Page 178 of A Matter of Time

I laughed at him.

“Oh God.” He sounded worried.

“I’m a big believer in signs.”

“I bet you’re into Ouija boards and tarot cards too, aren’t you?”

“Make fun if you like, but I have the perfect guy for you.”

He grinned wide. “Actually, Jory, I think you’re the guy for me.”

But I wasn’t. We were in different places in our lives, which had nothing at all to do with our ages. I wasn’t ready to settle down with anyone but Sam Kage, and since that wasn’t happening…I was off the table. The thing was, though, I knew somebody who was in the exact same place he was. “Will you just do me a favor and let me set you up on a blind date?”

“You’re seriously disturbed.”

“Please. You won’t be sorry, and I think I⁠—”

“If you wanna get rid of me, just⁠—”

“No, no, no, it’s not like that. Just c’mon, Kai. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll go wherever you want, do whatever. Just open your mind.”

“Deal.” He smiled at me, holding out his hand. “Shake on it. You’re mine if whatever you’ve got planned goes badly.”

I clasped the hand tight because there was no way in hell I didn’t have the greatest matchmaking skills in the history of the world. I would stake my life on it. I was Cupid in the flesh.

TWENTY-ONE

Iwas at Navy Pier with binoculars and a trench coat the following April night. I was limping, because I had twisted my ankle playing racquetball with Dane that Sunday morning, but I wasn’t going to let a little pain get in the way of my spy mission. I had set up Dr. Kai Akita, PhD, with Dr. Nick Sullivan, MD, and from the looks of things—the body language, the glances, and the testing touches—it was going really well. Nick’s hand on Kai’s shoulder was allowed to stay, Kai’s fingers sliding over Nick’s collar was rewarded with a big smile, and the proximity they kept while walking were all very good signs. I was so pleased with myself I felt like I was glowing. As I leaned over the railing to try and see them as they walked toward the arcade, someone cleared their throat.

When I turned, there was Sam Kage, in jeans and boots, a lightweight sweater and a heavy leather motorcycle jacket. Sadly, he looked great, and if that wasn’t bad enough, he was scowling at me.

“Hey,” I greeted him blandly.

“What the hell are you doing out here?”

“I—”

“People are trying to kill you and you’re just⁠—”

They were moving, and I had to see. I raised a finger to shut him up and hobbled over to lean against the railing on the opposite side of the pier. I used the binoculars to make sure I didn’t lose them.

“What the fuck are you doing?” he asked again, louder, firmer, his voice right next to my ear.

“Why can’t you ask a question without swearing?”

“Jory, I’m trying not to⁠—”

“It should be perfectly obvious that I’m spying,” I said, cutting him off, watching as Nick’s hand came to rest between Kai’s shoulder blades. “God, I should do this for a living.”

“What are you looking at?”

“Remember the doctor that liked me?” I asked as I watched them buy corn dogs.

“Yeah.”

“Okay, so I set him up on a blind date with a guy I met last night at my friend Paul’s house.”

There was a long silence, and I thought he had walked away until I heard him huff out a breath. “Wait now. You met a guy last night and he let you set him up on a blind date?”