Chapter 16
SIXTEEN
When Katie learned that her protegé was the culprit, she had a few choice words for him—words I didn’t let her communicate directly to him, for obvious reasons. The person who actually talked to him and let him go was Laurie, our HR manager.
It was for the best. If I’d been the one to do it, it probably would’ve seemed personal. He’d violated my privacy, and he’d violated Grant’s—or at least Grant’s hypothetical privacy.
But it was about more than whose privacy he’d violated.
We couldn’t have employees running unwanted and unsanctioned matching.
We relied on user trust way too much. Brooke had called the idea of keeping him on at Matchify a “PR nightmare waiting to explode in my face.” For perhaps the first time in recent memory, every one of the Founding Five—including Katie and Nick, who generally played devil’s advocate against each other—had agreed that Alex couldn’t stay on board.
The amount of whispering after he’d left made me feel like we’d stepped onto the set of Mean Girls.
“Not quite the day you’d planned for,” Grant remarked as we packed up to go home.
I rubbed my eyes beneath my glasses. “Not really.” It was a good thing I’d been so busy handling the whole Alex debacle, because it meant I hadn’t had time to do…the thing.
I was determined not to do it. For that very reason, I’d be heading straight for the gym when I got home.
Grant opened the door for me. “Ready for today’s question-for-a-question?”
The only reason I didn’t sigh is because I was still out of air from the last one. I was feeling off and unprepared for a Grant question, no matter how innocuous it was. But I was also the slightest bit relieved that he still had questions for me after yesterday’s skip.
“Shoot.” I passed by him, inhaling a wave of cologne.
“All right.” He rubbed his hands together like a cartoon villain planning his world takeover.
I braced myself.
“Do you need a donut?”
I glanced at him. “Is the question that bad? I need a giant dose of fat and sugar to prepare me?”
He chuckled as we approached the elevator. “That is the question. Do you need a donut, Vivian?”
I stopped, and so did he. This felt like a trick.
He let me stare at him warily for a few seconds, then shrugged. “It’s been a long day, but there’s nothing a maple bar can’t fix, right?”
I tried to ignore the relief and warmth trickling through me. Grant was giving me a free pass on today’s question—and he was offering me food. Delicious, warm, maple-glazed food.
It was…thoughtful. Like, really thoughtful. And unexpected.
I’d taken Grant for someone who valued truth over everything.
Apparently, maple bars and some occasional sympathy were right up there, though.
“Can I ask my question first?” I asked.
“Shoot,” he said.
“Do you need a donut?”
His mouth pulled into a grin. “That’s your dumbest question yet.” He walked over to the elevator and pushed the button. “But also your best.”
I sat in bed, my laptop on top of my blanket, my mouse hovering over the magenta login button. I blamed the situation on the maple bar.
Maybe not the maple bar itself but the fact that I’d deviated from my very reasonable plan to go straight home from work and to the gym in favor of said maple bar. With Grant.
I should’ve been doing burpees right now, not testing how fast my pulse could race at the thought of checking the results Alex had generated.
My heart wasn’t the only organ that was working overtime, either.
My brain had been at it all day, analyzing why Alex would’ve run the results to begin with—and why he’d have thought his coworkers would care.
Former coworkers.
Had he observed Grant and me together and wondered if something was going on?
Had employees been speculating because of my behavior?
The thought made me a little sick.
Whatever the compatibility percentage, though, it was based on faulty information. There wasn’t a single reason to be nervous to look at it. It was just a number.
I clicked the login button, and a notification that I had a new message from Leo popped up.
I ignored it and went straight to the tab with my matches.
Leo was on top with his 76%, then Tanner, then Jeff. And finally, Grant.
At 12%.
My heart sank into the depths of my stomach. Had I ever seen a match percentage that low? Not that I could recall.
It was a ridiculous reaction, especially when I knew the 12% was based off of Grant’s made-up responses and my own choose-the-least-wrong ones. And I wasn’t actually looking to date Grant. Obviously.
So, why was the number so jarring?
I navigated away from it and to my message folder, where the new message from Leo sat.
Leo, my 76% match. It had seemed so low at the time, but compared to 12%, Leo and I were fated mates. Twin flames.
Hey Vivian,
Sorry to keep you waiting so long—just wanted to make sure we’ll have a great time together on Friday night! Can you meet me downtown at 9? It’s a brand new place, so I’ll paste the address below. We can get some drinks and some grub and chill to the music.
Can’t wait to meet you.
Leo
I glanced at the address and recognized the street name.
I could think of a couple businesses around there, which was the only reason I didn’t respond immediately asking for more details.
Given the rest of the message, it sounded like our date was going to be at a live music venue.
Nine o’clock was pretty late for me to be going out these days, but musicians seemed to thrive on that schedule, and I’d be able to sleep in the next morning.
Not that I would. My body didn’t sleep in. My brain was analyzing quarterly reports before my eyes were even open.
But I could be adventurous for one night.
I responded that I’d be there at 9, then closed Matchify.
“Let’s hope you’re right about Leo and me,” I said to it.
After my business lunch with Jeff and my date-turned-meet-and-greet with Tanner, I really needed Grant to witness a Matchify win.