Miss Match by Lindzee Armstrong, Lydia Winters Page B

from her in waves.
    “I’m sorry. When did she tell you that?”
    “Yesterday,” Brooke admitted.
    He scrubbed his face. “And after I acted like a complete jerk at the gala. Not a good weekend for you.”
    She chuckled. “Definitely not one of my better ones.”
    “Is it about money? I’m more than willing to—”
    Brooke shook her head, pulling back. “Money is a problem. We’ve been in the red for months. But the real issue is we don’t have enough clients.”
    That should be an easy enough fix. “Maybe if she tried a new marketing campaign. I can recommend someone and foot the bill.”
    She blew out a breath, causing a strand of hair to puff outward. He ached to reach out and tuck it behind her ear. Brooke hadn’t made a rule specifically against that, but he knew it would piss her off. “You’re sweet to offer,” Brooke said. “But we need your help in a different way. I sort of volunteered you for something without asking you first.” She paused, as though waiting for him to respond.
    “Go on.”
    “Charlotte and I came up with a plan. If we sign a celebrity client, people will trip all over themselves to sign up for the chance at a date. And the media will give us all the free publicity we want.” She raised an eyebrow, as though this should mean something to him.
    Did she want him to call in favors and get his high profile friends to sign up? His brow furrowed. He doubted anyone in his contact list would be willing. Maybe—
    I’m an idiot. It was so obvious.
    “Me,” Luke said.
    Brooke nodded. “Who better to attract new clients than America’s favorite bachelor? I know I should’ve discussed it with you first, but I felt backed into a corner.”
    Why didn’t I see this coming? Luke had watched Brooke in action since eleventh grade—even been the recipient of her matchmaking efforts a time or two. But never anything like this.
    “You want me to sign with Toujour?” Luke clarified.
    “Yes.” Her eyes lowered. “Charlotte said if it works, she’ll make me head of the U.S. division when she goes back to France. But now I don’t feel like I can ask that of you. You need to focus on your job.”
    “This will save Toujour?”
    “And get me a promotion. Kind of selfish, huh? To put you on the spot like this because I don’t want to find work somewhere else. Especially now . ” Her foot tapped against the floor, a sure sign she was agitated. “I mean, the gala . . . well, you sort of exploded. Obviously you’ve got a lot on your plate.”
    “The gala was an accident. I was an idiot. It won’t happen again.” Luke frowned. “Antonio’s upset about this, isn’t he?”
    Brooke’s foot tapped at double time. “No.”
    “You’re doing this against his wishes. I know he hates me.”
    “Antonio doesn’t hate you.” She swallowed. “In fact, we have an agreement. He won’t complain about you signing with Toujour if I’ll think about moving to Italy.”
    Luke’s eyes bulged. “ What? ”
    “Yeah, I know. He just told me yesterday. He signed with a gallery in Rome and they’re really excited about his work, but fear the distance will limit their profits. They want to hire him exclusively instead of on a contract work basis. And they have an amazingly wealthy clientele. It’s the break Antonio’s been hoping for. Charlotte’s already offered me a job at any of her European offices, so I wouldn’t even have to give up my career.”
    Italy. Brooke—his beautiful, funny, adorable best friend—was going to leave him. Maybe. Luke’s mind churned. Perhaps it was time for Ryder Communications to open an international office, headquartered in Rome. Of course, as CEO and with a forty five percent investment in the company, Luke would need to go to Rome and oversee things himself.
    Stop it. Following Brooke to Italy would be too obvious, and too much like stalking. No, he had to convince her to stay in Los Angeles. Moving would be his Plan B.
    This is really happening. While