Page 14 of Tight Spot

I didn’t need to like her. I needed her to do a job. If Meredith didn’t make that clear to her, I would our first night.

“Fine. Great.”

I turned to leave, and Meredith’s voice halted me in my tracks. “Do you at least want to see a picture of her?”

Would probably be smart, but frankly, she was all I had, and her looks didn’t matter as long as she looked wholesome. Dateable. Maybe a little sassy with a few tattoos. No one would believe I fell for the preschool teacher. But it didn’t matter. Because this was fake, and she’d be getting a shit ton of money to pretend to like me back until Rick was off my ass and my penalty for not purposely breaking an asshole’s face open was fulfilled.

“No.”

Smarter that way. Better. If I didn’t find her good enough, I’d have to start over.

And if I did find her attractive, well, that’d be an equal pain in my ass.

CHAPTER4

HAILEY

“Ihave someone for you.”

The mimosa I took a sip of spewed out of my mouth and went flying across the table. “What?”

When Meredith suggested we meet for brunch before I had to open my store that afternoon, I had no idea this would be the topic of conversation.

“You’re kidding me.”

She had to be. I was so incredibly specific with the details there was no way she’d found a man who fit every criterion I listed last week.

Meredith picked up the white napkin and patted her cheeks, completely unfazed. That was Meredith. Her husband Tuevo was an uptight prick to everyone but her, but everything rolled off Meredith’s back. I used to tease her that she had to be a faux redhead because of it. It’s not like they were known for their patience.

“Tell me.”

“He’s supposed to text you by tomorrow, so I’m assuming he hasn’t.”

“Nope.” That meant he met with her yesterday and she’d waited a full day to let me know. And he hadn’t called. Great. Now I could be a nervous wreck for the rest of the weekend. Fun times. I knew the rules. Forty-eight hours to initiate contact once Meredith chose someone for the seeker. Laugh all you want, but she was a genius. She started matchmaking when we were in college, and the vast majority of relationships she paired up were now married, most with multiple children. It was at a brunch similar to this where we were laughing about another success, this time to strangers in a bar—to both each other and Meredith—when I suggested she start her own business.

Now, she made as much, if not more money than Tuevo Skyye, her Finnish husband who played professional hockey for the Tennessee Avengers. All because she had a gift of making happily ever afters work.

It was wild.

It was perfect for her.

And until last week’s happy hour, I’d always sworn I’d never let her work her magic on me. Although, up until February, I’d always had Darrick, so I never thought I’d need it.

“It’s tricky, and you’re my best friend, so you need to know the details, but I swear to you, you stick with this guy regardless of the bullshit he spews your way, and he’s your one.”

Um. Red flag. “Bullshit?”

She rolled her eyes and took a bite of her spinach and mushroom crêpe. “I can’t tell. But you’ll be in for a wild ride, so strap yourself in now. Got it?”

With that kind of cryptic warning, where did I sign up? “You’re forgetting one tiny little thing.”

“What’s that?”

“I was pretty sure I told you I wanted someone who didn’t want forever.”

“I know.” She shot me a sassy little grin. “And I know you thought that’d make it harder for me, but I’m telling you, that’s what makes him perfect for you.”

That didn’t make sense. Meredith’s only clients were always someone looking for a forever kind of love. It was a requirement. One of the very few she insisted on when she first started turning this into a career. She ran a matchmaking service, not a hook-up or escort service, and she was adamant about it. If she broke her steadfast rule for me…

---