Chapter 158: A Matchmaker's Scheme

Chapter 158: A Matchmaker's Scheme

Aunt Helena was quiet for a moment before I heard the unmistakable sound of porcelain clinking against a saucer. I imagined her settling comfortably into her favorite armchair, tea in hand, already several steps ahead of me. "Well," she said matter-of-factly, "there is a very simple solution." I frowned. "...There is?" "Of course." She sounded almost offended that I hadn't seen it myself. "Don't tell Elliot." I blinked once. Then twice. "...Excuse me?" "Don't tell him," she repeated as though suggesting I buy milk on the way home. "Go to Scotland, enjoy yourself, come back, and tell him afterward if you really feel it's necessary." I stared at the wall in complete disbelief. "Aunt Helena." "Yes, darling?" "You're the last person I expected to suggest keeping secrets." "I'm not suggesting secrets." She paused thoughtfully. "I'm suggesting... selective timing." I let out a dramatic sigh. "That sounds suspiciously like the sophisticated version of keeping secrets." "It does have a nicer ring to it, doesn't it?"
I shook my head so vigorously my ponytail nearly smacked me in the face. "No. Absolutely not." "Why not?" she asked. "Because I can't just disappear!" I exclaimed. "People will notice." "Will they?" "Yes!" I sat upright on the sofa, waving my free hand through the air. "I have a job, Aunt Helena." "I'm aware." "Editors can't simply vanish into another country without explanation." "You could request leave." "I could." "Then request leave." "But everyone will ask why." "Tell them you're taking a vacation." "Elliot will never believe that." She chuckled knowingly. "He is rather... persistent." "Persistent?" I echoed. "The man notices when I change my brand of coffee. If I suddenly request several days off, he'll immediately assume something is wrong." I rubbed my forehead. "He'll interrogate me before Human Resources even approves the paperwork."
Aunt Helena laughed so warmly that I couldn't help smiling despite myself. "He does care about you." "I know," I admitted quietly. "That's what makes this so difficult." I let out a slow breath and leaned back against the cushions. "If I lie to him, I'll feel guilty. If I tell him the truth..." I groaned dramatically. "...he'll probably barricade me inside the office with stacks of manuscripts until Grayson's plane has already landed in Scotland." Aunt Helena laughed harder this time. "Would he really go that far?" I gave her a flat look despite the fact she couldn't see me. "He once tried to convince me not to attend Grayson's birthday because he was certain I'd end up emotionally compromised." "Emotionally compromised?" she repeated between amused laughs. "His exact words." "Well..." she said thoughtfully. "...he does have quite the imagination." "That's one way of describing it."
"The point is," I continued, "Elliot isn't just a coworker." My voice softened. "He's my friend." I glanced toward the notebook still lying open on the coffee table, the words PROS and CONS staring back at me. "Friends don't simply disappear without telling each other where they're going." I paused. "Especially not across an ocean." Aunt Helena didn't interrupt. She simply listened, as she always did when I stopped joking. "He's going to worry," I admitted quietly. "If I don't answer my phone for a few hours because of the time difference, he'll think something terrible has happened. If I suddenly tell him after I get back..." I sighed. "...he'll be hurt that I didn't trust him enough to tell him beforehand." The words lingered between us, and for the first time that evening, the conversation felt less like discussing a trip and more like untangling the complicated web of people I cared about.
"I see," Aunt Helena said gently after a thoughtful pause. "So this isn't really about Scotland anymore." I frowned. "...It isn't?" "No." Her voice carried the quiet certainty that always made me stop and think. "You're trying to balance two things that matter to you. A wonderful opportunity... and the people you don't want to disappoint." I looked down at my hands, realizing she was right. Somewhere along the way, the problem had become much bigger than an invitation. It was about work. Friendship. Responsibility. Fear. And somewhere in the middle of all that... Grayson. "You have such an annoying habit of making everything sound simple," I muttered. Aunt Helena laughed softly. "Oh, sweetheart. I didn't say it was simple." She paused before adding with a smile in her voice, "I merely said I understood what the real problem was."

For several thoughtful seconds, Aunt Helena didn't say another word. I could hear the faint clink of her teaspoon against her teacup as she hummed quietly to herself. I'd heard that hum countless times over the years. It usually meant one of two things. Either she'd just matched another happy couple through her matchmaking agency... or she'd come up with an idea that was about to change someone's life. Considering our current conversation, I wasn't entirely sure which category this one belonged to. Then, without warning, she gasped softly. "Oh!" she exclaimed. "I have an idea." I frowned immediately. "...Why do I suddenly feel nervous?" "Because," she replied with unmistakable satisfaction, "it's a brilliant idea." I buried my face in my free hand. "Those are usually the dangerous ones." "Nonsense." I could practically hear her smiling. "This one is elegant." "You described your last idea as elegant." "It was." "You introduced two strangers at a supermarket because they reached for the same loaf of bread." "They're married now." I sighed dramatically. "...You've made your point."
"Tell me," I said cautiously, already preparing myself for whatever impossible scheme she'd invented. "How exactly do you plan to solve my Elliot problem?" Aunt Helena's laugh danced through the speaker. "Very easily." "I'm listening." "Leave Elliot to me." I blinked. "...What?" "I'll handle him." I sat upright so quickly that I nearly dropped my phone for the second time that evening. "You'll... handle Elliot?" "Mm-hm." "Aunt Helena," I said carefully, "I'm not entirely convinced anyone can handle Elliot." "Darling," she replied with quiet confidence, "I've successfully persuaded stubborn millionaires to trust complete strangers with their hearts. I once convinced a bride to forgive a groom who accidentally fainted during his own proposal. Compared to that..." She chuckled. "...your dear Elliot is hardly impossible." I couldn't help laughing. "You're terrifyingly confident." "Experience tends to have that effect."
"...All right," I admitted. "Suppose, purely hypothetically, that I allow you to 'handle' Elliot." I even made air quotes despite the fact she couldn't see them. "How?" There was a brief pause filled with unmistakable excitement. "Simple." She sounded entirely pleased with herself. "You tell your boss that I'm sending you to Scotland on business." I frowned. "Business?" "Of course." "What business?" "Mine." I blinked. "Yours?" "Darling." Her tone turned delightfully dramatic. "I own a successful matchmaking agency." I waited. "One of my most prestigious international clients is planning a wedding in Scotland." Another pause. "...Well, they will be once I decide they are." I laughed so suddenly that I nearly choked. "Aunt Helena!" "Hear me out." "I'm trying!" "You tell your boss that I've asked for your help because I need someone I trust to assist with the wedding arrangements. You've always had wonderful organizational skills. It's perfectly believable."
I leaned back against the sofa, my laughter slowly fading as I actually considered it. "...Wait." I frowned thoughtfully. "That... isn't completely ridiculous." "Exactly." Aunt Helena sounded positively triumphant. "Your publisher knows I run a matchmaking and wedding planning business. Helping organize a destination wedding overseas isn't unusual." I tilted my head. "And Elliot?" "The same explanation." "You think he'll believe it?" "Why wouldn't he?" she replied. "As far as he's concerned, you'll be helping your aunt prepare an international wedding. That's a respectable family obligation." I bit my lower lip thoughtfully. "He'll definitely ask questions." "Let him." "Lots of questions." "I'll answer them if necessary." I stared at the ceiling, mentally imagining Elliot's expression. 'You're going to Scotland... to help your aunt with a wedding?' Honestly... it sounded surprisingly reasonable. Much more reasonable than 'I'm accompanying Grayson Hale on his promotional tour because he invited me.'
"But..." I said slowly, another concern surfacing. "What if Elliot somehow discovers Grayson is also in Scotland?" Aunt Helena laughed knowingly. "Sweetheart, Scotland isn't exactly a tiny village where everyone bumps into one another at the local bakery." "True." "Besides," she continued, "you won't be lying about helping me. If you come, you'll genuinely assist me with wedding arrangements whenever you're free. Consider it repayment for my excellent advice." I smiled despite myself. "You're turning this into unpaid labor?" "Absolutely." "You're unbelievable." "Successful businesswomen usually are." I shook my head, laughing again. Somehow she'd managed to transform my impossible dilemma into something that almost resembled an actual plan. It wasn't perfect... but for the first time since Grayson had mentioned Scotland, I could almost picture the trip happening without the world collapsing around me.
Aunt Helena's voice softened. "Think about it tonight. You don't have to decide immediately." I glanced toward the Scotland itinerary still resting on my coffee table, then back at the notebook filled with pros and cons. Somehow, the PROS column had just grown considerably longer. "If you choose to go," Aunt Helena said warmly, "I'll take care of everything else. I'll speak to your boss if needed, and if Elliot has questions, I'll happily explain that his favorite editor has been temporarily borrowed by her aunt for an important wedding in Scotland." I laughed, warmth spreading through my chest. "You'd really do all that for me?" "Darling," she replied without hesitation, "that's what family does." I smiled to myself, feeling lighter than I had all evening. "...You know," I admitted, "this might actually work." Aunt Helena chuckled knowingly. "Of course it will." Then, with unmistakable satisfaction, she added, "Now all that's left... is convincing you to say yes to a certain bestselling author."