Page 76 of The Billionaire Mismatch

“No,” I shake my head. “I leave it up to the heart.”

“You don’t believe hearts lie?” he asks. He is so close to me that if I wanted to, if I let myself, I could kiss him.

“I believe that hearts are optimistic,” I answer, doing my best to stay on subject.

Luca’s lips tip in the slightest smile. “Until they’re broken. Then they recluse. Protect themselves. They turn to reason.”

“Until they meet the person who persuades them to believe in love again,” I say, and for a moment we just stare at each other, the static between us almost hotter than the water we are sitting in.

Unmatched Dating 101- Rule #8: Trust your gut. Your heart can be wishy-washy. The universe is hard to read. But your gut, especially in reference to soulmates, doesn’t lie.

Chapter 25

Olivia

ThankGod there are catfish in the world.

That’s a strange statement, I know. But considering my lack of substance for the current Unmatched series, I am grateful that we have had plenty of people calling and writing in wanting to talk about their own catfish experiences, most of which are more typical and transparent and less confusing.

After this past weekend, I am pretty sure every relationship is less confusing than what Luca and I have. Which is why while I am at work, I am focused on everyone but us. That, and if we are talking about all of our hijinks-filled listeners' lives, we aren’t talking about my life. Which is very preferable for me.

“So in conclusion, Madison, if he says someone else’s name during sex, he is most likely either seeing someone else or thinking of someone else and either way, his mind is not in bed with you,” I say into the microphone to a sobbing listener.

“Why do I always fall for the bad ones?” she blubbers.

“Because dating apps are cess pools,” Kiersten says with little to no empathy.

“We’ve all fallen victim,” I add. “And that’s all the time we have today. Tune in next time for another devastating yet relatable episode of Unmatched: Right Swipe, Wrong Person.”

We shut everything off, and I set my headphones down with a contented sigh.

“I think that went well,” I say with a smile.

“It did go well,” Kiersten agrees. “Especially for someone who has also fallen victim to catfishing.”

“Well, I have,” I admit, scrolling through my notes tablet. “We all have.”

“Some of us more than others…” Henry says, and I stop, looking up at them.

“If you’re looking for details about my trip with Luca, you’re not going to get them,” I tell them. “But there are details,” Henry presses.

“Of course there are details,” Kiersten answers for me. “It’s not like they could go to Miami, which is sexy enough on its own, and then get rained in for an extra day and there be no details.”

“Right,” Henry nods. “So, spill.”

But I just laugh lightly. “There is nothing to spill,” I insist and they both just give me a look. “He wasn’t a jerk. I didn’t have to play any games. We stayed at a nice hotel. I lounged by the pool while he worked; we networked and that was it.”

“You networked?” Henry asks with criticizing emphasis on the word.

“Well, he networked,” I wave as I start putting my things in my bag.

“Yeah, I can’t imagine you telling all those online dating advocates you lead a podcast about the evils of online dating and its advocates,” Kiersten says, and Henry smirks. I stop and look at both of them. But for the first time, I’m not letting any of it get to me.

“I had a good time,” I finally say. “It was fun, and I’m back, and we’re continuing with the podcast, and everything is good.”

“Good, because the podcast is going well and we have more listeners than ever, or good because your trip was good?” Henry asks with emphasis on all the obvious areas of the question.

I sigh through the smile that seems to be a permanent part of my current disposition. “Good. Just…good,” I answer, refusing to give them any more than that. Instead, I walk out, iced coffee and bags in hand, knowing full well I am leaving them hanging and not really caring what they think about it.