“Oh my God, I’m so sorry.”

I glanced up to notice that the mousy brunette who only seconds before had been holding a steaming hot cup of coffee in her hand was now wearing it on her crisp, stark white blouse.

The girl, who I assumed was an intern at the agency, let out a gasp blended with frustration and pain from the hot beverage seeping through to her skin.

“It’s okay.” She gave me a pitiful yet polite smile. “These corners are tricky. I keep telling my boss he should put mirrors up there. I’m sure the statistics of head-on pedestrian traffic collisions would go down astronomically in the hallways.”

She allowed a wobbly chuckle to escape her lips from her joke. I fumbled to help her dry off, using a package of Kleenex I just happened to have tucked away in my purse.

Several people in the hallway walked past us and looked on with curiosity, although none apparently cared enough to stop and offer any aid. Embarrassment crept its way from the tips of my toes all the way to my head, where it flashed its presence in the form of sizzling crimson red on my cheeks.

“I feel terrible, honestly. Please let me know if I can reimburse you for the blouse.” I gave her a thoughtful smile.

“Oh no, don’t worry about that.” She waved her arms in the air dismissively as she picked up the papers she’d dropped onto the floor when I’d run into her. “I have a great dry cleaner.”

I apologized again and began walking away, toward the reception area of Celestial Mates’s agency. Nervous jitters jostled in my stomach like waves crashing to the shore with every step I took toward the frosted glass double doors.

I took a deep breath, opened the door on the right, and strutted in with a sense of purpose, even if it was only on the surface. Inside, the shy part of me was screaming at me to turn around and run.

I approached the front desk. “Hi, um…I have a ten o’clock appointment with—”

“Are you Marissa Feist?” The receptionist had a slick, straight, perfectly kempt hairstyle that fell to her shoulders in a dark midnight color. She didn’t bother looking up at me, and I watched as the tips of her blood red nails clicked and clacked away at her keyboard.

“Yes, I’m supposed to meet with—”

The woman interrupted me again, “You’re late.”

“I’m sorry, I got stuck in traffic,” I apologized for what seemed like the millionth time since I arrived in this building.

“Mm-hmm,” the woman said and, without another word, beckoned me to follow her with a point of her finger down a hallway.

“Nancy is expecting you already. Here, this is her office.”

We stopped in front of a closed door at the end of the hallway. The receptionist spun on her heel and left me standing there, confused and self-conscious. I rapped on the door and held my breath as I waited to be invited inside.

“Come in,” I finally heard a woman call from the other side.

I opened the door and walked in, only to be met with a beautiful wall-to-wall window corner office. There was a couch on one side and a mahogany desk in the middle.

“Hi, dear, I’m Nancy.” A woman who appeared to be in her mid-sixties greeted me with her hand extended.

I took it and shook vigorously. “Pleased to meet you, Nancy, I’m Marissa.” I gave her my biggest smile.

“Please, take a seat.” Nancy gestured to a green chair sitting at the opposite end of her desk. She wore a navy blue sleeveless dress and had a fashionable and trendy haircut that accented and showed off her beautiful, silky gray hair. I admired it because it reminded me of the color of the moon.

“It’s so nice to finally meet you.” Nancy gave me a warm smile. She was my Celestial Mates rep for the dating service I had joined. With every kind glance in my direction, I allowed my shoulders to ease ever so slightly from the tightly bound bundle of stress they currently held.

“And you, as well. Thank you so much for the opportunity.” I placed my hands in my lap and sat up straight, eager to impress.

Nancy entered something onto the keyboard of her computer and glanced at the screen, obviously browsing something.

“I’ve read through all of the questionnaires you filled out online and I think you will be absolutely splendid and perfect for one of my clients.” Nancy shot me a friendly wink and I noticed for the first time that she had dark green eyes.

“Really?” My heart began to race with excitement.

“Oh yes, indeed.” Nancy sat back in her chair and rocked a moment while she visibly sized me up.

I tried not to tense my muscles and smiled brightly.

“There is just one last step before we can match you and that’s why I’ve called you in today. We need an in-person interview.”

My heart went from racing speed to nearly drumming out of my chest and soaring out one of the glass-paneled windows. I tried to keep my voice even, although I was threading panic like a needle on a sewing machine.

“In-person interview?” I gulped. I ran my hands through my dark brown hair.

“Yes, dear, it’s the final step to make sure you are a perfect fit for the client.” Nancy smiled politely and then looked at her computer again.

“Is the guy I’d be matched with going to interview me?” My voice was high and squeaky. So much for playing it cool.

Nancy smiled as if she had just heard an adorable child say something cute. “Sorry, dear, not this time. Unfortunately, he is a very busy man with a demanding job and a schedule you wouldn’t believe. He was unable to get to the office for the interview today, but I’ve video-chatted with him and he trusts me enough to seal the deal, so to speak.”

Nancy winked at me again and leaned over her desk to whisper in a hushed voice, “I’ll tell you one thing; if I wasn’t married, I would keep Kadic for myself and say to hell with the rest of these little ladies that will undoubtedly want him.”

She let out a roaring belly laugh and I chuckled, feeling uncomfortable. “Who is Kadic, exactly?”

“He’s a prince. He’s charming, dapper, and just dripping with sex appeal and eye candy. He is absolutely wonderful. I have to admit, I’m quite jealous you two matched up so nicely.” She pointed her pen at me.

I scoffed. “You have got to be kidding me. A prince couldn’t possible want to date me.” I was astounded.

“Ah, my sweet girl, he wants to do more than just date you, he wants to marry you.”

Now my heart was in my throat and I rubbed my clammy hands together. My throat was dry, but I laughed anyway. “What are you talking about? We haven’t even met yet. It sounds a little out there to me, maybe even ridiculous.” I snorted and looked out the window.

“Perhaps you’ll feel differently when you hear about how efficient our program is,” Nancy said tightly and pursed her lips.

A sense of dread came over me. “Oh no, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you or your program. It’s just...well, I’m not really used to the dating scene.” I gave her an embarrassed grin.

“No worries.” Nancy sighed and sat back in her chair again. She crossed her hands together and stared at me for a moment. Then she sat back up and retrieved a folder from a desk drawer.

“Take a look at this.” She tossed the folder to me.

I opened it, but I couldn’t understand what any of it meant. There were a lot of charts and ratio theories. “What is this?” I looked up quizzically.

“That is the proprietary algorithm our firm uses for compatibility,” Nancy chimed proudly.

“Oh yeah?” I raised an eyebrow and looked at it again.

“Yes, and you and Kadic came back as a ninety-nine percent match.”

It was my turn to erupt in laughter. “Are you kidding me? Ninety-nine percent?”

“That’s right.”

“What about the other one percent?” I asked jokingly, and snorted.

Nancy dodged my retort. “Actually, Kadic is looking for someone just like you, Marissa. He wants a woman who is shy and well-read, and you fit the bill perfectly.”

“Because I’m a librarian?” I asked sarcastically.

“Actually, yes,” Nancy countered. “He feels that because you are smart, you’ll be open minded.”

I pondered this. I supposed I could be open minded, especially if it meant I was only an arm’s length away from potentially finding true love. Then the doubting portion of my brain shot back at my dreams.

“He couldn’t possibly want someone as inexperienced as me.” I shook my head in disbelief.

“What do you mean, dear?” Nancy looked up at me and raised an eyebrow.

“I just mean that I am not that experienced when it comes to dating or relationships.” I shrugged. “I’ve only had one boyfriend my entire life, and he dumped me for a leggy blonde model.”

I crossed my arms, the bitter resentment still flooring me to this day.

“Well, that boyfriend must have been a moron with no good sense, because Kadic thinks you’re a catch. You can’t base your entire viewpoint of yourself on one relationship.”

I shrugged, embarrassed. “You don’t think there is a teeny, tiny chance that he confused me with someone else?”

“I wouldn’t worry too much about it, dear. I promise you, you are exactly the type of girl that Kadic is looking for. I just need to ask you a few more questions, just to make sure it will work out.” Nancy smiled at me with kind eyes.

I took a deep breath, nervous but hopeful. “Okay, sure. I’ll play along.”

Nancy pulled up a program on her computer. “Have you lied about anything on the questionnaire?” She glanced up at me.

“No.” I shook my head adamantly. “I was truthful on every part.”

“Good.”

“I figured I had nothing to lose by telling the truth,” I added.

Nancy moved on to the next question. “Are you really as adventurous as you claimed on the questions?”

“Absolutely, I love being outdoorsy and I’m always up for a challenge.” I sat up straight and poised.

“And you weren’t lying when you said you were open minded?”

“Of course not. I’m up for anything.” I smiled.

“There is one thing I need to warn you about when it comes to Kadic.” Nancy folded her hands again and looked at me firmly.

“Oh yeah?” That nervous sensation churned and brewed again in my belly.

“He is very different from most men you are probably used to being around or encountering in day-to-day living.”

“I’m sure he can’t be that far off from them, though,” I joked.

Nancy didn’t smile. “He doesn’t want to reveal too much about himself before you two meet. He wants to make sure you will see him as a man, not just as a prince.”

Now I felt bad for the guy. He probably felt used by all the women he’d dated previously. “I’m not materialistic, so there shouldn’t be a problem there.”

“I’m sure he’ll be happy to hear it,” Nancy said and went back to her computer screen.

“In fact,” I added, “I’m so flexible that, if it comes down to it, I’d be willing to move to a different country if he is truly my match made in Heaven.” I crossed my fingers and pointed to the ceiling.

“Mmm, hmm.” Nancy mumbled, only halfway paying attention.

“Does Kadic speak English?” The thought just came to me and I hoped there wouldn’t be a language barrier.

“Yes, in fact he speaks all languages.”

“All languages?” That seemed impressive if not almost impossible. Now I wondered if he was scamming me, not the other way around. I shrugged it off, because I was still hoping for the best.

Nancy handed me an instruction booklet. “Here are the things you need to remember to get ready to meet him. A car will pick you up tomorrow bright and early to take you to meet the prince.”

“Sounds good to me.” I nodded.

“Now you are going to be gone a week, so you should pack enough clothes to last that long.”

I became rattled. I sat back down in the chair. “I’m going to be gone a week? Why so long?”

“In order to make sure it’s worth both of your’s time; Kadic thinks it’s best that the date is immersive. If you don’t like him, or if he is not interested in you after you get to know each other, you’ll be able to leave anytime and come back home.”

I was relieved, but it still seemed a little odd to me. I couldn’t help but allow some skepticism to bubble up to the surface, but I didn’t really have anything to lose or keep me here in the first place.

I stood up. “Okay, I’m in.” I grinned. “I’ll be ready when the car arrives tomorrow.” I shook Nancy’s hand and thanked her for the interview.

On the way home I muddled over the pros and cons. Kadic had been screened by Celestial Mates and I knew it was legit, so I should be safe. At least that was the hope. Now all I had to do was make sure I didn’t end up locked in a deep, dark dungeon. I shook the thought right out of my head. I was bound and determined to make the most of this trip. At least it was free, right?