Meeting His Match

Chapter 3-3

Mac walked into Brad Winford’s office for the second time this week. Today, they were meeting in a conference room to accommodate having the cameras and director in attendance. Before they started, makeup people came through and applied a thick layer to his face, and he caught sight of Gem sitting through the same t*****e. She appeared about as happy over the process.

“Hey,” he called to her, garnering a grunt from the makeup person. “Did you have a nice visit with my mother?”

Gem smiled widely. “I did. She’s a fascinating person.”

He wished his mother had used some of her fascinating personality to learn more about Gem, but all he’d gotten from his mother was that Gem was a lovely girl.

Brad sat in the corner of the room whispering with the director. After a few moments, Gem and Mac were shoved together in side-by-side chairs. He flashed her another smile. “Did you learn everything you needed from my mother?”

“And then some,” she said with a wink.

“What was that?”

“Your mother was amazingly open. And she likes to talk. I didn’t even have to ask too many questions.”

Shit. His own mother sabotaged him. He couldn’t help but feel she’d given Gem something to use against him. “Want to share what you learned?”

“Not really.”

Brad sat across from them. “Okay, today I’m going to introduce you to the clients we’ve selected. I want your honest reactions, but try to keep it PG. Of course there will be editing later, but this is the first time viewers will get to know you and how you’re going to approach this competition.”

Mac and Gem both nodded. Mac noticed Gem’s smirk had disappeared.

The director, Mike, stepped up to the table. “The most important thing to remember is to forget the cameras.”

“Easier said than done,” Gem said looking around the room at the setup.

Mike smiled. “What I mean is, talk to each other, never to the cameras unless we’re doing your solos.”

She nodded stiffly. Her demeanor changed but Mac couldn’t quite put a finger on what it was, so he chalked it up to her nerves.

Mike stepped back. “We’re going to add the intro later, so for now, we’re going to dive right in. Brad, you’re up.”

Brad slid folders across the table at them. “Here is the first client you’ll be working with. Her name is Melissa.”

Mac and Gem opened the folders and read the profile. As they did, a video was cued up on a flat screen on the wall. Melissa’s audition tape.

Hi, I’m Melissa and I want to participate in Love Match because I’m in a place in my life where I feel like I need help finding my soul mate. I’ve had two long-term relationships in my life, one of which resulted in an engagement, but I never made it to the altar. I want to fall in love and get married. I haven’t had a relationship in years. I’ve given up on dating. I really need help.

Mac tuned out much of the rest of what Melissa said and simply watched her mannerisms and body language. She was open and expressive. Her career as a teacher meant she was a natural nurturer. He wanted to know why she hadn’t married.

Mac glanced at Gem. She scribbled notes furiously in the folder.

He found himself drawn to this version of Gem. So intent. Focused. Unlike the bubbly Gem.

The video played out and Brad slid the next folder over. “Our next client is Jennifer.”

Again, Mac and Gem opened the folder and Gem sniffed at something she read. Glancing over the profile, Mac saw nothing that should upset or surprise her.

The next video started. The woman on camera was stiff and calm. Not a smile in sight. Mac looked at her occupation. Accountant. She would approach things analytically, logically.

Hi, I’m Jennifer. I need help from professionals. After my divorce, I threw myself into work. I’ve been busy building my business and I’m quite successful. I waded back into the dating waters briefly and found far too many men intimidated by my success.

Mac stopped listening. She was scared. She opted to believe men were intimidated instead of thinking about how she presented herself. Her guard was up and that was more likely her issue, not the size of her paycheck.

As the second video ended, Brad plowed on. “This is Lisa.”

Gem flipped the folder open with much more force than necessary and then tossed it back at Brad.

“I’ve seen enough.”

“Excuse me?” Brad asked. Obviously, when he’d told them to be honest and real, he hadn’t expected Gem to get pissed off. And she was clearly pissed.

Mac leaned back in his chair and watched.

“You think I can’t see what you’re doing? You’re completely stacking the deck against me and in his favor.” She flicked a thumb at Mac. “You’ve intentionally chosen three desperate women who have zero dating experience.”

Mac leaned forward. He wanted to know where she was going with this.

She spun to look at Mac. “You said you play fair. You think this is fair?”

“This is pretty representative of the clients we normally see.”

“Are you telling me that most of your clients are women who haven’t dated in years? Come on.” She turned back to Brad. “You’re billing me as a pick-up artist, right? Do you even understand what that means? I pick up men. I go on a lot of dates. These women don’t even know what a date is, much less how to get one. If I have to teach them everything, there won’t be time left to find love. Finding love is a numbers game.”

It was the first bit of Gem’s views that clicked with Mac. She didn’t think it was about finding the right people to pair, just that given enough time, they would find each other.

Suddenly, Gem stood and yanked out her mic pack. “I’m done. Find someone who’s willing to be a doormat.”

Another telling comment. Then she stormed out the door. No way was Mac letting her leave. She was the most interesting thing about Love Match so far. He shot out of his chair and called, “Wait.”

She flicked her hand over her head in what he thought was a wave, but it could’ve just as easily been her flipping him off. He ran down the hall to catch her. The woman sure could move fast in heels. “Gem.”

Suddenly, she stopped and spun to face him. He almost crashed into her. Then he realized the cameras had followed him. Her gaze flicked over his shoulder at the cameras. He shrugged. Not much he could do about them. Her eyes widened at him.

“No one was stacking the deck. These women were chosen before you came on board.”

She crossed her arms letting him know how little she believed him. He stepped closer. “You can’t walk out like this.”

“I think I can.”

“What if you get to pick the third client?”

“What?” She dropped her arms.

Mac knew his mouth was running away from him and he sincerely hoped it wouldn’t bite him in the a*s. “We’ll dump one of the chosen clients and you can replace her with a person of your choosing. I’m sure Brad has a wide selection of women who auditioned.”

Gem’s eyes narrowed. “Why would you offer that? It’d be easier for you to find someone else to lose to you.”

He tucked his hands in his pockets and leaned close to her face. “Because I like a challenge.”