“That’s fantastic!” She hesitated. “Um, what is it?”

“Only the biggest boardgame convention in the world, taking place in Denver next week,” Tom gushed. “Some guys saw me talking about my games online and reached out to me. They love my ideas and want to meet face-to-face. My manager says I can take the time off work because it’s job-related.”

“So...you want to fly to America? Next week?”

“Yes.” He took her hands in his. “I’ve always wanted to run my own business, and this is my big chance to show off my work and make some great connections. It could really turn my luck around and I’d love to earn more money for our new life together.”

Carla cricked her neck, feeling like someone had tugged the doormat she’d been standing on. When they’d previously discussed booking a honeymoon, Tom had struggled to find space in his schedule. Late spring was also Carla’s busiest time, with users of Logical Love trying to find a romantic partner for the summer. They’d both agreed to postpone their honeymoon until later in the year. “What about our wedding arrangements?” she said.

“Everything is good to go. We’ve booked the church for our ceremony, and the community hall for our reception. All our invitations have been sent out and we’ve confirmed the catering order. My parents have arranged their flights from France and can’t wait to meet you. We know who’s going to be sitting next to who at dinner, so we can kick back and relax before our big day. The convention should be fascinating—hundreds of game designers and players under one roof—and we’ll be able to add more games to our collection. I’ll get so much inspiration.” He brushed a lock of hair away from Carla’s cheek. “Perhaps you could join me. We could tack a few days onto the end of the convention and call it an early honeymoon.”

Carla liked playing games but didn’t want to celebrate her nuptials with thousands of fanatics. Flying to Denver sounded expensive and grueling before their wedding day.

She’d hoped to spend the run-up to their wedding in a cozy bubble, hanging out with Tom in coffee shops to discuss the minutiae of their big day over hot chocolate (avoiding the cream and chocolate flakes on top, of course, because she wanted to fit into the off-white column dress she’d bought from a vintage shop). It was impossible to foretell what the weather would be like at the beginning of June, and she wanted his help choosing versatile blankets, for guests to sit on outside if the evening was warm, or to wrap around their shoulders if it was cold. Yes, these were all things she could do by herself, but they’d be much more fun together.

More than anything, Carla was determined their wedding day would be the opposite of her and Aaron’s extravaganza. Her ex loved being the center of attention and had played a forty-five-minute set on his guitar, engaging their guests in a sing-along. Life with Aaron had been like riding a Jet Ski on choppy waves, exciting if unpredictable, whereas time with Tom was like a peaceful sail on a pretty lake.

“It’s sweet of you to invite me...” she started, still trying to make the timing work in her head. “But it’s very short notice.”

“I won’t go if you don’t want me to,” Tom instantly replied, with a concerned frown. “I can turn the opportunity down.”

“Oh no, don’t do that,” she jumped in. “How long are you planning to be away for?”

“Maybe a couple of weeks, perhaps a little longer. It’s a long way and I want to make the most of things.”

“Wow. That long?” Carla’s headache intensified and she squinted an eye. Myrtle’s words about Tom not being her perfect match ramped up in her brain. Would a loving fiancé really jump on a plane just before his wedding? “I’m not sure I can—”

Tom squeezed her hand. “Look, see if you can fit it in your calendar. It’d be great if you can make it, but two weeks isn’t that long apart when we have a lifetime together ahead of us.” He stood up to select a different board game from his shelves. “Now, do you fancy a game of Connect Four or Monopoly?”

Six

Lucky Pixie

The Logical Love office wasn’t officially open for business on Sunday, but Carla liked to catch up on her admin work over the weekend.

After seeing Myrtle and spending Saturday with Tom, thoughts about her gap year and her fiancé’s upcoming trip to Denver were still spiraling around in her thoughts. She hoped being alone in the office for a while would help to calm her ever-busy brain. Work was her sanctuary, a place where she could control everything, like how the conductor of an orchestra makes sure all the musicians are in sync.

Carla changed the water in her vases of flowers and breathed in the quietness of the building. There were no splashes of coffee on the kitchen countertop and she didn’t have to make small talk about the weather around the water cooler. While she browsed her online calendar to see if there was any possibility of accompanying Tom to Colorado, she ate a sandwich she’d made at home. During her gap year, she’d developed a taste for the preformed plasticky squares of orange cheese that usually garnished cheap burgers and had never shaken the craving.

Two weeks was a long time for her to leave the agency, even though she knew Jess and Gran would keep an expert eye on things. It still rankled Carla that Tom had magicked up time to travel that he hadn’t been able to find for their honeymoon.

She sighed deeply when she couldn’t find more than three or four consecutive free days in her calendar. She had a few meetings with potential clients lined up, including one with a minor member of the Danish royal family. Hopefully, she and Tom would be able to take a proper honeymoon later in the year.

A quick online search showed the Denver exhibition hall was situated miles away from any art galleries, museums and shops, and the flights and hotels were extortionately priced, making her feel a little better about not going.

Carla was about to bite into an apple when she thought she heard the agency front door opening downstairs. Perhaps she hadn’t locked it properly? She cocked her head, listening for more signs of movement. When footsteps sounded on the stairs, her heart pattered wildly and she raised her apple like a grenade. Tiptoeing across her office, she peeped around her door and came face-to-face with her sister. “Oh gosh, it’s you,” she gasped, pressing the fruit to her chest.

“Oh, you’re here.” Jess huffed. “I noticed the front door was ajar.”

“I’m catching up on some work. Have you forgotten something?”

Jess’s eyes darted back toward the stairs. “Um, yes. I...” Her words trailed away and color rose in her cheeks. “Look, I’ll just fess up. I’ve snuck in to run my details through the database.”

“What? To find a match?”

Jess replied with a short nod.

“I thought you believed in meeting someone through fate and luck, and the wind blowing in the right direction—”

“I do. But if I’m going to meet someone, get engaged and have a baby pretty soonish, I need a helping hand.”

Carla allowed herself an imaginary fist pump. Destiny sometimes needed a shove in the right direction. “I can help you, if you like?”

Jess nodded once. “Yep, if you don’t mind. Sorry for dragging you to see Myrtle. I could tell you hated every moment.”

“It was interesting and I appreciate your efforts. The cocktails tasted great, from the little I can remember.”

Carla wheeled a spare chair across her office, and the two sisters sat side by side in front of the computer. Carla located Jess’s profile and opened it. “Your details are still in the system but you need to answer a few additional questions. Hundreds of new clients have joined since we last ran your data.”

“Let’s hope I have more luck this time around.” Jess crossed her fingers in the air. She took a silver pixie ornament out of her pocket and set it down on the desk. “My new lucky charm.”

Carla slid the keyboard across to her. “I doubt that thing is going to help,” she said. “He has an evil smile.”

While Jess updated her information, Carla made coffee until her sister called out her name. Carla sat back down, tapped the submit button and watched as an arrow began to rotate. The two sisters looked at each other hopefully.

After a couple of minutes, a chime sounded and three matches appeared on the screen, the best one highlighted in red.

“I may be looking at the future father of my child,” Jess joked, leaning forward to examine the names and brief profiles. “Hmm, that’s weird.”

“What is?”

Her sister performed a one-shouldered shrug. “I think my top match is the same as last time. He has an unusual name. I’m pretty sure our match was forty-nine percent back then. Now we’re supposed to be sixty-two-percent suited...”

“Are you sure?” Carla leaned closer toward the screen. “Did you make lots of changes to your data?”

“Hardly any, and there weren’t that many new questions.”

Carla checked the man’s profile in more detail. “He’s very picky so has been in the system for a long time. Your match score shouldn’t have changed that much. Something doesn’t seem right.”

“Could the algorithms be wrong?”

Carla shot her sister a stare. “They’re constant, mathematical equations that I devised personally. Client data is the only variable.”

“Right.” Jess shrugged. “It’s probably nothing.”

Carla couldn’t leave anything to chance. This situation baffled her, and she could think of only one way to quickly test the system. “I’ll run my details against Tom’s again, to make sure everything’s working correctly.”

She answered the additional questions then pressed the submit button with a confident smile. Again, the two sisters waited until Carla and Tom’s suitability score flashed up on the screen.