Dating by Design Series - Box Set

by Jennifer Peel

  Zander caught Kenadie’s stare. He gave a playful grin to his best friend before focusing back on Cara.

  Cara shrugged her shoulders. “Fine.”

  I braved speaking up. “What about Brayden?” I pointed to the picture of the model looking guy on the connection wall. He had piercing blue eyes, chiseled features, and an ego to match. I’d taken him out on a client date a couple of nights ago, and I was treated to his life and times. I’d never met anyone so in love with himself. Not even Zander had Brayden’s ego.

  All eyes turned to me and then to the picture of Brayden on the beach adoring his biceps.

  “They have a fifty-nine percent compatibility rate,” I added in.

  Zander was the first one to make eye contact with me from two chairs down. “Now that’s what I’m talking about.” He gave me a wink. That small gesture made my heart skip a beat.

  Cara scowled at Zander, but left it alone. It was hard to argue with someone who was always right. I noticed Kenadie breathe a sigh of relief before moving us on to the next match. It was a normal connection meeting at Binary Search.

  All forty matches were made and we were dismissed to send each of our clients the information about their matches. I walked back to my office thinking about what a genius system Kenadie had created. It didn’t give me the answer I wanted as far as Zander and I were concerned, but the success rate was incredible. As far as I knew, only one person had asked for their money back, and that was due to some misunderstanding when Kenadie’s fiancé, Jason, used our services to try and get close to Kenadie. It almost backfired on him. But I thought it was the most romantic thing. I wondered if there was a guy out there who would do that for me.

  I had almost made it to my office when Zander came calling after me. “Meg, hold up.”

  I smiled and turned around. “What’s up?”

  He gave me a once over.

  I was glad I was wearing my favorite jeans, heeled boots, and soft blue turtleneck sweater. I thought the sweater brought out my pale green eyes, which were not even close to as stunning as Zander’s. And I liked the way my butt looked in the jeans, not to mention I needed the heels to add height to my small five-foot-four body. I still had to look up at Zander, even in three-inch heels.

  “I’ve been thinking.” He stepped closer. Close enough I could smell the clean scent of his cologne and his minty breath. I’m sure a guy like him was ready for a romantic encounter at any time. I think he actually mentioned that in his profile.

  I inched closer to him. “And what is your conclusion?” I didn’t have a clue what he was thinking, but I thought my response sounded flirty. Maybe?

  His grin said he liked it. “Well, since Kenz is getting herself hitched and Jason is opposed to her pretending to be my girlfriend anymore, I need someone to look pretty on my arm when I go out, and . . .” He did another scan. “I think you fit the bill.”

  I arched my left eyebrow. “Is that supposed to be a compliment?” I turned from him and walked into my office. I wasn’t sure how to take him. It would be a lie if I didn’t say part of me was jumping up and down inside, but I wasn’t into being someone’s plaything.

  Zander followed me, laughing deeply. “You are definitely the right person. You sounded exactly like Kenz there.”

  I sat on the chair behind my desk and he jumped up and sat on my desk. If ever he came into my office, which wasn’t often, that’s where he sat. He had this air of confidence about him that was attractive in its own right. And his smile kind of did me in.

  “So . . . you want me to pretend to be your girlfriend?”

  He leaned on his arm to draw closer to me. “It’s a pretty good gig. Free dinner and drinks, and the pièce de résistance, my company.”

  “You are full of yourself, aren’t you?”

  “There you go sounding like Kenz again. I knew you were the right woman.”

  “I didn’t agree to this. And why do you need a pretend girlfriend anyway?”

  He sat up, business like. “I need someone to keep away those that are, let’s say . . . less than desirable.”

  I leaned back. “And who are those?”

  “You know, women that . . .”

  My eyes said to think carefully.

  He shook his head. “Are you sure you’re not related to Kenz?”

  I rolled my eyes. “What happened to Brooke?”

  He cleared his throat. “We decided it was better for everyone if we didn’t see each other anymore.”

  That’s not what I’d heard. According to Eva, one of the other personal relationship managers, Brooke gave Zander an ultimatum. She wanted a ring and a date. “I’m sorry.” I wasn’t. I may have done a little private dance when I heard about it last month.

  He shrugged it off. “C’est la vie. I’ll pick you up at six.” He hopped off my desk and headed for the door.

  “I didn’t say yes.”

  “You didn’t say no, darlin’. Email me your number and address.”

  I was so stunned, I didn’t respond to him. Instead I pulled up his profile and went over it again. It was the same as it had been the last time I looked. He was the ultimate playboy. He didn’t want to settle down, having kids was questionable, he hated country music and pets. I thought of my cat, Jasper, and my Spotify account filled with country music. He only went to church when Kenadie’s mom made him, and he preferred older women that made as much or more money than him. I was five years his junior. Why did I like him?

  I thought about all the instances I had seen him with Kenadie. He watched out for her, and in the end, cared enough about her to step aside. And he always made everyone laugh, and it wasn’t over crude things like you might think. He had intelligence and wit. He was capable and he had his own charm. I looked at his profile picture and his grin that said, “I dare you.” What did I have to lose, except my heart?

  Before I could email Zander, Kenadie appeared at my door. Love looked good on her. I always thought she was gorgeous, but she carried herself in a whole new way now. Her uptight nature had been dialed back, replaced with a zest for life. No longer was she the first one in and the last one to leave the office every day. But I guess if I had a man like Jason Hadley waiting for me, I would rush home, too.

  “What can I do for you, Kenadie?”

  She bit her lip and thought for a moment. “Zander informed me that he’s still the butthead that I love.”

  I laughed.

  She gave me a small smile. “I’m not going to tell you what to do. But I will say, remember this has nothing to do with work, so you can’t hold me liable for anything that you do on your free time. I just want you to be careful.”

  “Careful?”

  “Zander can be . . . intoxicating. He knows women, and with that, he wields a lot of power.”

  My eyes widened.

  “He’s a good guy. One of the best, even if he doesn’t know it. But I don’t want you to fall victim to his charm. You’re too sweet, and the best employee I have. Don’t tell anyone I said that.”

  There I went with the hair-tucking thing again. “Thank you. And don’t worry about me. I’m not even sure if I’ll go. Even if I do, I know for him it’s all just for fun.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “Perfect. I’m going to head out early. I have water aerobics with my momma and her friends tonight.”

  “That sounds like fun.”

  “You think so? How would you like it if a group of old biddies pinched your butt all night and tried to explain the birds and the bees while telling you exactly when and how many children you should have?”

  I laughed at her. “So, maybe not so fun.”

  “I do love them and I get ice cream out of the deal. Not that I can eat a ton. I have to fit into my wedding dress. Have a good weekend, Meg.”

  “You too. And thanks.”

  I took another look at Zander’s profile picture. Now he was double dog daring me, like my brothers Colton and Lincoln would say. They wouldn’t like Zander. He was too citified for
them. But Dad sent me here to make sure I didn’t have to live the life of a rancher’s daughter. Or worse—to him—the life of a rancher’s wife. Not like I was looking to get married anytime soon. I knew Zander wasn’t a candidate. But it had been a while since I’d gone out. And really, what could it hurt to pretend to be Zander’s girlfriend for the night?

  With that thought, I had an idea. I emailed Zander.

  If I’m going to pretend to be your girlfriend, don’t you think we should get to know each other better?

  Chapter Two

  Zander agreed with me, so he was taking me to his favorite barbecue place. That worked, since I got home later than normal and didn’t have time to glam up for anything more than a casual dinner. I still wasn’t used to the traffic. Back home, I could drive for miles without seeing a soul, unless you counted cattle, bison, and antelope.

  I hurried upstairs to my tiny one-bedroom apartment that I had moved into a couple of years ago. It was the first time I had ever lived alone. When I came out to Georgia to attend school, I stayed with my mom’s sister, Aunt Beth. She was like a second mother to me, but I had known it was time for me to be on my own. She was lucky enough to have found love later in her life with Fredrick Tremont. They were the cutest couple over fifty, ever.

  When I flipped on the lights in the living room, I smiled to myself. It wasn’t a fancy place by any means, but it was perfect for me. Beth was kind enough to supply me with some hand-me-down furniture. A loveseat for two with a wicker coffee table. My favorite was the round wooden table, painted in pale yellow with four chairs to match. The only thing I had bought myself was the small flat-screen that hung on the wall opposite the loveseat. Normally, I would have been getting ready for a Netflix binge on Friday night, but I liked these plans much better. Even though I wasn’t quite sure what I was doing.

  Jasper, my calico munchkin cat, rubbed against my leg before I could head to the bathroom to freshen up. I bent down and scratched his head. “I don’t know why cats get a bad rap. You are as affectionate as any dog my family has ever owned.” Jasper purred at the attention. I gave him one more good scratch.

  I walked into the one and only bathroom in the apartment. I took a good look in the mirror and decided I should touch up my makeup. I plugged in my straightener as well, to undo some of the effects the humidity had on my short hair. I kept checking the time on my phone, counting down the minutes until Zander would arrive. I was dabbing on some light pink lipstick when I received a text from Zander.

  I’m here. I’ll wait for you in the car.

  That wasn’t going to do. As your possible pretend girlfriend, I insist on any fake or real boyfriends coming to my door. I wasn’t sure how he would take that. I knew right then I could be blowing my chance to ever get to know him outside the office, but my dad said any man worth his lick would come to the door.

  I got a text right back from him. Are you sure you aren’t related to Kenz? I’m coming.

  I smiled to myself. I smoothed my hair with my hand one more time and hustled to the door, waiting for what was probably a bad idea. But I thought if I got to know him better, I would really come to see the system was right—we were statistically improbable, no matter how attractive he was.

  But then I opened my door to find that he had changed into clothes more appropriate for working out and wore his baseball cap backwards; it kind of did me in. I didn’t know why I found that so attractive, but I was a sucker for a man who wore his hat like that. Not to mention the tight, long-sleeved t-shirt that showed he had a muscled chest.

  “Darlin’.” He grinned.

  I knew the darlin’ meant nothing—he called every woman that. “Hi.”

  He peeked his head in my apartment. “Cozy.” He eyed Jasper, perched on the back of my couch. “A cat?”

  “You don’t like cats?” I had to pretend I didn’t know since I was sure he wouldn’t be happy to find out I had pulled up his profile at work.

  “What’s there to like?”

  “Besides their adorableness?”

  His brow crinkled. “I’m adorable. Cats are evil creatures that do nothing besides leave cat hair all over your clothes.” He looked over my sweater and jeans.

  I always made sure I never left the house with any kind of pet hair on me. “I guess that’s our cue to go.”

  “You’re not going to try and convince me otherwise?”

  I nudged him out of the way so I could close my door and lock it. “Why should I?”

  His eyes narrowed. “Every woman I’ve known who’s loved her pet always had a laundry list on the tip of her tongue to throw at me when I informed her of my dislike for the filthy things. Even Kenadie.”

  I shrugged and locked my deadbolt. “I guess Kenadie and I don’t have everything in common. Pets are a personal choice.”

  “Huh.” He sounded skeptical. He clapped his hands together. “Are you ready to have the best barbecue you’ve ever had?”

  “Maybe second best.” I grinned.

  “Second best?”

  “I grew up on a cattle ranch. I know barbecue. My dad has a wall full of blue ribbons for his beef brisket.”

  “Well, cowgirl, I’m going to show you how we do barbecue in the South. And you may change your tune.”

  “I doubt it, city slicker.”

  He laughed. “You’re a little feistier than I thought you would be.”

  “Does that disappoint you?”

  “On the contrary. I dig it.”

  He showed me to his new black sports car. It even gleamed at night. He had gone on and on about it in the office last month when he’d bought it. He headed straight for the driver’s side.

  “The rumor about southern gentleman isn’t true?” I stood at the passenger door, wrapping my arms around my chilled self in the late October air.

  He tilted his head from across the car. “Do you want me to warm you up or open your door?”

  “Opening my door would accomplish both.”

  He shook his head as he walked over. “Feisty and high maintenance.”

  “Now what kind of girlfriend would I be if I didn’t expect the best from you?”

  “The pretend kind.”

  “I pretend really well.”

  He entered my space and leaned in. “Is that so, darlin’?”

  I breathed in his fresh laundered scent and minty breath. “You’ll see.”

  His eyes widened before he opened my door.

  I took my seat in the pristine vehicle. It still looked and smelled like he had just driven it off the lot. I didn’t know if I had ever been in such a fancy car before. It had more buttons and shiny screens in it than I figured were necessary. But what did I know? I drove an old 4X4 Toyota truck that had been passed down from my older brother.

  He joined me on the driver’s side.

  “Nice car.” I continued to look around it.

  “Nice? You better think of a new adjective.” He turned on the car and it purred almost as well as Jasper.

  “My brothers would call it a sissy car.”

  “What?” He stepped on the gas and zipped between the cars on the road.

  I was sure he was going well over the speed limit.

  And for some reason, every time he accelerated or wove in and out of traffic, he would look my way. “Does this bother you?”

  I sat back, relaxed. “Like I said, I grew up with brothers on a ranch. It takes a lot more than that to scare me.”

  He eased off the accelerator. Disappointment washed over his features.

  “Why did you slow down?”

  “It’s no fun if it doesn’t bother you. Kenadie would be gripping the door by now, screaming at me to take it easy.”

  “I guess her brothers never drag raced with her down Main Street or played chicken with their trucks out in the hay fields.” I thought of Colton and Lincoln. The Dawson brothers, as they were known. Trouble makers with hearts of gold. At least when it came to their sister, and now Colton’s bride, Savannah.
r />   “Where did you grow up?”

  “In a small town in Star Valley, Wyoming.”

  “People actually live in Wyoming?”

  “Maybe not as many people as antelope, but yes.”

  He chuckled some. “What brought you here?”

  “School.” I gave him the easy answer.

  “Where did you graduate?”

  I stared out my window. “Um. I have one semester left.” I’d had to drop out full-time a few years ago when things at the ranch took a downturn. I’d been taking a class here and there trying to finish my exercise and wellness degree.

  “How old are you?”

  “Twenty-six.”

  He did a double take. “I didn’t realize you were that young.” He obviously didn’t look at my profile at work. I was only five years younger than him, but he did have an affinity for older women.

  “Is that a problem?”

  He thought about it for a second. “Young hot babe on my arm? It could work.”

  He thought I was a babe? Most guys called me cute. “I still don’t understand why you need a fake girlfriend.”

  “Because, darlin’, I’m particular about the kind of women I want approaching me.”

  “So you want a deterrent?”

  “I want the ability to choose.”

  “But if a woman thinks you have a girlfriend and you ask her out, doesn’t that turn her off?”

  “You don’t know women very well, do you?”

  “Apparently not the skanky men-stealing ones.”

  He busted out laughing. “You and Kenz have to be related.”

  “We both don’t like tramps?”

  He reached over and smoothed my hair like I had seen him do a hundred times to Kenadie. I had to force myself not to shiver from the touch.

  “I don’t date tramps. The right woman will know that what’s between you and me isn’t real.”

  “I still don’t remember agreeing.”

  “I’m not worried, darlin’.”

  I shook my head, sat back, and enjoyed the ride. What was it about this man?

  Chapter Three