Mall of America, Bloomington, Minnesota
Despite being a weekday morning, the noise in the Mall of America rose to a deafening roar. People shuffled along elbow to elbow, no matter what floor Ava and Lisa traveled in the massive, four-level shopping complex. The mall housed over five-hundred shops, sixty restaurants, a movie theater, several hotels and an amusement park that took up the entire center courtyard. Oddly enough, the noise didn’t seem to bother Emma. She smiled sweetly for her picture with Santa. After that, Lisa gave her a bottle and put her down for a nap. Lying peacefully under a fuzzy blanket in her bassinette stroller, she slept through it all.
They’d been shopping for several hours when Lisa suggested they take a break and get some ice cream. But not just any ice cream. She wanted to stop at “Hannah’s Homemade Ice Cream Shop.” She’d purchased a fudge brownie ice cream sandwich at Hannah’s the previous night and desperately craved another one.
“Oh, my gosh,” Lisa exclaimed as she maneuvered Emma’s stroller through the crowd. “They take a pair of warm, homemade brownies and put a thick slice of frozen vanilla ice cream between them. It’s soooo good. You can even get a side of hot fudge for dipping.”
It sounded like major sugar overload to Ava as she gestured at the enormity of the mall. “How in the world could you find an ice cream shop in this place?”
Lisa pointed straight ahead. “It’s on this floor, right around the corner.”
They were on the ground floor and had just passed a large bookstore. Ava made a mental note to go back there after they loaded up on ice cream and coffee. If she didn’t, she knew she’d never find that place again.
To her dismay, the extensive line at Hannah’s suggested they were in for a long wait, but that didn’t seem to deter Lisa. She pulled Emma’s stroller toward the store and took her place behind the last person. Ava reluctantly fell in behind her. She slung her handbag over her shoulder and sighed, wondering how long they’d be stuck here.
“Hi!”
The voice sounded familiar, but Ava couldn’t quite place it.
“Come on in!”
She looked to her left and saw Amy Sheridan, Lisa’s friend from her Romantic Hearts Book Club, smiling and waving from inside the entity next door. The place had an exquisitely furnished reception area with oriental rugs, beautiful artwork and beige sofas facing each other in front of a huge electric fireplace. Toward the back were individual offices walled in with glass.
What is this place? What’s Amy Sheridan doing there?
Amy was engaged to Dawson Yates, owner of Perfect Match. Behind Amy, Dawson Yates and Lisa’s husband, Shawn Wells, stood chatting next to a long buffet table.
Ava took a step back and looked up. The sign above the wide entrance read “PERFECT MATCH Online Dating and Travel Agency.” She blinked… W-what? This was Jeff’s office—the one Dawson Yates had promoted him to set up and manage.
Realizing Lisa had brought her here on purpose, she quickly grew uncomfortable. She had a mind to turn around and walk—no—run away, but Amy had already hurried out to meet them.
Amy looked beautiful in a black velvet dress and matching shoes. Her dark, curly hair had been swept into a pretty chignon at the nape of her neck. Her green eyes sparkled. She approached Ava and took her by the arm. “Today is the grand opening of the Midwest branch of Perfect Match. Come in and see our newest agency.”
Ava stared at Lisa, hoping she’d object as Amy pulled her out of line and into the office. Instead, Lisa left her place in line, too, and followed them. Amy gave them both a little history of the company along with a brief tour, but Ava barely heard her. Once she saw Jeff, her heart began to race.
He stood off to one side talking to someone, perhaps a prospective client. He looked so different in his dark suit and short haircut, but no less handsome than when he wore shorts and a T-shirt. Seeing him brought back a rush of memories and at first, she couldn’t take her gaze off him. The happy times they’d shared on Enchanted Island—and sadly, left there—pierced her heart.
Amy pointed to the buffet and invited the girls to sample the hot and cold appetizers. She handed Ava a glass of red wine. “Enjoy the party!”
Ava thanked her and turned away, hoping no one would notice how badly her hands shook. She desperately hoped Jeff wouldn’t see her though the crowd of people milling about the agency. She planned to stay out of his line of sight until she could convince Lisa to leave. That fudge brownie ice cream sandwich with a hot fudge dip was sounding better all the time.
Unfortunately, Lisa didn’t seem to have much interest in getting back in that line for ice cream any time soon. She’d joined her husband, Shawn and was conversing with one of the matchmaking specialists on the Minneapolis staff.
I can’t stay here. I know what Lisa and Amy are trying to do and it won’t work. It’s embarrassing, to say the least. I need to leave before he sees me and thinks I’m in on their ill-conceived plot to force us together.
“It’s too crowded in here,” she said to Lisa. “I’ve got to get some air.”
“Where are you going?” Frowning with disappointment, Lisa handed Emma to Shawn. “Why don’t you want to stay and enjoy the party?”
“I’m going to the Disney Store. We passed it on the way here and I saw an outfit I want to get for Emma.” She avoided Lisa’s second question. Both of them already knew the answer. She handed Lisa her untouched wine. “Call me when you’re ready to meet for dinner.”
“What about the baby,” Lisa called after her. “I thought you wanted to hold her for a while…”
Ava hated to ignore her best friend, but she was desperate to leave. She wove her way through the heavy crowd to the opening to the mall. Out in the mall, the conditions were worse. Thousands of people roamed the wide corridors, talking and laughing, many shuffling along like holiday shopping zombies. The sheer number of stores in this mall proved enough to put anyone in merchandise overload. Loudspeaker music, ecstatic screams and the heavy rumble of amusement rides in the mall’s four-story, center courtyard echoed throughout the entire complex.
She slowed down once she entered the corridor and breathed a sigh of relief as she strolled along, gazing at the newest fashions in the women’s dress shop next door.
“Ava, wait!”
She froze. Even in the midst of this craziness, there was no mistaking that voice.
Slowly, she turned around and gazed into his sober face as he approached her. His eyes were bluer than she remembered. They searched hers with a profound loneliness that penetrated deep into her soul.
Her heart skipped a beat. All the hurt and disappointment she thought she’d dealt with back in Enchanted Island came rushing back, stronger than ever.
Chapter Fourteen
Wednesday, December 10th – Mall of America
The Perfect Fool
He couldn’t believe she was leaving already.
She looked as beautiful as ever in black skinny jeans and a silver, metallic top. Her thick, coppery hair cascaded over her shoulders and glistened in the light. Just standing near her made his heart slam with anxiety, but he could see by the fire in her eyes she didn’t feel the same. She looked downright upset and he didn’t blame her. After the way he’d left her on Enchanted Island, she had every right to despise him.
But he wanted to make it right. Now that he had the chance, he wanted her to know why he’d backed off and left her there without further commitment. He owed her that much. He owed it to himself to tell her the truth—about everything.
“How have you been?” he managed to say, though he couldn’t hold back a slight hitch in his voice. “You look amazing.”
“I’m fine,” she replied curtly.
“Thank you for coming to the open house. It’s nice to see you again.”
She didn’t answer, letting him know he sounded like a rambling idiot.
“Ava, I—”
“Don’t…” Her hand shot up to silence him. “I said, I’m fine. Leave it there.”
Sweat began to form on his upper lip. He hadn’t anticipated she would so swiftly and blatantly reject him.
“I’ve missed you.” He moved close. “Please, don’t shut me out. May I walk with you?”
“What about the open house? You should get back to your clients.”
“I need a break.” He looked into her angry, hazel eyes. “Besides, I want to talk to you.”
“Seems to me, we said everything we needed to say the last time we were together.”
She began to walk away, but he fell in beside her, determined to get through to her. “I’m sorry,” he said, getting right to the point. “I should have told you how I really felt about you. Believe me, I never meant to hurt you.”
“Oh, yeah? So, why didn’t you tell me?” She cut him a sideways glance and started walking faster. “And why are you suddenly confessing now? Are you worried it’s going to come back to bite you somehow?” She stopped abruptly and whirled around. “Are you getting married? Is that it?”
“No,” he argued, stunned at her accusation. “Is that what you think of me? A liar and a cheater?”
“You tell me. Are you?”
We’re getting nowhere fast.
“The truth is, Ava, I’m in a no-win situation. And I’m a fool for not straightening it out when I should have done so.”
The massive crowd swarmed past them, moving like a steady current. She folded her arms and began walking again.
“You were dead right about Henry Hamilton and Richard Santorio,” he said. “They were very close matches, but there was another one that turned out to be your most perfect match.”
“What?” She stopped again. “What do you mean by that?”
Don’t blow this opportunity by injecting your opinions. Just stick to the facts…
He took a deep breath. “There was one profile that matched yours right down to the last detail but, because of technicalities, it was thrown out.”
“What do you mean?” Her face paled as her eyes widened. “What profile? What technicalities?”
“The profile couldn’t be used because…well, because it was mine.”
Her mouth fell open in slow motion.
Expecting her to be upset, he continued on in a rush, desperate to make her understand. “Back in the early days of the company, when we were beta testing our profiling system, we didn’t have enough people to crossmatch with our test clients, so we added all the profiles of our employees,” he added quickly. “When our software developer found out what we’d done, we were told to purge everyone from the database because we were skewing the results. I don’t know why, but for some reason, mine was overlooked. We didn’t realize it until Dawson drew your matches and mine topped the list.”
She didn’t say anything, but her blank stare clearly indicated her level of shock.
“Dawson laughed about it and deleted my profile, but when you rejected Henry Hamilton, it stunned him. Normally, we don’t offer our beta testers a second chance for free, but in your case, Dawson felt committed to try again and convinced Richard Santorio, your third match, to take Henry’s place.”
“Neither one of them were right for me,” she said finally, “and when I complained a second time, he sent you, of all people, to clean up the mess. Didn’t he realize what a heavy risk he was taking?”
Jeff shoved his hands into his pockets. “I think he figured that since I was your closest match, I would be the best candidate to approach you because I could relate to you.” He stared down at the floor, taking a much-needed moment to prepare for what he was about to reveal. “He had no way to know that I would fall in love with you.” He looked up. “Neither did I.”
Her face turned scarlet. “You mean to tell me that you left the island without telling me how you felt about me?”
Jeff pulled her close, not caring if hundreds of people were staring at them. “Ava, when Dawson hired me, I signed a confidentiality agreement with respect to profile information and a conflict of interest agreement, attesting in writing that I’d never get romantically involved with any Perfect Match client. By the time I left the island, I’d convinced myself I was simply infatuated with you and that it would pass, but it didn’t, and one day I finally admitted to myself what I’d been denying all along. I was miserable without you.”
She looked up, tears in her eyes. “Is that why you got Lisa to trick me into coming to the open house? Why didn’t you just call me and be honest with me?”
“A few weeks after I got back, I saw Amy and asked her about you. She said you’d gotten a new job and you were really happy. It sounded to me like you’d forgotten all about me. So, I let it go.”
A group of middle-school boys passed by, making kissing noises and laughing. One boy yelled, “Hey, get a room!”
Jeff let her go and took her hand in his. “Come on, let’s find someplace private to talk.”
“You didn’t answer my question,” Ava said as they moved along past store after store. “Why did you use Lisa to get me to come to the open house?”
“I didn’t,” he answered honestly. “Dawson is to blame for that. When I showed up at the Miami office, all gloomy and depressed, he must have figured it out. He told Amy and she told Lisa. The three of them conspired together. He admitted as much the moment you and Lisa showed up.” Jeff laughed wryly. “He hinted that I’d been moping for three months and it was now or never for me to straighten things out with you.”
They reached a corner and turned to their right, walking past a teen clothing store. The floor under their feet literally vibrated from the loud music emanating from the shop. They kept walking past more clothing boutiques, shoe stores and a designer handbag store. Nearing the rotunda, they passed a cookie shop and a large candy store. Jeff casually glanced through the opening of the candy store as they approached and did a double take. He tugged at Ava’s hand. “Come on. Follow me.”
He led her to an instant photo booth for couples called “Sweetheart Shots.” Parting the curtains, he ducked his head and slid into the booth, pulling Ava after him. Once she sat down beside him, he reached over and drew the curtains shut.
Ava glanced around. “No one would ever believe me if I told them I’d squeezed into a photo booth with you in a candy store for a heart-to-heart talk.”
He smiled. “I kid you not. This is probably the only place where we’ll have complete privacy in this entire mall, but it won’t be for long so I have to talk fast.” He slid his hand under her chin and turned her face toward his. No more delays. “I love you, Ava. I’ve loved you since the day I kissed you at Turquoise Cove.”
“Deep down, I realized it, too, and it didn’t make any sense to me why you wouldn’t tell me. That’s why I ran away from you in the parking lot.” Her eyes softened as her gaze melded with his. “I knew something had changed between us, but I didn’t think it had affected you the way it did me so it was easier to pretend it never happened.” She slid her hands under the lapels of his jacket. “In my heart, I couldn’t deny you were my perfect match. And so, I fell in love with you, too.”
Cupping her face in his hands, he pulled her close and kissed her passionately, determined to make up for lost time and to let his actions prove he’d never back away from her ever again.
A group of pre-teens had gathered outside the booth, laughing and shoving each other around as they waited their turn. “What are they doing in there,” one girl announced loudly. “They’ve been in there a long time.” The group began to giggle.
“Don’t they know they have to put money in the machine to get their pictures?”
“They’ve probably never been in one before. They’re kinda old…”
More giggling.
“Hey, you guys,” one of the girls shouted over their horseplay. “Can you hurry up and pay so we can get our turn?
Annoyed, Jeff reluctantly pulled away from Ava and shoved his fist into his pocket. He pulled out a five-dollar bill and thrust his hand past the curtain. “Is this enough?”
He grinned at Ava. “Get ready. We’re going to be on camera any moment now.”
She slid her hands around his neck and lifted her chin, meeting him halfway. He angled his head and closed his eyes as he kissed her passionately, not caring when or how the pictures snapped. He just wanted to show her how much he loved her.
Chapter Fifteen
March 19th- Enchanted Island
The Perfect Match
The bright spring sun shone down relentlessly, reflecting off the crystal waves of the Caribbean Sea as Ava and Jeff sat on the deck of the parasail vessel in their swing-like harnesses, waiting for the “go-ahead” from the captain. The red and white parasail wing, fully open, floated behind them, catching the wind as the boat glided toward the open sea.
Though it was the first time she’d ever tried parasailing, she felt no fear whatsoever, only calm delight and the expectation of an exciting ride.
Jeff reached out and squeezed her knee. “Are you okay?”
She nodded.
“Are you sure? You’re so quiet. We don’t have to go through with it if you don’t want to.”
She smiled. “I’m not afraid. I’m looking forward to it.”
At her urging, he’d let his hair grow again and the thick, blond curls he’d had last time they’d stayed on the island were starting to grow back. That was the Jeff she fell in love with—a happy, carefree “surfer dude.” She never wanted that aspect of him to change. Or his love of adventure.
The captain stepped to the back of the boat. “Are you ready?”
“Yes,” they said in unison.
“All right, let’s go.” He turned and signaled to the driver. The boat sped up, the winch on the tow rope released and the wind slowly lifted Ava and Jeff, flying tandem, into the air. Higher and higher they climbed until the water became a mass of aqua as far as her eyes could see. Below her, the boat’s foamy white wake cut a path through the tranquil surface of the vast sea.
Ava (Perfect Match Book 5) Page 9
