Chapter 5
ALEX
Alex stepped through the double doors of the ballroom and immediately wanted to leave. The room was filled with San Valentino’s richest and most sophisticated, from CEOs to venture capitalists to people from such old money that no one really knew what they did anymore.
Alex had to come to these events—he couldn’t afford to get on the bad side of anyone here, or it would be all too easy for them to sink him and his company with bad PR or rumors.
He hated it, though. He’d much rather be at the office, sitting beside Grace, working through a tough problem or chatting…
Alex banished all thoughts of Grace from his mind and focused on the scene in front of him.
The event was ostensibly a charity fundraiser for local public schools.
The walls were lined with artwork the kids had done, which people were bidding on.
There were also pictures of students smiling with their teachers and giving thumbs-ups.
The ballroom was filled with round tables with a stage at the front, and a few people were already sitting and sipping wine or champagne.
Alex wandered toward his assigned table, picking up a glass of champagne on the way.
No matter how long he spent in the circles of the wealthy, he could never feel at home here.
A part of him would always be the child whose family had never had quite enough to make ends meet, who’d worn hand-me-down clothes, and who’d gotten a paper route at age eight to help pay for groceries and rent.
“You must be Alex!”
Alex turned to see a bright-faced blond man striding toward him, one hand out. He was a few years younger than Alex, in his twenties, and wore a watch that could probably have paid for the hotel they were in now.
“And you must be Patrick Hale,” Alex said, his tone much less enthusiastic than the other man’s. He immediately disliked the other man, both based on what he observed and on Patrick’s reputation.
“You know about me,” Patrick said brightly, pumping Alex’s hand. “I’m flattered.”
“By reputation only,” Alex replied.
“You’ve heard good things, I’m sure.”
“I’ve heard that you started a dating app,” Alex said. He didn’t add that Patrick was using his billionaire father’s money, nor did he point out that Patrick was the kind of man who’d never had to work hard for anything in his life. “It’s called something like Boink.”
“That’s the one,” Patrick agreed. “Try not to be threatened, all right?”
Boink had been in all the news lately as a new app focused on hookups and one-night stands.
It was a very flashy app with lots of features, but Alex got the feeling it would crash and burn sooner or later.
The core programming was nowhere near as good as MatchupNow’s, and there were already complaints about the way people interacted on the app.
In the years since Alex had started his app, he’d seen numerous apps like this come and go. He didn’t feel threatened at all.
“I’ll try,” he said dryly.
“Please do. Although SV Weekly did say we were the biggest up-and-coming app of the year, so…” Patrick shrugged as though this told Alex everything he needed to know.
“Congratulations.” Alex looked over Patrick’s shoulder, hoping to spot a way out of the conversation, but Patrick just scooted over so he was in Alex’s line of sight again.
“You know, I wanted to compliment you. And the rest of the old guard. Your app has been quite successful—even if your business model is all wrong.”
“My business model is all wrong?” Alex asked. His tone was so dry now that it made the Sahara look like a tropical paradise.
“Well, sure,” Patrick said. “MatchupNow is all about finding soulmates or something old-fashioned like that. You’re essentially putting yourself out of business.
When people find long-term connections, they leave the app, right?
Seems silly. You have to keep people coming back for more if you want to stay relevant. ”
“Well,” Alex said slowly, “it’s a little more complicated than that.
People are ready to move away from swipe culture and toward something real.
Sure, I might only have each user for a little while, until they find the right person, but then they’ll recommend the app to their friends because they found a perfect match there. ”
“Yeah, but not everyone wants something real,” Patrick said. “Some people like the thrill of a new partner every night. At least, those of us who can attract the ladies do.”
“Some people are looking for something more casual,” Alex agreed. “And that’s why it’s good that there are plenty of different apps out there—to accommodate everyone. I bet your app offers something different.”
“It does,” Patrick agreed. “Successful apps get people excited about the next great thing. I always keep my users wondering if someone better might be past the next swipe. But I shouldn’t have to explain dating to you! You’ve been in the business for decades.”
“A decade,” Alex corrected. Then he shook his head to clear it. Patrick was clearly trying to rile him up for some reason, and it was better not to give the younger man the satisfaction. “Well, it was nice to meet you, Patrick. I wish you all the best with your app.”
“Thanks,” Patrick said. “I’m sure we’ll meet again. Maybe I can even give you some pointers! Wisdom over age, you know.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Alex said.
“Although I wonder sometimes,” Patrick continued, “do people really take you seriously as the CEO of a dating app when you don’t date?”
“Goodbye, Patrick.”
“You’re leaving?” Patrick’s eyes widened. “I hope I didn’t offend you. My mom always taught me to be polite to my elders.”
“I actually have to get back to work,” Alex said. “If I could give you one pointer, I’d say that nothing replaces hard work.”
“True. That’s why I have employees! To do the hard work for me!
” Patrick laughed, but Alex didn’t crack a smile.
He just nodded politely and headed for the doors.
Usually, he’d have stayed for dinner and tried to make small talk, but tonight, he’d go back to the office and lose himself in work for a while.
Nothing was worth spending another minute talking to Patrick.
Or to the many other people like him who attended these events.
Spending time with people like this made Alex glad for his childhood. It had been hard at times, especially trying to pay for college and get his business off the ground without much in the way of savings, but at least it hadn’t turned him into an entitled jerk like Patrick and his ilk.
If Alex ever had kids (which he doubted he would—he was far too busy for a family), he’d have to make sure they didn’t grow up spoiled by his wealth.
Patrick’s last comment bothered Alex, too, more than he wanted to admit.
He wondered sometimes how the fact that he rarely dated impacted his reputation.
Every once in a while, he considered opening up MatchupNow and looking for his own perfect match, but he never did.
Part of him didn’t think that there was anyone out there who really could be a long-term match for him—he was too much of a perfectionist, too busy with work, and too distant for most people.
Another part of him knew that even if he met the most wonderful woman in the world, he wouldn’t have time to date her, marry her, or start a family. Even with Grace…
Alex cut himself off before he could get any further with that thought. It wasn’t as though Grace was his perfect match. She was his employee. A great employee. Maybe even a friend. But nothing more.
Trying to banish all thoughts of dating and money and entitled billionaires from his mind, Alex headed back to work.
He stopped on the way to pick up some takeout, since he hadn’t eaten at the event, and went straight up to his office.
He expected to be at work alone. It was a Sunday evening, after all, and people should be home with friends and family or pursuing their hobbies.
To his surprise, though, a light was on down the hall from his office.
He stopped by to tell whoever it was to go home and found Grace sitting at her desk, alone, looking at her computer.
She was biting her lip, and her brow was furrowed as if in concentration.
As he watched her, she twirled a strand of her hair and let out a sigh.
Despite himself, Alex was very glad she was there. It was nice to see her, especially after the frustrating interaction with Patrick.
He didn’t go into her office. Instead, he walked quietly down the hall toward his own office, smiling to himself.