Picture Perfect Love (Heartstring Dating Agency Book 3)

by Lauren Wood

  “Well, at least someone’s interested enough to go through all that trouble.” She eyed the bouquet on the counter, but her expression was wounded with disappointment.

  “Uh-oh. Trouble with that guy you were seeing from the app?” She flashed her eyes at me, signaling that I was right, but she didn’t divulge any further. “Well, he was an idiot for not bending over backwards to keep you around.”

  “I’m flattered and all, Joshua. Really, and thank you for the flowers,” she sighed. “But I really do need to focus on finishing up my shift now.”

  “If you insist. But… I do hope our paths cross again… one day soon.”

  I reluctantly crossed the room towards the exit, stopping in the doorway to look back at Abby. I caught a coy smile on her face as she watched me leave—her eyes glinting with a spark of mischief, like a girl with a secret. But she played it cool and kept working until I finally left.

  Camille was waiting for me when I returned to the office. “Back again? And looking so sharp? If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you took some kind of drugs.”

  I had, and her name was Abby, but I spared my sister that detail.

  “Just trying to prove to you all that you’ve misjudged me,” I replied.

  “Keep at it and you might just do that, but I’m not buying it yet.” She crossed her arms, burning her eyes into me as I walked into my office and shut the door.

  I sank down into my chair and turned on my computer, but I didn’t know if I could focus on work. The smell of Abby’s perfume lingered in my nostrils, and I couldn’t get her smile and those big beautiful eyes of hers out of my mind. But I guessed if I had to be haunted by something, it wasn’t a bad sight to have burned into my brain, playing on repeat throughout the day.

  I wasn’t going to give up. I knew there was a connection between Abby and me, and I had to believe that if I kept at it… she would come around and give in to me.

  8

  Abby

  A week after Joshua’s surprise visit to my work, everyone finally stopped teasing me about my “stalker” mystery man… who really wasn’t much of a mystery, because everyone knew who he was. Which only made matters worse. Everyone was well aware of Joshua’s reputation as a party playboy, and they all insisted that if he was so hell bent on taking me out again, I was crazy to turn him down.

  But I decided to take a gamble and keep my distance. I’m sure I could have found some way to reach him if I wanted to. I remembered where he lived, for starters. Or I could stay away and see just how relentless he’d become, risking the possibility that he might finally lose interest and back off. At least then I wouldn’t have to worry about making the choice. He’d make it for me.

  It was a beautiful Saturday morning, perfect for a yoga session. The sunlight was streaming through the studio as we finished our last stretches of the class. I closed my eyes and took deep breaths, trying to drown out everything—the lingering icky feeling of being stood up and ghosted by Christopher and my anxiety about what Joshua might do next to try to win me over.

  When class was over, I made my way to the front desk to pay the next month’s membership. I told the guy I wanted to purchase another month of classes and pulled out the wad of cash tips from my bag to count it out.

  “No need,” he replied, eyeing the roll of ones. One downside of being a waitress with lots of tip money was knowing people probably regularly mistook you for a stripper.

  “No need?” I questioned.

  “Your membership has been paid up for the year,” he said.

  “Oh...Are you sure? Abby Matthews?”

  “Yep, I’m sure. A friend of yours came by and paid it up for you.” He turned his computer screen around so I could see for myself.

  There on the screen, next to my name, was a year’s balance paid with a note next to it… Paid by Joshua Meadows.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” I mumbled.”Okay, thank you.”

  “Wait, Ms. Matthews?” he called out after me as I started for the door. “Here. He left this for you.”

  I took the card from his hand which had a phone number scribbled on it. I couldn’t resist stepping outside and dialing it up to see if it would be him. I had to thank him for doing something so generous for me, right?

  “I was hoping I’d hear from you soon,” Joshua answered.

  “How did you know it was me calling?”

  “I got a private line, just for you. I can’t have important messages and calls from you getting jumbled up with all the other useless things in my life.”

  “Useless?” I laughed. “You run a multi-million dollar company. Surely you have important calls and texts for work.”

  “None of it is as important as hearing from you.”

  “Wow, you really are laying it on thick,” I teased. “Paying my membership for the year… It was too much. You really shouldn’t have. Especially if you think that’s going to guarantee that I’ll go out with you again.”

  “That gift has no strings attached. A busy girl like you needs time to stretch and meditate. Wouldn’t want you pulling a muscle at work or anything. The world needs Abby Matthews. My only motive was providing you with a way to reach me, should you ever want to. And, okay, maybe a little incentive to want to reach me.”

  “Well, then I guess you won. Here I am… calling you,” I blushed, kind of hating myself for being so predictable. “But I gotta go. Thanks again, Joshua.”

  “You know where to find me,” he said before I hung up.

  I thought that would be the end of it. Guys like him were probably used to having everything handed to them. Girls were lining up to gush all over them. His big gift followed by nothing more than a brief phone call from me… That would surely dampen his motivation.

  Or so I thought until I showed up for my scheduled haircut a few days later.

  “I have a coupon,” I explained to the receptionist.

  “Wait. Abby Matthews, right?” she asked, scanning the appointment book.

  “Yes. Is there a problem? I called last week…”

  “No, no problem. But we have you down for the full package. Cut, color and style, and it’s all paid for. Right this way.”

  My mouth dropped as I followed the lady back to my chair in the salon.

  “Was this paid for by Joshua Meadows, by any chance?” I asked as I sat down.

  “Sure was,” she smiled. “And you must have really done a number on that guy. Plenty of girls come through here getting their hair done up for a date with him or to try and convince him to go out with them. They always get their hearts broken, and he’s certainly never called up and paid for any of them to get their hair done. Lucky girl.”

  “Right,” I grinned in a blushing daze.

  I couldn’t complain when I walked out a few hours later feeling better than ever. It had been years since I really had my hair done beyond a simple, cheap trim.

  As if that wasn’t enough, I was surprised again the next week by a knock at my door. A delivery guy handed over a small package and asked me to sign for it.

  I rushed inside to open it up and found the most stunning diamond necklace I had ever seen in my life. This was officially too much. Diamonds!?

  I decided to reward Joshua for all of his generosity, but not with what he was hoping for. Something even better. I put on the necklace and stripped down to climb into a hot bubble bath, wearing nothing but the diamonds. I pulled my phone from the edge of the tub and held it out to snap a sexy selfie, my breasts poking out from under all the bubbles, and sent it off to Joshua with a text: Thanks for the jewelry. ;)

  Almost as soon as the message sent, my phone started ringing.

  “God damn, Abby. I thought maybe you’d finally agree to dinner, but that picture was… God damn. Your hair looks great, by the way.”

  I laughed under my breath, trying not to let him hear just how giddy his reaction made me.

  “Thanks to you. After all of this… I thought you deserved a parting gift,” I tol
d him.

  “A parting gift?”

  “You’ve been so nice, and I really appreciate everything. I do. It’s just that… Well, I’m so busy. And not really into dating right now. I don’t want to keep stringing you along.”

  “Believe me, if that one night and that picture you just sent is all I get from you… I’m still one of the luckiest guys on earth,” he said. “But… I can’t lie and pretend that it wouldn’t break my heart if you really never spoke to me again after this.”

  For a moment, I considered caving in. But this guy was rich. These gestures that seemed so big and grand to me were nothing to him, like chump change. He must have thought I’d be too blindsided to refuse him, but I was not about to be predictable again. Besides, toying with Joshua Meadows was too much fun.

  “Like I said. That picture was a parting gift,” I sighed, sticking to my guns.

  “And I said my gifts came with no strings attached. You didn’t have to send me anything.”

  “Consider it a tip,” I grinned.

  “Oh? A tip? A tip implies you’re receiving great service, and you’d like to continue receiving it,” he suggested, a devilish tone to his voice.

  “Goodbye, Joshua,” I sang before hanging up.

  I tossed my phone onto the bath mat, further away from any risk of water damage. I was feeling pretty full of myself for being so coy with him. But then an empty sense of dread settled in. What if he really did stop after that? What if I never heard from him again? I had to admit, the thought made me sad.

  Thankfully, Joshua was more determined than I would have thought to give him credit for. A few nights later I was at one of my study groups for school when a delivery man came right into the library with a big vase of red roses.

  My studymates looked over the arrangement, flashing me a mixed bag of reactions. Some of the girls looked jealous. Some of the guys did too, but for different reasons. They all teased me to no end. I was relieved I hadn’t managed to push Joshua away yet, but I knew it couldn’t go on like this forever.

  I left the library with the flowers in hand and a big smile on my face. It was nice having a secret admirer, a rich one at that, to spoil me with all sorts of lavish gifts. I never thought that sort of thing would impress me, but it certainly didn’t hurt. Still, I knew deep down I either had to see him again, or officially put a stop to this once and for all.

  My nose was filled with the rose fragrance as I walked home, clutching the big bouquet to my chest. It was perfect timing since my peonies had just wilted and been tossed out. I was looking forward to looking at them while making dinner. My stomach growled at the thought, and I realized I forgot to grab lunch before class and the study group.

  As if he could read my mind, my phone lit up with a text from Joshua. He sent a photo of a beautiful romantic candlelit dinner for two from what looked like the rooftop of his building where we had sex that first night together.

  A second after the picture came another text.

  Joshua: Hungry? ;)

  I laughed and shook my head, staring at the picture. God, it did sound so good to run back off to his rooftop and enjoy whatever expensive delicious food he had in mind. I wanted to throw the guy a bone for all he had done, but for more practical reasons… I was starving. And I was deathly curious about what sort of things he had in mind for dessert. Rooftop sex, round two, perhaps?

  For the second time, Joshua had convinced me, someone who was never impulsive, to do something completely unplanned at the drop of a hat. I texted him back that I was on my way, and called a cab to take me to his place.

  9

  Joshua

  I was buzzing with excitement over the prospect of seeing Abby again. It was a long shot to prepare such a lavish arrangement for a meal not knowing if she’d actually come or not. And I gave her such short notice on top of that. I considered the alternative of what could happen: putting the whole thing together only to end up enjoying it alone. It was a risk I was willing to take. I had been enjoying a lot of things alone since I set my sights on Abby, which my siblings were grateful for. It meant less getting into trouble in bars and clubs… and the media.

  But I didn’t have to worry about the alternative or being alone. Because Abby was coming.

  My heart leaped with me as I stood up when she appeared in the doorway. She looked different when she wasn’t in her waitressing uniform. Her red hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she wore black glasses and a tan trench coat over her jeans and sweater. She was casual but classic, and just as gorgeous as ever.

  I cleared my throat and straightened my jacket, feeling like a fool for getting so flustered over one woman. What was happening to me?

  “You’re awfully persistent, Joshua Meadows,” she blew out, laughing, shaking her head as she walked over to the covered patio and slipped off her coat.

  “Anything worth having is worth fighting for,” I grinned, not sitting until she had. “If it comes too easily, it’s probably not for you. So I think my persistence is for a good cause.”

  “I think it’s supposed to be the other way around. If the door keeps slamming in your face, try another door.”

  “But you’re here.” I leaned back, inching my arm around the back of her seat. “So maybe the door that slammed in my face with that parting gift of yours is starting to creak open again.”

  “It’s late. I was hungry and had no plans. You won for practicality reasons.”

  The waiter I hired brought out an appetizer tray of breads, soup dips, and vegetable tempura along with a bottle of sake.

  “I hope you don’t mind a menu of fusion cuisine.”

  “Sounds perfect. I like a healthy mix of things,” she replied.

  “And I like you,” I noted, caught up in the blue shimmer of her eyes.

  “You don’t know me,” she said with a bashful laugh.

  “I don’t know a lot of people, and it hasn’t stopped me from getting roped into all sorts of things with them.”

  “Like your bar floozies you like to strip dance with on bar tops?” she shot back.

  I poured us each a small glass of sake and tipped mine towards her in the air between us. “Precisely. You’re a far better person to get wrapped up in. Hence all the extra effort.”

  She clinked her glass to mine and took a sip. “Well, here I am. I guess the extra effort paid off this time.”

  “I guess so. Here we are.”

  She went on to tell me about her busy day while we ate shrimp and pork shumai with vegetable curry and rice. They were ordinary things, but I was enthralled. I listened intently about her morning workout and lunch shift followed by class and study group.

  “I wish I had half the motivation you do,” I marveled. “I don’t know how you do it.”

  She soaked up the compliment, but her mind seemed to drift for a moment. “Do you remember what you asked me on the night we met?”

  “Beyond inviting you out? No, I don’t think so. I was in a blind haze the night I met you.”

  “You asked if I was going to be the type of person who kept you in line… or if I would be your partner in crime.”

  “I’d gladly take either. One might prove more difficult for you than the other.”

  “Well, if I’m going to be hanging around you… I guess I’ll be taking on the more difficult one,” she snipped, growing stern. “I don’t live the same kind of life as you, Joshua. I can’t afford to chase after my every whim and impulse. I have to work hard, and if you ask me… any respectable person should work hard whether they have to or not.”

  “So, you want to keep me in line?”

  “I don’t want to have to, is more my point,” she told me. “And I’d rather not have to constantly fight to keep myself in line around you.”

  We had just finished cleaning our plates, which cued the waiter to return with another bottle and a wrapped box. Perfect timing.

  “It’s all about compromise,” I announced as he placed the box in her lap. “Maybe this will
prove to be a good example of what kind of compromises you and I could reach.”

  “Another gift?” she rolled her eyes with a smile. “Don’t you think you’ve done enough?”

  “You were just lecturing me about working hard. Doesn’t this count?”

  “No,” she groaned, pulling the satin ribbon and removing the lid.

  She carefully unfolded the tissue paper to reveal a Chanel-style brown suit, tailored perfectly to her measurements, which she would discover later when she tried it on.

  “What’s this?” she gasped. “A suit? A designer suit! And it’s so elegant!”

  “Good for the courtroom, don’t you think? And the perfect attire for our next date.”

  “You’re taking me to court?” she quipped.

  “A buddy of mine is a big name lawyer, and there’s this dinner club he’s always going on about. He says all the big wigs of the city hang out there and discuss their cases over cocktails. I thought it’d be good insight for you and the life you’re getting yourself into. And you’d meet a lot of important people that could help you when you’re done with school.”

  “Wow. That’s… that’s so thoughtful.” She smoothed her hands over the fabric before packing it away again, keeping it safe. “But I told you. I’ll be in law school forever. Some people I know in school don’t work half as much as I do and have twice as much money, and they’re still barely snailing along through their classes. It’s challenging work.”

  “Work that you’re perfectly capable of doing,” I told her, refilling our drinks. “The world needs you as a lawyer, if that’s what you’ve set your mind on.”

  “You don’t know me, Joshua,” she reminded me, sounding resentful this time. “How do you know if the world needs anything I do or not?”

  “You don’t know me either though.” I leaned in closer, inching my face to hers. “And one of the things you don’t know about me yet is that I have killer instincts. I was the one to encourage Lucas’s lean towards going down the dating app route. I think that’s why they tolerate me. Because none of it would exist without me.”