“Maybe it was my matchmaking that got the job done.”

“We make good partners,” Ruta said, patting his hand. “Maybe after I close my shop, we can go into business together. There are plenty of single people in New York looking for spouses.”

“I don’t know. I have a fiancée now to think about. Do you think we could make any money at it?”

“You know, it was all my work that got you and Iris together. And you haven’t even thanked me.”

“How is it your work?”

“Remember that key chain I gave you for Christmas last year?” Ruta asked.

Mario reached into his pocket and pulled it out. Ruta held up the charm and Mario gasped. He’d seen the very same charm dangling from Sabina’s neck. “You gave me a love charm?”

“What harm could it do? Now look at yourself. You have a lovely fiancée and beautiful life ahead of you. You should thank me.”

Mario chuckled, then gave Ruta a hug. “Thank you,” he said.

Ruta blushed, then waved him off. “Go. Dance with your beautiful Iris. And remember, it isn’t how we come to love, it is that we recognize it when we find it.”

Vicki Lewis Thompson


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Julie Elizabeth Leto


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Kate Hoffmann