First thing Monday morning, Ebony entered the fortune teller's shop. The bracelet was going to be fixed once and for all. Properly. If she was going to see Jake again, there was no way she would be wearing his name.

Mrs Harrostone appeared from the corridor behind the counter, surprised to see Ebony waiting on the other side. She finished braiding her hair. "Hello, dear."

"Hi, I was here two Fridays ago. Ebony..." she reintroduced.

"I remember." She smiled. "Now why do I feel as if you've had an interesting week?"

"Have I?" Ebony said, stalling. She wanted to see where the fortune teller would go with this. It wasn't like she'd come for a reading.

"You're better than before, but still troubled. Although, I do detect some success with the matchmaking."

"Marginally," she said, thinking of Bailey and Zara. Jake's date had been a shambles. Her other clients last night had displayed zero chemistry on their dates.

"It's a start. You are opening yourself up to new possibilities again." She wagged her finger, as if reading the air for clues. "There is someone new in your life..."

Ebony held her breath, fearing that Mrs Harrostone was so in tune with the universe that she would spit out the name of that 'someone'. "Maybe."

"You are treading carefully, but you have made steps towards him."

"I have?" When?

"Yes," Mrs Harrostone said. "Maybe they were too small for you to notice. They still claimed his attention."

Oh, the phone call to Jake, she remembered.

"Don't look back, Ebony."

"I'm trying not to." But it was hard to forget the pain Dave had planted in her heart.

"Forget the past. Push forward, even when it feels like you are carrying a heavy burden."

"I'm not sure I can."

Mrs Harrostone smiled, her eyes crinkling at the edges. "Usually the path to happiness is fraught with hardship and doubt. But if you never take the path, you will be left with doubt and little else."

The options made Ebony a little queasy. She nodded and peered down at the jewellery in the counter below. There were necklaces created with beautiful stones and patterns. Bracelets very similar to her own. All this talk of happiness and love had swayed her thoughts. It was hard to tell Mrs Harrostone the real reason for the visit.

As if sensing Ebony's thoughts, the fortune teller asked, "Is there anything else I can help you with?"

Ebony rolled her bracelet along her wrist, her gaze drawn to the silver nuggets that shouldn't have been there. She pulled the bracelet off quickly and moved it across the counter before she changed her mind. "How much is it to fix this?"

Mrs Harrostone put on her glasses and inspected the bracelet, turning it gently with her fingers. "I'm sorry, but I can't see anything that needs fixing."

Ebony pointed to the silver nuggets. "I was hoping you could replace these four."

Mrs Harrostone nodded, her mouth twitching with a smile. "That was sneaky of Jake."

"Yes, it was," Ebony said, irritated. "He knew how special it was to me, and he had to go and put his own stamp on it."

Mrs Harrostone frowned. "Are you sure there's not more to the story?"

"It was clear that he was amused. Mostly."

"You've seen him again?"

Reluctantly, Ebony nodded. She was giving away too much information. The fortune teller had a way of coaxing it out of her like a highly skilled therapist.

"Jake is the 'someone new'?"

"Maybe. But—"

Mrs Harrostone held up a halting hand. "No need to tell me anymore." She placed the bracelet in Ebony's hand, which made no sense. "Keep the bracelet as it is. If, in two weeks time, you would like me to alter it, I'll do it free of charge."

"But—"

"Consider this... Perhaps the bracelet is more special now. It is not only a gift from your mother, but from Jake, too."

"I suppose so." Ebony slipped the bracelet back on. "But I might be back in two weeks."

Mrs Harrostone laughed. "See how you go."

Ebony did not feel so light-hearted. She politely said goodbye and walked from the shop, annoyed with Mrs Harrostone. The fortune teller thought she knew everything, did she? Ebony would be returning in two weeks time, of that she was certain.

Fifteen minutes later, Ebony entered Kismet and found her first appointment sitting outside her office. Bailey was dressed in his Sinclair's uniform. He looked up from his phone and grinned. "Morning, my gifted matchmaker!"

Hearing the ill-fitting title, Ebony almost spat out her coffee. "Bailey, I admire your dedication to the cause, but let's not overdo it."

"Ah, but I'm not," he said, opening her office door and waiting for Ebony to pass through. There was an extra spring in his step as he made his way to the client's chair and sat down. "I have met an amazing girl, and it's all thanks to you!"

Rounding her desk, Ebony sat in her chair, scrutinizing the man across from her. "Well, this is quite a turnaround from last night. During your mid-date interview, you didn't seem all that keen on Zara."

"I think I must have been in a state of amorous intoxication," Bailey confessed. His eyes sparkled, and he shifted excitedly in his chair. "Zara blew my mind from the moment I saw her. And when she laughed, it was like angels were singing in my ears. I was besotted, but unable to express those feelings to you as I was still coming to grips with it myself."

Bailey was either truly in love or a great actor who had recited too much Shakespeare. A seasoned matchmaker should have been able to detect the truth. Unfortunately, Ebony could not. "Do you really mean that, Bailey, or are you having me on?"

"Is that any way to treat a client?" he said, smiling. "After everything that I have invested in finding love and you doubt my intentions?"

"I do. I also believe that I have invested a lot more than you have so far."

"Maybe so." He nodded thoughtfully. "Did Zara want to see me again?"

"She said she'd consider it."

"Consider it?!" Bailey said, looking hard done by. "But I was a perfect gentleman, just as you told me to be."

How to put this nicely... "Zara thought you were more interested in your phone and the other surrounding tables. And that you held your ears when she laughed."

"I might have held my ears one time. One time!" Bailey held up one finger, making his point. "She has a loud laugh. I couldn't help it."

Ebony repressed a smile. It was true. Zara did have a crazy big laugh, but laughter was a part of one's character. "I can't tell Zara to change her laughing style just so her date will be happy. No. Zara's date must accept the complete girl, as she is."

Bailey stood and began to pace around the small room. "Not a great picture you're painting, Ebony. Tell me, again, why she is considering a second date if the first one was so bad?"

"The dance saved you, I think. Apparently, you swept her off her feet. The romantic proclamations helped."

"I was trying," Bailey said, returning to his chair. "She was hard to impress. At the hospital it had been easy. I had come to her rescue like a knight in shining armour, and she was grateful to have someone hold her hand. But last night, there was a whole lot of pressure."

Ebony leaned forward, sure that she'd misheard. "You held her hand while she was sick?"

Bailey blinked, as if returning to the present. "Yes."

Okay, Bailey was officially back in the good books. "I'll talk to Zara."

"You're a lifesaver, Ebony. But I can't do Thursday, Friday, or Saturday nights. Jake has me rostered on then. And I have shifts Tuesday and Wednesday during the day."

Ebony typed his availability into his profile. "If you wouldn't mind stepping outside for a moment, I could call her now and organize a date?"

Bailey's eyes looked like they might pop out of head. The reaction made Ebony take pause. Either he was excited at the speed in which Ebony worked or he was having second thoughts. Given all that he had just said, she assumed it was the former, but it was hard to tell with Bailey. She directed him to the door, and he begrudgingly stepped outside.

The phone call took longer than expected. Zara had many things to say on matters concerning Bailey, and not many were positive. Here we go again, thought Ebony. Another match doomed from the start.

Through the glass wall, Ebony saw Bailey seated on the chair closest to the door. She wondered if he was listening in, his head tilting to the side as he began to play with a few of his dreads. Ebony lowered her voice into the phone, "He really does like you, Zara. I think he was nervous last night, but he's spoken very highly of you just now."

"He's at your office?" Zara said breathlessly.

"He came here first thing this morning, all because he was eager to see you again."

"That is dedicated."

"Dedicated enough to agree to a second date, perhaps?" Ebony crossed her fingers in hope.

When Zara broke out into nervous laughter Ebony's ear was hit with the full force of the sound, the phone slipping from her hand. Bailey had not been kidding about Zara's laugh. It was loud, and long, and fluctuated from low to high. How had Ebony missed this before? But nobody was perfect. Zara had a lot of good qualities. Ebony put the phone to her ear just as Zara's laugh trailed off. "Alright. Book me a second date!"

"That's the spirit!" said Ebony. She barely recognized the sound of enthusiasm in her voice, but she wasn't about to pretend otherwise. This was the happiest she'd felt in six months of work. She quickly set up a time and place for the next date, before Zara or Bailey could change their minds.

Crossing the room, Ebony poked her head around the corner. "Bailey? It's safe to come in now."

Bailey leaped from the chair and made his way to the one in her office. As Ebony walked behind her desk, she took a moment to enjoy the rainforest view outside the window. A soft mist covered the tourist road; the trees looked green and fresh, the nearby shops bustling with activity. She took a moment to breathe. For the first time in a long time, the day held promise.

She sat down and spun towards her desk, printing out the details of the date. Bailey was watching her every move with interest, like his fate depended upon this one piece of paper. She slid it across to him, and she swore his Adam's apple bobbed as he read the print.

Had he gulped in fear? He better not have, not after his story of undying love.

"Tomorrow night?" he said. "You don't waste any time, do you?"

"It was the only time that suited you both. I recommend a night of dancing."

"I have to organize this?" Bailey asked, alarmed. "Where am I going to find a place that has dancing on a Wednesday night?"

"There's a community hall ten minutes from here that does Rock 'n' Roll and Latin nights. It just happens to be tomorrow at seven."

"I can't take the likes of Zara to a community hall. She'll be expecting some lavish restaurant or a movie, or a shopping spree on Chapel Street."

"You might be surprised. Unless you want to pay a fortune at The Peach Tree for another night of dinner and dancing? If you want to go more up market, there's Sinclair's—"

"There is no way I'm taking her to Sinclair's. The kitchen staff would give me hell. Not to mention, Jake would probably want me to work while I was there."

Ebony laughed. "I doubt that."

"You don't know Jake, then."

Ebony stopped laughing. "He wouldn't..."

Bailey leaned forward, as if enjoying the fact that she knew nothing. "Biggest workaholic you've ever met. If he's working, then everyone else should be, too."

"Oh." That didn't sound like the Jake she knew. He always seemed happy to linger longer than necessary. "That leaves the community hall."

"Or a pub?"

"A little unfair. Zara's alcohol allergy, remember?"

Bailey slumped back in his chair. "The community hall it is. Will you be chaperoning us?"

"I only chaperone first dates at the Peach Tree. And I have plans to sit around home and watch spiteful cooking competitions for the evening."

"Just the news I wanted to hear."

"It is?"

He smiled, then began to tap his phone. He really was rude with that phone. "Change of plans. Jake has put aside his workaholic ways for tomorrow night and will pick you up at 5:30. It's date night."

"W-what?" No, no. That was too soon.

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