Meet Your Match (No Match for Love)

by Lindzee Armstrong

  Brooke brought her cell phone screen to life, but Dad still hadn’t answered any of her sixteen texts. A tiny part of her worried something was wrong. Usually he at least had the decency to let her know he wasn’t coming. But no. He was just being inconsiderate. He was probably busy with Shandi and had lost track of time.

  Tears stung Brooke’s eyes. I’m a fool. She wondered what his excuse would be for not coming. Shandi had a bad reaction to self-tanner? Maybe he’d tell Brooke something came up at work and leave it at that.

  Brooke ran her thumb across the phone screen. I should call Mom to come pick me up. But she couldn’t make herself do it. She was mad at her father—furious, even.

  But listening to her mom rant about his failures would only make the hurt that much worse. Mom would be livid he’d bailed on Brooke. Again.

  Brooke glanced across the strip mall parking lot to the Walmart. Maybe she would aimlessly wander the aisles for another hour, then call her mom to pick her up. She could lie and say Dad came and things went great, but an emergency called him away before he could take her home.

  But no. Mom would see through that immediately. Brooke had always been an awful liar.

  Brooke pulled her backpack toward her and dragged out her math textbook. She would wait another thirty minutes, just in case he showed. Might as well do some homework in the meantime.

  A few customers walked out of Denny’s and gave her a curious look as they passed. She’d been there when they’d arrived nearly an hour ago. Brooke dipped her head, focusing on the equations in the book. The wind fluttered the pages.

  Maybe Dad will still come. Maybe he really did have an emergency root canal to perform. Even still, he could’ve let her know.

  The tears pooled in Brooke’s eyes, and she blinked quickly, pushing a few down her cheeks. This is so stupid. If I’m not worth his time, then he’s not worth mine.

  But try as she might to convince herself otherwise, it hurt that her father no longer cared. About Brooke. About Mom. He hadn’t cared enough to fire Shandi and keep their family intact.

  “Brooke?”

  Brooke’s hand froze on the textbook, holding the pages flat as the wind rustled them. For a moment, she thought it was her father. But no, the voice wasn’t quite low enough. She quickly brushed at her cheeks and looked up. “Hi, Luke.”

  “What are you doing here?”

  “I could ask you the same.”

  He motioned to the shoe store next door. “I’m dropping off some equipment for my dad.” He held up a bag. “They need their security panel replaced.”

  “Oh.” Brilliant response. “I didn’t know your dad had his own business.”

  “Yeah, Ryder Communications. We do everything from security systems to automatic flushing toilets. I work for him after school.”

  “Nice.”

  He pushed his hands into his pockets. “Is everything okay? You … uh, you look like you’ve been crying or something.”

  “It’s allergies.”

  “Right.” He motioned to the store. “Well, I’m gonna install the new panel.”

  “Okay.”

  Brooke’s cheeks burned as Luke walked away. Why did he have to show up at the exact moment she sat crying on a bench? She rolled her shoulders back. Well, there was nothing she could do about it now. She tried to concentrate on her math homework but couldn’t focus. Fifteen minutes later Luke returned, the old security panel in his hands. This time he sat down on the bench next to her. “Are you meeting someone?”

  “Not anymore.” Brooke closed her book with a sigh. Luke clearly wasn’t letting this go. Now he would make some snarky comment about how a perceived date had stood her up, and that’s what she got for being so cold.

  But he didn’t say any of that. Instead he stared at her, his eyes full of concern. “What happened?”

  Brooke bit her lip, focusing on forcing the tears back. “My dad wanted to meet, but I guess something came up.”

  “Oh.” He was quiet for a minute. “Where do you think he is?”

  “Probably with his new girlfriend, Shandi the Dental Hygienist.”

  “Wow. That sucks. I’m really sorry.” He motioned to Denny’s. “How about I buy you something to eat?”

  Brooke raised an eyebrow. “If you’re trying to trick me into a date, it’s not nice to play dirty when a girl’s having a hard day.”

  Luke held up his hands defensively. “No strings attached. Promise.”

  Brooke thought about saying no, but the larger-than-life poster of peanut butter and chocolate pancakes in the restaurant window had haunted her for an hour. “You better not be lying to me, Ryder.”

  “I’m just trying to help a friend out.”

  “Usually I pick friends who are less annoying.” But Brooke smiled to soften the blow, and Luke laughed.

  “I’ve seen you around school, Brooke Pierce. I know you’re a nice girl. The Ice Queen act isn’t fooling me. C’mon, I’m hungry.”

  “Okay, but I’m paying for myself.”

  Inside the restaurant the smell of frying bacon and maple syrup had Brooke’s mouth watering. She inhaled deeply, and her stomach grumbled.

  Luke chuckled. “Sounds like I’m not the only one who’s hungry.”

  “Even Ice Queens need to eat,” Brooke teased.

  The hostess seated them, and they quickly placed their orders.

  “Want to tell me about it?” Luke asked.

  Brooke thought about refusing, but what would it hurt to share? She shrugged. “It’s why we moved. At the beginning of summer, Mom found out about the affair. She moved us to a hotel the next day until we could find an apartment. Now they can barely say two civilized words to each other, and my dad’s so busy acting like he’s sixteen again that he doesn’t have time to be a parent.”

  “I’m really sorry. I can’t imagine what that must be like.”

  Brooke opened her mouth to reply, but wasn’t sure what to say to him. This concerned, kind, likable version of Luke had her on edge. “I keep waiting for you to say something jerky, but you’re being really nice.”

  Luke shrugged. “See? I’m not such a bad guy after all.”

  Their food arrived, and Brooke dug in. She closed her eyes in pure joy as the peanut butter and chocolate coated her tongue in a perfect harmony of sweet and savory. “That’s good,” she said, pointing her fork at the food.

  Luke grinned, digging into his skillet. “Yeah.”

  “Are your parents still together?” Brooke asked.

  “Yup. For like twenty years or something.”

  “Are they happy?”

  “They seem to be.”

  “I thought my parents were happy too. They embodied the happily ever after, you know? When I was a little girl, I was convinced their lives were a fairy tale. It’s why I wanted to be a matchmaker—to help other people find as much happiness as them.”

  “You mean like a Fiddler on the Roof, real live matchmaker?”

  Brooke nodded. “There’s a matchmaking firm in Los Angeles. When I graduate, I’m going to work there.”

  Luke raised an eyebrow. “You’re serious about this.”

  “Love isn’t something to mess around with.” Brooke blushed, realizing how intimate that sounded. “My parents had true love—I know they did. And then a year ago, my dad started acting strange. I knew something was up, although I wasn’t positive what. My dad threw happily ever after away for someone young enough to be his daughter.”

  “Are your parents going to try and make it work?”

  “They’re going to counseling, but only because California law requires it if you have custody issues. Shandi still works at his office, so he obviously isn’t too committed to fixing things. I’m pretty sure he’s seeing her behind Mom’s back, even though he says he isn’t. Sometimes I’ll hear her voice in the background when he calls, or see lipstick smudges on his cheek. Things don’t look good for my parents.”

  Luke leaned back in the booth, dropping his fork onto
the table. “Well, I feel like a jerk.”

  Brooke raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

  “I’ve been chasing you while you’ve got all this crap going on at home.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I’m really sorry. I seriously had no idea. I thought you were playing hard to get.”

  “Well I’m not. I just don’t have a high opinion of guys right now.”

  “Can we start over? As friends, I mean.”

  Brooke folded her arms. It sounded like a ploy. “No strings attached?”

  “Some strings. Usually friends hang out and stuff. You tell me your problems, I tell you mine. That’s how friendships work.”

  “Hmm. Interesting proposition, but I’m not sure I believe you.”

  He grinned. “Give me a trial run, and I’ll convince you.”

  She finally nodded. “Okay. Convince me.”

  Brooke surprised herself by thoroughly enjoying the rest of the meal. It turned out that when Luke wasn’t trying so hard, he was actually a pretty cool guy. They each paid for their meals, and she followed him outside.

  She didn’t notice her dad until it was too late. He climbed out of his convertible, fingers hovering over his cell phone.

  “Brooke,” he said, his shoulders sagging in relief. His hair was mussed, and his green scrubs were wrinkled. “I was just about to call you. I thought you’d left.”

  “You’re late,” Brooke said. She pulled out her phone. “Almost an hour and a half late.”

  “I know, Sugar Bee. I’m so sorry. Someone needed an emergency crown.”

  “And you couldn’t have asked one of your assistants to send me a quick text?”

  “I didn’t think about it. I lost track of time.”

  Brooke brushed passed him. “I don’t want to hear it.”

  “It’s the truth.”

  Brooke snorted. “Yeah, Dad. I’m sure it is.”

  “Please.” His eyes begged. “Let’s go inside and talk. We can still have dinner.”

  “Thanks, but I already ate. Luke’s going to take me home.”

  Her dad eyed Luke up and down, then frowned in disapproval. “I’m sure he’s got other things to do. I can drive you.”

  “Bye, Dad.”

  “Brooke, please.” Then, more quietly: “Don’t tell your mother about this, okay?”

  “No promises.”

  Luke hurried to unlock his car door for Brooke, and she climbed inside. Brooke knew she wouldn’t tell her mom about what had happened, not because of her dad but because she was sick of seeing Mom hurt.

  “Sorry about that,” Brooke said when Luke climbed inside.

  “Why? I should be telling you sorry. What a jerk.”

  Brooke faced the window, hiding her smile. She felt like she should be embarrassed about what had happened. But she wasn’t. She didn’t care that Luke knew how messed up her family was. In fact, she sort of liked it. It was nice to have someone to help share the burden.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Luke felt like the world’s biggest jerk. He couldn’t believe he’d been chasing Brooke around school for two weeks like she was some sort of trophy when she’d been dealing with so much.

  No wonder she doesn’t want to date, Luke thought as he drove home after dropping her off. She probably thinks all men are scum. And I haven’t done much to convince her otherwise.

  It also explained a lot about why she’d been the Ice Queen to him and Mother Theresa to everyone else.

  He needed to redeem himself—prove to Brooke that he was a good guy. He felt this strange urge to protect her from jerks. He wanted to get to know the nice girl she showed to everyone else at the school. The girl he’d had dinner with today. He was going to become the best friend Brooke had ever had. Or at least try to be. He’d never been “just friends” with a girl and honestly, he wasn’t sure how to go about it.

  No one was going to hurt her. Not if he could help it.

  It took a long time for Luke to fall asleep that night, and he was up the next morning before his alarm clock. He quickly got ready for the day and bounded down the stairs to the kitchen.

  “You’re up early,” his mom said. “I didn’t expect you for at least another half hour.”

  His dad looked up from the newspaper he read at the kitchen table. “In a hurry?”

  Luke shrugged. “I wanted to meet up with a friend before school.” He hoped Brooke would be there extra early so they could talk before their first period class. She seemed like the type who would be early to everything.

  “Who’s the friend?” Mom asked.

  Luke grabbed a piece of toast from off the plate on the counter. “Someone new to the school,” he said, carefully avoiding the use of any gender pronouns.

  “I haven’t heard about any new friends,” Dad said. “We’d love to meet him. Why don’t you bring him over after school sometime this week?”

  Luke blinked. “You’ll be home?”

  Dad grinned. “I think I can take off a few hours early to meet one of your friends.”

  Luke grinned too. As a small business owner, his dad spent long days at the office. “I’ll see if she’s interested.” He grabbed another piece of toast off the plate and headed to the door. Maybe they hadn’t noticed his slip.

  “Wait,” his mom said.

  Luke sighed, slowly turning around.

  “This is a girl?”

  “Yeah, so?”

  “As in a girlfriend?”

  “A friend that is a girl.”

  “But not a girlfriend?” his dad clarified.

  “No, not a girlfriend,” Luke said.

  His mom folded her arms. “Well I’ll be darned. I didn’t expect pigs to fly today.”

  “If this is a girl, I’ll definitely be home early to meet her,” Dad said. He took a final sip of his coffee and rose. “I’ll walk you out, Luke. I need to get to the office.”

  Luke nodded. Dad gave Mom a kiss and Luke gave her a quick hug, and they left. “You must really like this girl if you’re not dating her,” Dad said. He opened his car door and set his briefcase inside.

  Luke shrugged uncomfortably. “She’s going through a hard time and needs a friend.”

  “Ah.” Dad raised an eyebrow. “That’s admirable. See that you keep it at friendship.” His eyes locked with Luke’s. “Real men don’t take advantage of women who are feeling vulnerable and going through a hard time. Understand?”

  Luke swallowed hard. “Yes, sir.”

  “Good. I love you. Have a good day.”

  Luke waited for his dad to pull out of the garage, then got into his own car and headed to school. He knew his dad was right. Going after Brooke was totally out of the question. He’d decided as much last night.

  But he’d never tried to consciously not date a girl. It might be harder to do than he thought.

  Luke arrived at the high school thirty minutes before the first bell. The halls were eerily empty. He usually slid into his desk seconds before the tardy bell, when the school was full to bursting. Luke wandered around the hallways for a few minutes, but found no sign of Brooke anywhere. Maybe she didn’t get to school as early as he thought. That was okay, though. It’d give him a chance to get ahead on homework. Luke decided to go to the library. Most people avoided it, so he wasn’t likely to be caught being a good student. If Chris found out, he’d laugh Luke out of the building.

  He cautiously walked through the library doors. The room was tomb quiet, and he glanced nervously around. Libraries always made him feel like he was a second away from being yelled at.

  He scanned the room, but only saw one girl at a round table. He did a double take. Was that Brooke? The hair, pulled back into a pony tail cascading down her back, was the same chestnut brown as hers.

  He walked toward her. She glanced up, and he grinned. Definitely Brooke.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked.

  Luke started to sit down next to her, then thought better of it and picked the seat across from her. Just friends, he remind
ed himself. It’d be harder to turn his flirt off than he’d anticipated. “I thought I’d come by early and do some homework.”

  She frowned as though concerned. “I hope I didn’t keep you from it last night.”

  “No.” He glanced around, then leaned forward and lowered his voice. “I’ve got everything done for today. I’m working ahead.”

  Brooke stared at him, then burst out laughing.

  “Shhh. You’re going to get us in trouble.”

  “Mrs. Toone is a sweetheart, and she loves me. No way she’ll kick us out. Besides, we’re the only ones here. Are you actually embarrassed to be doing homework?”

  Luke ran a hand through his hair. “Maybe a little.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know. I’m not supposed to like school. Or be good at it.”

  “Why?”

  Did girls always ask so many questions? He was usually too busy kissing them to let them talk. “Chris would never let me live it down.”

  “Then Chris is a jerk. If you’re good at school, own it. What subjects do you like?”

  This is what friends do—share their likes and dislikes. Be honest. “Math and science. And computers. Mom used to be an elementary school teacher, so my parents really encourage me in school. And my dad has the communications company. He said he’ll make me a partner when I graduate from college.”

  Brooke’s eyes widened. “Wow, you are smart. What did you say the company does?”

  Luke fought the urge to blush. “A hodge-podge of everything—telephones for the deaf, home security systems, automatic kitchen faucets, things like that.”

  “Luke, that’s great.” Brooke leaned forward. Luke resisted leaning forward as well, maybe taking her hand in his across the table. “You know, a guy who owns his intelligence is a lot sexier than one who plays dumb.”

  “Really?” Luke asked.

  “Really. Now if you’re so great at math, can you help me with this problem? I’m much better with words than with numbers. English is more my subject.”