Another week had passed, and Liam found himself breathing more easily. So much so, in fact, that he had outdone himself by packing all of Daniel's belongings into a box. Although he couldn't bring himself to throw it away, James helped him carry it to his aunt's garage so it wouldn't be in plain sight—a small but significant step forward.

Finally reconciled with his own broken heart, he was ready to fully help others seek love again. He returned to his work and his clients—to the things he loved most.

First on the list was Kelly—a witty brunette who had recently turned forty. She worked afternoon hours, so she always stopped by Liam's office in the morning. She hadn’t had much luck in love, and as the last of her friends to remain unmarried, she had decided to sign up for their app. She had been chatting with Julian, another of Liam's clients, for three weeks now, and it seemed their conversations were heading in the right direction.

"We met last week. It was a coincidence. He was shopping at the same store as me," Kelly revealed, beaming with happiness. Liam couldn't help but smile at the sight of her.

"And? How’d it go?" he asked, genuinely curious. He adored love stories—real ones, movie ones, all of them. He was a sucker for romance, and it was reflected in his career choice.

"Even better than our date." Kelly's smile grew even wider. "He was so sweet. We talked about how great it was to have a buddy, even for something as ordinary as shopping. Next time, we'll go together."

Liam was truly happy for her. She deserved it, and although a small part of him envied her, he was glad to see another of his clients finding love. In his opinion, love was the highest thing a person could achieve in life. And though he hadn’t been lucky enough to find it yet, he hadn’t given up on the idea.

His next client that day was Marcus. Unlike Kelly, he didn’t see Cupid, Inc. as something groundbreaking. Having moved to the city two months ago, he viewed the app as an opportunity to meet new people. He was looking for friends first and foremost, but he wasn’t shying away from the possibility of love either.

"A funny thing happened. Ginny and I decided we were better as friends. But I still picked her for the next week, and she took me to a party. I met the most beautiful woman in the world there. We have a date on Friday," the green-eyed man, once again hiding his wild curls under his beanie, said. He followed the philosophy that if it wasn’t about anything important, he didn’t have to look his best. The problem was, he considered very few things important, so even at school, he was known as the guy who always wore sweatpants and a hoodie.

Liam knew a lot about his clients, despite the fact that he had warned them right from the start that he wasn’t a psychologist or a counselor, and he certainly didn’t have the training to advise them on how to live their lives. Still, many clients turned into his friends, and they remained so even after finding love thanks to Cupid, Inc.

"That’s amazing. Though I’m shocked you had the courage to approach her," Liam teased.

"I may have had a few drinks in me." Marcus wrinkled his nose playfully.

"Of course you did." Liam shook his head in amusement. "Just don’t wear sweatpants on a date."

"I’m not promising anything," Marcus said.

"And I was hoping you'd leave me your quote here soon."

"One day I will." Marcus nodded with mock seriousness. "And it'll definitely be better than Love is the beauty of the soul." He was referring to the sign lit up on the office wall that day.

"It’s a quote from St. Augustine," Liam revealed, pointing out the irony of his statement. He was considered one of the greatest thinkers, so it was hard to believe a college student would come up with something better than him.

"You say that like I’m supposed to know who he is." Marcus snickered.

"He’s a guy who would never wear sweatpants on a date," Liam shot back smartly.

"Fine. No sweatpants on a date," Marcus resigned, raising his hands in surrender.

Another win for Liam today and another successful session with a client. Little did he know, however, that he had one more waiting for him today—unannounced.

"Gavin. I wasn't expecting you today." Liam seemed to forget the proper way to greet someone whenever he saw the tall man with broad shoulders and tanned skin.

"I wasn’t expecting to come here either, but once again, your app disappointed me," Gavin informed him.

Liam immediately frowned at his words. He wasn’t saying their app was perfect, but it was far from disappointing.

"Come in, please. We’ll take a look at what the problem is." This time, the blond voluntarily stepped away from the door and let the tall man enter.

"Can I take a picture of this and send it to my date?"

Liam turned to see Gavin pointing his finger toward the LED message board.

The blond raised an eyebrow. "Does that mean it was a good date?"

"Definitely not." Gavin let out a laugh. "Your office?" He waved a hand in the direction of where Liam’s safe place was located.

"After you."

For the third time by now, Liam had a bad feeling about meeting this man. Like Marcus, a cheerful smile played on Gavin's face, but whereas with Marcus, Liam saw it as amusement, with Gavin it was less pleasant and more mocking—as if to let him know he didn’t take him or his business seriously.

"What caused your disappointment?" Liam asked the moment they were both sitting comfortably.

"Samantha," Gavin replied, not offering any more details.

Liam waited a few seconds to see if he would elaborate, but when Gavin remained silent, he decided to speak: "Let me guess, she was boring?"

The tanned man laughed. "Worse."

Liam raised an eyebrow. "Then what was the problem?"

"She was the exact opposite. She talked about herself all the time. Apparently, she's an influencer." He waved his hands dramatically to emphasize how bizarre he found the label.

Before Liam could respond, Gavin added, "But only temporarily, until she gets discovered and becomes a model."

The way Gavin said it amused Liam, but he quickly banished the smile before it could fully form on his lips. "So she's an ambitious woman," he ultimately chose as his response.

"That's one way to put it," the tall man concluded.

"I take it you two didn’t hit it off," Liam tried to keep his attitude professional.

"I let her talk, had a good meal, and then paid for dinner. I think she had a better time than I did," Gavin explained.

"So there will be no second date," Liam concluded.

"Obviously." The dark-haired man’s eyes widened comically, as if he couldn’t imagine anything worse.

"How do you feel about that?" the blond asked him.

"What? You’re a psychologist now?" Gavin seemed amused by his question.

"I’m not." Liam quickly assured him. "I just want to know how this affects your next choice."

The blond’s tone and attitude were still neutral, and he tried to keep a professional face. Gavin wasn’t Marcus. He wasn’t someone he’d managed to build a friendly bond with over time. Besides, Liam was quickly convinced again that Gavin wasn’t taking this quite seriously.

"Next time I’m not going to choose the blonde."

Liam didn’t reply, burning the tall man in front of him with his gaze. He was giving him a chance to change his answer, and Gavin quickly realized it.

"Just kidding," he assured him.

"Let's go back to the beginning," Liam decided to take the conversation into his own hands again and steer it in the right direction. "What caught your eye about her profile?"

"She was sexy," Gavin said first.

"So looks are important to you, then," Liam stated.

"Not as much as it is to her," he immediately assured him.

"You've also picked a woman again. If I remember correctly, you're interested in men too, right?" Liam asked.

"None of them were my type."

"Would you say you're stricter in the way you choose men than women?" Liam tried to understand him, despite the fact that his answers were getting on his nerves. There was nothing sincere about most of them, just an effort to be the wittiest man in the room.

Gavin curled his lip. "I never thought about it. I know what I like. I know what I'm attracted to. I haven't found it on your app yet." His tone spoke clearly, blaming not himself for the problem, but Cupid, Inc.

"It's only been two weeks," Liam quickly reminded him.

"I am a patient man," Gavin responded just as promptly.

"So you'll give our app another chance?" Liam sought reassurance, though he wouldn't mind losing him as a client. Maybe he should start looking at his case as a challenge.

"I can give it a try," Gavin said.

"Good." Liam gave him a smile, though it wasn't entirely genuine. "What will you be looking for next time you're picking a match?"

"I don't know. You tell me," Gavin answered. "You told me to go with the opposite before. Samantha was the exact opposite of Leslie. What should I look for now?"

That wasn't the exact advice Liam had given him. He'd told him to be more open-minded. Told him to look for someone he needed, not someone he wanted. He thought he'd given him good advice, but apparently, Gavin hadn't listened.

"Pick someone you like," the blond replied simply.

"That's it?" Gavin seemed surprised by this advice.

Liam nodded. "That's it."

Gavin still didn't seem convinced, quite the opposite.

Liam sighed. "Look, dating isn't easy, whether you do it offline or online. Our app helps in that it will introduce you to new people without you having to look for them. You just have to choose. You’ve just got to try to go on dates; you've got to try to get to know them."

"Are there any statistics on when the average customer has found the right date?" Gavin asked, another question Liam hadn't expected.

"No. We don't keep statistics. People are people, not numbers," the blond replied. They were a small agency. Liam, his aunt, the people who programmed their app, the people who handled social media, and the people who handled the financial and economic side of the business. Nothing more. In the beginning, there were even fewer—Liam did their Instagram and his aunt did the accounting. Now, although their business had grown, they still considered themselves a family business.

"None?" Gavin sounded shocked.

"None," Liam confirmed. "Everyone has a different pace when it comes to finding love. Some people dive headfirst into a new relationship, others have trust issues and need more time. I know that even without statistics."

"You're an optimist, aren't you?"

Liam raised an eyebrow. "Is there anything wrong with that?"

"Whatever works for you," the tanned man assured him, but it was clear from his answer that he had his own thoughts on the matter.

"What about you?" Liam returned the question. "After all, we're here for you."

Gavin didn't answer right away and finally seemed to think more deeply about something Liam had said.

"I'd say I'm a realist," he said eventually.

"That's good." Liam nodded. "It means you won't be easily fooled by the glitz and glamour."

This time, Gavin seemed positively surprised by his response—at least, judging by his soft smile, which had lost its mocking undertone.

"What if I find the worst quality of each of your clients?"

"You can try," the blond said. "I'd love to hear about your attempts. Just please give these people a real chance. They're trying to find love, too."

"All right, I will."