Miss Matched [COMPLETED]

3. Tayla

I might be out an exorbitant amount of money, but I still dodged a bullet. I've been back in Grand Rapids for a week, and Simon Buchannan hasn't contacted me. Weirdly, that thought is the only thing that soothes me when I stare at my empty bank account and realize all my careful planning was for nothing.

Maybe I should take this as a sign I'm not meant to be romantically happy. If the deluxe, high-tech matching algorithm can only give me the one person on the planet I can't stand the sight of, well, perhaps I'm meant to be single forever.

After I've finished giving Mrs. DeRosen's thirteen-year-old cat a checkup, I go to the lobby of the veterinary clinic I share with one other vet. It's just after 12:30. Ruby should be here with lunch any minute. Her dental office is closed on Thursdays, so it's our life catch up day.

"Ladies who lunch," Ruby says as she bursts through the glass door and strikes a pose, a takeout bag clutched in her hand. Her long, black braids swirl like serpents around her shoulders.

She lunches. I scarf down a sandwich while listening to how great Dean is and wishing for my own Dean. The paper bag is from the gluten free, dairy free, nut free restaurant down the street. The sign on their window has so many 'free from' items on their list that my vet partner and I joke the company makes their sandwiches out of air. "What'd you get?"

"All plant-based items, don't worry," Ruby says as she follows me back to my office.

I'm not a vegetarian and neither is Ruby, but every time we eat at the office, she seems to believe she can't eat meat. "Great."

"So, no word from your match yet? God, that must be so frustrating."

"Uh, no." At first, I was embarrassed they matched me with an ex—and not just any ex, but my worst one. Now, it's too late to come clean. Besides, it's pretty clear Simon isn't going to contact me. "It's not that bad. They changed their policy, apparently. If the guy doesn't respond to my email through GameSetMatch's network app, I can get half my money back."

"Glass half full?" Ruby takes all the salads out of the bag and lays them on my empty desk. "I'm still pissed for you. God, it worked so well for me."

"Some people get lucky, and some people don't." I shrug and read the labels. Ugh. She has the worst taste in salad combinations.

"Do you want me to ask Dean if he's met any single profs at the college this semester?" Ruby hands me a fork and settles into the chair across from me, gazing at the wall of college textbooks above my desk.

How do I put this tactfully? They set me up at a Christmas party with Dean's colleague. While there are probably lots of women who swoon over a man who can recite poetry and read literary books for fun, that's not me. Give me a man who likes getting his hands dirty any day of the week. "Um, you know, I have to wait a month for the guy to contact me. So, it's probably better if I sit tight."

"If you change your mind." Ruby tucks a piece of lettuce into her mouth. "Just ask."

"Maybe it's time I picked a life goal that doesn't have anything to do with being married and having kids, you know?" I stab my salad. That thought has been going around my head from the second I left GameSetMatch's Head Office. Being matched with Simon was a kick in the teeth.

"Oh, Tayla." She makes an exasperated noise. "You're 31. You've got at least ten years before you need to think about altering that goal."

"Or maybe I should freeze my eggs. Or forget finding a guy all together and just opt for a donor," I muse.

Ruby wags her fork. "If you go the donor route, I want in on those profiles. I've got good genetic instincts."

"Good genetic instincts? What does that even mean?" I laugh.

"Means having a baby, even with an anonymous daddy, is a big deal. You need a second set of eyes on that shit."

"Are you and Dean going to try to have a kid soon?"

Ruby sighs and pushes her empty salad container onto my desk. "You know Dean's parents adopted him from that orphanage in Tanzania when they were there doing missionary work, right?

"Yeah. You two still donating to that place?"

"We are." She takes a deep breath. "Before we have kids, he wants to go back to Tanzania for a few months and give back to the community. Meet some of his extended family."

"That's amazing." I set my salad beside hers. Maybe that's what I need—some sort of lofty goal to give my life meaning. "What about your dental practice?"

"I'd have to hire someone to fill in temporarily. I think it'll be fine. A lot of organization. But this matters to him a lot, so it matters to me."

I take a deep breath. Have I ever had that kind of support from a partner? Ruby and Dean really are #Goals. Why couldn't the stupid algorithm have turned up a not-Dean-Dean?

Ruby takes the jug of sweet tea out of my mini-fridge and pours some into two glasses. "I know you thought you were too busy building up your vet practice, but remember the hot guy who came and asked you to consider helping him turn rescue dogs into service dogs?"

"Right." I toggle the mouse beside my desktop computer. "That was a while ago. What was his organization called again?" The search engine pops open, and I close my eyes, trying to picture the business card he handed me. "Ugh, I can't remember."

"Ask Sandy, your vet tech. I bet she'll remember or can find out for you. Don't they have like a network or something for shelter dogs?" Ruby tidies up the rest of our lunch.

"Sandy is a good idea. I'll definitely ask her." I rub my face and then look at Ruby. "This isn't me burying myself in more work is it?"

"No," Ruby says with a slash of her hand. "You'll be out in the community meeting people, not in here waiting for your future husband to bring in his dog for a checkup."

"Valid." I chuckle. "Hasn't been the best strategy, huh?" I lean back in my chair and take the proffered mug of sweet tea. The bell chimes in my office to let me know someone's entered the front door. "Shit. I forgot to lock it."

"Maybe it's Sandy or Mike coming back from lunch?"

"Mike only works a half day today. He's got an appointment. And I love Sandy, but she's never back early from lunch." I open my office door and wander down the hall past the two examination rooms. Probably just someone a little over eager for their 2 pm appointment. When I come out of the hallway, it takes a moment for my brain to react. A chill streaks across my back, followed by a rush of warmth. "Simon?" I whisper.

His hair isn't the messy length it once was, instead his brown locks are tamed by a crew cut. But his green eyes are just as striking, the kind of color that stops a person short in the middle of a conversation when they realize just how intense the green is. I used to tease him that he wasn't good looking, he was beautiful. Why couldn't he have put on fifty pounds or been one of those people who doesn't age well? No such luck.

He waggles his phone. "I got your email, and the one from GameSetMatch. So..." He tucks a hand in one pocket of his jeans while the other grips the leash for his German Shepherd, Rex, who is sitting at his side, his tail mopping the floor in quick sweeps. "I guess we're soulmates after all?"

From behind me, Ruby gasps, and her mug clatters to the floor, smashing into a thousand pieces. "Holy. Shit. You were matched with Simon? Fucking Simon?"

"Yeah," I say, unable to tear my gaze from him. "Fucking Simon."

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