Not Your Match (17 page)

“We cannot thank you enough,” the woman said, tears in her eyes.

“My pleasure,” Andi said. She held out a finger, and the baby grasped onto it. “I’m so glad your story had a happy ending.”

“Us too,” the dad said. “It means the world to us.”

Andi followed the couple from the court room, then gave them a wave and walked down the hallway in the opposite direction. Adoption cases were her favorite, and that one had been particularly complicated, with a birth mother who was a minor, biological grandparents who wanted to raise the child as their own, and a birth father who was reluctant to sign his rights away. But Andi had worked tirelessly, using every tool at her disposal to see the case through to a happy ending. Seeing the joy in the family’s eyes as the judge signed the paperwork made it all worth it.

Andi’s phone rang, and she pulled it out of her purse. Tension pooled in her stomach when she saw Toujour’s number. “This is Andi.”

“We have your date scheduled,” Zoey said.

Andi got into the car, her heart thudding loudly in her chest. She had left Toujour three days ago knowing what the plan was. But that was before she’d realized she was falling for Ben.

It doesn’t matter,
she reminded herself. He was caught up in the Whitney drama, and Andi didn’t want another relationship.

“Great,” Andi said.

“Don’t sound so enthusiastic.” Zoey’s tone was teasing. “Luke’s kind of arrogant, but you’ll have a good time, promise. If there’s one thing Luke knows how to do, it’s entertain a woman.”

Andi twirled her keys around her finger, then stuck the key in the ignition. “I thought he was in love with Brooke.”

“Yeah, but he’s also a reformed player. I know you don’t follow celebrity gossip, but surely you at least go grocery shopping and see the magazines in the checkout line.”

Andi hadn’t ever paid attention.

“Your date’s at the ice arena on Monday—I know that’s not much notice. We’re getting a lot of pressure to give the press something new.” Zoey rattled off an address, and Andi jotted it down on a legal pad from her briefcase. “We’ll need to meet before then to prep for the date—common procedure at Toujour. We can make it a phone meeting if that works best for you. I know you’re busy.”

She had to prepare for these dates, like a test at school or something? Andi rolled her eyes. “Phone probably would work best,” she agreed.

“Great. I’m here if you need to talk about anything—concerns, questions, guidelines you want to implement for the date. That’s what we’re here for.”

“Thanks,” Andi said. They said their goodbyes, and she hung up the phone.

She and Ben had had a moment on New Year’s Eve, but that didn’t change her plan. She’d go on at least one date with Luke and feel out the situation.

When Andi got home, she grabbed her laptop and sat on the couch. She flipped on the television and settled on a black-and-white movie before focusing on the computer. Time to research Luke Ryder so she at least knew what she was getting into.

Andi typed his name into the search bar, and eight million hits populated immediately. Wow. Andi typed in her name out of curiosity, and seven thousand hits appeared, only one of which was actually her—not that she scrolled past the first page. She typed Luke’s name back in. Yup, dude was definitely famous.

She clicked over to the photos and scrolled through. Saying he was attractive was like saying the pope was religious—a serious understatement. Luke had piercing blue eyes, a strong jaw, and embodied tall, dark, and handsome. A young brunette with a light dusting of freckles and a girl-next-door appearance appeared in at least a third of the photos, if not half of them. She was pretty, but in an understated way. Brooke?

Andi clicked on an article. It was Brooke. The article was recent, only a week old, and talked about how Brooke was matching up her best friend Luke. Brooke was engaged, just as Zoey had stated, to an Italian painter. The speculations about Broke and Luke ran rampant, ranging from the plausible to the absurd.

Andi kept clicking through links, growing more and more intrigued. It appeared Luke had been a promising businessman until his father’s death, then sort of fallen off the deep end. The press had raked him over the coals for his recent irresponsible behavior. She felt bad for the guy. It couldn’t be easy to grieve in such a public arena.

Whatever the articles claimed, there was one thing that didn’t lie—the look in Luke’s eyes when he gazed at Brooke. Luke always seemed to have a hand at Brooke’s waist as he guided her through a crowd, his glare clearly saying
back off, she’s mine.
A little possessive maybe, but in a sweet way that Brooke didn’t seem to mind. Brooke looked at Luke as though he were her entire world, her body angled toward his no matter how many people separated them in a crowd. The two definitely appeared in love, whether Brooke realized it or not. Which made Luke a safe—and perfect—boyfriend.

A knocked echoed through the living room. Andi set her laptop aside and rose, then peered through the peep hole.

Holy crap. What was Ben doing here?

Stay calm.
She took a deep breath.
Do not pound out of control, heart. He’s just a friend.
She couldn’t allow him to be more. She wouldn’t bet on another relationship, especially not one with someone still half in love with his ex. “Hey, Ben.”

Ben grinned sheepishly. He looked absolutely adorable in jeans and a hooded jacket zipped halfway up his chest. His light brown hair was mussed, his grin crooked. He pulled his hand out of his pocket and held up a handful of Slim Jims. “Kind of lame, but I wanted to thank you for the last few days. It’s been a really hard week, and I don’t know if I would’ve gotten through it without you.”

Andi took the Slim Jims. “My favorite. You remembered.”

“When a girl chases you down the block for stealing her jerky, it’s hard to forget.”

Andi laughed and opened the door wider, motioning him in. “Don’t come between a hormonal fourteen-year-old and her meat. I’ll share this time, if you ask nicely.”

“You’re probably busy . . .”

Andi fixed a stern glare on Ben. “We’re not going to do this every time we run into each other, are we? Unless you have something you need to do, come in.”

“Okay, thanks.” Ben stuck his hands in his jean pockets and stepped inside, looking around uncertainly.

“My condo doesn’t bite. Promise.”

“Sorry. It’s been a weird few weeks. Guess I’m on edge.”

“Yeah, I can imagine.” It hadn’t been a cake walk for her, either. Andi tore open one of the Slim Jims and took a bite, then handed a second one to Ben.

He motioned to her laptop. “Are you working?”

“In a matter of speaking.”

Ben smirked and leaned forward, looking closer at the laptop. Andi reached out and slammed the lid shut.

“Did you get set up with Luke Ryder?” Ben asked.

Andi closed her eyes, then nodded. What did it matter if Ben knew? It would be all over the press soon enough. “My matchmaker, Zoey, just called to tell me we have our first date on Friday.”

Ben leaned back against the couch, but it felt to Andi as though he wanted to put distance between them. “Wow. That’s a high-profile return to the world of dating.”

Andi shrugged. “If he’s kind and we have a good time, then his job doesn’t matter to me.”

“Do you always Google your dates?”

“Of course. Don’t you?”

“No, but I should probably start.”

There was a bitter edge to his voice that made Andi wince. Time to change the subject. “Are you ready to start work on Monday?”

“I think so. I spent the day at the school and ran through a few labs I want to do in the next couple of weeks to make sure everything went as planned.”

“And did it?”

Ben’s ears pinked. “There might have been a minor explosion. Nothing major, and it wasn’t entirely my fault. I found an expiration date on the chemical bottle that’s five years old. I probably should’ve checked that first.”

Andi threw a decorative pillow at Ben and laughed. “Serves you right for all those kitchen science experiment explosions you made me and Rach suffer through.”

“Hey, that happened like three times.”

“Yeah, and I think I was hanging out with Rachel for all of them.”

Ben chuckled, and then his face turned serious. “Don’t let Toujour be a science explosion for you, okay? Luke seems like quite the player. Be careful.”

Andi’s stomach quivered with excitement. Ben cared who she was dating. Did that mean he cared as a friend, or did he want them to be something more?

It doesn’t matter, Andi. You don’t want another relationship, and he’s still in love with Whitney.

“I’m worried about you.” Ben cupped her chin in his hand and she barely avoided shivering. He squished her cheeks together and said in a high falsetto, “I’ll be careful, Ben. I promise.”

Andi rested her hands on his and said, “I will.”

Andi walked into the ice arena, the air at least ten degrees colder than the January breeze outside. Her heart pounded against her rib cage, and her palms were clammy with sweat despite the chill. Thank heaven for gloves. She wrapped her coat more tightly around her and adjusted her scarf. Laughter from skaters on the rink, which she could see past the front desk, echoed throughout the open room.

Any moment now, she’d be meeting Luke Ryder. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply.
He’s a person, just like me,
she reminded herself.

But he wasn’t like her. Not even close. He was a billionaire, with a corporate empire that was quickly overtaking the globe.

I’m not really dating him. There’s nothing to be nervous about.

If only her mind could communicate that to the rest of her body.

Andi glanced around, looking for the tall man with dark hair she’d seen in the photos online and coming up empty. She must’ve arrived first.

She took a deep breath and mentally stepped into the lawyer persona that said
I can handle anything with ease.
She strode toward the ticket counter, the plastic tiles squeaking with each step. She gave the employee a brilliant smile.
I can handle anything,
she reminded herself.
Even a rich celebrity.

“Hi, Justin,” she said, glancing at the man’s name tag. He was roughly her age, late twenties with square glasses and a beard.

He looked up from the computer and ran his eyes up and down her body, then slowly grinned. He slid along the counter until he was right in front of her. “Hi yourself. Just one ticket?”

“I’m actually meeting someone.”

“Not a date, I hope.”

Andi gave her best win-over-the-jury smile. “You caught me. Tall, dark hair, blue eyes. Oh, and he’s famous. Luke Ryder.”

Justin leaned forward. “So you like wealthy men, huh? I can be wealthy.” He tapped his finger on the counter. “This job here? They guarantee me twenty hours a week, and I make nearly four dollars over minimum wage.”

A laugh burst from Andi, and she wanted to hug Justin for helping her relax. “I like you, Justin.”

“Remember that when things don’t work out with Mr. Rich and Famous.”

Andi felt eyes on her back, and she froze. Was it him? She slowly glanced over her shoulder. It was Luke all right. He looked just like the pictures. He was easily over six feet tall, his dark brown hair styled expertly into that messy look women adored. Andi could almost see the ladies in the room melting at the sight of him. Luke cocked his head to the side, brows furrowed in confusion. His blue eyes pierced her, even across the room.

Suddenly, her scarf felt like it was strangling her. Why hadn’t it occurred to her before now that she hadn’t been on a first date in more than seven years? And now she was on one with a celebrity.

“Looks like my date’s here,” Andi said to Justin. Her voice sounded raspy, and she swallowed, trying to clear it.

Luke’s shoulders were tense, and as he got closer, Andi could see the stress lines around his eyes.

He’s as nervous as I am,
she realized. Confidence surged through her. He was just a guy with a lot of money, and that wasn’t anything to be scared of.