“So romantic.” Lillian sighed and leaned back in her high-back leather desk chair. “I’m a sucker for romance. Whatever it takes to bring two people together.”
And that was why he’d come into her office for a chat. “Aunt Lil, you’re not an amateur matchmaker setting up your friends anymore. You bought this business, and by definition that means you need to make a profit.”
She smiled fondly at him. “That’s why I brought you in, dear.”
She wasn’t wrong about that, Gabe thought. He’d come home a year ago when she called him with a 9-1-1, a business emergency. She was in financial trouble and needed his expertise. If anything about the situation was at all positive, it was the timing. He’d just completed a contract, had nothing lined up yet and looked at this interlude as a good excuse to push the pause button while he figured out what his next career move would be. But he sincerely wished his aunt was selling pork rinds instead of romance. It was hard to work up enthusiasm when he didn’t believe in the product for himself. Not again.
“I am here to help, and things are heading in the right direction,” he said. “But you have to stop giving away the farm.”
“This is about Tanya and Jeff, I bet.” Carla sighed. “They had a lovely and dreamy first date at Le Chene. Ooh la la. Things are looking promising with those two.”
“The same effect could have been achieved if we set up a lovely, dreamy meet for coffee. And far less expensive.” Both women stared pityingly at him, but he wasn’t budging on this. “We pay for first dates. That promotion along with our advertising and social media presence are bringing in clients and improving the revenue stream, but if you keep giving away costly first dates, there won’t be a profit.”
“Gabriel—”
“Don’t Gabriel me, Aunt Lil.” He rested a hip on the corner of her desk. “You brought me here to help. You asked for my expertise and advice. If you’re not going to take it to heart, pun intended, I can’t help you.”
“Of course you’re right,” she said. “It’s just, I do love creating an intimate and romantic setting, and that doesn’t come cheap. It’s hard for me to put budget over bliss and finding the one.”
“It is pretty fantastic to meet your soul mate,” Carla gushed.
Gabe knew exactly how fantastic it was. Margo had been everything to him, and he hadn’t given her everything in return. There was one thing she’d wanted, and he’d put her off. Then she died, and he knew exactly how much it hurt to lose his everything. It was a once-in-a-lifetime love, and that meant no more romance for him. Unfortunately, now his job had him knee deep in romance for others to find what he would never have again.
“Why don’t we research some first-date venues that are fun and lower cost?” he suggested. “The Le Chene experience could be a special promotional event to attract clients. A judiciously dangled carrot.”
“Patrick’s Pub is a great place,” Carla said. “It fits your criteria, and I have to say, when I saw Steve, that was that. We could have been anywhere.”
“Excellent idea,” his aunt agreed.
“Okay.”
Carla looked at her watch, then met his aunt’s gaze. “Remember you said it was all right for me to leave a little early? We want a short engagement, which means flowers and vows soon. I have to shop for a wedding gown.”
“Of course. Not a problem, dear.” Lil waved a hand, a shooing-her-out-the-door motion, and Carla headed that way. “Gabriel and I will take care of things here.”
“Thank you both.” The young woman disappeared through the doorway, but her voice floated back to them. “See you in the morning.”
When they were alone, he gave his aunt a look. “You’re too nice. People will take advantage.”
“Carla is a devoted employee because I’m a very generous boss. You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar, Gabriel.”
“Okay.” He couldn’t dispute that, but he was going to watch out for her just the same. “You are in charge.”
“And don’t you forget it,” she teased. “Oh, by the way, how did your talk at the high school go?”
“Good.” Instantly an image of Courtney Davidson popped into his mind. Mom, nurse and really pretty. A favor for his friend had turned out to be more interesting than he’d expected. “The kids were polite. And asked a lot of questions.” Especially Courtney’s daughter.
“I’m glad to see you involved in the community. A very positive sign,” his aunt said. “Would you mind manning the reception desk in Carla’s absence? We don’t have any appointments on the books, but just in case someone drops in, I think a Make Me a Match representative should be there. And I have some phone calls to return.”
“I’m just working on spreadsheets, so doing that at her computer isn’t a problem.”
“Thank you, dear. In case I don’t tell you enough, it means so much to me to have you here. And I’ll try to restrain my romantic streak.”
“No, you won’t.” He moved away from the desk and headed for the door. “And I wouldn’t want you to. You’re the heart and soul of this business, and with your personal touch and excellent instincts about people, you are going to be very successful.”
“Right on, as they say.” She grinned, then picked up the phone and said, “Shoo.”
“And that’s my cue.” He left and closed her door before heading down the hall that led to the reception area.
Carla’s desk was neat as a pin, thank God. He sat in front of her computer and logged on. After pulling up the files, he started to go over the monthly data, tracking revenue trends and client numbers.
It had been an adjustment working at a family-owned business. Normally his role while under contract was to advise existing management without taking an operational responsibility within the company. Here at Make Me a Match, things were different. And now he was the receptionist.
Make Me a Match occupied the top floor of a building centrally located in a Huntington Hills business park. There were two offices, a large conference area and a break room with a refrigerator and coffeepot. It was tastefully decorated with a mixture of cozy floral love seats and leather chairs. Pictures of couples walking on the beach or strolling cobblestone streets hung on the walls.
The building’s elevator opened right into the reception area, and he was surprised when it stopped. Aunt Lil had said there were no appointments and drop-ins were unusual, but it seemed he was getting lucky. Contrary to what his family thought, he could be charming when he wanted to be. An opportunity to shake the rust off that skill seemed to be presenting itself.
When the doors opened, a young teenage girl got out and walked up to the desk. He recognized her from his high school talk earlier that day. She was the one who’d asked a lot of questions and pried out of him that he worked at Make Me a Match. Her mom was the pretty nurse he’d enjoyed talking to. He knew that because Courtney had pointed her out, and she had her mom’s dimples.
Gabe wasn’t sure charm was part of the skill set he was going to need, though. “Can I help you?”
She was putting on a confident face, but the nerves showed. Just like her mom. “I’m here to fill out a dating profile.”
“How old are you?”
“Fourteen.”
That’s what he’d figured. That class was all ninth graders, but asking was better than assuming. “To become a client, there’s a minimum age requirement of eighteen. I’m sorry.”
“Oh no,” she said quickly. “It’s not for me. I want to do one for my mom.”
Gabe had a hard time believing the smart, funny woman he’d met earlier needed help meeting men. It had crossed his mind for a moment that in another time, another place, if he was a different person, he might have asked for her phone number or invited her for coffee. Then he remembered who he was, what had happened, and the anger kicked back in to set him straight.
“W
ell, Ava—”
Suspicion darkened her big brown eyes, her mom’s eyes. “How do you know my name?”
Gabe was only a little surprised he remembered it. “I met your mom today when we were speaking to your class. She pointed you out.”
“Oh.” She slid the heavy-looking backpack off her shoulders and rested it on the carpet. “The thing is, I want my mom to meet someone and be happy.”
“Maybe she’s already happy.” Business 101 didn’t recommend talking someone out of becoming a client. But this definitely wasn’t business as usual. He glanced at the phone—one of the lines was lit, which meant he couldn’t turn this girl over to his aunt. “She has you. And she’s very proud of you, by the way.”
“I won’t be around forever. Today you said all kinds of stuff about career goals and college. I listened and plan to go. What then? She’ll be all alone.”
“You’ve got a couple of years before that. It’s not something you need to worry about yet, and—”
“You don’t know my mom.”
True. He couldn’t say it hadn’t occurred to him that he might want to know her better. “Isn’t this something you should discuss with her?”
“I have! She isn’t easy.” All the drama and angst of being a teenager was reflected in her eyes. “Finding her someone could take a while, because she’s pretty stubborn. She’ll be all alone and it’s my fault. Because she has to take care of me.”
“I’m sure she doesn’t see it that way.”
“That’s what she says, but I don’t believe her.”
“You do realize that even if you fill out her profile, at some point she has to be involved in this process. If she doesn’t cooperate, it’s not going to work.”
“I’m hoping that she’ll be okay with it when she sees how much this means to me.” The distress on this girl’s face was almost an exact copy of her mother’s when she’d warned that she might throw up. “If you’re worried about your fee, don’t be. I’ve saved up money from my allowance and babysitting.”
She was killing him. “Look, Ava, because you’re underage, taking you on as a client is walking a very fine ethical line on company policy.”
“You have to help me.” Frustration wrapped around every word. “This company stands by its commitment to make meeting someone easier. I know that because I checked you out on the internet.”
The internet was a blessing and a curse. Gabe had a bad feeling that if he didn’t do something, there were a lot of bad places it could take this kid. And Ava, with her saved-up babysitting money, really got to him. So he made a snap decision.
“Okay. I’ll put together some paperwork for you to fill out. Contact information for your mom, a questionnaire about her likes and dislikes. That sort of thing. We’ll get some notes and go from there to get her on board with this whole idea.” He pulled open one of Carla’s lateral file drawers and pulled out a sheet of paper, then indicated one of two chairs in front of the desk. “Have a seat and we’ll get this rolling.”
“Thank you, Mr. Blackburne.” She sat down, took the pen he held out and started filling in the information.
The hopeful look on her face followed by relief when he relented made him feel like slime for deceiving her. He would get Courtney’s phone number from the contact sheet, then let her know what was going on. He was in over his head and eager to pass this on to a parent.
When Ava had completed it, he took the single sheet and handed her a clipboard with several more attached. “The questions are general, designed to create a profile to generate interest. But that shouldn’t be a problem. You seem to know your mom pretty well. Do the best you can with the answers.”
“Okay.” She smiled. “Thanks.”
Please don’t thank me, he thought. “Can I get you something to drink? Coffee, water, soda?”
“A soda, maybe,” she said hesitantly.
“Okay. You start working on that and I’ll go get it.”
“Okay.” She nodded then bent her head and concentrated on the paperwork in her lap.
Gabe took the single sheet with him to the break room and pulled out his cell phone then punched Courtney’s number into the keypad. She was probably dealing with a coding patient or something, but he could leave a voice mail with bullet points of the situation along with his heartfelt appeal for her to call him back ASAP.
“Hello?” A familiar female voice answered on the fourth ring.
“Courtney?”
“Yes. Who is this?”
“Gabe Blackburne. We met today at the high school.”
“I remember.” There was a pleasantly surprised note in her tone before it changed when she asked, “How did you get my number?”
Bullet points, he reminded himself. “I work at a company called Make Me a Match. Ava is here to fill out a dating profile for you. She’s determined that you meet someone.”
“I’m sorry, what?”
“Your daughter is in my office doing paperwork right now. I thought you should know.” There was no reason she should believe him, so he added, “This isn’t a joke. And if you want a character reference for me, call Brett Kamp at the school. I promise you this is for real and I’m just trying to help.”
There was a brief hesitation on the other end of the line, as if she was weighing his words. Finally she said, “Okay. Thank you. If you’ll give me your office address, I’ll come right over and get her.”
“Of course. I’ll text it to you.”
“Fine. This must be an awful inconvenience for you. I’m very sorry.” Then she hung up.
Gabe wasn’t sorry. And that was a surprise. Courtney Davidson had raised an independent and caring young woman who would go the extra mile to see her mom happy. That intrigued him and, against the odds, he was looking forward to seeing her again.
Chapter Two
She could be more humiliated, but Courtney wasn’t sure how. Ava had told Gabriel Blackburne that her mother couldn’t get a man without help. She could easily get one, thank you very much. She just didn’t want one.
After letting the nursing supervisor know she had an emergency and was leaving for a short while, she drove to the address Gabe had texted her. It turned out that his office building wasn’t far from the hospital. She pulled into the lot, found a parking space, then jumped out of the car and ran into the lobby. After searching the directory, she found Make Me a Match on the top floor.
She pushed the up button and waited impatiently for the elevator to arrive. “Come on. Come on,” she pleaded.
Finally the doors opened and a couple of people exited. She got in and punched the floor button as if she had a personal grudge against it. That could happen, since the thing moved like a snail. It was a misguided illusion to make the ride go faster, but she ticked off every floor anyway, praying the thing wouldn’t stop for someone to get on. At long last the top floor arrived, and the doors opened onto the reception area for Make Me a Match.
The spacious room was empty except for Gabe Blackburne, just as handsome as he’d been earlier that day. To notice a thing like that at a time like this meant she had to be going a little crazy.
“Where’s Ava?” She rushed over to him, and he came around the desk to meet her.
“She’s in my aunt’s office filling out your dating profile.” There must have been a horrified look on her face, because he added, “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of destroying whatever paperwork she’s filling out.”
“It’s not that. I’m concerned about my daughter.”
“She’s fine.”
“Of course she’s not fine. She’s supposed to be at her friend’s house doing homework, but she’s here. Matchmaking for her mother. There’s nothing remotely fine about that. It’s wrong in so many ways.” Strands of hair had come loose from the clip she used to pull it back, and she tucked them behind her ears. Her hands were shaki
ng. “Which way to your aunt’s office? I’ll just get my little delinquent and be out of your way.”
“There’s no rush,” Gabe said.
“No rush?” Courtney couldn’t decide whether his calm manner was more soothing or annoying. “There’s definitely a rush. Not only do I hope the quicker I do that, the quicker you’ll forget she was here, but I can’t wait to ground her for the rest of her life.”
“Maybe you should take a deep breath first.” He half sat on the edge of the reception desk and folded his arms over an impressive chest. “Have a seat. Count to ten.”
Courtney wasn’t sure why, but she sat in one of the two barrel-back chairs. “I can’t believe you actually let her fill out a dating profile for me.”
“I was stalling for time. If she was turned away, I was afraid she would resort to the internet, and there are so many places there she shouldn’t go.”
“Oh God—” Her mouth trembled for a moment, and she covered it with her hand. “I had no idea she was that determined.”
“She saved up her babysitting money to pay the agency fee,” he said kindly. “Obviously she loves you very much.”
To her horror, Courtney’s eyes filled with tears. There was a box of tissues on the desk, and Gabe grabbed one, then handed it to her.
“I need to thank Carla tomorrow,” he mumbled.
“Ava can be a headstrong brat, but she means everything to me.” She met his sympathetic gaze, and something broke loose inside her, like a chunk of ice off a glacier. “I was pregnant at sixteen, and when she was born, my parents kicked me out because I couldn’t give her up for adoption like they wanted me to. They said it was my problem and I could just solve it on my own.”
“What about the father?” Gabe’s jaw hardened, and his eyes smoldered with what looked like anger.
“He was older and just disappeared. I was on my own.” She swiped away the single tear that rolled down her cheek and squeezed the tissue into her fist. “One of the hospital nurses had a spare room and took us in. I finished high school online and worked part-time. That extraordinary woman made me want to be a nurse.”
A Matchmaker's Challenge Page 2
