Miss Match (28 page)

He was about to stand and disappear into the stairwell when the elevator doors pinged open. Brooke stood there in her white peacoat, her pink Birkin bag slung over one shoulder. Alone. Luke blew out a breath and rose. “Hey,” he said awkwardly.

“Hey. What are you doing here?”

He held up the package. “I brought you a present. Sorry I didn’t call before dropping by.” He’d been afraid she wouldn’t answer, or would tell him to stay home.

Brooke’s brow furrowed. “Oh.” She shuffled her feet awkwardly. “You already gave me my Christmas present.”

“This is different.”

“Okay.” She stared into his eyes, and he could feel her studying him, trying to figure out his angle. She unlocked her door. “Want to come in?”

“Sure.” He followed her inside, looking around. The small living room was tidy, the throw pillows neatly arranged and coffee table clear. “Where’s Zoey?”

“On a date, of course. Relishing her day off.”

“Right. So . . . how was dinner at your dad’s yesterday?

“Great.”

He took her hand in his. “I hate how things are between us.”

She pulled away. “You made them this way, Luke.”

“I don’t regret my choice.”

She closed her eyes, digging her palms into them. “And I don’t regret mine.” The words were soft, but sliced like a dagger.

Luke shook his head.
I’m not giving up.
He held out the package. “Here. Open it.”

She took it cautiously, sliding a finger under the tape and unwrapping it. She set the box on the kitchen counter and lifted the lid. Her brow scrunched together. “Um . . . thanks.”

Luke chuckled, stepping up behind her and lifting an item out of the box. “This is a ticket stub from the first movie we saw together.” He dropped it on the counter and removed another item. “This is the first draft of the ‘rules.’ And this is the wrapper from the candy bar I bought Chris when you fake-laughed so he could win a bet.”

Brooke laughed, her fingers eagerly combing through the contents of the box. “I didn’t laugh so he would win the bet, I laughed so you would lose it. I can’t believe you kept all this.” She picked up a brittle, dried rose. “Is this the boutonniere from winter formal junior year?”

He nodded. “Our first date.”

Brooke dropped the boutonniere back into the box like it had spontaneously ignited. “I seem to recall we went with other people.”

“But we ended up leaving together.” Luke motioned to the box. “I’ve kept everything from the very beginning. What I feel for you—it’s not going away. It’s been building and growing for eight years. And in eight years, I’ll have an even bigger box, full of more moments from our life together.”

Brooke set the lid on the box. “Whatever you’re doing, it won’t work.”

“Why are you so afraid to try?”

“Because I don’t trust you!”

The words sliced through Luke like a knife. Brooke covered her mouth, as though horrified to have let her true feelings escape.

“I wish I could take back the past. But I’m trying to show you I’ve changed. I’ve got Ryder Communications back on track. I’m helping you save Toujour. I’ve quit drinking. How else can I prove to you I love you?”

Brooke shook her head. “I’m moving to Italy.”

The words stole the breath from Luke’s lungs. The door opened, and Zoey stood there, her eyes wide in surprise. “Oh. I didn’t expect anyone to be home.”

Brooke quickly wiped at her eyes. “I thought you were on a date.”

“I left early. He was a serious jerk.” She motioned back and forth between them. “Want me to leave you two alone?”

“No,” Brooke said.

Luke brought a hand to his eyes. Italy. That was it then. She’d made her choice. “I’ll see you Monday.” He had a date tonight with Andi, and Monday he’d have to return and report.

“See you,” Brooke said, her voice empty.

Luke turned and left.

* * *

“I’m losing,” Luke told Andi as they sat in their box, waiting for the basketball game to start. The chairs were cushioned and comfortable, and a counter behind them held an array of tasty snacks. A television set in one corner, in case they wanted to watch the game on television while at the stadium. He felt confident the paparazzi could only see and not hear them behind the glass partition. “She’s moving to Italy. She’s made up her mind.”

Andi gave Luke a sympathetic smile. She looked gorgeous, with her hair spilling over her shoulders and a half-eaten pretzel in one hand. But Luke hardly noticed.

“She really said she’s moving?” Andi asked.

“Yeah.” He sat back in his chair, running a hand through his hair. “I pushed too hard, and she wasn’t ready.”

Andi ripped off a chunk of the pretzel and plopped it in her mouth, chewing thoughtfully. “Why is she with Antonio? What does she get out of that relationship?”

“I have no idea.”

Andi gave him a pointed look. “If you want me to help, you’ve gotta answer my questions.”

“Okay, fine. I think she views him as safe. A security blanket. She likes that he sought out a matchmaker, and she’s always talking about how compatible the computer system says they are. She loves how his parents and grandparents and sisters have all been married for forever.”

“Your parents were married for a long time, weren’t they?”

A roar came from the crowd as the team mascot shot T-shirts out of a gun. “Almost thirty years.”

“So why doesn’t she see you as stable?”

Luke grabbed his Dr. Pepper and took a swig. He’d given up alcohol completely the last few weeks. “When we first met, I was kind of a player. I was all about the chase, and once I caught the girl, I quickly lost interest. When Brooke didn’t return my feelings, I kept pretending to be the player so she wouldn’t see how much it stung.”

“But you’re not a player.” Andi smiled. “Not anymore.”

“How do I show her that I’ve changed? How do I convince her I’m worth taking a risk? I don’t think she loves me enough to leave him.”

“There has to be something you can do to convince her. A grand gesture or something, like I told you on our first date.” The buzzer rang, and the crowd let out a collective sigh.

Luke held out his hands, palms up. “Do you have any ideas? Because I’m fresh out of them.”

Andi shoved the rest of the pretzel in her mouth, chewing. She tapped a foot in thought while she finished eating, and it reminded him so much of Brooke his heart physically ached. “Is there something from your past that’s especially meaningful? Maybe the moment you first realized you were falling for her?”

And that’s when it hit Luke. “I know exactly what to do,” he said.

“Tell me about that.”

As Luke spoke, ideas started to come together. Andi asked questions and offered suggestions, and soon they had a fully formed plan.

Andi smiled. “Not too shabby, Mr. Ryder. Let’s get to work.”

“Don’t you want to watch the game?”

Andi made a
psh
sound with her mouth. “This is way more important. She’s moving to Italy next month, right? We’ve got to act fast.”

CHAPTER THIRTY

Luke took a deep breath,
staring at himself in his bedroom mirror. Today was the official relaunch of Talia. His team had worked beyond hard over the last month and a half, and they were finally ready to celebrate.

A knock came at the door, and Mitch opened it. “Ready?” he asked.

“Ready,” Luke said.

“Good. Andi’s already in the limo.”

As they drove to the same hotel the gala had been held at, Luke couldn’t help but think how much things had changed in six weeks. He hoped tonight wouldn’t end in as big of a disaster as the last gala had.

Andi patted his knee and smiled encouragingly, but didn’t say anything. Luke took her hand and squeezed it. He appreciated her silence.

Luke saw the camera flashes from a block away. “Let’s do this thing,” Mitch said, and they stepped out of the limo. Luke pasted on his best media smile and posed for photos, arm wrapped around Andi, before entering the grand ballroom. The holiday decor had been replaced with marketing materials and booths where attendees could test out Talia 2.0’s various features. Red banners hung from the ceiling with Talia’s logo, and Ryder Communications employees in easily distinguishable polo shirts were present everywhere to answer questions.

Luke scanned the room for Brooke. He found her near the dance floor. Right next to Antonio.

Luke breathed deeply through the pain. He still had six weeks before she moved. Six weeks to change her mind.

Andi took his hand and squeezed. “You okay?”

Luke opened his mouth to respond, but a hand clapped on his shoulder. Darius.

“I must say, Luke, I never thought we’d get here,” Darius said. “But the numbers we’re seeing from the pre-orders are very encouraging. I think we’re nearly out of the woods.”

“Couldn’t agree more,” Luke said, making his voice light and airy.

“This must be the lovely young woman you’re dating.”

“Yes. Reginald, this is my girlfriend, Andi. Andi, Reginald is chairman of the board of directors.”

Andi took Darius’ hand in hers. “Such a pleasure.”

Darius chuckled. “I assure you, the pleasure is mine. We’d begun to wonder if a woman would ever snag Luke on a permanent basis.”

Andi laughed. She was good at playing her part, Luke would give her that. “I consider myself lucky he remained unattached for so long.”

All too soon, it was time for Luke to give a presentation on Talia 2.0. He did a demonstration of the new and improved program, and the response from the audience was thunderous applause. Luke knew this time they were delivering a solid product. But a part of him still missed the old Talia, bugs and all. He knew his father would be proud he’d made the changes though.

“Well done,” Andi said when he had managed to escape the hand shaking and congratulations after his presentation. She leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

And that’s when Luke saw Brooke. Her arm was looped through Antonio’s, but her eyes were hurt. He wished he could talk to her—assure her the kiss was all for the press. But he couldn’t.

Luke took Andi’s hand and quickly led her to Brooke.

“Great job,” Brooke said. Her smile seemed forced, her eyes sparkling with tears. “This product’s going to go nuts.”

“Let’s hope so. The pre-sale numbers are encouraging.”

“That was a great speech,” Antonio said. His eyes gleamed wickedly. “I barely even noticed you stumbling over your words at the beginning. The product is fabulous.”

“Antonio,” Brooke said. She had a tight smile on her lips, the one that said I’ll-reprimand-you-for-this-later. “The presentation was perfect.”

“Luke.”

They all turned. Mitch hurried through the crowd, muttering “excuse me” as he accidentally bumped into someone.

Luke raised an eyebrow. “Something wrong?”
Please say no.
Flashbacks of the last gala had his stomach twisting.

“You aren’t going to believe this.” Mitch handed his phone to Luke. A web page was pulled up. “Kendall issued a recall of all their home automation systems. They didn’t put it through proper testing, and three fires have been started from the control panel. A house burned completely down.”

“Oh my gosh,” Brooke said.

“It’s fine, no one was hurt and Kendall will pick up the tab for whatever insurance doesn’t cover,” Mitch said. “Do you know what this means?”

Luke stared at Mitch, and then they burst out laughing.

“We’re in the clear,” Mitch said. “You did it, man.”

Luke nodded, his eyes locked on Brooke’s. One crisis averted. Now to avoid another one.

* * *

“Are you sure you won’t run the office here?” Charlotte asked Brooke.

Brooke shook her head. “I’m happy to transfer to Rome.”

Charlotte sighed, pushing away from her desk and placing a book on a shelf. “I can’t say I’m not disappointed. I’m happy to have you in Rome, but there’s no one else I trust as much to run things here when I go back to France.”

“So we’re in the clear?” Brooke asked.

Charlotte nodded, her eyes sparkling. “I think it’s safe to say the company is stable here, at least for a while.”

“Andi and Luke seem very happy.” Brooke twisted her engagement ring around and around on her finger. Luke kept saying he loved her, that Andi was all for the press. But every time Andi kissed him, every time Brooke saw a photo of them holding hands, it stung.

She wished they were moving to Italy tomorrow. It was hard to put Luke behind her when he was constantly around. She could feel the distance growing between her and Antonio, and she was desperate to reclaim what they’d once had. He was her choice, who she wanted to be with. Compatibility ratings weren’t everything.

Charlotte sank back into her chair, her eyes soft. “Surely you know Andi and Luke won’t last. I’ve trained you well enough that you should recognize the signs. They’re attracted to each other, but not in love.”