Miss Match

by Lindzee Armstrong

  But Luke didn’t laugh. “Nothing. I would stay right here in Los Angeles, with my best friend and Ryder Communications. All my millions mean nothing without those two things.”

  Brooke’s hands stilled. “If you keep bringing me up, these girls are going to run for the hills. They’ll think we’re an item. It’s bad enough the press is constantly speculating about our relationship.”

  Luke shrugged. “If a girl can’t deal with the fact that you’re a permanent part of my life, she isn’t the one for me.”

  “I feel the same way. About guys, I mean. But a first date isn’t the right time to bring it up.”

  Luke raised an eyebrow. “Could’ve fooled me.”

  Was that what this was all about? “Luke, I do feel that way. You’re my best friend, and that’s never going to change. Once we’re married, Antonio will feel more secure in our relationship, and the press will hopefully back off and stop spreading wild rumors about you and me.”

  “Or they’ll spread even more. Only this time I’ll be cheating with a married woman in their gossip columns.”

  Brooke rolled her eyes. “They’ll get bored of the story eventually.”

  “Maybe.” He motioned to her laptop. “So what happens after we finish this questionnaire?”

  “I’ll run your profile through the database and the computer will populate matches. Then I go over each profile in detail and pick the girl I think you have the highest chance of success with. I’ll talk to her matchmaker, and if everything looks good, we’ll set up your first date. That could take a day or two—we’ve had twenty women sign up this morning already.”

  “So I could be on my first date in a couple days.”

  A twinge of discomfort rocketed through Brooke’s middle. “Yeah, I guess so.”

  For another hour, Brooke asked questions and Luke answered. Most of the answers came as no surprise to Brooke, things like hobbies, favorite color, and the like. But other answers did surprise her. She’d always assumed Luke couldn’t care less about relationships, but his answers showed he had thought about it before. Maybe he was finally growing up and considering settling down.

  “Last question,” Brooke said. “But it’s one of the more important ones. What are you looking for in a relationship?”

  “I’ve never really thought about it.” Luke pursed his lips as though concentrating. Was he mocking her, or taking this seriously? His eyes locked onto hers. “I guess what I’m looking for is a best friend. Someone I can tell everything to. Someone who knows me better than I know myself. But I want chemistry, too. That unidentifiable something that draws two people together, no matter how hard they fight it. Basically, I want a girl just like you.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Brooke clenched her hands together in her lap, glancing over at Antonio as he drove. Did Luke seriously say what I think he said? It had been two days, and she hadn’t been able to stop obsessing about it. She looked out the windows at the tree-lined streets as they wove toward the gated community where her father lived.

  Why was Luke choosing now to be all flirty?

  “Is Jason going to be here today?” Antonio asked.

  “No, I think it’s his weekend to be with Shandi,” Brooke said. She could barely keep the distaste for her half-brother’s mother out of her voice. She’d never liked Shandi, the woman her father left their family for. She’d cried no tears when their marriage had ended almost as quickly as it began. But she did love her eight-year-old brother, Jason. “It’ll just be Dad, Miranda, and the twins.”

  “I bet they’re getting big,” Antonio said.

  “I bet they are.” Brooke pushed away the guilt at not making an effort to see them more often.

  Antonio exited the freeway and began the climb to the affluent communities in the hills. Palm trees lined the roads and BMW’s sat in the driveways. Her dad had nowhere near as much money as Luke, but was still a successful dentist with his fair share of assets. The homes were all white stucco with arched windows and terracotta shingles.

  Her dad’s house didn’t stand out from any other on the street. It had the same decorative rock in the front yard, and a basketball hoop on the side of the driveway for when Jason was around. Brooke noticed the twins’ toys were missing from the front porch though. She didn’t have to step over any bikes or Barbies on her way to the front door. Miranda must’ve made them pick things up.

  Brooke rang the doorbell. She stared at the front door, realizing what looked different about the house.

  “They painted the door,” Brooke said. “It used to be white, not turquoise.”

  Antonio made a face. “I love the color. But the tone doesn’t match the stucco at all. The door has too much blue in it, and it doesn’t work with the warm yellows.”

  Brooke thought the turquoise paint looked fine, if a little bright. But she frowned, scrutinizing the door. “This doesn’t look like Miranda’s style.”

  The door swung open, and her dad stood there with a grin on his face. He was tall and fit, with graying hair and a trimmed beard. Brooke knew women found her dad attractive. She hated that about him.

  “Sugar Bee.” He enveloped her in a hug. “I’ve missed you. How’ve you been?”

  “Great, Dad.” Brooke stepped inside, and Antonio followed behind her.

  “Good to see you, Daniel,” Antonio said.

  “You too, son. How was Italy?”

  “Wonderful.” Antonio’s eyes flicked to Brooke’s. “I signed a contract with a gallery that wants me to relocate to Rome.”

  Brooke glared at Antonio. She hadn’t expressly asked him to keep that information quiet, but it had clearly been implied.

  Dad rubbed his beard and shut the door. “That’s quite an opportunity. Can’t say I relish the thought of Brooke being so far away.”

  “We haven’t decided if we’re moving yet.” Brooke gave Antonio a warning glare.

  “Well, come in,” Dad said.

  Brooke’s stomach clenched as she followed her dad and Antonio to the sun room. The grandfather clock that had been in Miranda’s family for centuries was gone from the entryway. In the hallway, the photos of the family had been switched out for art. It was tastefully done, but not something Miranda would choose. One wall of the sun room had been painted the same vibrant turquoise as the front door.

  “Sit down.” Dad sank into a chair and motioned to the couch across from him. “Food should be delivered soon. I ordered from that Italian restaurant you love.”

  “Miranda isn’t cooking?” Brooke asked. But she already knew the answer. Miranda had moved out. The whole house reeked of another woman. Even the air smelled different, like lavender and roses instead of baking bread and vanilla.

  Dad sighed, shifting in his chair. “Miranda isn’t here.”

  Brooke folded her arms tightly across her stomach. Antonio gave her a helpless look of concern. “What’s her name?” Brooke asked.

  “Miranda and I have been having problems for a while,” Dad said. “It wasn’t going to work. We’ve been fighting a lot, and we thought it would be healthier for the girls if they moved out.”

  Brooke knew what that meant—Miranda had caught him cheating with the new mistress. “Oh, please. You got bored with ‘normal life’ and found someone new and exciting. Is she a dental hygienist at your office again? A chef at a restaurant? A pole dancer at a strip club?”

  “Her name is Lexi, and she’s a paralegal.”

  Brooke angrily tapped a foot against the floor, memories flooding over her. Poor Sabrina and Lucy. Her heart ached for her sisters, too young to understand what was going on. First he’d left Brooke. Then Jason. And now the twins.

  “She’ll be here soon. I want you to be civil, Brooke. She’s really excited to meet you. I know this is unexpected, but you’ll like Lexi.”

  “Unexpected?” Brooke barked out a laugh. “You’ve done this three times now. It’s becoming your mode of operation.”

  “That isn’t fair. It’s not like I go int
o relationships expecting them not to work out.”

  “Are you sure about that?” Brooke let out another laugh, running a hand through her hair. “Is she at least older than me?”

  “Love can’t be restricted by things like age.”

  Brooke snorted. Antonio gave her another uncertain look, like he didn’t know what to do. She suddenly wished that Luke was here. Luke, who’d helped her through her dad’s previous two divorces. Eight years ago he’d held her while she cried, after finding out her parents’ divorce was final. Six years ago he’d stayed up with her all night while she talked through her complicated emotions over Shandi and her dad’s divorce. Antonio hadn’t been there and hadn’t seen the depth of her pain.

  You have to let him in, Brooke reminded herself. She took Antonio’s hand in hers, trying to draw comfort from his grip. She closed her eyes. Why couldn’t her dad stay committed to one woman?

  The doorbell rang, and Dad rose. “That’s either Lexi or the food. I’ll be right back.”

  As soon as he disappeared down the hallway, Antonio wrapped his arm around Brooke in a side-hug. He kissed her temple. “You okay?”

  “Why does he have to do this again?” Brooke whispered.

  “I don’t know,” Antonio said. Because in Antonio’s family, no one ever got divorced. His sister, his parents, his grandparents … they were all the picture of stability. Brooke accredited some of that to the fact that most of them had been introduced by professional matchmakers.

  Dad walked back into the room. A woman clung to his arm, her red nails standing out even from across the room. She wore tailored jeans and a lacy blouse, and her hair was pulled halfway up. Her makeup was subtle instead of gaudy, but it couldn’t disguise her obvious youth. She had to be close to Brooke’s own age.

  The woman let go of Dad and strode across the room, wrapping Brooke in a hug. Brooke let out a surprised yelp as her arms were crushed to her sides. “I am so happy to meet you,” Lexi said. “Daniel constantly talks about how proud he is of you. He said you’re a matchmaker. I bet that career is fascinating.”

  Brooke opened her mouth to respond, but Lexi was already hugging Antonio. “And you must be the fiancé. I hear the wedding is going to be at a vineyard. I can’t wait.”

  Brooke stared. Who said this woman was invited to the wedding? Who said she’d even be around come September? “This is Antonio,” Brooke said. You home-wrecker.

  The doorbell rang again, and Brooke prayed it was the food. She couldn’t wait to get out of here.

  Lexi giggled and flirted with Dad all through dinner. Brooke shoved one bite in her mouth after another, not even able to enjoy her favorite pasta dishes. Lexi was disgusting. She was …

  She was Luke’s type. Brooke closed her eyes as the realization washed over her. Lexi reminded her of a career-girl version of Candi. Brooke would change all that, though. She would match Luke up with amazing women and teach him how to have a real relationship.

  Brooke quickly ate her last bite of food. “Well, it was great meeting you,” she said, standing. “But we really need to go.”

  Dad glanced at his watch, frowning. “So soon? It’s barely two-thirty.”

  Yeah, Brooke was aware. The last ninety minutes had been excruciating. “Antonio’s got work to do.”

  Antonio raised an eyebrow, then quickly nodded. “Uh, yes. A landscape to finish.”

  “I’m such a fan of your work,” Lexi said as they all walked to the front door. “Daniel and I would love attend one of your shows.”

  “I’ll let you know when the next one is,” Antonio said.

  Brooke ground her teeth. She didn’t want to spend any more time with Lexi than necessary. “It was nice to meet you,” Brooke lied, nodding to her. She gave her dad a quick hug. “Thanks for dinner, Dad.”

  “It was good to see you, Sugar Bee. Come back soon, okay? The kids miss you. I’ll have all three of them next weekend.”

  “Maybe,” Brooke hedged. She did miss her brother and sisters. But her skin crawled just being in the same room as her father right now.

  Brooke quickly got in the car and impatiently waited for Antonio to start it up. Dad and Lexi stood on the front porch, his arm around her waist. They both were smiling like lunch had gone fabulously.

  Brooke forced a smile and waved. She let her hand drop the second they rounded the corner.

  “Are you going to be okay?” Antonio asked.

  Brooke brushed away the tear that trickled down her cheek. “Why does he do this?”

  “I guess he has ‘the grass is greener’ syndrome.”

  “I can’t believe he’s doing this again.” Brooke tapped her foot against the floorboard. “I’m so mad at him.”

  “I know.” Antonio gave her a sympathetic smile. “Chocolate shakes?”

  “Absolutely.”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Luke stole the basketball from Mitch and dribbled down the court. He threw, aiming for the hoop. The shot went wild, bouncing out of bounds.

  He couldn’t believe he’d gone there. Two days later and he was still obsessing over their conversation at Toujour. Brooke had stared at him, eyes suspiciously wet, and said, “Find someone just like me. Got it.”

  What had he been thinking?

  Mitch ran and grabbed the ball, then jogged back to Luke. “You okay, man?”

  “Yeah.”

  Mitch blew out a breath. “Is this matchmaking thing going to send you into another spiral?”

  “I was never in a spiral.”

  Mitch snorted. “That’s not what your aura said.”

  “Okay, okay. But I’m fine.” Luke threw the basketball at the wall, frustrated. He caught it when it bounced back and threw it again. He had to work out some of this energy.

  “You’re not fine—you’re doing too much at once. You’ve got work and Brooke’s wedding and now dating. And Brooke is the one setting you up.” He shook his head. “I don’t see how this can possibly end well. Seriously, tell me what happened with her. You’ve been on edge ever since your appointment at Toujour.”

  Luke raised the basketball and tapped the back of his head with it. “I ended up confessing my feelings and crap like that.”

  Mitch grunted in surprise. “You what?”

  “Yeah, I know. But she’s getting married in September. And I can’t let her do it. Not without telling her.”

  Mitch grabbed the basketball from Luke and made a shot. “This is big.”

  “I know.”

  “What if she still marries Antonio? That could ruin your friendship.”

  Luke closed his eyes. “I know.”

  “So what did you say?”

  “Basically that I wanted a girl just like her.”

  “Oh.” Mitch dribbled the ball with a little more purpose than he had before. “That’s not so bad. Are you sure she understood what you were trying to say?”

  “Not really.”

  Luke’s phone rang, and he jogged to the side of the court. He picked the cell phone up off the floor and saw Brooke’s number flash across the screen. He swallowed hard. Was she calling to discuss the weirdness that had happened, or to tell him he had a date? “Hey, pretty lady.”

  “Rule #15, Lucas.” Her voice was cool, and use of his full name was never a good sign. “I found a match.”

  Luke rubbed a hand over his face. So she was determined to ignore what had happened. “That’s great.”

  “Her name is Tamera. She’s twenty-four and a real estate agent. She loves sports, just like you. Can I set up a date for you two sometime next week? She, of course, is more than agreeable to the arrangement.”

  “Sure,” Luke said slowly. Was he supposed to be distant and cool, like Brooke was being? “So how does this work? Do I arrange the date?”

  “You can offer suggestions, of course, but I typically do that.” Brooke’s words were less stiff now, her tone more friendly. Luke sighed in relief. “There’s a playoff game at UCLA. I thought that would be perfect, since you bot
h love football. You’ll have plenty of time to talk, and you can get hot dogs or whatever at the stadium. How does that sound?”

  “Whatever you think is best.”

  “Great.” Now she was cheerful, trying hard to act like there wasn’t anything weird between them. But he heard the strain. “I’ll arrange everything and use the card on file to pay. I’ll let you know the details tomorrow. Bye.”

  “Bye,” Luke said. But Brooke had already hung up.

  “Brooke?” Mitch asked, nodding at the phone.

  Luke nodded. “My first date is next week. A football game.”

  “Even if the chick is a total bore, at least you’ll see the game, right?”

  “Right.” Luke set his phone back on the ground and grabbed the basketball. “I’ve got thirty minutes before I need to leave.” And he took off down the court.

  *

  Today was the day. Luke took a deep breath and looked himself over in the mirror, hoping he’d struck the right balance with his outfit. He’d gotten stuck late in a meeting with the Talia team and had rushed home to change. He should’ve picked out his clothes yesterday. He wanted to look nice, but casual—it was a football game, after all. He’d chosen his favorite pair of jeans and a Ryder Communications hoodie and baseball cap. But did he look too much like a frat boy instead of a CEO?

  The press would be there, and he didn’t want to reflect badly on Brooke or Toujour. Should he go with a button-up shirt, but no tie, and a blazer? Or would that be too dressy?

  He sighed. Brooke had coached him yesterday on everything from topics of conversation to appropriate physical contact on a first date. But she hadn’t covered dress. Or maybe she had and he hadn’t been listening. It’d been so bizarre to have her coach him on dating.

  Just call her.

  He hit the speed-dial before he could talk himself out of it. If he pretended things weren’t weird, maybe they wouldn’t be.

  She picked up after only two rings.

  “I have no idea what to wear on this date,” he said.