Elle and Lacey exchanged an astonished glance.
“There’s one more thing.” Jason narrowed his gaze on Elle. “If you want my help, you need to stop sabotaging yourself.”
Caught off guard, Elle blinked. “Excuse me?”
“To put it bluntly, the fact that you’re single is harming your business.”
An awkward silence filled the room, and Elle refused to make eye contact with Lacey, who’d said practically the same thing after fabricating a long-distance boyfriend on Elle’s behalf. “I’m sorry, but how is my personal life relevant?”
“Because you’re the face of the company. If you can’t instill confidence in potential customers, they won’t buy. No one’s going to purchase Gwen Stefani’s anti-aging cream if her face looks like the backside of an elephant.”
Lacey snorted, and Elle scowled in her direction.
“I’m sorry, but the man has a point,” Lacey said, clearly not sorry.
Jason held out a pen. “It’s your decision. The question is, how much does your company mean to you?”
Elle swallowed hard and stared at his outstretched hand.
What did it mean to her?
It meant everything.
Since her parents passed away, this company was all she had left.
* * *
Graham couldn’t keep his fingers from tapping the red checkered tablecloth. Why was he so nervous? Sure, he hadn’t been on as many dates as Dean, but he wasn’t exactly a rookie. Besides, this wasn’t even a date. Simply two friends catching up. So what if one of the friends happened to be hopelessly in love with the other one? The night was nothing more than a casual meal of spaghetti Bolognese between old buddies.
The image of Lady and the Tramp smooching over a shared string of pasta made him snort. As if he’d be so lucky! Clearly, Elle had zero clue he wasn’t over his childhood crush. She’d actually asked if he needed some sort of sign to recognize her—the color of her sweater or something. As if he hadn’t been stalking her on social media ever since they graduated high school. Plus, since her dating app launched a year ago, she frequently appeared on celebrity news sites like Us Weekly and TMZ. But Graham wasn’t about to admit he’d been checking up on her. Or that he was worried about her.
No doubt about it, Elle had been the poster child for the sweet and shy girl next door. If the girl next door happened to be a computer whiz. She preferred to remain glued to a screen or coding manual over socializing. But, when her parents died three years ago, she seemed to collapse into herself, shutting out the world more than usual.
Graham’s throat constricted at the memory. He recalled every detail from the day his mother told him Elle’s parents died in a car accident. A drunk driver had hit them head-on. At the time, Graham wanted to call or fly home from Denver to be by her side. But she was dating Mark back then. She didn’t need comfort from an old high school acquaintance when she had her boyfriend’s shoulder to cry on, no matter how close they’d been at one time.
The second Elle breezed through the doorway of Salvatore’s Italian Bistro, Graham felt like a senior in high school again. She looked stunning, as always. But for him, the attraction went beyond her glossy hair, alluring dark eyes, and perfect curves. Although not particularly athletic, she held herself with a grace and elegance he’d never witnessed in another woman. And the way she smiled—the warm sparkle in her eyes, and the tiny crinkle in her nose—it stole his breath every time.
“Elly Bean!” His voice sounded huskier than usual as he greeted her, and he quickly cleared his throat.
“Graham Cracker!” Without hesitation, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him, just like old times.
The sweet aroma of honey and lavender washed over him, and he never wanted to let her go.
He stifled a sigh of regret as she stepped away, shrugged out of her trench coat, and draped it across the back of her chair. “You haven’t changed a bit since high school. Except maybe your biceps.” She flashed a teasing grin before sliding into her seat.
“It must be from all the long hours at the forge.” He fought the urge to flex as he sat down across from her. “You haven’t changed, either.”
“Oh, no! Don’t tell me that. I was so gawky and awkward in high school.” She giggled and shook her head, sending strands of her silky dark hair across her cheeks. Instinctively, she tucked them behind her ears—a move he’d watched her do countless times in third period English.
“Now look at you. Practically famous with the hottest new dating app.”
“Actually, the app isn’t doing so hot right now,” she admitted.
“Really? But—“
“Buonasera, signore and signorina.” The waiter looked to be in his late fifties and spoke with a thick Italian accent. “What can I get for you this evening?”
“Oh, I haven’t even glanced at the menu.” Elle bestowed her brightest smile. “How about a glass of your favorite pinot noir?”
“It will be my pleasure.” He flashed a toothy grin, clearly charmed, before glancing at Graham. “And for you, signore?”
“Same, thanks.”
The waiter set a basket of warm focaccia on the table, along with a shallow bowl of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, before excusing himself.
“Enough about me,” Elle said quickly before Graham had a chance to pick up where he’d left off. “How is your business going? Dalton Metal Designs, right?”
“Right.” He suppressed an urge to whoop out loud. So she had been keeping tabs on him.
As if reading his mind, she confessed, “I’ve seen a few of your posts on Facebook. Your work is stunning. In fact, I had no idea you could make such delicate pieces of art out of iron. And jewelry, too! People would go nuts for your work in San Francisco.”
Startled, Graham choked on a gulp of water. He swiftly dabbed his face with the white linen napkin. Despite all these years, they were still on the same wavelength. He hadn’t told a soul besides his family of his plans to expand his Denver store to San Francisco. It took every ounce of willpower not to spill the news to Elle. But the timing needed to be perfect.
“Thanks. I’m reluctant to be on any form of social media, but they said I’d never survive without it. And, as much as I want my business to succeed for myself, I feel more responsible for all of the jobs I’ve created.”
“I think what you’re doing is incredible,” Elle said softly. “And very brave.”
Her statement made him pause, and he could feel his defenses flair up. “Why do you say that? Because I only hire ex-cons?” It wasn’t the first time he’d faced judgment for this particular business decision, but he never expected it from Elle.
“No! Of course not!” Her almond-shaped eyes doubled in size, and she looked momentarily dismayed. “I think it’s wonderful. I meant you’re brave because I imagine quite a few people told you not to do it. It can be hard to accept criticism for your business choices. Believe me, I know.”
“Oh.” Graham could have kicked himself for jumping to conclusions. He knew Elle better than that, even if he hadn’t seen her in over a decade. “You’re right. My parents took a little convincing. And getting a business loan was a nightmare. Actually, Dean was the only one who supported me from the beginning.”
“He’s a good brother.”
“He is. As much as I hate to admit it,” Graham chuckled. “It took a while to get everyone else on board, but I managed it, eventually. I had a solid business plan built on hours of research. And, in the end, I knew the why behind the business. I wanted to make a difference in someone else’s life. The guys who work for me rarely get a second chance, and I could do something about that. Knowing the why was everything. And it made the risk worth it.”
“And was it? Worth it, I mean.”
“Absolutely!” Graham couldn’t help getting excited when he talked about his business. The enthusiasm poured out of him like liquid metal into a mold. “You should meet these guys, Elle. They’re awesome. Sure, I’ve had a
few setbacks over the years, but honestly, I owe my success to the men who work alongside me every single day.”
The waiter returned and took their order, and Graham wasn’t about to let the interruption go to waste.
“So,” he said. “Tell me about your company.”
Elle shifted in her seat, visibly uncomfortable with the change in topic. She gasped with relief when her iPhone vibrated on the table.
“Sorry about that.” She denied the call, placing her phone facedown on the table.
“No worries,” Graham said, determined to keep the conversation going. “So, you were saying—“
The phone vibrated again.
Blushing, Elle picked it up and jabbed at the screen. “I’m so sorry. It’s my roommate trying to FaceTime. I’ll put it away.” As she moved to stuff the phone inside her clutch, it went off again.
“Gotta give it to her. She’s persistent.” Graham did his best to hide his frustration. It was only one of the most important nights of his life. What were a few interruptions?
Elle released an exaggerated sigh. “Oh, you have no idea.”
Sensing her unease, he reached across the table for her phone. “Here. You’ll feel better when you know it’s not an emergency.”
“Are you sure?” Elle asked, but Graham had already accepted the call.
“About time you answered!” Lacey’s furrowed brow filled the screen. Until she saw Graham. Spotting Elle’s dinner date, her entire face lit up in an enormous grin. “Why, hello there! Elle didn’t say her friend from high school was hot.”
Graham chuckled.
Elle’s cheeks flamed as she scrambled for the phone. “Is the apartment burning down?”
“No.” Lacey squinted in confusion.
“Then I’m hanging up!” Elle poised her finger over the End Call button.
“Wait!” Lacey cried. “Did you ask him yet?”
“No. And I’m not going to.” Elle made a move to hang up, but Graham snatched the phone from her hand.
“Ask me what?”
“Lacey, don’t you dare!” Elle squeaked in panic, which only made Graham more curious.
“We need a favor,” Lacey said matter-of-factly.
“What kind of favor?”
Elle buried her face in her hands, muttering, “I can’t believe this is happening.”
Though sympathetic to her discomfort, Graham couldn’t bring himself to hang up. “I’m always happy to help a friend. What’s up?”
“Thatta boy!” Lacey beamed at him. “Elle needs a boyfriend. Temporarily. Until we get our business back on track.” As if an afterthought, she added, “You are available, right?”
Graham scratched his head, wondering if he’d heard correctly.
“Graham, you don’t have to—“ Elle started, before Lacey shushed her.
“It’s simple. All you need to do is go on a few dates while you’re in town, and then we’ll play up the whole long-distance relationship angle until she finds a real boyfriend. What do you think?”
“Uh…” Graham stalled. What did he think? On the one hand, he’d wanted to be Elle’s boyfriend since she stole the oatmeal cookie from his Superman lunch box in third grade. But he didn’t appreciate the real boyfriend comment. He had no intention of being a stand-in for some other guy. “Let me get this straight… you want me to pretend to be her boyfriend?”
“Yes.” Lacey nodded. “She’s hopelessly single, and it’s killing our credibility. Trust me, I wouldn’t ask if we weren’t desperate.”
Graham would do anything to help Elle out of a bind, but this had “bad idea” written all over it. Besides, he already had a plan to woo her in real life. Throwing the whole “pretend boyfriend” curveball would only hurt his odds.
He must have hesitated too long because Lacey added, “If you can’t do it, I’ll ask one of Rob’s buddies. Believe me, they’d jump at the chance. But I thought Elle would feel more comfortable with an old friend.”
Graham nearly dropped the phone. No way! The thought of another guy swooping in—pretend or otherwise—did not sit well. “I’ll do it!” The words sprang from his mouth before he could stop them. Oh, well. He was all in now.
“Hooray!” Lacey whooped. “You’re a lifesaver.”
“Sure, no problem,” he said, hoping they couldn’t detect the uncertainty in his voice.
“All right, well, you two lovebirds enjoy your date.” Lacey winked at them. “See you at home, Elle!”
“Where I’m going to kill you,” Elle muttered.
Lacey either didn’t hear her or chose to ignore the comment, blowing them a kiss before hanging up.
“I am so sorry,” Elle said as soon as Lacey’s face vanished from the screen. “You don’t have to go through with it. She’s intimidating, but she doesn’t know where you live, so she can’t hunt you down.”
“I don’t mind if it’ll help you out.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. And who knows? Maybe it’ll be fun.”
“Yeah, maybe.”
Her gaze fell to the checkered tablecloth, and Graham’s chest tightened.
Please, don’t let her be thinking of that night.
Anything but that night.
He’d spent years shoving the memory as far down as possible, but it wouldn’t stay put. And the worst part—it remained as vivid as ever. He could recount the exact placement of each star in the black velvet sky. The hairs on his arms still tingled from the icy rush of wintery air swishing through the grape vines. And his nervous heartbeat pounded in his ears as if chanting, “She isn’t coming, she isn’t coming,” over and over.
His only consolation—Elle had no idea how much that night had devastated him.
And hopefully, she never would.
Chapter Three
“Come on, you can’t stay mad forever,” Lacey cajoled from across the conference table.
“It’ll at least be for twenty-four hours,” Elle insisted, but struggled to keep her frown in place.
As mortified as she’d been when Lacey corralled Graham into posing as her boyfriend, the thought secretly thrilled her. She’d dreamt of being his girlfriend ever since he’d given her his oatmeal cookie in third grade. In fact, senior year of high school she’d finally summoned up enough courage to ask him out. Or, more precisely, to be her valentine.
Boy, had that gone all wrong!
Now, here they were over a decade later. And if the Hallmark Channel had taught her anything, it was that pretend relationships always led to Happily Ever Afters. Oh, and there’s a pretty good chance he’s really a prince.
“Good morning, ladies!” Jason’s cheeriness evaporated once he sensed the frostbite in the room. “Did I miss something?” He set his briefcase and laptop at the head of the table.
“Since you haven’t mentioned Elle’s new boyfriend, I guess you did.” Lacey flashed a victorious smirk. “Their romantic candlelit dinner was all over TMZ this morning.”
“Excellent! Then let’s get started.” He spent a few minutes setting up slides on a large flatscreen. “First, thanks for opening up your office on a Saturday. Considering the time crunch we’re under, I thought it best we not wait until Monday.”
His first slide appeared with the headline “Is Your Font Making You Fail?”
Elle and Lacey exchanged uncertain glances.
“Believe it or not,” Jason said, flipping to the next screen, which presented a colorful graph, “studies show that people respond more favorably to some fonts over others.”
“You’re joking,” Lacey scoffed.
“Not at all.” Jason pointed to the graph. “Women show more partiality than men. Seventy-nine percent responded more favorably to messages written in Helvetica than Times New Roman.”
Lacey guffawed and rolled her eyes. “There’s no way this is true.”
Elle’s stomach clenched as she analyzed the data. She did not like where this was going…
Jason shrugged. “The numbers don�
�t lie. So, as strange as it seems, we have a prime opportunity to use this information to our advantage.”
“How?” Lacey asked.
“Simple. Currently, your users only have access to one font.” He glanced down at his notes. “Comic Sans. Which is, let’s face it, the worst font ever invented. Now, for a fee, they can upgrade their font on a single-use basis.”
“A fee?” Elle asked warily.
“I know you’re uncomfortable with in-app purchases. But, I promise we’re doing your customers a favor. We’ll present them with all the information they need to choose a font most likely to procure a positive response from their intended target.” He cleared his throat. “I mean, soulmate.”
Somewhere inside herself, Elle heard a voice yell, “No way! Shut this down. Now.” But she remained silent, waiting for Lacey to take the lead. After all, with a business degree from Stanford University, Lacey was the strategic brain behind their company. If it wasn’t for her, and her business acumen, there wouldn’t be a company to save.
“I think it sounds nuts,” Lacey said, shaking her head. “But if the numbers are there, let’s go for it. At least on a trial basis.”
“Great.” Jason clicked to the next slide.
Over the next hour, he showed them one proposal after the next, each along the same vein. To Elle, they were little more than thinly veiled ploys to take advantage of people. Not one resonated with the reason she created Puzzle in the first place. Not even close.
When they stood to say goodbye, her stomach did a little flip, as if prompting her to speak up. But maybe her reaction was too hasty. After all, Lacey did only agree to the plan on a trial basis.
“Ladies, it’s been a pleasure.” Jason shook both of their hands but lingered a moment longer on Elle’s. “Keep an eye on your inbox. I’ll be sending an email your way.”
Perfect. As if his current unscrupulous schemes weren’t bad enough.
* * *
“Sounds like a rough day.” Graham’s rich baritone sent shivers down her spine, even over the phone.
Puzzle Pieces (Second Chance Romance) Page 2
