My One and Only: Book 1 in the Love and Weddings Trilogy (7 page)

              Meredith sat at her kitchen table picking at her salad while feeling slightly pathetic.
Or a lot pathetic.
She took a bite of salad and relived the mortification of her faceoff with Taryn. It was always a faceoff with Taryn. She’d never had any other kind of interaction with the woman and knew it was unlikely that she would ever have any other kind. She knew that she was feisty and that she rubbed people the wrong way sometimes, but knowing that she actually engendered hate in people was kind of daunting. And embarrassing.
And depressing.

              She heard the ping of her phone signaling a text and glanced down and was surprised to see it was from Brogan. She read it and smiled, feeling automatically better.

             
I’ve been working night and day on the website. Tomorrow let’s get together with Asher and I’ll               show you what I have. Come to the house at seven.

              Meredith’s depression immediately disappeared as excitement took its place. She answered Brogan and then texted Asher to make sure he had tomorrow night open. If he was playing with his band, Murphy’s Law, they’d have to reschedule. She knew how important his music was to him.

              She immediately heard back from Asher and grinned. They were going to get to see their new website tomorrow night and she couldn’t even handle it. She jumped around the kitchen and did a few kicks back from her cheerleading days.

              “Please don’t stop.”

              Meredith whipped her head around and squeaked, grabbing her heart as she saw Pule standing in the doorway.

              “What in the heck are you doing, Pule? You scared me to death,” she said glaring at him, embarrassed that he’d seen her dancing around her apartment like an idiot.

              Pule grinned and shut the door, holding up a key. “I still have a key, remember? I was down at Tai’s diner helping him with a few deliveries and Cleo asked me to get a picture that’s hanging over her bed. She wants to hang it in the diner.”

              Meredith shrugged and walked over to the couch, grabbing a pillow and covering her stomach. “The one of her and Tai down by the beach? That would look cute hanging in the diner. I love that they’re making it so retro and sweet.”

              Pule nodded and walked toward the bedroom. “Food and love. They go together.”

              Meredith smiled. “True. I’ve never really thought about it, but you’re right.”

              Pule came out moments later with the picture in his hands. “So are you going to tell me why you were jumping around your house like a cheerleader on crack?”

              Meredith laughed and covered her face with the pillow. “Please forget you saw that little display of joy. I was just happy because I got a text from Brogan and he wants to show us the preliminary website. It’s not going to be perfect or anything, but it’ll be so cool to see our baby come to life, you know? We’re going over tomorrow at seven.”

              Pule smiled and walked over, sitting next to her on the couch. “It’s good to see you so happy and excited about life again, Mer. You were sad for too long.”

              Meredith cleared her throat and looked away from Pule’s intense gaze. “It’s good to
be
happy again, I guess. I always thought that I’d be happy again when I got over . . . I mean when I fell in love again, but starting a business and doing something you’re passionate about? That’s a great way to find your joy in life too. I wish I’d known that sooner,” she said softly.

              Pule gave her a half-smile. “So are you totally over Kam then?”

              Meredith felt like covering her face with the pillow again but held her chin up instead. “I am. And that feels good too. All that crap about it’s better to have loved and lost then to have never loved at all?
Total garbage.
Love hurts. Love can be excruciating. And when your heart breaks, there’s nothing you can do except feel the pain and wait for it to slowly, slowly fade over time until you can breathe again. But yeah, I’m breathing again. I’m happy again. I can see your brother and not want to burst into tears. I’m in a good place. I even think I’m ready to fall in love again.”

              Pule’s eyebrows shot up and his eyes sharpened. “
Really
.”

              Meredith noticed Pule’s expression and remembered her thoughts from earlier that day about her suspicions that he might be starting to like her.
Yikes.
Time to put up some road blocks.

              “Yeah, really. I’m kind of excited about this website. I can’t wait to meet my true love.”

              Pule’s eyes turned hard as he frowned. “I’ll be on the website too. What if you and I get matched up?”

              Meredith opened her mouth to say something and then stopped. She was on dangerous ground here. “Well, um, that would probably be really weird for you. I mean, I dated your older brother and I know your parents wouldn’t approve of you and I dating and I know how close you and your brother are. I’d hate to cause you two problems. But that does bring up a good point. I’ll talk to Brogan about a way to block people you don’t want to date. Why be set up with me when you can be set up with gorgeous girls without all of my weird baggage?” she said with a laugh as she watched Pule closely for his reaction

              He gave her the typical Matafeo reaction to anything they didn’t like.
Stone face
. Ugh. He must have learned that from Kam.

              “What if dating each other was no big deal though? Like, what if my parents were okay with it and Kam didn’t care?” Pule asked, suddenly sitting much closer to her.

              Meredith looked at Pule askance and bit her lip as she searched for anything to say to diffuse the situation. Pule was getting a little intense and that worried her. A lot.

              “Pule,” she said gently. “You have to know that there’s no way your parents or Kam would be okay with it.”

              Pule’s mouth turned into a thin hard line as he looked past her shoulder at the wall. “Fine, but what if I didn’t care? What if my family’s opinion didn’t matter to me?”

              Meredith stared at Pule as he turned back to face her. The door opened suddenly and Pule moved back on the couch as Tristan walked in with a brown grocery bag in his arms.

              Meredith hopped off the couch like a bunny and practically ran to her brother, taking the bag from him and smiling in relief.

              “Grapefruit! My favorite. Thanks so much for bringing them over. Come in and hang out for a while,” she said, her eyes going wide in a silent plea for rescue.

              Tristan stared at her for a moment and then he turned and looked at Pule before he rolled his eyes and sighed.

              “I’d love to stay for a while,” he said dryly and walked over to the chair opposite Pule and sat down.

              “Hey, Pule. You playing Saturday?” Tristan asked Pule politely.

              Meredith sighed in relief and walked to the kitchen to put the fruit away. She could tell by Tristan’s tone he was already bored and wanting to leave.
Well tough
. Sometimes brothers had to come to the rescue and she just happened to need rescuing.

              She stayed in the kitchen a little longer than necessary before walking out to join her brother and Pule. She sat in the chair by her brother instead of joining Pule on the couch. By Pule’s sudden frown she knew he’d noticed. And didn’t like it.

              “So Tristan, I’ve convinced Pule to be our first customer for my new dating website. It’s called,
Your one and only
. It’s specifically for this area and it’ll combine an awesome website where you’re matched to girls based on personality, likes and even morals. But we’re also going to do old fashioned matchmaking and have social events to meet people face to face. Asher’s joining, I’m joining, Pule’s joining. You should too,” she said, in all seriousness.

              Tristan stared at her like she was insane. “You’re insane.”

              Meredith glared at her brother. “I’m completely sane. Tell him, Pule,” she said, turning to Pule.

              Pule rolled his eyes but turned to Tristan. “Dude, make your sister happy. She’s starting a business with Asher and Brogan Moore and if they don’t get enough people to sign up it’ll be a flop and she’ll be out on the streets, homeless and begging for food.”

              Meredith stared in shock at Pule and then glared. Pule grinned at her as Tristan laughed. Meredith turned and stared in surprise at her brother. She hadn’t heard him laugh,
really laugh
, since before Julia had broken his heart.

              “The honest approach. I like it,” Tristan said, his blue eyes twinkling at her. “Well, I have to admit I can’t imagine you on the streets begging. Would it be strange if I pointed out that you can always move back in with mom and dad?”

              Meredith’s jaw clenched and she shook her head. “No, you may not point that out, Tristan. So are you in or not?” she asked, pouting and feeling irritated now.

              Tristan let out a long sigh and stared at the ceiling. “An online dating website where I’ll have to meet strange women and attempt pointless and torturous small talk all for the chance to be rejected by a larger percentage of the female population. How could I say no?”

              Meredith groaned and threw a pillow at her brother while Pule laughed. Pule stood up with the picture in his hands and gave Tristan a high five. “Gotta get this to the diner. See you Saturday,” Pule said and walked out.

              Meredith watched him go and sighed in relief as soon as the door was closed. Tristan waited a moment and then cleared his throat.

              “So what was that all about? There was a lot of tense, weird vibes going on when I walked in. Something going on between you and Pule?”

              Meredith closed her eyes and leaned her head back. “Oh heck, I don’t know. We didn’t even like each other a few months ago and then all of a sudden I look up and we’re friends. And now? Now he’s hinting around like he wants to date me or something. I was talking to him about online dating and he wanted to know what I’d do if we got matched. Of course I brought up the fact that his parents and Kam would never approve and so he says,
what if I say I don’t care
.”

              Tristan’s eyes went wide and he smiled slowly. “That is hilarious. Pule Matafeo has a thing for my sister. Oh, Mer. Only you.”

              Meredith gave up and laughed. “You got that right. Only me. Tristan, you have no idea how weird my life is sometimes. Thanks for sticking around. You diffused the situation very well. You get a gold star for being a good brother today.”

              Tristan smiled and stood up. “Then I have done my good deed for the day. You coming to dinner Sunday? You’ve skipped the last three.”

              Meredith stood up to walk her brother to the door. “All mom and dad want to talk about are my bills and my future and have I thought about going back to work for that nice little accountant down the street and on and on and on. They don’t want to hear about my wedding planning business or my online dating website. They just want me to tell them what they want to hear and I can’t give them what they want. Trust me, it’s better if I stay away,” she said, feeling sad about that.

              Tristan turned and looked down at her, his eyes worried and dark. “They’re your mom and dad, of course they worry about you. You’re hurting their feelings. Come to dinner.”

              Meredith looked at him stubbornly and refused to agree.

              Tristan sighed and looked over her shoulder. “Do you think it was easy going to dinner every week and hear mom and dad talk about all of these women I could be dating now that Julia had dumped me? Do you think it was easy to sit there week after week and listen to how I was so much better off because this woman I adored didn’t love me anymore? Look, parents are rough. Ours aren’t easy by any means, but they’d do anything for you and they love you.
Come to dinner
.”

              Meredith felt shame wash over her and she nodded tersely. “Fine. I’ll be there. But I might bring protection with me.”

              Tristan shrugged and opened the door. “I don’t care who you bring to block mom and dad. But if you leave me by myself one more time I swear you’re not getting a birthday present this year.”

              Meredith smiled and then hugged Tristan. “Love ya, Tris. See you Sunday.”

              Tristan lifted a hand in a wave as he walked away. Meredith closed the door slowly and sighed. She’d left her brother to face their parents alone and for that she should be shot.
Poor guy
. He was so big and tough, but the guy had a sensitive heart underneath it all. She’d bring someone to block not just for her but for Tristan too. It sounded like he could use a break.

              Asher knocked on the door right at seven and smiled when Meredith opened the door wearing a dress with contrasting black and white panels at the bodice with a banded waist. She looked stylish, happy and gorgeous. And she was all his tonight.

              “Beautiful as always. Are you ready to go?”

              Meredith looked over her shoulder at him with a smile as she walked over to the kitchen to grab her purse and Asher had to stop for a second. It felt as if he couldn’t breathe for a moment. His heart was beating fast and his mouth was suddenly dry. He stared at Meredith and let a shaky breath out.

             
Not again.
It seemed like every time he got around Meredith these days, his body started flipping out, like he couldn’t breathe right or think right. He’d mentioned it to Garrett and his brother had laughed himself sick. When he’d stopped laughing he’d pointed at him and told him that he’d finally fallen in love. He’d sneered at that of course, but standing here in Meredith’s apartment and looking at her, he wasn’t sure he could deny it.

              “Hey, you just went pale. You okay?” Meredith asked, looking at him in concern as she slipped her purse over her shoulder and walked towards him.

              Asher shook his head and tried to laugh it off. “Fine,
fine.
So I’m thinking Asado. Feel like a little Argentinian food?”

              Meredith grinned and followed him out the door, turning to lock up. “I’ve never actually eaten anything Argentinian but I’m excited to try. That’s what I love about you, Asher. You’re never boring.”

              Asher grinned as he felt his heart speed up and he was filled with happiness at such a simple but sincere compliment. If Meredith ever understood just how much he took away from her simple compliments she’d laugh.
Nah, better keep that to himself.

              They talked about inconsequential things until they were seated at a table at the restaurant twenty minutes later.

              “Well I absolutely love your idea for the name of the site.
Your one and only
. Who wouldn’t love to believe that there’s someone in this crazy world made especially just for them? I think it will appeal to everyone on a basic, instinctive level.”

              Meredith looked at him and smiled a little as she took a sip of water. “What about you? Are you a believer? Do you think that there’s one special someone designed especially by God just for you?”

              Asher paused and put his menu down, frowning at his water glass. Did he believe that? He’d been incredibly unlucky in love and in relationships. He’d spent the last ten years dating as many women as possible. He flitted from girl to girl, never committing for very long and always on the lookout for someone better. When he’d fallen for Ivy, he’d been positive that she was the girl for him. He would have gone to court and sworn on a stack of bibles that he and Ivy were soul mates.

              Too bad she’d disagreed with him. Asher tried not to dwell on the fact that Ivy had chosen Becket over him. But could he really blame her for falling in love with someone else? Seeing her now and seeing how happy and full of joy she was, made him feel like a selfish idiot. He’d only been thinking of himself and not about her or her feelings. He’d grown up a little after that had happened. Being humbled so well and so publicly had forced him to grow up fast.

              But then he’d fallen for Cleo. She’d only had eyes for Tai and he’d made his peace with that. So if God had designed a woman specifically for him, then he was very open to that. He looked up at Meredith and his eyes went warm as he studied her. If he could ask God for any woman he wanted, someone to love and be loved by, someone who was his best friend but at the same time someone he shared a passionate connection with, well, then he’d have to describe Meredith down to the tiniest detail. She was feisty, smart, yet kind and tenderhearted too. That and she laughed at all of his jokes. Even the stupid ones.

              “Yeah, I guess I do,” he finally said as he watched a blush of red chase over her cheeks. “What about you?”

              Meredith picked up her menu and fanned herself for a moment. “I do. I have to believe that or I’d have given up. The only thing that keeps me going sometimes is knowing that God would never expect me to go through life without that kind of powerful love. That’s what I want. A love so powerful, so real and so true that it burns through all the garbage, you know?”

              Asher nodded his head in complete agreement and lifted his water glass. Meredith followed suit and lifted hers. “To finding our one and only,” he said softly, staring into her eyes as they clinked glasses.

              Meredith took a small sip and put her glass down as she stared across the room. “I’ve actually thought about this quite a bit. You know,
what makes a soul mate
? And how will I recognize him when he shows up? I’ve got it down to a science I think. I figure my soul mate will have to connect with me on at least four levels. Emotional, physical, spiritual and mental. If I can find a man that I connect with on all four of those levels, then I’m grabbing on and not letting go,” she said, sounding very determined.

              Asher smiled and sat forward, watching the way the candle light reflected in her blue eyes. “I like that. Four levels of connection or there’s no reason to waste your time or gamble with your heart. So have you ever had a four level connection?”

              Meredith wrinkled her nose and shook her head. “With Dane, my fiancé who died in a car crash, I was just so young at the time and I’m a different person now. I don’t even know if we would have stayed together we were so different. And everyone knows I had myself convinced that Kam and I were soul mates, but honestly?
We weren’t.
That’s one of the things that helped me to finally get over him. I realized when I thought about it logically instead of emotionally, that we only really connected on maybe two levels. No, Kam was never my soul mate. How about you? If you can think back through all of the hundreds of girls you’ve dated that is. Any connection like that?”

              Asher laughed and sat back. Meredith loved teasing him more than anything but he enjoyed it. And he was hoping that some of that teasing was because she was a little bit jealous.

              “Nah, no soul mates. Do you really think if I’d found my soul mate I’d ever let her get away?” he asked her softly, staring into her eyes.

              Meredith blinked slowly and then let out a breath before looking away. “I’m guessing, no,” she said as she fiddled with her bracelet as if she was nervous. “But what about Ivy? You definitely didn’t want to let go of her.”

              Asher frowned and looked over Meredith’s shoulder for a moment. “I’ve decided that soul mates only work when both people feel it. Otherwise, it’s just a pathetic case of unrequited love.”

              Meredith smiled sadly, her eyes warm and soft as she gazed at him. “Not pathetic. Determined.”

              Asher fought the urge to reach across the table and hold her hand. She wasn’t ready for that.
Yet.
“Maybe we should add the four levels of connection to the website. I wonder if Brogan could incorporate that somehow?”

              Meredith sat up in her seat and stared at him. “Ash, you’re a genius,” she whispered and then she jumped up, ran around the table and threw her arms around his neck from behind his chair and gave him a big smacking kiss on the cheek.

              Asher sat in stunned happiness as she ran back around the table and sat down, laughing like a wild woman. She whipped out her phone and made a few swiping motions.

              “Listen, Brogan, Ash and I were talking and he just came up with a great idea for the website. We want there to be four levels of connection. Physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. If our clients connect on all four levels then they get the soul mate status. What do you think? Is there any way to add that feature to the website?”

              Asher sat forward wishing she had it on speaker phone. He watched her expression carefully as it changed from hopeful to ecstatic.

              “Yes!” she screamed, loud enough for every head in the restaurant to turn around and stare in curiosity. Asher smiled apologetically at everyone and held up his hands as if he was helpless,
which he was.

              Two minutes later, she put her phone away and stared at him with a bright grin on her face. “This is going to be huge. I’m not kidding, this is going to be amazing. I’m so glad you and I became friends so we could do this together,” she said with a happy sigh as she reached for a roll.

              Asher frowned and pushed the butter plate towards her. “
Friends
, huh?”

              Meredith took a big bite and nodded her head. “We were both brats when we first met, but when I think about people I want to hang out with or talk to or connect with, you’re at the top of my list. I never figured I was the type to have a guy friend, but It turns out I am. I love that we’re friends. And now I love being your business partner,” she said with a wink.

              Asher looked away not knowing how to respond to that. Everyone knew that the best of relationships were built on friendship. Could he be satisfied with just a platonic friendship with Meredith?

              No.
He wanted more.

              “I’m glad that you enjoy our relationship,” he finally said as he watched her devour the roll. “But from what I’ve seen of relationships, they’re very fluid, always changing and growing or dying. Some relationships that start out as friendships even grow into something more. Sometimes, friendships can become romantic. What do you think about that?”

              Meredith licked her lips and stared at him silently for a moment. “Are you talking hypothetically or are you talking specifically?” she asked quietly, her eyes now serious.

              Asher felt his heart speed up and his hands grow damp as he took his time answering. He did not want to mess this up. But at the same time, he was so comfortable with Meredith and they were both so honest with each other, he couldn’t imagine not telling her what he was thinking or what was in his heart.

              “Specifically,” he finally said, his face serious and his eyes vulnerable.

              Meredith closed her eyes for a moment and he watched her throat as she swallowed. “I’ll admit that you and I have chemistry. We like the same movies and music. We can laugh and have fun and I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that the few times you’ve kissed me weren’t um, …
nice
. However, there’s no way that you and I can be in a romantic relationship with one another now that we’re business partners. It would be the dumbest thing in the world to do. Ash, it could ruin everything.”

              Asher clenched his hand into a fist under the table and stared moodily at Meredith. “Are you using that as an excuse to keep me at arm’s length or do you truly believe that you and I wouldn’t work as business partners if we loved each other?”

              Meredith sighed and rubbed her forehead for a moment before answering. “I don’t know, Ash. All I know is that you and I are both intense, passionate people and that getting along with you is great and fun and amazing, but if you and I ever broke up and decided to hate each other, things would get crazy in a bad way fast. Now add in a business and you and I being forced to work with each other if we hated each other and that’s a recipe for me running you over with my car and getting put on the five o’clock news.”

              Asher smiled and laughed a little but shook his head. “You forgot one thing. I could never hate you,” he said quietly.

              Meredith smiled sadly at him and reached across the table. Asher blinked in surprise but grasped her hand in his, loving the warm connection.

              “If it makes you feel any better, I’m very tempted and very flattered but let’s be smart.”

              Asher frowned wanting very much to be stupid instead. “Okay, Mer. We’ll be smart.”

             
For now.