chapter 48

“Relax, Alyssa. Gerri really isn’t as bad as you’re thinking,” Tally, her coworker, said to her.

Alyssa Moran added more sugar to her tepid coffee and winced. She didn’t even like that much sugar, but her nerves were all over. Placing the spoon on the plate with a small clink, she moved her hands to her lap. Unable to sit still, she wiped the sweat off her palms on her suit pants.

“I’m not nervous.” Liar! “Mrs. Wilder sounded like a lovely person over email.” A very strange but nice person. She’d asked some stuff Lyss had never been asked before. Ever.

“I know.” Tally chuckled. “Her methods are unconventional, but they work. Look at me.”

Yeah. Look at her. Before Mrs. Wilder had matched Tally with her two men, Lyss had sworn Tally was a man-hater. Nothing good ever came out of her mouth when it came to men. Especially if her ex-husband’s name was discussed.

Then one day she showed up with a glow and a smile. Ever since Lyss had seen the change in Tally, she wondered if maybe she wouldn’t have to live the life of a thirty-five year old cat lady with an addiction to National Geographic and buying sex toys.

Unlike what her mother liked to say, Lyss was no prude. She loved sex. She liked it a hell of a lot, but she didn’t want to keep doing it with the wrong men.

Getting into a relationship with a loser just because he could rock her world didn’t make sense anymore. Her last live-in boyfriend had bad luck syndrome. If he got fired he blamed his eternal bad luck.

She got so tired of it, she’d finally snapped at him and yelled, “No you dumb fuck, if you don’t go to work, you will get fired.”

And that was the end of that relationship. At least from her end. The moocher had tried to prolong the agony by saying he had nowhere to go. Asking her to please give him another chance.

That he’d go find a job and make her proud. Then he went and tried to get her ATM card so he could ‘borrow’ some money.

If she was the kind of person who believed in bad luck, she’d think she was destined to be alone. Lyss was too positive for that. She knew there was a man out there for her. At this point she would take him being human, shifter or dead. Fuck that shit.

“Sorry I’m late, girls,” a woman dressed in an impeccable peach suit said, walking toward them.

Mrs. Wilder. Lyss stared, openmouthed as the older woman winked at the waiter passing by.

“Traffic was a bitch, but what can you do, right?” She stopped next to Tally who jumped to her feet and hugged Mrs. Wilder. “Lovely to see you, Tally.”

“Now that I don’t live in the same building I miss you more, Gerri.”

Mrs. Wilder made a dismissive gesture. “Nah. You miss my cakes.”

“That too.” Tally sighed.

Mrs. Wilder turned to her, her gaze piercing and filled with interest. “You must be Alyssa.”

She’d stood at the same time as Tally, so she offered Mrs. Wilder her hand. “Mrs. Wilder—”

“None of that. Gerri. Though Your Matchmaking Highness has a nice ring to it too. But no Mrs. Wilder. I’m still very young for that.” She pulled Lyss’s offered hand and gave her a hug.

That shocked her. She wasn’t used to public displays of affection. Her mother would complain over Lyss’s choice of perfume or body spray so she’d never give her hugs, kisses or kind words in general.

“It’s nice to meet you, Gerri.” She waited until everyone sat down again to follow suit. “Thanks so much for coming.”

Tally grinned. “Okay, now that you have some company, I’m going home early. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Tally came around the table and gave her a hug. “Don’t worry, Gerri will take good care of you. If I know her well, I bet she’s got someone in mind already.”

“Thanks for sitting with me.”

“Bye, darling.” Gerri hugged Tally as well. “Tell my nephew to bring you by tomorrow. I’ll make some of his favorite cake.”

Tally hugged Gerri again. “I love you so much. And you're baking.”

Once Tally had gone, Gerri ordered some tea and pulled out a notebook. “Let’s talk.”

Lyss swallowed hard. “What about?”

“Why what you want in a man, of course.” Gerri placed her elbow on the table and cupped her chin with her hand, tapping a finger on her cheek. “I know you said you wanted a man that likes cats.”

She nodded quickly. “He has to. Or at least not be allergic and not be bothered by them.”

“A man who likes pussy,” Gerri said as she wrote. “Got it.”

Lyss blinked. Then she burst into giggles.

Gerri gave her a side smile. “You got that, huh?”

“Heck yeah. I definitely need a man who likes erm...that. You know, Tally had said you were unique, but wow. I’m so glad you decided to help me.”

Gerri patted her on the hand. “I wouldn’t turn down a friend of Tally’s. Besides, your letter made me laugh and that’s not something that happens often.”

She didn’t remember what she’d written to make Gerri laugh, but she was glad she had the matchmaker on her side.

“What else?”

“I’m really sick of trying to be the savior. Fuck that,” she said then slapped a hand over her mouth. “Sorry!”

Gerri laughed. “Don’t mind me, I have my moments with words that would make you blush.”

“Right. So men. I’m a big girl. But it seems like most of them want to live off me because, according to some people, I can’t get anything better since I’m too big.”

“Who said that nonsense?” Gerri asked, her brows dropping in a fierce scowl.

“My mother, my exes. Don’t worry, I don’t believe them at all.” She didn’t. She knew that there were men out there that liked a bigger girl. So what if she had a tummy that was soft and had big hips and thighs? Maybe her ass was larger than most but all that didn’t faze her.

She believed in her heart there was a man out there who would like a woman like her. Why? Because there were more women that were big than small.

And she knew Tally was not the only one able to get herself a set of hot men that loved her curves.

“I’m glad you didn’t listen to them. There is someone or in some cases a few someones for everyone. It’s just a matter of finding each other.” Gerri put her pen down and pinned Lyss with a serious stare. “You’re obviously aware that I don’t match women with just any man. They’re paranormals. Mostly shifters.”

She might be a hopeless romantic, but she wanted a man to love her like her father had her mother. Except, she wouldn’t treat him like her mother had her father.

Lyss wanted to feel that emotional connection with someone and know he cared about her just as much as she did for him. Her hopes that every relationship would progress into the love she wanted was why she’d lasted so long in them. And why she always ended up disappointed.

She sighed and stared at Gerri. “My mother says I’m a fool. That love doesn’t exist. That I should give up on the idea.”

“Don’t you dare! Love exists. You just need the right man.”

“I want love,” she murmured softly. “I want to be wanted for once. Not just for the troubles I can fix for a man. I want to be wanted for who I am and what I can give back. I want to be loved.”

Gerri nodded. “And we will get your love.”

Lyss hadn’t found a single man who’d made her believe he truly loved her. Sure they were good at telling her words they thought she wanted to hear, but the proof was in the pudding. Her exes were selfish and it would take a man proving with actions and not words that he cared.