Not Your Match

by Lindzee Armstrong

  “Oh my gosh. I’m at my parents now. Bye, Rach.” Andi clicked off her phone. She loved her best friend, but she really had to stop meddling.

  Ben was moving in tomorrow. She’d ask him about New Year’s Eve and dancing then.

  Andi got out of the car, staring up at her childhood home. The towering Beverly Hills mansion was all climbing ivy and stone. She blew out a breath. As if the phone call with Rachel wasn’t bad enough, now she’d have to sit through three hours of her mother hinting at which young men in their circle of acquaintances were single.

  Andi walked up to the massive double doors and knocked twice before letting herself inside. “I’m here, Mom.” She pulled off her jacket and hung it up in the coat closet next to the door.

  Her mom appeared at the top of the stairs, fastening an earring. “Hi, dear. Your father should be down any minute. He had a few things to take care of as soon as we got back from New York.”

  “How was the flight?” Andi asked.

  “Not bad. I slept for most of it while your father worked.” Her mom floated down the stairs and gave Andi a hug. “I love that shirt. Is it new?”

  “No.”

  “Oh. Well, come into the kitchen. You can help me set the table. The caterers delivered the meal about ten minutes ago and it’s sitting in warmers.”

  Andi followed her mom into the massive kitchen. She grabbed a stack of plates from one of the dark wood cabinets and set them on the granite counter top, then grabbed salad plates and stemware.

  A hand landed on her back, and Andi turned. Her father stood there in a white button down shirt and black slacks, but without a suit coat and tie he looked almost dressed down. He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. “Merry late Christmas,” he said.

  “Merry late Christmas.”

  “Good, you’re here,” Andi’s mom said. She handed him a stack of plates. “Go help Andi set the table while I check on the food.”

  Andi followed her dad into the dining room with the salad plates and silverware. Dad looked around as though to make sure her mom was out of hearing ranging, then asked, “How was the office while I was gone?”

  “Fine,” Andi said. “Uneventful.”

  “And how are your cases going?”

  Andi sighed, turning to face her dad. “I’ve helped couples destroy each other’s lives and worked on more romance-killing prenuptial agreements.”

  “So work’s going good then.” He nodded, leaning back against the wall. “I’m proud of you, Andi. You’re the best junior associate we have.”

  “If that’s true, I should get to pick my own cases.”

  He laughed. “You know you’ve got to earn that right. Give it a few years.”

  Andi set a dinner plate down with more force than necessary. “I want to be put on more adoptions and custody disputes and less divorces.”

  “Holly didn’t get to pick her cases until she’d been there three years. Are you asking me to show you favoritism?”

  Andi clenched her teeth, a desperate sort of helplessness coursing through her. “Of course not.”

  He picked up the silverware and helped her continue setting the table. “You’ll get there eventually. Be patient.”

  A few minutes later, they had their plates filled and sat around the dining room table eating.

  “How was your Christmas?” her mom asked. “I still feel awful about leaving you high and dry.”

  Andi took a bite of her ham. “I’m twenty-six, not sixteen. I was fine.”

  “I still worried about you all yesterday. I barely enjoyed Beauty and the Beast. Your dad surprised me with tickets to a matinee performance.”

  “Seriously, Mom. I had a nice time yesterday. Ben and I spent the day together.” Would her parents even remember who Ben was?

  Her mom pursed her lips, her brows drawn together in concentration. “The name sounds familiar. Is that the boy you used to dance with in high school?”

  Her dad’s head snapped up. “Rachel’s brother?”

  “That’s Ben,” Andi said. She tried to keep her tone light and offhand, as though it meant nothing. It doesn’t mean anything, she reminded herself, and shoved a forkful of mashed potatoes in her mouth.

  “Hmmm,” her dad said. Andi knew what that meant—he disapproved of something. “And why did you spend Christmas with this boy?”

  “He’s an adult, Dad. Not a boy. He just moved back from Arizona and wanted to look at a condo that’s for rent in my building. We ended up going to a movie and hanging out.”

  “And what is Ben up to these days?” her mom asked. “Daniel, pass the butter, please.”

  “Just working,” Andi said.

  “Doing what?” Dad said, handing over the butter.

  “He’s a high school science teacher.” Andi let out an exasperated harrumph. “Are you done with the third degree yet?”

  Her mom pressed her lips together, buttering a roll with more force than necessary. “You tell me. Are the two of you dating?”

  Andi’s cheeks heated, and she took a bite of ham to give herself time to cool down. “Of course not. We’re just neighbors that have hung out a time or two.”

  “Hung out?” Her mom let out a scoff. “Hanging out is for children, not respected lawyers who should be looking for a husband.”

  Andi rolled her eyes. “I don’t need a husband. That’s such an antiquated notion.”

  “You and Mark were great together.”

  “Mark left me, remember?”

  “Mark had ambition,” her father cut in. “It’s unfortunate that it took him away from California. But that’s exactly the kind of guy you need, Andi. Someone who won’t feel emasculated when you make partner at thirty-five.” He pointed a fork in her direction. “Don’t worry, you’ll find him eventually.”

  “You know, my friend’s son just moved back after spending the last two years in Germany,” her mom said. “He’s very handsome, and a well-respected pediatrician. Should I get his number for you?”

  “No,” Andi said.

  “Diane’s boy?” Dad asked, and Mom nodded. “You really should let him call you, Andi. He’s going places.”

  “I’m not calling him,” Andi said. “And I don’t want him to call me.”

  “So that’s it, then?” Her mom set her fork down with more force than necessary. “You’re never going to date again? I know the breakup’s been hard on you, but you’re old enough to at least think about settling down.”

  She so didn’t need this. Not today. Not from her parents. Andi narrowed her eyes at her father. “It’s hard to think about settling down when I spent fourteen hours a day seeing relationships fall apart.”

  Her mother shot her father a glare, but her dad didn’t so much as raise an eyebrow. “You wanted to do family law. Divorce cases go along with that.”

  “I wanted to help families,” Andi said. “Not destroy them.”

  “You are helping people,” her dad said, his face turning red. “Why else would they be paying us?”

  “If the divorce cases are preventing Andi from forming a relationship, she needs to be moved,” Mom said.

  “A good lawyer doesn’t let her job interfere with her personal life,” Dad said.

  “Well, obviously it is. Look at her.” Her mom thrust an arm in Andi’s direction, like an attorney presenting irrefutable evidence to a jury.

  “Ouch.” Andi made a face. “If you must know, Rachel bought me a subscription to Toujour as a Christmas present. You’ve heard of them, right?”

  Her mother dropped her arm back into her lap. “Is that the company Luke Ryder joined?”

  “One and the same,” Andi said.

  “Luke Ryder?” Her dad nodded. “Ryder Communications is a well-respected business.”

  “To be CEO at such a young age is very impressive,” her mom said. “And he’s so handsome.”

  “A matchmaker is a little antiquated, but seems like a respectable way to find a husband,” Dad said. “I read an article about them
in the paper last week. Solid business plan. And a man like Luke Ryder would understand the demands of your job.”

  “You should ask to be set up with him,” Mom said.

  “I don’t think that’s how it works,” Andi said.

  “How do you know unless you ask? You’re a better candidate than most of the other women there, I’ll wager.”

  Andi snorted. But at the look on her mom’s face, she decided it’d be easier to go along. Anything to stop the relationship talks. “You know what, you never know. Maybe I will be Luke Ryder’s match.”

  Moving day. Ben hadn’t felt this excited in he didn’t know how long. Yesterday he’s gotten the signed rental agreement and deposit to Madelynn. Today, in just a few more steps, he’d get those keys.

  He knocked on Andi’s door, then stuck his hands in his pockets. He couldn’t believe they were going to be neighbors. It would be great to have someone familiar nearby. Someone who understood, at least a little, what he was going through.

  Friendship. That’s all he wanted from her.

  The door swung open, and the smell of pine sol and apple wafted out. Andi looked unexpectedly casual in yoga pants and a tank. Her hair was pulled up in a ponytail and her neck and shoulders looked impossibly smooth. An image flashed in his mind of a slightly younger Andi, dressed much the same, laughing as he theatrically led her across the gym floor in the fox trot.

  “Hey,” she said. “I was worried I’d miss you. I had to run a few errands this morning. Come in, I’ll grab the keys.”

  “Thanks.” Why did she make him so nervous? They’d danced together for an entire year. Seen each other frequently because of Rachel. He hadn’t found himself spending long periods of time thinking about Andi since high school.

  She disappeared down the hallway and into a room. Ben looked around, letting his eyes wander the condo. She’d already put away the small Christmas tree she’d had on the end table in her living room. The coffee table held her laptop, a few files stacked beside it. How many hours had she already put in today?

  Andi returned, dangling keys from her hands. “Here you go. Are you excited?”

  Ben slowly reached out and took the keys. There were three of them, two silver ones for the condo and a smaller brass one that looked like it went to the mailbox downstairs. He held the keys in his hand, the silver and brass gleaming in the condo light.

  Three tiny objects, but they represented so much more to him.

  “You have no idea how excited I am,” he said. These keys were proof he was starting over.

  Andi laughed. “The newlyweds can be pretty nauseating.”

  She’d misinterpreted his relief, but he didn’t correct her.

  “Let me slip on my shoes and I’ll come help. Are Rachel and Adam downstairs?”

  “They’re waiting in the moving truck. But you don’t have to help. You got me the condo, which is more than enough. I’m sure you have things to do today.” His eyes flicked to her open laptop.

  “I think I can make time to help my new neighbor.” She brushed her hand along his arm, and electricity shot through him. She grabbed a bucket of cleaning supplies. “I thought Rachel and I could clean while you guys brought in boxes.”

  “Sounds great,” Ben said. He mentally made a note to add that to his shopping list. He didn’t remember packing any cleaning supplies in his haste to leave Arizona.

  They walked side-by-side down the hallway. Ben inserted the key into the lock and turned it, thrusting the door open. “Home sweet home,” he said, glancing around. “I’ll tell Rach and Adam to start bringing stuff up.”

  The next two hours were a blur of unloading boxes. With each box Ben dropped off, he felt as though he shed five pounds. This was his place. Here he would start over and learn to be happy again. He imagined Andi sitting next to him on the couch, a drink in her hand as they cheered for whatever game was on television. Whitney hated sports, but Andi enjoyed them. It would be nice to have someone to watch the game with occasionally.

  Ben brought up boxes and carried in furniture with Adam’s help while Andi and Rachel cleaned. Andi had on rubber gloves that reached nearly to her elbows, and seemed to be viciously attacking every surface in sight with bleach. The smell filled the condo and burned his nostrils, but he didn’t mind.

  “Did you set up your appointment with Toujour yet?” Rachel asked, her voice muffled by the brush of the rag against the wall.

  “No,” Andi said. “Don’t look at me like that, Rach. I’ve been busy.”

  “But you’re going to do it, right?”

  “Didn’t we have this conversation yesterday?”

  “Yes, and you still haven’t made the appointment.”

  “I will. Soon.”

  Ben left them to their cleaning and went to get another box. Why did he feel so uncomfortable every time Toujour came up in conversation? This was a good thing. If Andi started dating, it would make burying his crush that much easier.

  Andi didn’t deserve to be anyone’s rebound.

  It was a little after noon when Ben and Adam dropped the last few boxes in the living room.

  “Sorry we can’t stay longer,” Rachel said. “If I’d known you were moving today, we wouldn’t have gotten play tickets.”

  “If you weren’t such an old married woman, you wouldn’t have gotten them for the matinee.” Ben pulled her close for a hug. “Seriously, it’s fine. You let me mooch off you for the last two weeks and helped me unload the moving truck, which is more than enough. Are you sure you don’t mind dropping it off?”

  “Of course not. We have to drive right by there on our way home anyway.”

  “Okay. Thanks again. Have fun at the play.”

  “We will.” Rachel gave him a kiss on the cheek, then hugged Andi and left with Adam.

  Ben straightened, arching his back until it cracked. “You can go too, Andi. I don’t expect you to waste your whole Saturday on me.”

  Andi looked around the living room littered with boxes, then folded her arms. “Yeah, I’m going to leave you to deal with all this yourself.”

  “I’m a big boy.”

  “Nope, I’m staying. I can’t remember the last time I spent a Saturday doing physical labor instead of working. This feels awesome.”

  He was glad she was sticking around, even if it did make his palms sweat. “Thanks, I appreciate the help.”

  She smiled. “You’re welcome.”

  “So you work a lot of weekends?”

  “More than I’d like to.” Andi bent down and swiped the wall with a rag one last time. “Okay, your entire condo has been scoured top to bottom. Good thing it’s small or it would’ve taken a lot longer.”

  “You didn’t have to clean for me, but thank you.”

  “Well, I didn’t clean everything. We’ll still need to vacuum and mop after all the boxes are unpacked. And probably dust all the furniture. Where do you want to start?”

  “How about the living room? You can put stuff away while I hook up the television.”

  Andi laughed. “Guys and their priorities.”

  “Hey, my team’s playing tonight. I need to at least have it set to record.”

  “And I did promise you dinner on the night you moved in as well.” Andi motioned to the bookcase. “Want me to put the DVDs there?”

  In Arizona, the bookcase had been filled with Whitney’s favorite romance novels and knick-knacks. She hadn’t texted him since Christmas. He was relieved, but also hurt she’d given up so easily. Ben swallowed and looked away. “Yeah, that’s fine.”

  They worked in companionable silence while Ben drilled the mounting plate for the flat screen into the wall. Andi helped him hoist the television, and he couldn’t help but be impressed by the definition in her arms. Whitney had been soft, almost fragile. Andi was far from that.

  Stop it, he told himself. He had to quit thinking of Andi that way, and he definitely had to stop comparing her to Whitney.

  Once the television was secure, Andi opened a
box and unpacked the DVDs while Ben worked on connecting the chords.

  “So you haven’t signed up with the matchmaker yet, huh?” Ben asked.

  Andi groaned. “Don’t even get me started. Your sister’s crazy.”

  “Tell me something I don’t know.”

  “It’s been three days. Give me a chance to breathe. I know I need to do it, but I really don’t want to.”

  “You don’t want to go to a matchmaker, or you don’t want to date?”

  “Maybe a little of both.” She sighed, and the sound did funny things to his insides.

  Ben stepped off the ladder and turned on the TV with the remote. The screen came to life, and he arrowed through the setup for the cable. “It’s not easy getting back out there after a long-term relationship.”

  “Think you’ll ever be ready to date again?” Andi set a handful of DVDs on the bookshelf.

  “I hope so, eventually.” He wondered if Andi would still be single when that time came.

  “Me too. Right now, I just want to absolve Rachel of her guilt in the whole Mark situation so she stops pressuring me.”

  “She’s always been a fixer.”

  “Well, Mark and I aren’t fixable. Even if we were, I don’t want to fix it. Seeing him again made that much clear.”

  Ben stole a glance at Andi. “Are you doing okay after that?”

  “I’m fine.” Andi shuffled DVDs on the shelf. Was she alphabetizing them? He had to hide a laugh. “What about you?” Andi asked.

  “What about me?”

  “Rachel seems to think you and Whitney are getting back together.”

  “Definitely not.” Ben hit the buttons on the remote harder than necessary. The screen blinked to life with ESPN. He set the game to record and flicked the TV back off.

  “You sound certain.”

  “I am.” Even if her texts had been all sorts of confusing.

  “Mind if I ask what happened? I know you’ve broken up before.” She smiled apologetically. “Rachel told me.”

  Ben walked over to a box and opened it. He wasn’t sure he wanted to go through his whole relationship drama, especially with the girl who was making his heart zing. But Andi was so easy to talk to. He’d always liked that about her. “This is the third time Whitney’s left me. But the first time since the engagement.”