The Matchmaker's Fake Marriage (Sweet Fake Marriage Romance Book 4)

by Bree Livingston

  “I got a call from her assistant today. Her schedule opened up, and she’ll be flying in for it.”

  Great. That was the last thing he needed. “She’s not trying to stay the week, is she? Because the bungalows are booked solid, and the rooms in the main house aren’t exactly the same atmosphere if we are trying to get a good review.”

  “No, she’s just coming in for the night and taking a tour, and then she has some other engagement in Honolulu. Are you cool with her doing a piece on the resort?”

  Gus raked his hand through his hair. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’ll just avoid her. I don’t want to be dealing with her nagging me about being a bachelor.”

  “She’s a journalist for a romance magazine, and you’re a single twenty-eight-year-old self-made billionaire. Of course she’s going to want to know about your relationship status and why you aren’t using your own service. And maybe she’s interested for personal reasons.” He laughed.

  “Stop. She doesn’t know anything about me. I like being a bachelor. Why is that so hard to understand? I’m free to do what I want. Plus, I did use the service, remember?” What a disaster. He’d used his real name, and women had changed their profiles to match his. There were hundreds who matched him, and maybe even a handful that truly matched—if he’d actually been interested.

  Ty laughed. “I’m sorry, man. I just wanted you to find someone and be happy. When I suggested you put your profile up, never in a million years did I think anyone would try to manipulate the system.”

  “Yeah, well, I didn’t either, but at least I was able to fix it before it happened to someone else.”

  “And that torch you’re carrying for Peyton has nothing to do with it?”

  Tyrone had met Peyton when they’d first become partners, and he knew instantly how Gus felt about her. Since then, Ty had been needling Gus to tell her how he felt. But he didn’t get it. He hadn’t seen the shocked look on her face when Gus kissed her. Ty hadn’t heard how she said “brother” to her friend Leslie. It had almost seemed as though she was disgusted by the idea that they could be more than friends. No, Gus was better off accepting reality.

  “I’ve told you. She thinks of me as a friend. That hasn’t changed.”

  Ty grunted. “Man, you kissed her out of the blue in the middle of your yard in the beginning of tenth grade. Of course the girl was going to be shocked.”

  “Sure, I understand shocked, but it doesn’t change what she said to her friend. She thinks of me as a brother.”

  “That was years ago. You’re both different.”

  “She’s engaged, Ty. For the third time. What more of a statement do you need?”

  “Because she doesn’t know you’re interested.”

  Gus dropped his head back against the seat. “Seriously, can you just let this go?”

  Ty exhaled sharply. “Fine, but you’re an idiot.”

  “Can we change the subject?”

  “All right. How’s this for a change of subject? Have you looked at the website? People are already trying to find out when the next event will be held.”

  “Yeah, this is a hit. People like the idea of being able to meet somewhere safe and neutral. I knew it’d pay off.”

  “Having the resort in Hawaii was brilliant. Still tropical and beautiful but affordable too. It gives normal everyday people a chance.”

  Gus nodded. “Buying it cheap helped too.”

  That’s why he’d picked the place. Eddie, his real estate agent, flippantly showed it to him for an investment property, thinking Gus would laugh it off. Instead, it had given Gus his best idea yet. To take his matchmaking app to a new level. He’d even made sure all the participants were crossmatched so that everyone there was compatible. It was going to be amazing.

  The place had been in such disrepair that Gus almost changed his mind when he saw it in person, but after he and Ty discussed it, they went for it. They took the rundown resort and turned it into a beautiful spot. Once their contractors and designers were finished with it, it was more than Gus could have imagined.

  “Keeping the costs down was the smartest thing we did. I mean, I know we’re making money at this, but I also feel like we’re really helping people.” Gus had wanted regular people who were lonely to be able to afford it. People such as his mom, who had spent much of her life alone and sad after his dad left her.

  A lump formed in his throat. She’d been gone two years, and thinking about her still choked him up. They’d been a team from the moment his dad left. When his mom found a seamstress job in Juneau, they’d moved from South Dakota. The job almost didn’t work out, but then she was offered a promotion, sparing them another move that would’ve taken him away from his best friend. They never had much money, but they always had what they needed.

  “Well, yeah. Good thing Eddie showed it to you.”

  “Yeah, it was.”

  Ty sighed. “Thinking about your mom?”

  “Yeah.”

  “She’d be proud of you,” Ty said. He’d met Gus’s mother when they first decided to be business partners. She’d loved Ty, and because Ty lost his own mom when he was in his teens, he understood the loss better than most.

  “Thanks.”

  “No, I mean it. You thought about Regular Joes when we bought the place. People like your mom. She’s smiling down on you, man.”

  The lump Gus thought he’d swallowed doubled in size. “You think so?”

  “Yeah, I do.”

  Before Gus could respond, a ding in the cabin signaled the plane was starting its landing procedures. “Oh, hey, gotta go. I’ll see you at the resort, right?”

  “See you there.”

  “And Ty?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Thanks.”

  Gus ended the call and put his phone away. Justine Pruitt. A weird feeling settled into the pit of his stomach. She’d been hounding him for an interview, and now she was going to be at the resort. He hoped her persistence was simply business related.

  Maybe he could fib and tell her he was dating someone and that it had only happened recently. If Peyton wasn’t engaged, he’d ask her to help him. It would be awkward, given how he felt about her, but he’d been able to maintain his distance all these years. He could handle a day of pretending.

  Once the plane landed, Gus took a limo to Peyton’s apartment. He still couldn’t figure out why he was nervously excited to see her. Maybe it was because she was engaged again, and all of Ty’s talk of telling her how he felt wasn’t helping.

  Maybe he would’ve considered telling her a few months ago, but this third engagement? Something in him had changed. Not only did she not see him as anything other than a friend, but she’d rather keep going out with losers than try with Gus. From that moment on, he’d closed his heart down and promised himself to let her go this time. Seeing her was hard, but with time, it would get easier.

  It didn’t make Gus amiable toward Frank. The financial-planning jerk in the fake Italian suits who behaved more like a used car salesman. The guy was obnoxious and loud.

  Anytime Peyton said a word, Frank would either make fun of her or downplay her ideas. Why she’d agreed to marry him was beyond Gus’s ability to comprehend, but he wasn’t going to dwell on that or say anything.

  Peyton didn’t need or want his opinion on the guys she dated. A memory floated to mind, one that took him back to their first semester in college. She’d met this guy who thought he was a gift to the planet. Gus thought he was the kind of gift cows left behind as they grazed.

  For weeks, Gus put up with the guy treating Peyton as if she were property, and one night, he’d had enough when he heard the buffoon say something to her. She’d gotten angry, accusing him of not giving Perry a chance. How could Gus give the guy a chance when he was such a dirtbag?

  They had a huge argument, the worst one they’d ever had—and they’d disagreed in the past. Plenty in fact, but that time it was horrible. Her words came back like a fist. Gus, just stay out of my love life.
I’m not dating you, and you aren’t my dad! From that moment on, he’d determined to never again chime in on her dating choices. He couldn’t count the number of times he’d held his tongue, but she didn’t need or want his opinion.

  He shook the memory from his mind. There was no point in dwelling on it. Peyton was going to date and marry whoever she wanted. Maybe this was for the best. Maybe if she got married, he could finally move on.

  As the limo turned into Peyton’s neighborhood, Gus stared out the window and smiled, trying to file away as much of his wayward thoughts about Peyton and relationships and everything else as he could. It was going to be a great evening, and he wouldn’t let his talk with Ty bleed into it. He and Peyton were friends, and Gus was happy with that.

  He was going to pick her up and enjoy his time with her. He’d deal with her marriage a different day. Tonight, they were celebrating her promotion. And while he hadn’t asked her directly about it, he knew she got it. They’d be crazy not to promote her. She was amazing, driven, talented, and hardworking. Anything she set her mind to, she pursued until she got it. It’s what made her Peyton and what made him love her.

  Chapter 3

  The doorbell rang, and Peyton furiously applied one last coat of mascara. Her nose was covered in enough foundation to hide an elephant, but maybe he wouldn’t notice. Or she could tell him she had allergies or maybe a cold.

  She’d taken a long-overdue shower, picked a comfortable but decent dress, put her hair up, and reduced the swelling in her eyes enough to cover what was left with makeup. With one last look in the mirror, she realized she was as good as she was going to get.

  Rushing out of the bathroom, she caught herself and slowed before answering the door. He didn’t need to know she’d been running around like a madwoman since he called. She let out a slow breath, relaxed her shoulders, and pulled the door open.

  “Hey,” she said with as much brightness as she could muster.

  Wow. Dark-gray was his color. The linen suit looked custom-tailored and showed off his six-foot-six athletic build. Had he been working out? She didn’t remember his shoulders looking that broad. His thick dark hair was combed back, and his five o’clock shadow looked perfectly trimmed. Did he always look so dashing? And he smelled fantastic. Seriously, who was this man picking her up?

  What was her problem? Why was she noticing this stuff? He was like a brother to her. Okay, maybe a friend’s brother. That made it less weird with the way her thoughts were going. Gus was seriously hot, and it was freaking her out. Maybe if she called him Gus-Gus in her head, she’d picture the fat mouse in Cinderella instead of the model in front of her.

  Gus immediately pulled her into a hug. “Hey! It’s good to see you.” He leaned back. “You look gorgeous as always.”

  Her cheeks heated, which was silly. It was just Gus, but she loved that he noticed. “Thanks. It’s old, but it’s comfortable. I figure that this way, I’ve got the best of both worlds in case you take me somewhere nice.”

  “It might be old, but it looks great on you.” He smiled. “You ready?”

  She nodded and stepped out, shutting the door behind her. “So, how was your flight?”

  “It was good,” he said as they walked to the limo. “As flights go.”

  “Just good? It’s a private jet. The last time I flew in it, it was amazing.” She slid into the limo and scooted over.

  Gus unbuttoned his suit coat and slid onto the seat next to her. “I’ve been doing a little more flying than I wanted. Getting this resort ready wasn’t a small task.”

  The door shut behind him, and she was surrounded by that crazy-good-smelling cologne. It was spicy and warm and leathery. That wasn’t Gus. Was it? He was her best friend. When did he start smelling so good? The whole week had been nuts, and she’d been in a funk. Her brains were six shades of fried. That had to be it. “I told you it would be a huge undertaking.”

  He nodded. “I know, and I’m not complaining. I’ll just be glad to stay put for a few days. Between flying back and forth to Hawaii and attending meetings to coordinate everything, I haven’t had a second to breathe.”

  “I thought you were supposed to hire a personal assistant.”

  She’d been on him to hire someone for ages. He always worked too hard. There were times they’d video chatted, and his eyes always looked so tired. Part of her wished she lived in New York City with him so she could make sure he was taking care of himself. Well, she was unemployed. Maybe she could be his assistant. No, what was she thinking? She didn’t want to move to New York, and working for her best friend would be weird.

  “I haven’t had time.” He laughed.

  Peyton shook her head. “You’re going to wear yourself down if you don’t stop.” And by the looks of the dark circles around his eyes, that wasn’t a farfetched statement.

  He waved her off. “Eh, I’m fine. I don’t mind being busy. You know that.”

  “There’s busy, and then there’s chaotic. You chose the latter.”

  Shrugging, his gaze dipped to her hand. “Where’s this rock you told me about?”

  Her pulse jumped. Oh no, her engagement ring. Frank had told her to keep it, but she was so upset that she gave it back. She’d wanted nothing from the man, especially when she realized why he’d gone out with her in the first place. “Uh, I’m getting it sized.”

  “I thought you said it fit perfectly?”

  Shoot. “Well, it wasn’t as perfect as I thought. It started sliding on my finger, and I wanted to make sure I didn’t lose it.”

  “Oh, that’s smart. Don’t want to be pulling out your plumbing to find your ring.”

  “Nope, wouldn’t want that.”

  “So, you got the promotion, right?” He smiled. “I’m asking, but I know you got it.”

  For a second, Peyton debated about telling him. Did she really want to spotlight her woes? No. Plus, she didn’t want him thinking he needed to take care of her when he had the huge opening week at his resort to worry about. Lying to him wasn’t her style. They were always honest with each other, but laying all that on him at the moment didn’t seem right.

  “Oh, well, you know how I am. I go after what I want.”

  He nodded. “Oh yeah, you always have. One of the things I love about you. You never give up.”

  “Nope, I never give up.” And she wasn’t giving up, either. When Gus left tomorrow and once Christmas was over, she was hitting the proverbial streets and finding another job. The bank had given her a glowing letter of recommendation. It wouldn’t take her long at all to find another position.

  They chatted about a few more things, and the ride to the restaurant went quicker than she expected. The driver opened the door and helped her out. She turned, and as Gus exited the car, her breath caught. Her brain might be fried, but that didn’t change the fact that Gus was downright sexy.

  The confident way he carried himself. His electric smile. Everything about him was so different. Wow. She was insane. Totally and hopelessly insane. They hadn’t seen each other for months. That had to be it. It was like getting a kitten. You don’t realize how big it is until you leave for a week, and when you return, it’s twice the size you remember.

  His hand came to rest on the small of her back as they entered the restaurant, and she nearly jumped. Zaps of electricity raced up and down her spine as the warmth of his hand spread through her. Holy smokes, her body was on overload. What on this green earth was going on with her?

  They followed the host and took their seats at the table. A waiter dropped off menus and filled their water glasses, taking their drink orders before leaving.

  Peyton looked around the restaurant. “This is nice. I don’t think I’ve been here before.”

  “I think it’s new. I did a little googling and booked us a table before I landed.”

  She smiled. “Thanks for taking me out.” She was glad to be out of the house. It was amazing what the shower did for her mood. She should have taken herself out days ago inst
ead of wallowing.

  “I had to,” he said, lowering his menu. “That promotion was a slam dunk, and we needed to celebrate. That, plus your engagement.”

  He was talking, but she wasn’t listening. Just then, she was struck by how green his eyes were, as if the menu had underlined them and the sparkle in them was an exclamation point. Whoa. Gustaf Grant was gorgeous. He needed to find a woman, and Peyton needed to help. Those soft lips of his needed to be kissing someone—someone like her.

  Okay, this was getting out of hand. What did that TV therapist say? Oh, right, when you’ve been through something, your mind searches for ways to compensate for that loss. That’s all this was. She’d lost her boyfriend and her job. Such stress was bound to put a strain on her mind.

  “Well, thank you.”

  “So, tell me about the promotion. What will you be doing?” Gus smiled, and his gaze dropped to the menu.

  Peyton plastered on her best fake smile. “Oh, the bank was bought out, so it’s basically the same position but, you know, with a little bit of a title and salary change. I don’t even know why they were calling it a promotion.”

  “Still, I know how hard you work at something when you put your mind to it. You deserve this.” He smiled. “Which reminds me.” With a fluid motion, he stuck his hand inside his suit coat and pulled out a small box, holding it out to her. “Now, before you say anything, it’s small, and it wasn’t all that expensive.”

  “Okay,” she said with a nod. She excitedly pulled the Christmas-tree wrapping paper off and opened the little box. Her jaw dropped. “Oh, Gus, I mentioned in passing that I loved this bracelet months ago. You remembered?”

  He nodded. “Yes, why wouldn’t I? If something interests you, I pay attention. You’d do the same for me.”

  Had she done the same for him? Looking back over their friendship, she could point out a handful of times that she’d thought about what he needed, but he’d always thought about what she needed. How had she let their relationship get so one-sided? What could she do to make it up to him?