The Matchmaker of Pine Grove

When Izzy’s grandmother had a bad fall and could no longer manage her renowned matchmaking business, Izzy didn’t hesitate to give up her fancy job and big city life to come back home and help. She had adored growing up in idyllic Pine Grove, working alongside Grandma Mae in her cozy little office on Cedar Street, poring over profiles of the town’s most eligible singles.

As Izzy unpacked boxes in her newly rented cottage, she remembered all the times Grandma Mae would wink at her over her reading glasses and say things like “Elizabeth, I just know that Susie Pepper would be positively delighted by Thomas Barker’s love of poetry” or “I swear Jacob Yates was born to make our dear widowed Diana smile again.” Pine Grove’s top matchmaker had an almost supernatural knack for pairing people so beautifully suited for one another.

Of course, Izzy had been too busy dreaming about what her own happily ever after might look like one day to pay enough attention back then. Now here she was as a young adult, returning home single while all the childhood friends she’d keep up with on Facebook posted baby pictures and gushed about the amazing husbands Grandma Mae had matched them with long ago.

“Oh Grandma, I hope I can do your work justice while you recover,” Izzy sighed as she dusted off the little bronze cupids perched on the bookshelves in the cozy Cedar Street office. Without Mae here to guide her, this matchmaking business was far more intimidating than any big city job. What made one person compatible with another out of Pine Grove’s 4,326 residents according to the faded population sign on the edge of town? Surely there was some formula or magical intuition Izzy lacked. She shook her head, curls bouncing around her shoulders optimistically. She would figure it out somehow.

...............

“Excuse me miss, do I have the pleasure of speaking with Mae Stanton’s lovely granddaughter today?” a gentle voice inquired from the office doorway.

Izzy looked up from the mountain of love-life questionnaires on her desk to see a handsome farmer smiling shyly in the entrance. His tousled black hair curled sweetly over one eye and the rolled up sleeves on his plaid shirt showed off muscular forearms. Izzy suddenly felt warm all over. Was it possible she understood her grandmother’s gift for matching singles together right in this very moment? Surely this specimen of tall, dark and handsome would make some future bride's heart go pitter-patter.

“You must be Nicholas Bell,” Izzy managed to reply coherently. “Grandma expects such glowing reports about your vegetables at the farmers’ market. Do come in!”

Over the next hour Izzy felt herself being utterly charmed by Nicholas’ sincerity, humor and clear dedication to nurturing growing things, whether crops or relationships. Her pulse leapt a little each time his hand brushed hers while reviewing his questionnaire. By the end when he gently squeezed her shoulder and said he looked forward to receiving his matches, Izzy could scarcely draw breath to bid Nicholas goodbye without betraying her giddiness. This must be what finding “the one” feels like, she mused. Grandma Mae clearly knew what she was doing scheduling Izzy an appointment with Pine Grove’s most eligible farmer first thing on her first official day as matchmaker. Happily lost in daydreams, Izzy danced through the rest of her meet and greets with renewed confidence that afternoon.

Later that week however, Izzy felt her bubble burst when Nicholas showed up not with flowers for her, but a thank you card gushing about his photographer match named Skye. Izzy waved off his ecstatic praise through gritted teeth. After all, successful matchmaking wasn’t about her own romantic notions. She should be content seeing clients delighted...even if her heart felt trodden by a cowboy boot labeled Nicholas. Izzy resolved to stop mooning over unavailable men and focus on bringing other lonely souls together.

.............

In the following months, Izzy discovered she did have the same intangible sense her grandmother possessed for bonding couples over shared passions, dreams and values. Slowly the Population 4,326 sign on the edge of town ticked upward as weddings replaced first dates on Izzy’s calendar. Inside her cozy Cedar Street office, golden afternoon light filtered through Grandma Mae’s delicate lace curtains as Izzy puttered amongst the filing cabinets and potted plants. She could almost feel Grandma smiling down on her proudly from the old photographs on the wall. In the absence of any romantic prospects for herself, Izzy had come to adore this little matchmaking world.

When the door chimes jingled one Friday afternoon, Izzy dusted the last golden crumbs of her oatmeal raisin scone off her fingertips and greeted the newcomer warmly. Her mouth fell open as Nicholas Bell stood before her, even more appealing than she remembered with his shy smile and charmingly rumpled hair falling over one eye. Izzy gulped. She wasn’t prepared for the flood of giddiness seeing her very first client walk back through that door as the sunlight glinted off his handsome face.

“Hello Izzy! I hope you don’t mind me stopping by unannounced.” Nicholas rocked back on his heels, hands shoved boyishly in his pockets. “It’s just, well now that Skye and I didn’t work out, I was hoping to give matchmaking another try. You clearly have inherited your Grandmother’s special touch! All my friends are getting engaged and I find myself wanting more than just my tractor and tomato plants to come home to these days.”

Izzy blushed, silently cursing the maddening somersaults her heart was performing hearing this news. She gestured for Nicholas to take a seat and tried to adopt a professional tone. Surely she could contain the magnet-like pull between them long enough to politely update his profile. But as Nicholas described his ideal partner, Izzy recognized so many of her own dreams and values reflected back. The professional boundary she tried to cling to slipped further away when Nicholas took her hand, gazing hopefully up through those unfairly long eyelashes.

“You really are so special Izzy, I can see why they call you the Matchmaker of Pine Grove now,” he said, giving her hand a little squeeze. “Do you ever match yourself though? I know Skye wasn’t the one for me, but maybe...” his voice trailed off hopefully.

Izzy’s breath caught in her throat. In all the months since she arrived home, she hadn’t let herself get attached to anyone. Her work and her grandmother’s legacy had come first. She looked down at Nicholas’ warm hand covering hers and felt possibilities swirling through the dust motes dancing in the afternoon sunlight. Izzy smiled into his handsome, hopeful face. This time, she knew exactly what Grandma Mae would tell her to do.

“I close the office at 6pm if you’d care to pick me up for dinner,” Izzy heard herself say. “I know just the place to go for a perfect first date.” Nicholas’ answering grin somehow made the entire room shine brighter. As he whistled his way out the door with a little wave, Izzy pressed a hand to her rapidly beating heart. For once, she might get her own taste of happily ever after. Tonight, with a little matchmaking magic in the air, Izzy’s own love story could begin.