An Impractical Match (Match #2)

by Barbara Dunlop

  “For the record,” Devlin muttered to Jillian, wrapping his arms more firmly around her, “that’s exactly what I wanted to do to Edmund.”

  “Edmund doesn’t race.”

  “Last night. I wanted to put him into a wall for touching you.”

  Her hand went to his forearm, giving it a squeeze. “I’m so sorry.”

  “Don’t. You fixed it. It’s fine. But I hope I never see him again.”

  She settled against him. “I doubt that you will.”

  “Unless I have to follow you to DC. Am I going to have to follow you to DC, Jillian?”

  “Look, look,” cried Katie. “He’s taking him. No, wait. Damn. He missed the chance.” She balled up her fists in frustration.

  Luke jumped up, and Devlin came to his feet, lifting Jillian with him. It was down to the last lap, and Riley was right on Tuff’s back wheel.

  “Take the outside,” Katie muttered. “Take the outside.”

  They came off of a jump, and Devlin held his breath. He knew that stretch of the track, the outside line was slower, so Tuff would definitely stick to the inside. But if Riley could get enough speed right out of the hairpin, he’d have a chance to slip past.

  “Come on, come on,” Luke muttered beside him.

  Jillian was gripping tight on Devlin’s arm.

  Katie was all but jumping in place. “He’s gonna, he’s gonna... He passed! He did it. Oh my God, he’s going to win.”

  Riley sped for the finish line. Tuff leaned on the power, but Riley blocked him in the ruts, taking the fast line, not giving Tuff any room to maneuver. Riley crossed the finish, and the hometown crowd erupted.

  Katie squealed and took off down the slope. Devlin and Luke roared cheers, clapping their hands.

  Jillian turned and threw herself into his arms, hugging him tight. “That was fantastic.”

  “Your shirt is getting filthy,” he warned. It was already smudged from their embrace after his race. But she was making it much worse now.

  “Something you two want to tell me about?” Luke asked.

  Jillian grinned at Luke. “I’m thinking about staying in Phoenix.”

  The words were music to Devlin’s ears. He kept his arms looped around her waist as they started for the mechanics area to congratulate Riley.

  “You mean, plan events in Phoenix instead of DC?”

  “Sure,” said Jillian. “Why not?”

  “What does Shari think of that?”

  “I have no idea. I haven’t told her yet.”

  Luke chuckled. “Since you’re hanging all over Devlin like a groupie, is it fair to say he’s part of the decision?”

  “He’s the entire decision,” said Jillian, wrapping her arm around his waist.

  “I’m that good,” Devlin put in.

  Luke glanced from one to the other. “So, this turned out to be a serious thing?”

  “I’m going diamond shopping,” Devlin replied. Then he looked to Jillian. “Just how big does it have to be to put the last guy to shame?”

  She grinned. “It’s not the stone. It’s the man.”

  “Good answer,” said Luke. Then his attention moved to the distance. “Get a look at Riley. He won the race, and he got the girl.”

  Sure enough, Riley had Katie off the ground, wrapped tight in a celebratory hug. Spike and Griffin were gaping at the pair from their bikes.

  “Couldn’t care less about the race,” Devlin told Jillian. “I just want the girl. What do you say we take a trip over to Florida and show Lizbet your diamond in person?”

  Jillian’s footsteps slowed to a stop, while Luke kept going.

  “I want to thank her in person,” Devlin explained.

  Jillian gave a thoughtful nod. “I kind of do, too.” She paused. “You seriously want to get married?”

  He pulled her close and gave her a kiss at the hairline. “Absolutely. I know what it feels like to lose you, and I don’t ever want that to happen again.” It was his turn to pause. “As long as you’re sure you want to stay forever.”

  Her voice was soft, a smile underlying it. “I’m sure I want to stay forever.”

  o o o o

  Lizbet stared at the telephone in her hand, willing it to ring but afraid to dial herself. It had been a full week since she’d met with Jillian. She thought the conversation had gone well, but she hadn’t heard a word from anyone since. She’d hoped Sandy might call. And she’d certainly expected Jade to give her an update. She couldn’t imagine that Jillian hadn’t contacted her sister.

  Hannah was experiencing silence as well. She’d tried to call Devlin a couple of times, and had even tried to go through Amelia. But Amelia was back in Pasadena and hadn’t heard from her brother. The motocross race was over. NMAC had reported that the sponsors were thrilled with the turnout, and they were thinking about making it an annual event. Lizbet knew that was fantastic news for Hank Morettini and Desert Heat. But she’d only needed the event to happen once.

  She heard Daisy laughing through her kitchen window. It was nearly ten o’clock in the morning, so everyone would be gathering beside the pool. It was going to be a gorgeous September day, blue skies, temperatures predicted in the low eighties. It was Lizbet’s favorite time of the year.

  She determinedly put the phone back in its cradle, stood from the dining room chair, and headed for the linen closet to retrieve a beach towel. Jade would call when she called. Until then, Lizbet would enjoy her retirement just like she did every day.

  As she plunked her floppy sunhat on her head, a knock sounded on her front door. She did a detour past the sofa and down the short hallway, catching a fuzzy glimpse of two people through the opaque glass. Judging by their heights, it was a man and a woman. At this time of the morning, they were likely from the condo complex association.

  She swung open the door and froze.

  “Hello, Lizbet,” Jillian greeted.

  “H... He...”

  The man held out his hand. “I’m Devlin Camden.”

  “I know,” Lizbet managed. “I’ve seen your picture.” She immediately realized her error. “From Hannah, I mean. Hannah has shown me pictures of the whole family. Hannah is my neighbor. I don’t know if she would have mentioned that.”

  Lizbet knew she was babbling, but she had no idea how to cope with the situation. She couldn’t imagine what the visit meant. Could they have possibly discovered she was the anonymous donor to NMAC?

  “Is this a bad time?” asked Jillian.

  “No, oh, no. It’s a perfect time.” Lizbet stepped back, pulling the door wider. “Please, come in.”

  They entered the hallway, Jillian moving down toward the living room to provide more space.

  “Did Hannah know you were coming?” Lizbet asked Devlin as she closed the door.

  “It’s a surprise,” he said.

  “Oh. Um. Well, they’re all out back at the pool. We can go straight through.” A few reinforcements might not be a bad idea.

  Jillian looked to Devlin, a question in her eyes.

  “Let’s go out back,” he said.

  There was something in his tone that made Lizbet distinctly nervous.

  As they passed through the patio door, Hannah jumped to her feet. “Devlin, honey.” She rushed forward to give him a hug.

  “And Jillian,” Hannah enthused, giving her an equally big hug.

  Lizbet felt an unexpected twinge of jealousy course through her. It all came so easily to Hannah, while Lizbet couldn’t fathom being that relaxed and tactile.

  “How was the motocross?” Hannah asked them.

  “Great,” said Devlin. “There’s talk of holding it again next year. They were surprised by the crowds. And it turned out to be one of their best moneymakers.”

  JW came to his feet and moved forward, addressing Devlin. “What are you two doing in Florida?”

  Lizbet could have kissed the man for jumping straight to the point. Her nerves were starting to fray with the waiting.

  Devlin and Jillian e
xchanged secretive smiles.

  Lizbet’s heart stilled in her chest.

  “We came to tell you it worked,” said Devlin

  “What worked?” asked Daisy, coming up next to JW, looking almost comically ingenuous.

  Devlin reached for Jillian’s hand, lifting it to display a beautiful diamond solitaire nestled in a sleek swirl of platinum.

  “You’re engaged?” Hannah squealed, reaching for Jillian’s hand and inspecting the ring.

  “To Devlin?” Lizbet confirmed.

  Everybody turned to gape at her in amazement.

  “I meant,” said Lizbet, wishing yet again she had Hannah’s flare for these things. “I meant, that’s fantastic.”

  But Devlin gave her a warm smile. “I wanted to thank you in person, Lizbet. I don’t know how you pulled it off, but you brought me Jillian.” His arm looped around Jillian. “I’ll always be grateful.”

  “Me, too,” Jillian agreed.

  Unexpectedly, she crossed to Lizbet, arms out, drawing her into a hug. “Thank you, Grandma.”

  Lizbet’s throat closed, her eyes misted with tears, voice going hollow. “You’re most welcome. I’m delighted for both of you.” She held her granddaughter close.

  Sam’s voice joined the conversation. “You want to see how we did it?”

  “Sam,” JW gave a low-toned warning. “That’s classified.”

  “He wants to show off,” laughed Hannah.

  “We could swear them to secrecy,” Daisy suggested, glancing around for support of the idea.

  “We can keep your secret,” said Devlin.

  Sam grinned, a twinkle in his eyes. “Then right this way.”

  Devlin fell into step beside him, while Lizbet stuck with Jillian.

  “It’s a trait-based, predictive algorithm,” Sam explained as they cut through his condo to the garage. “It’s based on artificial intelligence and is much more sophisticated than anything you’re ever going to see on the retail market. As you and Jillian just experienced, we’ve gone beyond surface details to core values and aspirations.”

  With a flourish, Sam hit the fluorescent lights in the garage, revealing the electronic equipment.

  Lizbet couldn’t help but think the setup looked impressive.

  “This is the nerve center?” asked Devlin as he walked forward.

  “The Bat Cave,” sang Daisy.

  “Tactical headquarters,” said JW.

  “Is this legal?” asked Jillian, moving toward the monitor.

  “It’s not illegal,” said Sam, turning on the monitor to reveal the hearts-and-flowers backdrop.

  “I don’t even know what that means,” she responded.

  Devlin snagged her around the shoulders, tugging her to him. “It means, don’t worry about it.”

  “Who’s all in there?” asked Jillian.

  “You’re sworn to secrecy,” JW reminded them.

  They both nodded to affirm their agreement.

  “Our grandchildren,” said Sam. “Great-nieces, great-nephews, a few of their friends.”

  “I’ve added a few of the young guys from Patrick Air Force Base,” said JW. “I teach the reservists once a week.”

  “And it actually works?” asked Devlin.

  “You tell me.” Sam beamed.

  Devlin’s hold tightened on Jillian, and he kissed her temple. “It worked for us.”

  “I rest my case,” said Sam.

  “Is Jade in there?” asked Jillian.

  “Yes, she is,” Lizbet answered.

  “She works way too hard,” said Jillian, running a fingertip along the top of the monitor. “She could use a distraction. Could you guys maybe do your thing for her, too?”

  For information on other books in the “Match” series, please visit www.barbaradunlop.com

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