The Soulmate Equation Read Free Page A

sharp stab of longing for the warm weight of her baby in her arms. Jess’s own mother used to say she needed to break Juno of the habit, but parenting advice was the last thing Jamie Davis should be giving to anyone. Besides, it wasn’t like anyone else ever occupied that side of the mattress.
    And Juno was a master cuddler, a gold-medal Olympian in the snuggle. She pressed her face to Jess’s neck and breathed in, wiggling closer. “Mama. You went on a date last night,” she whispered.
    â€œMm-hmm.”
    Juno had been excited for the date, not only because she adored her great-grandparents and got Nana Jo’s cooking when Jess was out, but also because they’d recently watched Adventures in Babysitting , and Fizzy’d told her it was a pretty accurate depiction of what dating was like. In Juno’s mind, Jess might end up dating Thor.
    â€œDid you go downtown? Did he bring you flowers?” She pulled back. “Did you kiss him?”
    Jess laughed. “No, I did not. We had dinner, and I walked home.”
    Juno studied her, eyes narrowed. She seemed pretty sure that more was supposed to happen on a date. Popping up like she’d remembered something, she jogged to her roller backpack near the door. “I got you a book, too.”
    â€œYou did?”
    Juno walked back over and crawled into her lap, handing it over.
    Middle Aged and Kickin’ It!: A Woman’s Definitive Guide to Dating Over 40, 50 and Beyond.
    Jess let out a surprised laugh. “Did your Auntie Fizz put you up to this?”
    Juno’s giggle rolled out of her, delighted. “She texted Pops.”
    Over the top of her head, Jess caught a glimpse of the dry-erase board next to the fridge, and a tingling spread from her fingertips up to her arms. The words NEW YEARS GOALS were written in Juno’s bubbly handwriting.
NANA & POPS
    Get a personal trayner
    Take a wock evry day
    JUNO
    Lern to like brocooli
    Make my bed evry mornning
    Try Something New Sunday!
    MOM
    Try Something New Sunday!
    Nana ses be more selfish!
    Do more things that skare me
    Okay, Universe , Jessica thought. I get it. If Mrs. Brady could be a trailblazer, maybe it was time for Jess to try, too.

TWO

    T HE PROBLEM WITH epiphanies: they never arrived at a convenient time. Jess had a mildly hyperactive seven-year-old and a flourishing freelancing career juggling all flavors of mathematical conundrums. Neither of these things left a lot of time for creating a bucket list of adventures. Besides, her daughter and her career were enough for her; she had four good freelancing contracts, and although they didn’t leave her with much extra, she was able to cover the bills—including their astronomical insurance premiums—and help her grandparents out, too. Juno was a happy kid. They lived in a nice area. Frankly, Jess liked her life as it was.
    But the words Do more things that scare me seemed to flash neon on her lids whenever she closed her eyes between data sets.
    Truthfully, her lack of dating was probably more about laziness than fear. It’s not like I jumped giddily into stagnation , Jess thought. I slid into it slowly, and realize it only now that I’m no longer even questioning whether the jeans I pulled off the floor should’ve been washed before being worn again . Jess would never complain abouthaving become a mom when she was twenty-two—Juno was the best thing Alec could have given her, frankly—but it was probably fair to admit that she put more effort into making Juno’s lunch than she did into considering, say, what she might look for in a future partner. Maybe Fizzy, Nana, and the cover of Marie Claire weren’t wrong when they hinted that Jess needed to step out of her comfort zone and dream bigger.
    â€œWhat’s that face you’re making?” Fizzy drew an imaginary circle around Jess’s expression. “I’m blanking on the word.”
    â€œThis?” Jess