A Match Made in Heaven

“I think you look cute,” Mya said. “Now, let’s get going. Reece is ready.”

Janelle nodded as she pushed herself out of the chair. She’d only met Reece twice. Once when he approached her for the position, the second time when she was picking out candidates. She’d settled on Reece because he had such a sweet back story. He was the owner of a small art gallery and painted himself. His family was small, his bank account modest, but he was very sweet. The way he smiled had a way of lighting up the room.

She walked onto the set. The other contestants were already settling on stage, outfitted with their portable mics. As she slipped into a chair, one of the tech guys put one on her as well. All at once the nervousness overtook her. It may not have been real for her, but she’d still be on TV. If they were lucky, it would air in front of millions of people. Is this what I want to be known as? The first woman to be rejected off of Match Made in Heaven?

There was no time to rethink her plan as the host of the show walked onto the stage. He wore a dark blue, tailored suit. His hair was impeccable, soft blond strands of gold and his eyes were pools of blue. He grinned at Janelle. She rolled her eyes.

Clark was her oldest friend. He’d stood by her side since they were in diapers and knew everything about her. They’d gone to the same schools, the same colleges until they both ended up in damn near the same careers. However, while Janelle liked to stay behind the scenes, Clark was constantly in the limelight. He preferred it that way.

“Welcome to Match Made in Heaven, a modern day matchmaking show. During the course of this show you’ll get to know our bachelor, but you won’t get to see him. He’s behind that curtain,” the man pointed, the women smiling or giggling as they glanced at the red curtain, “and he’s ready to meet our guests. Now, the only thing they’re allowed to know is his name, Reece. However, they know nothing else about him. They’ll get to ask him questions and at the end of the round he can ask each guest one question in return. Are you ready Reece?”

“Ready,” a deep voice called from the other side of the curtain.

“Ladies?”

“Ready!” The women’s voices said in unison.

“Good, let’s get started! Now, our first guest is Zoey,” Clark started.

Janelle was already drifting. As the women around her asked Reece questions, she was thinking about production. They would have to edit the tapes, tomorrow would be round two. She vaguely wondered if she would have enough time to make dinner or if she’d have to pickup takeout when she heard her name being called.

“Tara, do you have a question for Reece?”

The woman snapped back to reality. Tara, they didn’t have a Tara. It slowly sunk in that Clark was talking about her. She swallowed thickly, it suddenly felt as though she had a throat of saw dust. She cleared her throat and asked the first question that popped into her mind.

“What’s your go to meal when you’re home?”

Reece was quiet for a moment before he chuckled. “I like to think I’m pretty good in the kitchen. When I’m home, I like to try cuisines from different cultures. I don’t really have a go to meal, but usually some kind of pasta is on the menu. I’m very active so I eat for my nightly runs.”

Janelle nodded, a smile on her face. “That’s actually pretty cool.”

Clark moved on to the next guest, but she was thinking about Reece. She liked to go on runs too, every morning before work and after dinner too if she had time. We have something in common.

The next round started and Reece began to ask each of them a question. Janelle was distracted once again. She wanted to check her watch badly to see what time it was. They couldn’t go over the allotted time or there would be a bunch of editing that needed to be done.

“Tara,” Reece said, “what do you consider the most influential time period in history?”

“The Renaissance period, mostly 1483 to 1513. It was the age where we had some great art introduced to the world. Leonardo, Michelangelo, Botticelli. Not to mention it was the discovery of the New World.”

“Wow.”

Janelle winced. “That was probably incredibly nerdy.”

Reece laughed, that same deep timbered chuckle. “Not at all. I’m something of a history enthusiast myself. Thank you.”

Clark was once again smiling at the women as he wrapped up the show. As soon as they got them all clear, Janelle hopped from her seat and headed to the dressing room. The other women followed behind her. She was glad that it had gone so smoothly, but her mind couldn’t stop going back to Reece. What were the odds that she’d found a fellow runner and history buff to be on the show? It certainly made him more intriguing in her eyes.

Janelle slipped back into her clothes, before typing her hair up in a messy bun. Grabbing her clipboard, she went over a few details with Mya before she headed off in search of Reece. She knocked on the door, waiting until he opened it. She smiled.

“How was it?” She asked stepping into the room.

“I enjoyed myself. The ladies really seem interesting. I’m glad I did this,” he said closing the door before he walked back over. “That Tara was really something.”

Janelle laughed awkwardly as she sat down. The man in front of her was impressive to say the least. He was six-two with chocolate brown skin and brown eyes. His shoulders were wide, the purple button down shirt that he wore hinting at an abundance of muscles underneath. Facial hair covered his chin and his black hair was kept short. She had to admit, he was an attractive man.

“Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that.”

Reece took a spot in his chair. “What’s going on?”

Janelle sighed. “There isn’t a Tara. One of our guests dropped out and we had to find a replacement quickly. Well, no one else could fill in, so I had to do it.”

The man’s eyes went wide as he pointed to her. “You mean, that was you?”

She nodded. “Of course, you can vote me out first so that you can focus on the other contestants. I just wanted to let you know.”

The man nodded slowly. He was clearly thinking about something, but it was hard to tell what that was. He rubbed a hand over his chin.