The Wife Finder

by McClone, Melissa

  Hadley would be. She just needed a moment to prepare herself because she had no idea what to expect when she stepped inside. Being so far out of her comfort zone and having zero control was messing with her big-time.

  Should have stayed home.

  Too late now.

  “This is for you.” She handed him the gift bag, containing bars from a small-batch chocolate factory in San Francisco.

  “Thank you.” He peeked inside. “I’ve heard about this place. Two tech guys founded it. Are the chocolates as good as they say?”

  “Better.” She enjoyed going there. Or did before her caffeine moratorium. They sold chocolate bars, drinks, and pastries. “You can share with your guests or save for yourself.”

  His gaze narrowed. “Is this a test to see what I do?”

  “If you wanted to hire me to find you a wife, it might be,” she joked. “But since you don’t…”

  He laughed before motioning her inside. “Come in.”

  As she passed him, a whiff of his scent surrounded her.

  Goose bumps covered her skin. The fragrance tantalized, making her want to inhale again. Maybe she should hold her breath when he was nearby, so she didn’t get distracted. No, because what if she passed out? That would be worse.

  She glanced into the living room. The décor was a comfortable mix of stained wood, buttery leather, and a few plaids. Masculine but not mancave. Not all shades of brown and ivory, either. Artwork provided splashes of color. The stacks of books and photographs added a touch of personality. But there was no mistaking the quality of the items.

  “You have a lovely home,” she said.

  “Thanks.” He glanced around. “Laurel Worthington Matthews deserves the credit. She’s an interior designer.”

  Hadley recognized the name. “Laurel is a friend of Henry’s.”

  Blaise nodded. “She and her husband, Brett, are here.”

  “Is Henry coming?”

  “No, he’s babysitting their daughter, Noelle. She was fussy this morning, so Henry stayed with her. Wes and Dash are also here. So are Adam Zeile, one of the six in the bet, and his wife, Cambria.”

  As they continued toward the back of the house, a delicious aroma filled the air. Hadley’s mouth watered, reminding her she’d skipped breakfast this morning. “Something smells good.”

  Wicked humor lit Blaise’s eyes. “Me or the food?”

  She was tempted to say both, but this was a business meeting. No flirting allowed. “The food.”

  Her answer didn’t dim his bright smile. “Then I hope you brought your appetite. I hired Dash’s cook, Iris, to cater.”

  Hadley hadn’t expected this to be like the potluck, BYOB, game-watching parties she attended. Still, the hair at the back of her neck prickled. The last catered event she’d attended had been a wedding reception. “I can always eat. Even if the fit of my jeans tells me I shouldn’t.”

  His gaze ran the length of her, slow and methodical as if not wanting to miss an inch. “Don’t listen to your jeans. You look fantastic. There’s nothing more attractive than a woman who enjoys eating more than rabbit food.”

  “Um, thanks.” She stood straighter. That was the second time Blaise had complimented her. Okay, in roundabout ways. If she was here for another reason, she might think he was flirting. But she wasn’t. “I get tired of salads fast but never cheeseburgers.”

  They entered a large open space with a kitchen, eating area, and family room. The pregame show played on a huge television screen. A man and woman sat on the large leather sectional. A guy in faded jeans and a hoodie lounged in a recliner, staring at his phone. Based on photos she saw during her research, that must be Dash. Movement outside the French doors caught her attention. Three people stood among the patio furniture and white canvas umbrellas.

  This wasn’t that much different from other gatherings.

  Except most of the guests here were worth billions.

  “Lunch is almost ready.” A pretty young woman checked inside the oven before wiping her hands on her apron. Her hair was pulled back in a low ponytail. Stray tendrils framed her face. Her black shirt and pants coupled with a pink apron gave off a Paris vibe. She extended her arm to Hadley. “Hi, I’m Iris.”

  “Hadley.” She shook Iris’s hand. “Everything smells so good. You must be quite a chef.”

  “Not a chef yet, but that’s the dream.” Iris grinned, exuding warmth. “For now, I keep Dash fed, his house cleaned, and his errands checked off his to-do list.”

  “I could use someone like you in my life,” Hadley admitted.

  “Me, too,” Blaise agreed. “Too bad we can’t clone you.”

  “No way. I’m one of a kind.” Iris’s green eyes twinkled. “So no talk of cloning when you tech guys, especially my boss, have the resources to pull it off someday.”

  A timer buzzed.

  “That’s my cue to serve lunch.” Iris grabbed a hot pad off the counter. “Nice meeting you, Hadley.”

  “I’ll talk to you later.” Maybe Hadley could find out more from Iris about her boss, Dash.

  “Come on.” Blaise’s hand rested at the small of Hadley’s back. “I want to introduce you to everyone else.”

  His light touch was a friendly gesture, nothing more. Yet his warmth seeped through her shirt. “Lead the way.”

  “Wes is out on the patio.”

  The backyard was huge with a large manicured lawn. Small white bulb lights were strung across the patio which had both an outdoor kitchen and a firepit.

  Wes Lockhart, whom she recognized from a photograph, stood next to a man and woman. The three appeared to be having a serious conversation. A sudden laugh transformed Wes’s rugged features into movie-star attractiveness.

  “Hey, guys,” Blaise said to his friends. “I want you to meet Hadley. She’s watching the game with us.”

  As they glanced her way, she smiled. “Hi.”

  “Nice to meet you, Hadley. I’m Wes.” The man oozed charm. He was handsome with short brown hair and an easy smile. The lines at the corners of his eyes suggested he was a few years older than Blaise. “Are you a Seattle fan?”

  “No,” she admitted. “I’m a San Francisco diehard.”

  Wes placed his hand over his heart, staggered back a step, and glared at Blaise. “You invited her knowing this?”

  Blaise grinned. “A blue-and-green love fest would be boring.”

  “Boring is my new favorite MO,” Wes countered.

  Interesting. Hadley wouldn’t have expected him to say that from her research. Wes Lockhart had a cutthroat reputation. At least two articles suggested he was also an adrenaline-chasing sometimes-player, who made the most of his money, family connections, and free time. Maybe to counter that, he was a fan of “Netflix and chill.”

  “I’m Brett. Nice to meet you.” A handsome man with dark hair and a trimmed beard shook her hand. “Don’t mind Wes. He wants to be the twelfth man on the field, which means one day he’ll buy the team or try to.”

  “I’d rather bring an expansion team to Portland,” Wes chimed in. “The Rose City needs our own franchise.”

  Okay, this was a whole other level to what she was used to. Hadley and her friends talked about buying tickets to a game, not an entire team.

  Brett raised his glass. “I’ll be the first to sign up for a skybox.”

  “Boys and their football.” A beautiful woman with caramel-colored hair rolled her eyes. “I’m Laurel. Forget what Wes said about your team. I root for Chicago, and they haven’t kicked me out yet.”

  “Thanks.” Hadley noticed Blaise had been quiet. “What team is your favorite?”

  “Whichever is winning,” he deadpanned.

  The other two men laughed.

  Wes shook his head. “Leave it to Mortenson. Losing isn’t in his vocabulary.”

  A good thing his friends recognized that. Maybe they would understand why Blaise wanted her to find them wives.

  Laurel eyed Hadley curiously. “So how did you and Bla
ise meet?”

  Hadley’s mind went blank. A chill shot through her.

  “Henry,” Blaise answered.

  Nice save, but Hadley didn’t want to have to answer questions about them. Especially not in front of Wes. “Blaise told me you’re his interior designer. It’s lovely.”

  “Thanks.” Laurel beamed. “I’m happy how the project turned out.”

  “And I’m thrilled how you turned the house into a home,” Blaise chimed in. “I hope business is going well.”

  “Better than I hoped, but I’m trying to limit projects. My focus is Brett and Noelle.”

  Brett placed his arm around Laurel. “Until we have another.”

  Blaise’s lips parted. “Wait, does this mean…”

  Wes’s eyes widened. “Are you—”

  “Not pregnant. If I was”—Laurel raised her wine glass—“I wouldn’t be drinking this.”

  Brett winked. “But we’re preparing for when the time comes. Practice makes perfect.”

  The men laughed.

  As Laurel shook her head, Brett pulled her closer. “You know it’s true, my love.”

  Awww. Hadley swallowed a sigh. Henry was correct about these two. They were sweet together.

  “I’ll take Hadley inside to meet the others,” Blaise said.

  After three different versions of “talk to you later,” Hadley followed him into the house. “They seem nice.”

  “They are.” He glanced over his shoulder. “You’ll need to spend more time with Wes.”

  “As long as I don’t mention football, I should be fine.”

  “You’ll do great.”

  His confidence buoyed her, making her feel they could pull this off.

  The couple who’d been sitting on the couch when she arrived was in the kitchen with Iris. The guy—Dash—in the chair frantically tapped on his phone screen.

  Blaise sighed. “Put away the game, Dash. It’s time to be social.”

  Dash remained focused on his phone. “I’m not one to mingle unless it’s through my headset during a game.”

  “Twenty-eight going on thirteen,” Blaise whispered to her. “Come on, Dash. There’s someone I want you to meet.”

  Dash glanced up. When his gaze met Hadley’s, his face flushed. The game suddenly forgotten, he stood. He was taller than the other men with carelessly styled hair and attractive features.

  “Sorry. I didn’t realize anyone new would be here.” Dash wiped his palms on his jeans and then shook her hand. “I’m Dash. The unsocial one still trying to figure out this thing called adulting.”

  She’d known he was younger than Wes and Blaise, but his clothes and mannerisms reminded her of a kid in college, trying to find his way. Must be more of a stereotypical tech guy. That put her at ease. She’d had other clients like Dash.

  “Hadley,” she replied. “It’s nice to meet you, but sorry to take you away from your game.”

  “Oh, no worries.”

  For a nerd gamer, the guy appeared to be easygoing and friendly. That was a nice surprise.

  “It’s mine,” he added.

  “That means Dash wrote it,” Blaise explained.

  “Right,” Dash said. “I was goofing around to see what score I could get since I haven’t had time to play it for a while.”

  Definitely a different world. But Hadley didn’t feel as uncomfortable as she thought she would. “I hope you did well.”

  “High score.” Excitement filled his eyes. “But I know all the Easter eggs so I have an advantage. Oh, did you see the new personal sub going on the market? Might have to buy one.”

  Blaise shook his head. “Do you need a submarine?”

  Dash shrugged. “Does Adam need a whiskey distillery or you a helicopter?”

  “Touché,” Blaise said.

  Yep, these guys lived in another realm where money was no object.

  She took in Dash from the top of his messy hair to his high-end tennis shoes.

  Cute.

  His long limbs reminded her of a puppy who was all legs. No doubt Dash had the same attention span. Get rid of his ultra-casual attire and put him in something nicer, say a suit, and he would be handsome. But she couldn’t help him with a makeover as she would with other clients.

  That could be a problem.

  Dash’s gaze traveled from her to Blaise. “We spent Saturday together at the wedding and you didn’t say a word.”

  “About what?” Blaise asked.

  “Hadley.” Dash elbowed him. “Why didn’t you tell me you were dating someone?”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  As dating echoed through Blaise’s head, Hadley tensed beneath his palm. He hadn’t realized his hand was on her back. He jerked his arm away as if the action would defuse a ticking bomb. Not because he didn’t enjoy touching her. He did. But Blaise didn’t want to upset her more, because he saw that what Dash said had. “We’re…”

  “Friends,” Hadley finished for Blaise.

  “It’s new,” he added a beat later because Dash may have provided them with the perfect cover for their matchmaking.

  Amusement gleamed in Dash’s eyes. “Being friends is new? Or the two of you together?”

  “Yes,” Blaise and Hadley said at the same time.

  That hadn’t been on purpose. Though he had a feeling they were each answering a different question.

  Hadley gave him a wide-eyed what-are-you-doing look.

  “You even talk at the same time. It’s like Kieran and Selah all over again.” Dash laughed before focusing on Hadley. “They’re out of town celebrating their married-for-one-month anniversary, or they’d be here.”

  A charming pink stained Hadley’s cheeks. Blaise hadn’t expected her to be the blushing type, but it was cute. He enjoyed this glimpse of her flustered, but what he would prefer to see is her letting loose, acting spontaneous instead of holding on to control like a lifeline.

  Her gaze, full of questions, remained on his. A hint of vulnerability shone through.

  He fought the urge to run his finger along her jawline to see if her skin was as soft as it appeared to be.

  Or as soft.

  “Well, good for you guys,” Dash said sincerely.

  “Good?” Hadley’s voice cracked. She glared at Blaise as if willing him to tell Dash, who remained oblivious, they were just friends, if that.

  Blaise wished she wouldn’t worry. Dash misunderstanding their relationship would help them in the long run.

  Dash nodded. “Blaise keeps his personal life private unless we pry it out of him. The fact he invited you here is a good sign and telling.”

  It was true Blaise didn’t share much, but he had his reasons. First, his childhood had sucked. If his friends knew what he’d been through with his drug-addicted parents, they would pity him. The way everyone else had while he was growing up. He didn’t need or want that, but nowadays… “There’s not much to tell when my life revolves around work.”

  “Revolved,” Dash corrected. “Looks like that has changed thanks to Hadley. Which is great. You need a girlfriend.”

  Hadley flinched. “Blaise and I just met. We’re—”

  Dash whistled. “And you’re here with his friends already? When you know, you know. That’s what they say, right?”

  “Who’s ready for lunch?” Iris called from the kitchen.

  “Let’s go eat.” Dash eyed the buffet set out on the island. “Iris made pulled-pork sliders.”

  As Dash headed to the food, Hadley grabbed Blaise’s arm and leaned close to his ear. “Dash called me your girlfriend. Why didn’t you correct him?”

  The others congregated around the food. No one was paying attention to Hadley and him. “You’re a girl—albeit a grown-up one—and a friend. So he’s not completely wrong.”

  “Not. Funny.” She ground out the words.

  “You’re right, but Dash has provided us the perfect reason for you being here.”

  Her mouth dropped open. “You seriously want to go with girlfriend?”
<
br />   Blaise nodded.

  “But it’s not true. We’re not…” The words shot from her mouth. “You agreed, no lies.”

  “We tried correcting Dash. He made his own assumptions.”

  “Semantics.”

  “Trust me.”

  “How can I do that when you’re changing things as we go?” She lowered her voice. “In case you’ve forgotten, I haven’t agreed to work with you.”

  “True, but you haven’t said no, either.” Blaise needed to be careful. He didn’t want to upset her so she turned him down. “We’ll talk after everyone leaves. Until then, please play along.”

  Her nostrils flared.

  Best to leave her be for now. He walked away, moving toward the buffet. Everything would be fine.

  Except as people settled in front of the TV to eat and watch football, the spot next to him, one where Hadley should sit, remained empty. She sat on the floor next to Cambria, Adam’s wife. After lunch, Hadley retreated to the patio with Laurel. During halftime, she spoke with Wes and then moved on to talk to Dash.

  Which was what Hadley was here to do.

  So why did Blaise feel so…unsettled about her?

  He grabbed a beer from the bar. His first of the day and all because of Hadley. The liquid was cool and refreshing—his favorite local brewery.

  “Hey.” Laurel came up to him. “Where’s Hadley?”

  “Outside.” He’d been keeping track of her, and his house wasn’t that big compared to everyone else’s.

  “Hadley’s great.” Laurel glanced toward the doors leading to the patio. “Are the two of you serious?”

  He gripped his beer. A good thing he was holding a bottle and not a can or he would have made a mess.

  “We haven’t known each other long.” If he tried, he could calculate exactly how long. “We’re still in the get-to-know-you stage.”

  Which he had never gotten to with any other woman.

  A date or two was enough. Any longer and one might want him to open up and share his feelings.

  And his past.

  “Hadley mentioned you’d just met, but you’re not one to invite people over.”

  “What do you mean? I invited all of you over today.” He took another pull of beer. Sure, he was a loner, and he preferred it that way, but he tried to be friendly with those he knew. And Laurel had made the house perfect for entertaining.