Hearts on the Line: the elusive pursuit of love in the city of angels

Now in her second installment, Marla is still firing Cupid darts at work, a plush dating service she calls the “Double D”—which doesn’t stand for dream date. She and her husband Adolfo work hard to achieve their goal of leaving their small apartment behind and buying a home, but with a boss who requires Marla to cross ethical lines, a tiny spark is all it takes, and Marla goes from being vice-president of a multi-city enterprise to unemployment. Adolfo’s passion switches to anger and then resentment, Marla’s celebrity hob-knobbing, shopping in boutiques, and pricey Botox habit all skid to a dead stop. Bills pile up. Determined, Marla turns to Craig’s list, connecting with a series of flaky employers, and if the 99 Cent Store doesn’t carry it, she doesn’t buy it. Broke and depressed, however, she rarely finds time to write. When a former client calls and asks if she’d work with him as a matchmaker privately, she shifts into a whole new level. Amazing things start happening. Not only does she help people find soul mates instead of trophies and sugar-daddies, she finds the emotional space to heal personal traumas in the past, ranging from the bullying she endured in her youth, a near rape, a disastrous previous marriage, and her father’s death—an unusual experience involving the ocean’s kiss. Marla writes as never before. Adolfo is proud of her, but Marla still holds grudges as they search for a new home. She decides to rekindle the flame in her marriage and thinks she knows just the person to help: Chantal, a former client who owns a spa specializing in Brazilian hot waxes. This proves to be a hilarious blend of torture, comedy, and high hopes—a bit like life itself. Along with her clients, Marla’s heart is on the line as she discovers the powerful ways in which dreams are real.