Searching for Someday Read Free Page A

hurt along the way, but I can handle it now, Slade. I’m stronger.” She tossed her tote over her shoulder and grabbed the handle of her suitcase. “I don’t blame you for nottrusting me. But I’m going to prove myself. You’re not responsible for me any longer.”
    “For God’s sake, let me help you. I’ll buy you dinner and we’ll talk more about this.”
    She threw open the door. “No. The doorman is meeting me downstairs.”
    “But I need a number, an address, something.”
    “I’ll call when I get settled. Love you.”
    She left. This time, he didn’t stop her. Part of him recognized it was important she carve her own way. The other half decided he’d rip apart anything that tried to hurt her. Or anyone.
    With a low curse, he stalked to his computer and typed in the words.
    Kinnections. Matchmaking. Verily .
    He stared at the screen for a while and made his decision.

two
    S LADE STOPPED IN front of the glass door of Kinnections and took in the festive white lights and artistic sign. Scrolled in purple and silver, it promised passersby a “happy ever after” rolled up in excitement, hope, and mystery.
    Temper snapped his jaw up like a well-trained karate kick. A bunch of con artists selling dreams that didn’t exist. To him, it was worse than those emails promising a cut of a million dollars for a small standard fee. Worse than identity theft. In his estimation, the true evil lay not in stealing money, or goods, or even services. No, this was theft of the heart—a blatant lie to the lonely and broken to heal them with a ghost image of the perfect man or woman.
    He wouldn’t allow such scum to tear his sister apart.
    Slade pushed open the door and strode in.
    The woman at the main desk seemed surprised to see a client, as if the cheery bell warning her of his entrance hadn’t worked. His gaze dismissed her as the receptionist, but he refused to waste his time moving up the chain. He switched into his lawyer voice that brooked no refusal. “I’d like to see the manager, please.”
    One brow arched. Yes, she was perfect for the first appearance of a matchmaking agency. Her hair was magnificent, so blond it was almost white, hanging past her shoulders in pin-straight strands that shimmered like corn silk. Her wide blue eyes assessed him with a thoughtful air, as if deciding whether or not to call her boss. Not a deep blue like the ocean, but more of a cornflower, so light her features seemed to blur in a type of angelic radiance. He shook himself out of his trance and wondered what the hell he was doing thinking in corn terms about a woman he didn’t intend to have a conversation with.
    “Can I ask what this is about?”
    Smooth and mellow, her voice teased his ears like a wisp of smoke before vanishing. He wanted to hear more, but the whole meeting was beginning to freak him out. He cleared his throat and looked over his gold-rimmed glasses. “None of your concern,” he clipped out. “Please get me your manager.”
    She crossed her arms in front of her and studied him with a thoughtful air. “If this is regarding a client, we won’t be able to give you any information. We adhere to confidentiality agreements.”
    He snorted. “Convenient way to try to avoid lawsuits, huh?”
    “Having a bad day, sir?”
    Was he amusing her? He drew himself to full height and leaned over her desk. His court presence was well known to be deadly, but this slip of a woman dared mockhim? “Now I am. I’m sure it will get better once I speak with your boss.”
    “Okay. Go ahead.”
    He let out a short breath. “Can you please get her?”
    “I’m already here.”
    He barely concealed his jerk but fought through giving her the satisfaction. Slade knew two things well in life: the law and the way people worked. He’d used both to live quite successfully and remain mainly unscathed.
    He blanked his features to hide any emotion. “I see. Somehow I’m not surprised.”
    Her pale pink lips tightened. Ah, good-bye