a very real possibility that there might never be another. No need to put a damper on things by dredging up her sordid past. She gave him a high-rez smile.
âYouâd understand if you saw the dress,â she said.
âWhat dress?â
âThe one I have to wear.â
He flashed her a quick, curious glance. âWhatâs wrong with it?â
âItâs pink. The whole wedding is going to be pink. Itâs my sisterâs favorite color.â
âGot it. Other than the fact that thereâs a major pink theme going, youâre okay with the wedding? This isnât one of those nightmare scenarios where your sister is marrying your ex-boyfriend or anything, is it?â
âAbsolutely not. My sister is marrying a wonderful man. I matched them, myself. Itâs just that itâs going to be a little awkward going back to Frequency.â
âWhy?â
âThe usual story,â she said, trying to sound at ease. âI donât have a date for the wedding. You know how it will be. Everyone will start trying to play matchmaker. Itâs particularly awkward when youâre the expert.â
It was true as far as it went, but it was a long way from the full story. With luck maybe he wouldnât notice.
âTrust me, you have my full and complete sympathy,â he said, sounding grim. âIâve got a few weddings to attend myself this summer.â
âAlone?â she hazarded.
âLooks that way.â
âWell, itâs the season. Not like you have a lot of options. There arenât many excuses for ducking a Covenant Marriage if the people getting married are friends or family.â
Max and Araminta were sitting very close together on the back of the seat, chattering enthusiastically.
âWhat do you think theyâre talking about?â Davis said, turning a corner.
âWho knows?â Celinda turned her head to look at the pair. âIâve never watched dust bunnies interact with each other. In fact, until Araminta adopted me, Iâd never seen one in person, just in pictures.â
âSame here. After Max moved in, I talked to a biologist friend of mine at the university. He told me that very little is known about dust bunnies. Theyâve never been considered destructive pests, so thereâs never been any funding to study them.â
âThank heavens.â Celinda shuddered. âI donât even want to think about what could happen if some scientists decided that dust bunnies should be studied in a laboratory.â
âSomething tells me that bunnies are smart enough to avoid that fate.â
âThey do seem to be able to disappear whenever they wish. Sometimes Araminta slips out at night and doesnât come home until dawn. I have no idea where she goes or how she even gets out of the apartment.â
âMax does the same thing occasionally.â Davis slowed for a streetlight. âJust another dust bunny mystery.â
Conversation stopped. Celinda tried to think of a safe way to restart it.
âWhatâs it like being a security consultant?â she asked.
He shrugged, watching the light. âIt suits me. Canât think of anything else Iâd be good at. Whatâs it like being a matchmaker?â
Her profession was something else she did not want to talk about tonight. When you were a matchmaker who specialized in Covenant Marriages, you were always focused on the long-term. This was her break-the-rules date with the most interesting man she had ever met, and she was pretty sure the relationship was doomed. On the other hand, she had already shut down one conversational topic tonight, and she had asked him about his job.
âItâs very satisfying when things go well,â she said. âDepressing and frustrating when they donât.â
âYou mean when you canât find a match for someone?â
âFinding a match usually isnât the