. You could do your yarn full time again.” Rachel, like always, tried to put the best spin on things. “You loved that.”
“But it never gave me a full-time income.” And she’d sort of lost interest over the last couple of years.
“Well, no, but it’s not like the CHUVsy shop is going anywhere.”
“The CHUVsy shop you run, where you make the stuff, and I handle the other details, isn’t moving to Alaska with you?”
“Yes, and no. I won’t be able to do custom orders without a lot longer lead time and shipping, so I’m thinking I’ll do the premade stuff and ship you a box once a week. You can fulfill orders from that. I’ll still pay you. Just like always, only we won’t be together is all.”
“It’s not the same, Rach.”
“I know, but Joss can’t pass this up.” Dishes clanked together on the other end of the line. “Look at it this way. You can travel more. You’ll have to drive because you’d have to take the stock with you, but you can do the shipping from anywhere. You’ve always wanted to travel. Maybe go to those yarn shows you always talked about.”
She’d only been to one, but it had felt like she’d found her people. Younger than the average attendee, Casey still felt at home. She’d learned to knit from her grandmother and had loved it ever since. Casey wanted to spend more time doing it, but it didn’t pay the bills. She still loved knitting, but her passion for being active in that community didn’t buy food or gas.
“One other thing.” Rachel sounded hesitant for the first time in the conversation.
“What?”
“I’m not going to be able to attend the craft show in Serenity Landing.”
Casey groaned. “Anything but that.”
“There’s a wool and yarn expo section of the show. It’s near that one company you love. Maybe they’ll be there.”
“Show Me Yarn.” They did great work. Casey loved their yarn colors.
“Please.” Rachel turned to begging. “And I’ll even pay for a couple of months of that Betwixt membership. The premium one.”
Ever since Rachel met Joss through an online dating app a year earlier, she’d been after Casey to do the same. She’d tried a couple different ones but hadn’t found anyone she wanted to see again. Betwixt Two Hearts was the latest of the apps. After a few horrible dates, with men she could admit likely looked like a good match on paper, Casey gave up.
Rachel hadn’t.
“Fine, I’ll go. But no need for the fancy matches. The computer-generated ones are fine.” Give it one more shot then tell Rachel to stick it.
“One more thing.”
Of course there was. “What?”
“I need you to keep Bruce for me for a bit.”
“I don’t want your cat,” Casey groaned.
“I can’t take him until we’re settled. Hopefully, just a month. Maybe two. Then you can come visit and bring him with you.”
Casey sighed. Rachel knew she would say yes. She always did. “Fine.”
For the next week, Casey spent her time helping Rachel with the CHUVsy shop and packing. She put off reactivating her Betwixt account as long as she could, but Rachel insisted it be done before she left. Casey updated her profile, arranged for Mrs. Christian to look after Bruce for her, loaded the van, and started for Serenity Landing and the craft show.
After hugging Rachel and Joss goodbye as they started on their first grand adventure since the wedding.
Casey’s trip didn’t go quite as well, but she made it to Serenity Landing after a day of driving where detours and road construction made a seven-hour trip take closer to twelve.
She pulled into the Serenity Landing Lodge parking lot at 8:30 in the evening, grateful she’d forced herself
to get on the road earlier than she really wanted to. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have arrived until nearly midnight.
When she finally checked into her room, she looked at the Betwixt app again. She’d set her destination in the settings. That allowed the algorithm to look not just where she was but where she would be.
There was one potential match, but Casey was too tired from the trip to do anything about it. She’d look in the morning. Maybe. If she had the energy after emptying the van by herself. She’d helped Rachel with these shows before but had never done one by herself.
Casey just hoped she could wait until the designated breaks to need the bathroom.
With the phone between his shoulder and his ear, Mark clicked a few times on the website. “Todd, I’m telling you. Security is fine. I don’t need Mr. Langley-Cranston for backup.”
“The queen insists. Says you need a break.”
“I’ve already had a break,” Mark muttered.
Todd laughed. “I heard you had a date last night.”
“The queen bought me a six-month membership to some dating site. I made a good faith effort, I really did, but it was a disaster.”
Todd had been his fellow security guard while the queen spent her college years in Serenity Landing. For six years, they’d been nearly inseparable.
But Todd hadn’t fallen in love with the woman they were protecting. He’d found a young woman almost as soon as they returned home for good. They’d been married nearly two years, and she was expecting their first child.
Reminding Mark again of what he still didn’t have.
“What happened?”
Mark leaned back in his chair. “On paper, I can see how we’d have been a good match, but in person, we just didn’t click. She’s never been to Europe and has no desire to go. The fact that I’m not an American, and I might want to return to Montevaro someday, even for a visit, was too much.”
“Ouch.”
“It might not have been too bad, if not for that, but she asked about my accent almost immediately, so in ten minutes, we both knew it wasn’t going to work out. Then it got awkward and stayed that way.”
“So, you’re not going on a second date with that woman, but what about someone else?”
“It was my fifth date that went basically the same way. I have no idea if they’ve found me another match or not. I might give it one more shot, but I’m not holding out a lot of hope.”
“Go into it with an open mind.” Todd hesitated. “She won’t be Addie, but I bet you can find an amazing woman out there who’s perfect for you.”
Todd never referred to the queen so informally, which meant he’d known far more about Mark’s feelings than Mark realized. “I’ll figure it out.” His cell phone buzzed in his pocket. “I’ve got to go.”
“Jonathan’s crew will be over in an hour.”
“Great. Thanks.” Mark hung up, muttering to himself about not needing someone else looking over his shoulder as he picked up his cell phone.
A match.
He thought he’d told Betwixt they couldn’t send him push alerts. He’d have to change that later. He opened the app anyway and skimmed through the profile.
On paper, this match didn’t seem as good as the last one. She’d never traveled much. Said she wanted to but was apprehensive and finances were often an issue. The last woman said she loved to travel - in the lower 48 only, and then only to places with nice weather, but she hadn’t mentioned that part.
After that, he’d decided to ditch the computer matches and go for the personal touch.
This new woman had semi-steady income working for a friend’s CHUVsy shop. Her answers to the open-ended questions were long-winded, run-on sentences, but properly punctuated.
Something seemed off about the match and yet… the longer Mark looked at her picture, the more he wanted to at least talk to her.
He accepted the recommendation and put his phone away. Some things needed doing before Jonathan’s team arrived. Not many, but a few.
His phone pinged with an incoming Betwixt app message.
Casey: Hi. I know you like JUST accepted this potential match or whatever it is, but I’m from out of town, and you’re local, and I could really use a hand. Public location. All that. Don’t even need your phone number, if you’re not comfortable with it, but I’m kind of out of options.
So, she wanted money. Great.
Casey: No money.
That made him feel a smidge better.
Casey: Well, not really.
So, she did need money.
Casey: What I really need is a cat crate and some cat food.
They’d set him up with a crazy cat lady?
Casey: I’m here for the Serenity Landing Craft Festival, and my best friend’s cat stowed away in my van.
Mark didn’t even know what to do with that information.
Casey: I know you don’t know me from Adam - or Eve as the case may be - but if there’s any way you could help me get supplies for this stupid cat, I’d appreciate it. You can delete my profile and the match and whatever else afterward, but my best friend absolutely adores this cat - her husband gave him to her - and she’d just die if anything happened to him.
Mark was not a cat person. Not even a little bit. He liked dogs. Big, manly dogs. Working dogs.
He hadn’t even replied yet.
After waiting a minute to see if she was done, he messaged her back.
Mark: Where are you? I’ll see what I can do. I can’t leave for an hour or so though.
She messaged back her location and implored him to hurry because the show was starting soon, and she needed to set up.
Maybe he could start with a crate and water. Wasn’t there a dog crate around here? From when Princess Anastasia and her husband, Dr. Jonah Fonataine, came to visit with their daughter and her dog? That and a bowl with water would be a good start.
Maybe he could find someone who had a clue what to do with cats before he made it to the Pond Creek County Convention Center.
“Problem, boss?”
Mark looked over at Brian, his local second-in-command. “A new friend of mine…” Mark sighed then shook his head. “I’m not even sure I believe it.” He explained.
Brian laughed. “Go get what you need and go on. We’ve got this covered.”
With a last glance around, Mark went to the garage and found the dog crate with a water dish inside.
He messaged Casey to let her know he was able to get away from work sooner than expected and was on his way.
When he reached the convention center, he drove around until he found the white van parked near a loading zone. He managed to snag a spot nearby and grabbed the crate.
“Casey?” he called, walking around and looking for the woman in the picture.
“Oh good! There you are. You must be Mark.”
Her voice didn’t sound anything like he expected and when he turned, he realized her photo had been a lie as well.
This woman wasn’t a late-twenty-something with pretty blue eyes. She had to be at least seventy.
After putting the last storage tub down in the booth area, Casey hurried back to the loading dock but stopped short when she saw Mrs. Bateman talking to one of the most handsome men she’d ever seen in her life.
Could that be Mark? If so, his photo on the Betwixt app didn’t do him justice.
“Oh, there you are, darling!” Mrs. Bateman turned, still cuddling Bruce. “This young man says he brought a carrier and bowl for water for this kitty.”
“Thank you for watching him for me, Mrs. Bateman.” Casey trotted down the stairs. “I’ve got everything in there now. I need to move the van.”
The man turned and smiled. “You must be Casey.” He set down the pet carrier and held out a hand. “Mark.”
She took it and warmth spread through her. Not a spark or electricity but warmth. “It’s nice to meet you. Thank you so much for your help.”
He stared straight into her eyes. “It’s my plea
sure.” He broke the contact. “I happened to have a crate and bowl handy so thought I’d bring those over right away so you’d have somewhere to put him while I figure out what else he needs. Unless you have a list?” He seemed hopeful.
“Maybe.” She pulled her keys out of her pocket. “Let me move the van. I’ll be right back.”
Mark held out his hand. “Let me, and you can get the cat settled.”
She handed over the keys. “Thanks.”
Mark drove off. She turned to Mrs. Bateman. “Thanks for holding him.”
“Oh, it’s no trouble at all.” She scritched under his chin. “I love cats.”
Casey was glad someone did. She tolerated Bruce because of Rachel, but she’d never love him like her friend did.
“Mark is cute,” Mrs. Bateman whispered. “I like him.”
She hadn’t told Mrs. Bateman how she knew Mark. “Thanks.”
Mrs. Bateman went back inside as Casey put Bruce into the crate and poured some water from a bottle into the bowl. She didn’t start with much. He’d been in the back of her van, hiding underneath everything for over thirty-six hours by the time she found him. Too much, too fast would be bad, right? She’d see how he tolerated it then give him a little more in a while.
Mark returned as she latched the crate shut.
“I can’t thank you enough.” Casey took her keys back from him. “I can get you a list of what I need from the store, but my cash is in my bag.” She blew out a breath. “But I think I buried it when I took everything in. I need to get it all set up and organized. I’ll find it then. I don’t suppose you know a good vet in the area I could ask a couple of questions?” Casey bit her bottom lip as she looked up at him.
Mark smiled, a more genuine smile than she’d received earlier. “I don’t know one personally, but I’m sure I know someone who does. In fact, I have a phone meeting with a local friend in about half an hour and can ask him for a recommendation. He has a dog and a vet his wife loves. I know that much. I can ask him.” He crouched down and looked inside the crate. “Do you not have a vet back home you can call?”
“Do you mind if we move this conversation inside? I need to get unpacked. I only have a couple hours before the show starts.”
