poor father was so worried about me." She smiled fondly. "I miss him. As soon as you find Ethan Hunter a match, I think I'll go home."
Now was the time. Heart pounding, she nodded. "I wanted to talk to you about that."
Her mother perked up. "Have you found him a match?"
"I think so. Take a look at this." She opened the app and held out the phone.
"What is it?" her mom asked as she reluctantly took the phone.
"I developed a matchmaking app." She leaned forward. "You enter all the pertinent information and it connects with a database to offer you matches in your area. There's also a questionnaire, and the more questions you answer, the better your matches are. Tap the screen. It'll guide you through the entire process."
Her mother stared at the screen silently.
Okay, maybe she needed to offer proof that it worked. "I inputted Ethan Hunter's information in the app, and do you know who it paired him with? Me."
Her mother frowned at her. "That's preposterous, Valentine."
"Really." She pulled up the results and held out the phone again. "See. It gave us a ninety-three percent compatibility rating."
"A machine can't pair two people." Venus shook her head, her lips a thin line. Two splotches of red flushed high on her cheeks.
Valentine blinked, starting to get worried. But her mom had assured her she was all good, so she forged ahead. "A machine can find probable matches based on the same information we use. Think of it, Mom. Everyone has a phone, and everyone wants to find love, but not everyone has the hefty fee we charge."
Venus lifted her chin. "We're worth it."
"Of course we are. We care, and a phone isn't going to know one way or the other. But everyone can afford a few dollars for the app."
"This isn't about money."
Valentine rolled her eyes. "Of course it's about money, Mom. You yourself said you came here to make sure I was on target and profitable."
"As a by-product of you satisfying your destiny! Not because I want you to make money." Her mother stood up and raked a hand through her previously perfect hair. "Matchmaking is a personal art. You talk to people and feel a way to find their true mate. Computers can't take into account chemistry."
"They can if they ask the right questions, and I programmed in the right questions." With Isabella's help. "Look at the way it paired me and Ethan."
"Exactly, Valentine." Her mom waved wildly, her shirt yanking out of her skirt. "Ethan Hunter is the absolute worst possible choice for you."
Valentine thought of how she felt when he kissed her and shook her head. It wasn't true, but now wasn't the time to point that out. Her mom was starting to get agitated. "Maybe you need to sit down, Mom."
"I know what I'm talking about, Valentine," her mom exclaimed, ignoring her. "I reviewed his profile and he's awful for you. Granted, he looks quite virile and I could see how that could turn a normally practical head like yours, but he's not for you."
Maybe she didn't want to be practical anymore. She crossed her arms to keep from saying anything that'd upset her mom more.
"I know someone like him is exciting, but you don't have what he'd need to stay interested for long. You aren't that type of girl, Valentine. I hate to say that, but I don't want you to be hurt."
"You don't know what type of girl I am," she couldn't stop herself from saying.
"I know my own daughter." Her mother 's voice escalat ed, her face reddening dangerously . "I've always had a vision for your life, just like my mother had for me, and I'm not going to let any of us down.I just want the best for you, just like my mother gave me."
"Okay, Mom," she said in a hopefully soothing voice. "I know, and you're doing a great job."
"No, I'm not!" Venus clutched her chest, her breathing labored.
" Mom. " Valentine rushed to her side. "Sit down. Can you breathe? Is it your heart?"
"I'm okay," Venus said weakly, lying down on the chaise.
Her mom was so pale it freaked her out. She twisted her hands. "Should I
Now was the time. Heart pounding, she nodded. "I wanted to talk to you about that."
Her mother perked up. "Have you found him a match?"
"I think so. Take a look at this." She opened the app and held out the phone.
"What is it?" her mom asked as she reluctantly took the phone.
"I developed a matchmaking app." She leaned forward. "You enter all the pertinent information and it connects with a database to offer you matches in your area. There's also a questionnaire, and the more questions you answer, the better your matches are. Tap the screen. It'll guide you through the entire process."
Her mother stared at the screen silently.
Okay, maybe she needed to offer proof that it worked. "I inputted Ethan Hunter's information in the app, and do you know who it paired him with? Me."
Her mother frowned at her. "That's preposterous, Valentine."
"Really." She pulled up the results and held out the phone again. "See. It gave us a ninety-three percent compatibility rating."
"A machine can't pair two people." Venus shook her head, her lips a thin line. Two splotches of red flushed high on her cheeks.
Valentine blinked, starting to get worried. But her mom had assured her she was all good, so she forged ahead. "A machine can find probable matches based on the same information we use. Think of it, Mom. Everyone has a phone, and everyone wants to find love, but not everyone has the hefty fee we charge."
Venus lifted her chin. "We're worth it."
"Of course we are. We care, and a phone isn't going to know one way or the other. But everyone can afford a few dollars for the app."
"This isn't about money."
Valentine rolled her eyes. "Of course it's about money, Mom. You yourself said you came here to make sure I was on target and profitable."
"As a by-product of you satisfying your destiny! Not because I want you to make money." Her mother stood up and raked a hand through her previously perfect hair. "Matchmaking is a personal art. You talk to people and feel a way to find their true mate. Computers can't take into account chemistry."
"They can if they ask the right questions, and I programmed in the right questions." With Isabella's help. "Look at the way it paired me and Ethan."
"Exactly, Valentine." Her mom waved wildly, her shirt yanking out of her skirt. "Ethan Hunter is the absolute worst possible choice for you."
Valentine thought of how she felt when he kissed her and shook her head. It wasn't true, but now wasn't the time to point that out. Her mom was starting to get agitated. "Maybe you need to sit down, Mom."
"I know what I'm talking about, Valentine," her mom exclaimed, ignoring her. "I reviewed his profile and he's awful for you. Granted, he looks quite virile and I could see how that could turn a normally practical head like yours, but he's not for you."
Maybe she didn't want to be practical anymore. She crossed her arms to keep from saying anything that'd upset her mom more.
"I know someone like him is exciting, but you don't have what he'd need to stay interested for long. You aren't that type of girl, Valentine. I hate to say that, but I don't want you to be hurt."
"You don't know what type of girl I am," she couldn't stop herself from saying.
"I know my own daughter." Her mother 's voice escalat ed, her face reddening dangerously . "I've always had a vision for your life, just like my mother had for me, and I'm not going to let any of us down.I just want the best for you, just like my mother gave me."
"Okay, Mom," she said in a hopefully soothing voice. "I know, and you're doing a great job."
"No, I'm not!" Venus clutched her chest, her breathing labored.
" Mom. " Valentine rushed to her side. "Sit down. Can you breathe? Is it your heart?"
"I'm okay," Venus said weakly, lying down on the chaise.
Her mom was so pale it freaked her out. She twisted her hands. "Should I
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