They settled down with cups of coffee as Marissa said cheerily, “What can I help you with, Andrea?”

After brushing back neatly trimmed shoulder-length black hair, Andrea looked down at her paperwork. “I’m in the process of working with a nutritionist and I’ve just joined a gym. So I don’t know if I should fill out the paperwork as I am now or who I’m going to be in six months.”

Wanting to ask what kinds of nutrition and fitness plans Andrea had, Marissa nevertheless made herself stick to business. “You should fill out the questionnaire for exactly who you are now. You can do revisions, and in some cases, those changes will add to our profile and direct you toward slightly different matches. For example, if you lose weight our analysis would be more favorable toward a compatible someone who was also losing weight. A lifestyle focused on exercise and nutrition becomes a common bond and points toward compatibility over food, holidays and leisure time activities. We’re always looking for those ninety-eights and sevens.”

“I think I see. I just—I had a couple of years that were really stressful and I let myself go. So I’m getting back into shape now. And let’s face it, I’m overweight. I don’t want to be matched up to a guy because he’s overweight too.”

“The matching up process is far more complicated than that, I assure you.” Yeah, she thought cynically to herself, it’ll take into account that you are more concerned with how a potential mate looks than how he thinks or acts. Marissa, she scolded herself, judging a client’s personality and preferences was a big no-no. She was just being bitchy because Andrea had perhaps a total of ten pounds to lose. She’d give a lot to be Andrea’s version of “overweight.”

She assuaged the rest of Andrea’s worries and the woman left, saying she’d finish the questionnaire and submit it online.

Isn’t it the truth, Marissa thought on the way back to her office, that everybody wants someone attractive as a mate? The segment of the questionnaire about personal attributes that the client found attractive was at the end, but whenever she asked a client what they were looking for in a mate, they invariably started with appearance.

Linda made me laugh and thought I could do impossible things, Marissa considered. That’s what I want in a mate—that and general female physical components. They don’t have to be sculpted or bodacious.

She had been attracted to Linda because of the confidence, the poise and the sense of humor. That she was also gorgeous had registered after those other impressions.

It was only one side of the coin, too, knowing what she wanted in a mate. She had to know what she wanted to give and how her ultimate dream partner would react to her. I want to make her laugh as much as she does me, and help her believe in herself too.

She had to ask herself what results she would get if she filled out the FK questionnaire for real. Not a test case, but as a real applicant, looking for real matches. Would she be honest? Or would she complete it as the woman she wished she was, not the woman she really was?