# Chapter 11: The Matchmaker and the Divorce Lawyer
Hello, dear readers and listeners! Welcome back to *Searching For Someday*. I’m so glad you’re here with me for another chapter, because Chapter 11 is one of those quiet, revealing turns that digs under the skin of both Slade and Kate. On the surface, not much “happens” — a phone call, a homecoming, a dog, a knock at the door. But underneath? Everything is shifting. Let’s walk through it together.
We open inside Slade’s head, and what a conflicted place it is. He’s thinking about Kate — the fierce, independent matchmaker with the chilly “back off” demeanor and the kind of body that makes his own respond before his brain can object. He tells himself he is *not interested*. Getting involved with the owner of a matchmaking service would be pure doom and stupidity. But the cackling voice in his mind mocks him, and he figures he’ll drown it in alcohol and salt. Just another Friday night.
Then his phone beeps. It’s Jane, his younger sister. Slade’s overprotective instincts kick in immediately. He asks if she’s okay, and Jane’s deep sigh carries an irritation he’s never heard from her before. She teases him with “Mom,” but the humor barely covers the tension. Jane reminds him that she moved out, quit her job, and signed up with Kinnections all within a month. She loves her new job. She’s excited about the matchmaking agency. The women there are nice and approachable.
Of course, Kate’s image flashes in Slade’s mind. *More like sexy and frustrating.*
Slade tries to argue statistically: matchmakers offer empty illusions, most arranged marriages end in divorce within three to five years. Big mistake. Jane’s tone rises. She tells him enough with the statistics — just because his marriage didn’t work out and his clients get divorced doesn’t mean she has to pay by being lonely.
That lands hard. Slade wrestles back the pain. Yes, he failed his marriage. But Jane doesn’t understand. He’s spent years protecting her from crappy men who take advantage of her sweetness and fragile ego. He’s even paid off the last guy to walk away. He doesn’t want her lonely. He just doesn’t want her hurt.
Jane softens, apologizes for the rotten thing she said, but stands her ground. She doesn’t want a chaperone. If she gets hurt, it will be on her terms. She won’t hurt herself again. Slade flashes back to that night — the hospital room, the promise he made to himself that he wouldn’t let her down again. He tells her he’s proud of her. Then he drops the bomb: he was so intrigued by Kinnections that he actually paid them a visit and signed up himself.
Silence. Jane can’t believe it. Why would he sign up with a matchmaking agency? He doesn’t want to settle down! Slade claims maybe he does — maybe he’s looking for a companion. Hey, they can double date. Jane laughs, strangled, and calls him screwed-up. She warns him the screening is intense. Are you getting a makeover? Hell no, Slade thinks. Absolutely not.
He asks about her first date. Jane says soon — Kennedy is taking her to the salon this weekend, and she’s browsing guys online to get an idea of her taste. The meat-market atmosphere gives Slade chills, but he asks her to keep him in the loop. He’s nervous, and knowing what she’s going through will help. Jane’s voice turns suspicious. “Kate will take good care of you.”
An image of Kate on her knees, unzipping his pants, flashes before him. Sweat prickles his skin. What is wrong with him? He manages a “Maybe.” Jane asks when his first date is. He has a mixer next Friday night. He drains his beer and invites her. She thinks he’s crazy — it’s the first time he’s meeting these women. But he pushes: she can see how Kinnections works, give her opinion, and he never sees her anymore. Besides, Verily is out of his element. So many weird pottery shops. How many pots can one person own?
Jane snorts, the familiar sound from childhood. “Nothing’s out of your element, Slade. That’s your problem.” She can’t come — she’s buried in research for her new article. They settle on lunch this weekend at Mugs instead. Saturday at one. They say goodbye.
Slade leans back, satisfied. He’s in the perfect position now. Jane won’t be suspicious, and he can watch her and monitor Kinnections. He half-watches Milton’s speech about moving his desk, squirrels, and his precious red stapler, but his mind keeps circling Kate. What made a woman decide to start a matchmaking business on her own? Was she just savvy? Or did it run deeper? Her probing questions stirred a nest of emotions he has no interest in exploring.
He thinks about her confession: *No man has ever wanted me enough to propose.* Her raw honesty touched something deep inside him — a part that ached to soothe the hurt and prove her wrong. But a matchmaker and a divorce lawyer? That’s got success written all over it. His lips twist into a smile. Probably the universe punishing him for his sudden craving to seduce her. He knows why he became a divorce lawyer: to guide people through the heartbreak and messiness of America’s favorite pastime — screwing the ones they loved. He helps a few people and makes a ton of money. Sure, he isn’t respected, and when he tells people his career, they look as if they’ve stepped in gum. But who cares? No way is he messing up everything by chasing after a love do-gooder.
He is happy. Life is perfect.
Then we shift to Kate, and the emotional temperature changes completely. “ROBERT, I’M HOME!” The scramble of feet fills her with quiet joy. Her roommate, companion, and best friend appears around the corner and heads straight for her. Kate drops to her knees. Robert’s nonworking back legs don’t slow him down as he scoots over the floor and stops right before her. She touches her forehead to his smooth fur. He gives her a gentle lick — the only sign of deep affection her dignified dog allows himself.
She checks his bladder. Almost full. Another hour and the poor thing would’ve had a problem. She apologizes for being late, hooks him up to his scooter with expert ease, and leads him outside. The frosty air makes her shiver, but Robert twitches his nose, takes a deep doggy breath, and runs. She laughs at his outright joy and freedom, the wheels spinning as he races over the lawn to his favorite tree and does laps around the gnarled trunk. A deep peace settles over her. Her bungalow is small, her yard less than half an acre, but she has created a home and a family she loves on her own terms.
Then we get Robert’s backstory, and it is heartbreaking. When Kate first met him, he’d been run over by a car and left lifeless at the side of the road — a mangled pit bull no shelter would take, no owner would want. The vet advised putting him to sleep. Surgery was possible but expensive. Better to let him go in a cold world that had no time for imperfect humans, let alone dogs.
Kate agreed and went in to say goodbye, to at least let him slip away with a friend beside him. But when she laid her hand on his head, he swiveled to look at her. Brown eyes full of regret. Maybe for the life he had. Maybe for the life he always dreamed of but didn’t get. Human eyes — wise, accepting, still full of kindness, even though his owner had decided he was worthless and disposable. *I’m better than this fate. I’m worth something more.* The voice expressed from his eyes hit her hard. Kate knew in that moment he was her dog. Meant for her. A low hum of energy tingled her palm, as if she had met part of herself. She turned to the vet and said, “Save him. I don’t care how much it costs or how you do it. I love him.” The vet’s startled gaze changed to compassion and determination. “Then I will.”
It was a turning point for them both. Even though they were damaged, they were worth loving. Kate remembers crying herself to sleep, thinking of herself as a freak no one could love because she couldn’t speak like everyone else. The torturous school years — ashamed to read aloud, to say hello, teased mercilessly, bullied nonstop. But she rose above it. Just like Robert. The rest of the world could go to hell.
It took weeks of healing, medical bills, and a charity that donated the scooter so Robert could learn to walk again without his back legs. Kate learned to empty his bladder, took him to physical therapy, learned new skills for his full life, and hired someone to come in while she worked. She has regrets in her twenty-six years. She’s never traveled. She’s hung her head in shame for things that weren’t her fault. But never Robert. He is the only decision that made her proud.
Robert finishes his run, and she undoes the cart, kissing his head. She admits she’s exhausted, that she snuck out on the crew and doesn’t even care — Kennedy will be so pissed. Robert’s deep brown eyes gleam with understanding. She suggests the dog park this Saturday so he can meet Arilyn’s new rescue. She thinks he’ll like him. He’s got a long road to travel, like Robert did, but seeing Robert might inspire him to heal. Robert cocks his head and nods.
She heads to the small galley kitchen painted red. “Meaty bone or chewy bacon strip?” He barks twice. “Bacon it is.” He politely tugs the strip from her fingers and wheels off to his orthopedic mat to treasure the treat. Kate heads toward her pajama drawer — and then a knock stops her. She peeks through the window, flings open the door, and sees her best friend. “You missed Mugs.”
And on that cliffhanger, the chapter leaves us hanging.
**Reader’s Impressions & Star Rating**
This chapter is a beautiful, quiet storm. I love how it contrasts Slade’s cynical armor with Kate’s tender, wounded heart. Slade’s phone call with Jane reveals so much — his guilt, his fear of loss, his need to control, and the way he lies to himself about being “happy” and “perfect.” He signs up for Kinnections under the guise of protecting Jane, but we all know Kate is the real earthquake shaking his foundation. And then Kate’s scenes with Robert? Absolutely devastating in the best way. Robert’s rescue mirrors Kate’s own belief that damaged things are still worthy of love. The ending line, “You missed Mugs,” lands like a door opening to trouble, gossip, or maybe a much-needed intervention.
I’m giving this chapter ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ **Rating: 4.8 / 5 Stars**. It’s not the flashiest chapter, but it’s emotionally rich, and it sets up so much delicious tension.
**Next Chapter Prediction**
That knock at the door is definitely going to drag Kate into a conversation she’s been avoiding. Her best friend — likely Kennedy or Arilyn — will probably bring news from Mugs, maybe about Jane, Slade, or the Kinnections mixer. I predict Kate will be forced to confront her growing attraction to Slade, especially once she learns he’s officially a client. There may be a heated debate about ethics, chemistry, and the impossibility of a matchmaker falling for a divorce lawyer. And knowing Slade, he’ll show up at the mixer ready to prove he’s not interested — while proving the exact opposite with every glance.
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