that’s what I want.”
Zoey grinned, a sly smile that gave her a cat-like appearance. “Andi, I think I can give you exactly what you want.”
Andi raised an eyebrow. “And how are you going to do that?”
“I have the perfect match for you.” Zoey tapped a red nail against her lips. “Have you heard of Luke Ryder?”
“Of course. My mom said to make sure I tell you I’m the perfect girl for him.” Andi laughed at the absurdity of the idea.
“I think your mom’s right.”
“What?” Andi leaned forward, nearly scooting off the chair in shock.
Zoey blew out a breath. “Okay, I’m taking a huge risk telling you this. But you’re a lawyer so I assume you know how to keep a secret.”
Andi folded her arms, appraising Zoey. “Of course.”
Zoey looked over her shoulder at the door, then leaned forward and lowered her voice. “Toujour has had a rough few years, financially speaking. Brooke, one of the matchmakers here—and my roommate—came up with the idea of asking Luke to sign on as a client to increase business. They’re best friends and the guy lives and dies by her command.”
“Okay . . .” It was an interesting story, but Andi failed to see what any of this had to do with her.
“Luke’s in love with Brooke. Like head-over-heels, grow-old-together, this-is-the-real-deal love. But Brooke’s stubborn.” Zoey waved a hand dismissively. “The particulars aren’t important. What is important is that Brooke loves Luke too, but she’s engaged to this douche bag Italian. That’s where you come in.”
Andi smirked. “You want me to get her to sign something promising she’ll marry Luke?”
“If it was that easy, I’d have done it years ago. No, what Luke needs is a fake girlfriend for the press. He’s been on eight first dates and no second dates, and everyone’s freaking out. And Brooke needs to get jealous. She saw your profile pop up in the database this morning, and she thinks you’d be a good match for Luke. So do I.”
Understanding dawned. “You want me to fake date your celebrity client.”
“It’s perfect. You want a fake relationship to get Rachel off your back, and this gives Luke a way to appease the press. You won’t get all clingy and mess things up with him and Brooke. I’ve read your file. You come from a wealthy family. You’re a successful lawyer. You’re exactly the kind of girl the press expects him to date, and exactly the kind of woman who can handle the publicity with grace. So what do you say?”
Andi leaned back in her chair. This was the last thing she’d expected when she made this appointment. She mulled it over as though it were a contract, looking for loopholes that could cause issues. The press could find out it was all a sham, but that would hurt Luke far more than it would hurt her. Luke could be a pretentious bore, like most CEOs she’d met, and hanging out with him could be torturous. But it would be worse to lead someone on.
This could work. It would get Rachel off her back. Andi would have a rebound boyfriend to parade around—one that was clearly superior to Mark. Rachel would congratulate herself on salvaging the whole Mark situation, and when Andi and Luke ‘broke up,’ Rachel would have a clear conscious.
“I’ll do it,” Andi said.
“I knew I liked you.”
“Are you like this with all your clients?”
“Heck no.” Zoey morphed her expression into the obnoxiously sweet and placating look from the beginning of their meeting and spoke in a syrupy voice. “I’m here to help you on the journey to the rest of your happily ever after.” She grabbed her laptop and opened the lid. “Now, we’ve got to keep up appearances. Let’s get through this bizarre questionnaire that’s supposed to help you find love.”
Ben left the school whistling. He’d spent another full day organizing his classroom, and it was finally finished. That gave him nearly a week to devote to lesson plans before school
Zoey grinned, a sly smile that gave her a cat-like appearance. “Andi, I think I can give you exactly what you want.”
Andi raised an eyebrow. “And how are you going to do that?”
“I have the perfect match for you.” Zoey tapped a red nail against her lips. “Have you heard of Luke Ryder?”
“Of course. My mom said to make sure I tell you I’m the perfect girl for him.” Andi laughed at the absurdity of the idea.
“I think your mom’s right.”
“What?” Andi leaned forward, nearly scooting off the chair in shock.
Zoey blew out a breath. “Okay, I’m taking a huge risk telling you this. But you’re a lawyer so I assume you know how to keep a secret.”
Andi folded her arms, appraising Zoey. “Of course.”
Zoey looked over her shoulder at the door, then leaned forward and lowered her voice. “Toujour has had a rough few years, financially speaking. Brooke, one of the matchmakers here—and my roommate—came up with the idea of asking Luke to sign on as a client to increase business. They’re best friends and the guy lives and dies by her command.”
“Okay . . .” It was an interesting story, but Andi failed to see what any of this had to do with her.
“Luke’s in love with Brooke. Like head-over-heels, grow-old-together, this-is-the-real-deal love. But Brooke’s stubborn.” Zoey waved a hand dismissively. “The particulars aren’t important. What is important is that Brooke loves Luke too, but she’s engaged to this douche bag Italian. That’s where you come in.”
Andi smirked. “You want me to get her to sign something promising she’ll marry Luke?”
“If it was that easy, I’d have done it years ago. No, what Luke needs is a fake girlfriend for the press. He’s been on eight first dates and no second dates, and everyone’s freaking out. And Brooke needs to get jealous. She saw your profile pop up in the database this morning, and she thinks you’d be a good match for Luke. So do I.”
Understanding dawned. “You want me to fake date your celebrity client.”
“It’s perfect. You want a fake relationship to get Rachel off your back, and this gives Luke a way to appease the press. You won’t get all clingy and mess things up with him and Brooke. I’ve read your file. You come from a wealthy family. You’re a successful lawyer. You’re exactly the kind of girl the press expects him to date, and exactly the kind of woman who can handle the publicity with grace. So what do you say?”
Andi leaned back in her chair. This was the last thing she’d expected when she made this appointment. She mulled it over as though it were a contract, looking for loopholes that could cause issues. The press could find out it was all a sham, but that would hurt Luke far more than it would hurt her. Luke could be a pretentious bore, like most CEOs she’d met, and hanging out with him could be torturous. But it would be worse to lead someone on.
This could work. It would get Rachel off her back. Andi would have a rebound boyfriend to parade around—one that was clearly superior to Mark. Rachel would congratulate herself on salvaging the whole Mark situation, and when Andi and Luke ‘broke up,’ Rachel would have a clear conscious.
“I’ll do it,” Andi said.
“I knew I liked you.”
“Are you like this with all your clients?”
“Heck no.” Zoey morphed her expression into the obnoxiously sweet and placating look from the beginning of their meeting and spoke in a syrupy voice. “I’m here to help you on the journey to the rest of your happily ever after.” She grabbed her laptop and opened the lid. “Now, we’ve got to keep up appearances. Let’s get through this bizarre questionnaire that’s supposed to help you find love.”
Ben left the school whistling. He’d spent another full day organizing his classroom, and it was finally finished. That gave him nearly a week to devote to lesson plans before school
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