Chapter 7 #4
“Trinity, I walked into that room thinking I was accompanying a woman I care about to an important event.”
His gaze held hers.
“I walked out realizing I was standing beside someone whose life has been changing people for years.”
Emotion flickered across her face before she could hide it.
Cedric continued.
“I met students who remembered your encouragement.”
He squeezed her arm gently.
“Parents who remembered your kindness.”
Then he smiled.
“And several people who seem convinced you're capable of fixing the entire borough if given sufficient time.”
The humor helped.
So did the truth.
Trinity looked down briefly.
Not because she was embarrassed.
Because receiving admiration had always been harder than giving support.
“Cedric—”
He stopped walking.
She stopped with him.
The city moved around them while they stood beneath a streetlamp, wrapped inside a moment that felt strangely private despite its public setting.
“No.”
His voice softened.
“Let me finish.”
Trinity nodded.
Cedric took a breath.
“For weeks I've been trying to understand your profession.”
His eyes remained locked on hers.
“Tonight I realized I've been asking the wrong question.”
The silence between them deepened.
“What question should you have been asking?”
His smile came slowly.
“Who became this woman?”
The answer reached her more deeply than any compliment he had given.
Because it wasn't about appearance.
Or attraction.
Or chemistry.
It was about seeing her.
Really seeing her.
The years.
The effort.
The sacrifices.
The accomplishments.
Everything.
For a moment Trinity found herself unable to speak.
Cedric stepped closer.
“I think that's what changed tonight.”
His voice lowered.
“I stopped looking at your life through the lens of your profession.”
His gaze softened.
“And started looking at your profession through the lens of your life.”
The distinction mattered.
It mattered enormously.
Because it transformed everything.
Trinity felt emotion rise unexpectedly, and she laughed softly to keep it from overwhelming her.
“You know what?”
“What?”
“You're getting very good at this.”
Cedric smiled.
“At what?”
She stepped closer.
“At saying things that make it difficult for me to remain emotionally disciplined.”
His laugh wrapped around her.
Warm.
Affectionate.
Deeply pleased.
“That's encouraging.”
“Don't get comfortable.”
“I wasn't planning to.”
The kiss that followed arrived naturally, not as an interruption to the conversation but as a continuation of it.
Cedric's hands settled carefully at her waist while Trinity's rested against his chest, and the city seemed to fade into a blur of light and movement around them.
The kiss carried tenderness rather than urgency, admiration rather than conquest, and when they finally drew apart, both remained close enough to feel the warmth of the other.
“Tonight changed something,” Cedric admitted quietly.
Trinity searched his face.
“What?”
His answer came without hesitation.
“I don't feel like I'm visiting your world anymore.”
The words landed gently.
“I want to belong in it.”
Across the city, Dominique's evening with Jamal continued long after the formal visit ended.
What surprised her most was not that he asked questions.
It was the questions he chose.
He did not ask about procedures.
He did not ask about technical details.
He asked about people.
Families.
Staff members.
Community programs.
History.
He asked why she had expanded certain services.
Why employees stayed so long.
Why people trusted her.
The questions revealed where his attention had shifted.
He was no longer trying to understand the funeral home.
He was trying to understand Dominique.
By the time they reached her office, she found herself looking at him differently.
The room reflected years of work. Awards lined one wall. Photographs captured community events, business milestones, and moments shared with staff. A framed picture of Dominique and Trinity during their mortuary-school years occupied a prominent place on a shelf.
Jamal stopped in front of it.
“You two were dangerous even then.”
Dominique laughed.
“We were exhausted.”
“You were plotting.”
“We were surviving.”
“You were plotting while surviving.”
The answer made her laugh harder.
For several moments they stood together studying the photograph.
Then Jamal grew serious.
“Can I tell you something?”
Dominique nodded.
“I think I finally understand why I reacted the way I did.”
Her expression softened.
“Why?”
Jamal took his time.
“Because this place made me think about endings.”
His gaze moved around the office.
“But that's not what it means to you.”
Dominique waited.
“This place is about responsibility.”
His attention returned to her.
“Community.”
A pause followed.
“Service.”
Another pause.
“Legacy.”
The word settled heavily between them.
Because it was true.
Dominique had spent years building something that would outlast her.
Jamal smiled slightly.
“I kept looking for darkness.”
His eyes warmed.
“Instead I found purpose.”
For several seconds she simply looked at him.
Then she crossed the room and wrapped her arms around him.
Not dramatically.
Not tearfully.
Honestly.
Jamal held her tightly.
The embrace felt like a milestone neither had anticipated.
“You know what?” Dominique murmured against his shoulder.
“What?”
“I think you're finally starting to see me.”
His arms tightened slightly.
“I know.”
The answer carried enough certainty to make her believe him.
Later that night, long after both couples had parted ways, Trinity called Dominique.
The conversation lasted almost an hour.
They discussed the event.
The visit.
The men.
The progress.
The setbacks.
The hope.
At one point neither spoke for several seconds.
Finally Dominique laughed.
“What?”
Trinity smiled into the phone.
“They didn't run.”
The statement sounded ridiculous.
And completely understandable.
Dominique's voice softened.
“No.”
“They stayed.”
“Yes.”
The silence that followed felt different.
Lighter.
Not because everything had been solved.
Because something important had been proven.
Eventually Dominique sighed contentedly.
“You know the awkward truth is still here.”
Trinity smiled.
“Yes.”
“It's probably not leaving.”
“No.”
Dominique laughed softly.
“Good.”
Trinity raised an eyebrow even though her friend couldn't see it.
“Good?”
“Good.”
Warmth entered Dominique's voice.
“Because neither are they.”
For a moment neither woman spoke.
Then both smiled.
The awkward truth remained.
The flowers remained.
The funeral homes remained.
The careers remained.
The fears remained.
But now the men remained too.
And for the first time since the truth had entered the relationships, that felt like enough.
The Matchmakers Forgot One Thing: Four Hearts. Two Brownstones. One Awkward Truth.
Trinity St. Clair and Dominique Toussaint have built beautiful lives in New York City. Successful, elegant, and respected, the lifelong friends own thriving funeral homes, live in neighboring brownstones, and have spent years proving that love is not the only measure of a well-lived life.
Then a matchmaking app introduces them to two men who seem worth the risk.
Cedric and Jamal are intelligent, accomplished, and unexpectedly easy to care about.
What begins as a series of promising dates soon grows into something deeper, forcing all four to confront questions they never expected to ask.
Attraction is easy. Compatibility is harder.
And some truths arrive later than anyone planned.
As friendships deepen, romance blossoms, and carefully guarded hearts begin to open, each couple discovers that real love requires more than chemistry. It requires courage, honesty, and the willingness to see another person completely.
Set against the backdrop of Brooklyn and the Bronx, The Matchmakers Forgot One Thing is a warm, mature romance about friendship, second chances, unexpected vulnerability, and what happens when love learns the whole address.
Because sometimes the hardest truth is not whether someone will fall in love with you.
It's whether they will stay after they know everything.
Trinity St. Clair and Dominique Toussaint have spent years building lives most people admire.
As successful funeral home owners in New York City, they are respected in their communities, devoted to their work, and surrounded by friendships that have stood the test of time.
Their elegant brownstones, thriving businesses, and hard-earned independence are proof that they never waited for someone else to build the lives they wanted.
Still, there is one dream neither woman has completely given up on.
Love.
When a matchmaking app unexpectedly introduces them to Cedric and Jamal, what begins as casual dating soon develops into something far more meaningful.
The attraction is undeniable. The conversations come easily.
For the first time in a long time, both women begin to imagine a future that includes someone else.
Then the truth arrives.
As the relationships deepen, Cedric and Jamal discover that the women they are falling for live and work in a world they never expected.
A world filled with flowers, grieving families, community responsibility, and the daily realities of helping others navigate life's most difficult moments.
Suddenly, what seemed simple becomes complicated, and what seemed complicated begins revealing unexpected beauty.