“And you are.”
“I could finally provide for us, give her a life. But I wanted her to have a traditional upbringing. White picket fence and two parents. After her bio-dad disappeared, I wasn’t inclined to trust men, but I met one and made an exception. Thought I was in love. Married him. Found out he was a jerk. Divorced him.” She got up and started pacing. “And why am I telling you all this?”
“I have a sympathetic face?” he offered.
“No. Well, yes, you do. But this isn’t me. It’s been a terrible day. I lost a patient. Crisis after crisis. I didn’t have lunch because of speaking at the high school.” Helplessly, she looked at him. “I don’t do this. We just met. You must think I’m a nutcase.”
“No. But I have a sneaking suspicion your low blood sugar might be responsible.” He straightened away from the desk and took her hand. “Come with me.”
“No. Gabe—” She tried to stop and pull her hand free, but he was strong and seemed determined to lead her down the hall. “I have to get Ava out of here.”
He didn’t respond, just took her into a small room with a card table, a few cupboards, a coffeepot on the granite countertop and a refrigerator. After pulling out one of the chairs, he gently nudged her to sit in it.
“First you’re going to have something to drink and a snack.”
Courtney was suddenly too drained to rebel and simply let out a long sigh. In a few moments he set a small paper plate in front of her containing cheese and apple slices. Then he got a glass and filled it with ice and a clear soda.
“Eat, drink,” he ordered.
“It’s a good thing you didn’t say ‘and be merry,’ because I think that’s too much to ask.” She ate a piece of cheese followed by some apple and privately thought it was more delicious than anything she’d ever tasted before.
It was psychological, because her body couldn’t possibly have time to process the food so fast, but she started to feel a lot better. Gabe sat across from her and watched silently as the snack quickly disappeared.
When it was gone, he said, “Do you want more?”
“No, thank you. That was perfect. And delicious. Perfectly delicious.”
Amusement pierced his air of seriousness for a moment, then was gone. “Feel better?”
She nodded. “Except for being embarrassed. I can’t imagine what you must think.”
“Only that I hope you’re feeling better.”
“Physically, yes. Emotionally? I’m on the edge.” She sighed. “I feel as if I owe you an explanation.”
“I’m not asking for one,” he assured her.
“Still...” She took a deep breath. “Ava has been pushing me to date. I’m opposed to the idea for reasons you can probably figure out from what I shared with you. But she needs to stand down.”
“In her defense, I have to say she’s concerned about you being all by yourself when she goes to college.” He looked down for a moment, as if he was weighing something. “And she blames herself for you being alone.”
“I’ve told her that isn’t the case,” Courtney protested. “That I’ll be fine. I’m really okay and she doesn’t need to worry.”
“All evidence to the contrary,” he said wryly.
“Right. Because she’s here. Filling out a dating profile.” She thought about that for a moment. “I’m not sure how she thought I’d be involved with the agency.”
“She was hoping when you saw how much it means to her that you’d get on board with the process.”
Wow, Ava had really confided a lot to him. Come to think of it, Courtney had, too. Like mother, like daughter. Why stop now?
“Look, Ava is a romantic. And she’s a nag.” Her energy level was rising. Courtney could tell by the way her inner flirt was beginning to stir to life. Her plan was to ignore it. “All those fairy tales and happily-ever-after cartoons that end with a kiss are to blame. I have absolutely no desire to find a man or look for love. My problem is that I don’t know how to make her stop pushing me without crushing the sense of romance out of her.”
“It appears she doesn’t understand the meaning of the word no,” he pointed out.
“Yeah, there’s that. Plus, I don’t want to limit her in any way. She might have better luck than me and find the love of her life. Be deliriously happy.” She met his gaze. “I see my job as her mom to encourage her to experience things. I don’t want to be only a horrible warning, someone who makes her not want to try.”
“I see your dilemma.”
“Any suggestions?” she asked.
“Go on a date.” He shrugged. “Go through the motions.”
“Even if I wanted to, it’s just not that easy.” She sipped the soda. “But you’re a man. I don’t expect you to understand.”
“I’m not sure what that means. No doubt that’s because I haven’t done much dating since my wife died.”
Courtney barely held back a wince. She’d forgotten about that and could have kicked herself for being so insensitive. “I didn’t mean to insult you. It’s just that I’m a woman with a daughter. Nine times out of ten, a man is going to pick someone without baggage or responsibilities. I have both.”
His blue eyes narrowed as he looked at her. “Is it possible you’re selling men short?”
“That’s the thing. I don’t have the energy or the inclination to find out.”
“Ava said you weren’t easy. I can see what she was talking about.”
What? Courtney was a little peeved that her own child had warned this man, of all men, about her mother’s stubborn streak. Ava was right, but still. Part of her cared what he thought, and she didn’t want difficult or needy to be the first character traits that popped into his mind when he thought of her. If he thought of her. He probably couldn’t wait for her to leave and never darken his doorway again.
Before she could respond, voices in the hall drifted to her, and then the hooligan in question came into the break room with an older woman. The four of them stared at each other for several moments.
“I’m Lillian Gordon, Gabriel’s aunt,” the woman said. “You must be Ava’s mother.”
“Guilty.” Courtney stood and shook the woman’s hand. Then she met her daughter’s sheepish gaze. “I need to apologize for my daughter disrupting your office, Mrs. Gordon.”
“It’s Lillian. And Ava didn’t interrupt anything. She’s delightful.”
“She is many good and wonderful things,” Courtney said. “Right now delightful isn’t one of them.”
“Try not to be too hard on her.” Gabe stood.
“You should listen to him, Mom.” Ava caught her look and wisely stopped there.
“Remember, she has your best interests at heart,” he added.
And by that he meant she blamed herself for Courtney being alone. She was going to have to find a way to get Ava over that hang-up, but it was a challenge for another time.
Courtney smiled tightly at Lillian then looked at him. “I need to take Ava home and get back to work. Please know how very much I appreciate your phone call and concern for my daughter. I’ll do my level best to make sure she doesn’t bother you again.”
“It was no bother.” Gabe looked completely sincere.
Still, Courtney figured that was just him being polite. He was a business guy who fixed financially troubled companies. It was a logical assumption that Make Me a Match was in trouble. Therefore he wouldn’t ever give a potential customer any reason not to come back. Even though she’d assured him the service provided was the last thing she wanted.
Gabe walked them to the elevator. Courtney was a sucker for gentlemanly gestures, and this qualified big-time.
When the doors opened, he said, “It was a pleasure to meet you both. And I really mean that.”
Ava gave him a scathing look, one that Courtney knew all too well. “I can’t beli
eve you ratted me out.”
The teen’s scornful glance didn’t seem to faze him. “Sorry, kid. You don’t get it now, but it was the right thing to do.”
“It was,” Courtney agreed. “Thank you again. For everything.”
The two of them got into the elevator, and when the doors closed, she felt oddly deflated. Her inner flirt wasn’t too happy, either. It was a good thing that there was no reason to come back.
* * *
Every Sunday Gabe’s mother cooked a big dinner, and all of her children were expected to show up unless there was a very good excuse. Like being on another planet. Since he was back in Huntington Hills, there was no acceptable reason to be absent, so here he was driving up to the house. After a count of the cars out front, it was clear that he was the last to arrive.
For a moment he sat and looked at the lush green grass and neatly trimmed bushes in front of the place where he’d grown up. Memories scrolled through his mind. Playing football on the lawn. Riding bikes and skateboarding on the sidewalk. The scary weeks that seemed like forever when his mom was put on bed rest because of a high-risk pregnancy and he thought she was going to die.
Aunt Lil had seen how scared Gabe had been and spent a lot of time with him, trying to ease his fears. Ever since she had been protective of him, and they were very close. He recalled bringing girls home to meet the family. After he first introduced them to Margo, his mother told him she knew this was the one because of the way he looked at her. Margo had been gone over two years now, and he was just as angry about losing her.
He turned off the car’s engine and exited, then headed to the front door and opened it. Instantly he was hit with the noise and chaos always generated by this big, close-knit family.
Flo Blackburne spotted him right away, as if she’d been watching for him. Her blond hair was short and her energy boundless. She met him in the entryway and threw her arms around him. “Hi, you.”
“How are you, Mom?”
“Happy,” she said. “All my children and grandchildren are here. The whole family together. It doesn’t get any better than this.”
Gabe nodded as he scanned the family room full of Blackburnes. His oldest brother, Mason, was there with his pregnant wife, Annie. Their two-year-old twins, Sarah and Charlie, were squealing with delight as his brother, Dominic, tickled, teased and let them climb all over him on the family room floor. Kelsey was in the kitchen stirring something on the stove—gravy, judging by the large roast on the platter beside her.
His dad, John, was chatting with a pretty young brunette Gabe had never seen before, and he glanced down at his mother. “Who’s Dad talking to?”
“Oh, that’s Ember.” There was a very deliberate and fake note of innocence in her voice.
“Why is she here?”
“She’s new to the area and doesn’t know many people.” She smiled and shrugged. “You know me. Always taking in strays.”
“Is it a coincidence that all the strays you take in are attractive women? And this is the fourth or fifth time.”
“Really?” Again with the innocence. “I hadn’t noticed.”
“Uh-huh.” He sent her a warning look. “Will it be a coincidence when she sits next to me at dinner?”
“Everyone sits where they want to, Gabe. You know that.” But there was a look in her eyes. “Now go mingle. And be friendly.”
“I always am.”
But by friendly she meant introduce himself to the newcomer, and he managed to avoid that. Call him rebellious or spiteful. Either worked.
He chatted with Mason and played with the kids, trying in vain to tamp down envy of his brother’s family—a beautiful wife and two children with another on the way. After exchanging small talk, Annie excitedly grabbed his hand and put it on her pregnant belly so he could feel the baby move. That was pretty awesome. Then he headed to the isolation of the kitchen—some might call it hiding. But his sister was there putting the final touches on dinner.
“How’s it going, sis?”
Kelsey looked up from the mashed potatoes she was stirring. “It’s good.”
He leaned against the counter and folded his arms over his chest. “What’s new?”
“Not much.” Her dark blond hair was pulled into a knot on the top of her head. Big blue eyes met his. “You?”
“Same old,” he answered.
“How’s business?”
“We’re getting there. The client base is growing.” He thought about Courtney, although technically she wasn’t a client.
“What?” Kelsey was staring at him.
“Hmm?”
“You were smiling just now. You don’t smile much. A scowl or glare is more your style. So I’d like to know what produced a rare happy expression on your face.”
“Oh. I had a client the other day who dropped in.”
“And?” Kelsey prompted.
“She’s fourteen.”
His sister’s eyes widened. “Didn’t know Aunt Lil was catering to young adults.”
“She’s not. That would violate company policy. The kid was there to help her mom find a man so when she goes off to college her mother won’t be alone.”
“Oh my gosh.” Kelsey had that mushy look on her face that women often got. “That’s so sweet.”
“As I said, also too young for the service we provide.”
“So what did you do?”
“I called her mother.” He remembered that his sister worked at the same hospital. “She’s a cardiac care nurse. Do you know Courtney Davidson?”
She thought for a moment. “I think I’ve seen her in the cafeteria. Pretty brunette with brown eyes and adorable dimples.”
“Yeah.”
“She has a teenage daughter?” Her eyes widened in disbelief.
“Early start, apparently. Great kid, too,” he added.
“She sounds very independent and thoughtful. And you tattled on her.”
“That’s what she said.” He crossed his feet at the ankles. “I didn’t want her turning to the internet.”
“I see your point.” Kelsey lowered the heat under the big pot of potatoes. “Dinner’s ready.”
That announcement caused another level of chaos at the Blackburne house. The meal was served buffet style, so everyone fell into line, and somehow Gabe ended up last. His mother was in the dining room directing traffic. By the time he got there, the only chair left was next to Ember. Coincidence my ass, he thought.
Enough already.
But the young woman smiled sweetly. “We haven’t met yet. I’m Ember Kiley.”
“Gabriel Blackburne.”
“I met your mom at the dermatology office where she works. The next thing I knew, I had an invitation to Sunday dinner.”
“Yeah. That’s my mom.” He glanced at the other end of the table, where Aunt Lil sat with her sister in life and in matchmaking. They huddled together, coconspirators, watching him and trying not to be obvious about it. They should never give up their day jobs for undercover work, he thought.
“I recently moved here from Indiana. I’m working for a temp agency and trying to break into modeling. The doctor your mom works for is helping clear up my skin.”
“I see.” Her skin looked perfectly fine to him, and there was nothing wrong with her goals. It just wasn’t nursing or raising a teenage girl.
He’d thought about Courtney a lot since that day at Make Me a Match. Probably because he respected the hell out of her—no offense to Ember. It wasn’t her fault she was being used. And that had to stop.
Dinner felt endless, and if not for his brother’s two-year-old son, Charlie, who sat beside him, Gabe would have been bored out of his mind. The little guy rubbed mashed potatoes and gravy in his hair then started chucking peas. Annie was equal parts horrified and mortified by her child. Mason predicted his son would so
meday pitch for a major league baseball team. Gabe blessed the boy for a much-needed distraction. And finally the evening came to an end.
Everyone said their goodbyes, and Ember was the last to leave. She asked for his phone and put her number in it, then smiled and left. Gabe loitered a little longer, and when his father and sister were watching a movie in the family room, he walked into the kitchen. Aunt Lil and his mom were there putting away leftovers and washing pots and pans.
It was time to give them a piece of his mind about their matchmaking. He cleared his throat. “It’s like I’m psychic, Mom. I ended up sitting next to the single, attractive woman even though Dom is available, too.”
“Ember is very pretty and sweet, don’t you think?” His mother was drying the meat platter with a dish towel.
“Very pretty,” he agreed. “And I’m not interested.”
“Did you even give her a chance, Gabriel?” Aunt Lil rinsed a soapy copper-bottom saucepan and handed it to her sister.
“I was friendly as I would be to anyone who was a guest in your home.”
“It seemed to me that you paid more attention to Charlie than you did to her.” There was the tiniest bit of censure in his mother’s tone. “That little sweetheart doesn’t need encouragement to be naughty, and when you pay attention to that behavior...”
He hated it when she looked disappointed in him, and that put him on the defensive. “That kid is something else. He really played to his audience.”
“You really shouldn’t encourage him, dear.” But Aunt Lil grinned. “I remember when you used to wear your food like that.”
“If only we’d had cell phone cameras and Facebook. The toddler years would be around to humble you forever. But fortunately you outgrew that stage.” His mom set the clean, dry saucepan on the stove. “I saw Ember give you her number. Are you going to call her?”
“I didn’t ask for it. And, no, I’m not going to get in touch.”
“Why?” Aunt Lil asked, but both women stared questioningly at him.
A Matchmaker's Challenge Page 3
