The Vibe Manager

Chapter 8

Jade strode past rows of empty park benches in the muffled quiet of a late-winter day, with Rafael trailing closely behind.

Since meeting in his hotel lobby, they'd been making small talk as she led him north inside Central Park, skirting mounds of fresh snow and patches of ice.

More than anything, she was conscious of Madre's words of caution before the meeting—

"You're so open and comfortable in your skin, Jade. You've said yourself that your profession is about healing with touch. You're trained to use your body therapeutically — and from what you've told me, you find it easy to express yourself physically. I don't know if it's the same for him...."

Who could forget Rafael's discomfort with the tabloid display of flesh in the airport lounge?

"You'll do what you want anyway, but from the matches we've tried this year, I believe you would both benefit by not rushing things — physically — on the first meeting...."

"But, what if he's hot?..." Jade protested.

Now he was there beside her, and what Jade noticed even more than the immediate physical attraction was the easy way he carried himself. He possessed some extreme self-possession, an internal solidity that made her feel immediately at home in his presence.

Rafael was following her through the park in a blissful state of astonished numbness, a byproduct of the cold air, his jet-lag, and the complete certainty that he'd made the right decision by hiring the matchmaker.

Before his flight to New York City, Madre had given ol' Raf the same advice she gave Jade—

"You're a mathematician, so you can guess the odds I'm working with, Rafael. I want to prepare you, because new clients often believe their chances of connecting with the first person they meet are not high. You could doubt me, based solely on probability. And if you're attracted to her, it could cause you to wonder, 'Is she is thinking the same about me?' You might hope for some kind of proof...."

"I see what you mean," he said.

"Yes, so my advice is to forget about that for a little while. Assume the match is done. Just try to let it unfold in its own time. My job is to help you along. Will you trust me?"

He promised to try.

And now, in the span of one international flight, the mood of romantic doom that had plagued him for so long was lifted. He knew without question that his soul's desire was this woman beside him, leading him through Central Park until she finally stopped and announced excitedly, "Here we are! "

It took him a moment to register the place. He looked to the sign in front of them — the entrance to the Central Park Zoo.

He turned to her in shock: "How did you know?"