Perfectly Ms. Matched(45)

He couldn’t pinpoint when it’d happened, but it was like he woke up one morning and knew he’d do anything to be sure Ryan had the kind of home he deserved. And that he’d make it his life’s mission to be sure Ryan felt loved and would always know he could count on his dad. He’d made a few mistakes and would probably make more, but having Ryan in his life had just made it feel more complete. He couldn’t imagine a life without him anymore.

When he opened the book to start reading, Ryan nestled up against his side. It was the first time he’d ever done that.

It was progress.



Jo studied the man across from her as she scraped the last of her chocolate molten cake from the plate. Dinner had been great. Gary was blond and handsome, very sweet, and she should be excited to be with him. But it was like having dinner with her brother. Enjoyable, but nothing to get excited about.

It was her fault. She needed to try harder. To stop thinking about what Chad had said earlier about how much he hated she was with another man. She needed to give Gary a fair chance. Maybe she’d kiss him good night to see if there was any spark there. Because in theory, Gary was perfect for her.

He paid the bill and then smiled sweetly at her. “So, this was fun. I hope we can do it again sometime?”

“I’d like that. But I have to be up early tomorrow, so I think I’ll call it a night.” That wasn’t a total lie. She and Chad were going to the cemetery in the morning. And early was a relative term. “Thank you for a lovely dinner.”

Gary stood when she did. She liked that he had nice manners. Another point for him.

“My pleasure. I’ll walk you to your car.” He helped her into her coat. More points for him. Really, what was wrong with her? She should be giddy with excitement that a guy like him was interested in going out with her again.

As they weaved their way through the tables and out into the bitter cold, Chad’s words danced around in her head. “If your date doesn’t make you sigh like that when you kiss him good night, you know where to find me.”

She needed to push Chad out of her head and focus on Gary. When they got to her car, she said, “Well. This is me. Thanks again.” She smiled and lifted her chin, giving him the opportunity to go for the kiss, if he wanted to.

He caught her clue and slowly leaned down to kiss her, giving her time to turn her cheek. But she met his lips halfway, eager to get on with her experiment.

His lips were full and soft. They fit nicely with hers. But she got nothing. No kick to the gut, no tingle up her spine, or any heat to her belly like she did with Chad. But it was a quick first kiss, and as those go, it wasn’t bad. It just didn’t sizzle.

She leaned back to end the kiss and forced a smile. “Good night, Gary.”

“Night.” He stepped back, waiting until her car finally started. Once she was underway, he lifted a hand. She returned the wave and started for home, but changed her mind and headed for Chad’s nearby condo.

When she pulled into her assigned spot in the underground parking, she turned off her engine and debated the merits of going upstairs.

It was a terrible idea to sleep with Chad. But it was all she could think about since he’d kissed her earlier. And it was clear that as long as he was around, she wasn’t going to find a man she wanted to be with more than him. Dating was futile when all she did was compare her dates to Chad the whole time. She needed to get him out of her system. Maybe sleeping with him again would do the trick.

Or, she’d get her heart broken again. He’d be gone in a few weeks if she did her job well enough and his knee continued to improve. But if making love to Chad was anything like it used to be, it’d be worth the pain. At least this time, they both would know where they stood and could part as friends. That’d probably make it easier to say good-bye.

She needed to hurry up and do it before she chickened out.

After slamming her car door shut, she made her way to the elevator and swiped her keycard. Her heart pounded as she slowly rose to the top floor.

Was she making the biggest mistake of her life?





12

SOMETIMES YOU JUST HAVE TO ASK FOR WHAT YOU WANT.

When the elevator doors parted, Jo took a tentative step forward into Chad’s condo. He sat on the couch, with his back to her, watching a sports channel. When he turned and smiled at her, her courage rushed back. She was doing the right thing.

“Hey, Jo. How’d the date go?”

“Fine.” She threw her purse on the couch, straddled him, then took his face in her hands and stared into his eyes. “I understand you’re leaving, and that geography and our jobs make it impossible to have a relationship, but for the next few weeks, I’ll settle for your body.”