Mark chuckled. "Rick mentioned he invited Will because he's single and available. He didn't want to elaborate when I prodded him but it looks like the engaged lovebirds are playing matchmaker for Will and someone else. I wonder if it's with that girl sitting next to him. I'll have to quiz Will about her when I get the chance."
Clarise and Bella followed Mark's line of sight and Bella pointed Will out to her.
Her breath hitched as she caught sight of the handsome in a rugged kind of way man with slightly wavy, dark brown hair talking to Mary Jane, Megan's best friend. She didn't recognise the other person sitting on the other side of him, but it was another male.
Well, Mary Jane is not single, she thought to herself. Her husband is currently in Brisbane for work.
With a heart-flutter, it hit her that this good-looking eye candy was the single man her sister had meant to set her up with.
Geez, if I had only known about hunky Single Will tonight, I wouldn't have plotted that charade with Victor.
She was surprised at the turn of her thoughts. She composed herself and tried to look cool, calm and collected.
"So, Clarise, I'll introduce you to Will later, okay? He's really keen to see how he can be in your magazine," Mark said innocently.
"Yeah, sure," she said a little too brightly, trying to hide her discomfiture.
They don't know, she assured herself.
*******
Will became more relaxed as the dinner progressed. There were no unattached women at his table and no one had been introduced to him so far. He knew that Rick invited him to this party to set him up with some single woman. Apparently it was all Megan's idea but Rick was happy to go along with it.
He had been single for nine months now and, seeing how devoted he was to his parents, he was a favourite among his friends to be matched up with nice single girls they knew. They all thought he was a decent guy—and very eligible.
But after Karen, he was not after a serious relationship. No strings attached, casual sex worked just fine for him and that was all he was after right now. If Rick wanted to play matchmaker for one of Megan's family or friends, he was not going to entertain it. It could destroy his friendship with both Rick and his brother Mark.
He knew that Rick hadn't grasped how determined he was to keep his status as 'not in a relationship'. He hadn't talked to anyone about the reason why. As far as he was concerned, it was no one else's business but his.
No, he wasn't interested in meeting a potential love interest but he was keen to meet a particular woman—Rick's future sister-in-law—for business reasons. He wanted to have an article on Lifestyle by Design. He would be opening another branch in Melbourne and the magazine would give him the exposure he needed for his expansion goals. Clarise Carson's article for Mark and Bella's restaurants had done wonders for their business and he would jump through hoops to have the same opportunity.
Dinner was mostly finished, apart from a handful of people going back to the buffet table to load their plates again. The DJ announced that it was time to start dancing and played a slow, romantic song.
Will scanned the room, looking for Mark, who promised to introduce him to Clarise. He spotted him on the dance floor with his wife Bella in his arms. He also saw the engaged couple, who were busy looking at each other with lovestruck eyes while dancing intimately together.
I might as well look for her and introduce myself.
He hadn't meant to arrive late but he got held up with some urgent work. People were already getting food when he arrived. Mark did point Clarise out to him and he registered the fact she was in a blue dress, although he didn't get to see her face well from where they were standing. He only noticed her long, silky, beautiful dark hair that fell straight down past her shoulders.
His eyes roamed and he spied Rick's Aunt Bonnie talking to a stunningly beautiful woman in a blue dress. He couldn't help but stare. His heart beat faster and he knew it was Clarise. Something warm flowed through him and he recognised it for what it was—attraction.
Easy, you're here for business, not pleasure. And Clarise is a no-go. She's your friends' family.
He took a deep breath. In any case, this was his chance to be introduced to the lovely lady. Rick's Aunt Bonnie and her husband were his clients.
He strolled to where the two women were standing.
"William!" Bonnie Smithson cried as she saw him approach. "How wonderful to see you here!"
"Hello, Bonnie, how are you?"
"Oh, I'm great, thank you, but I can't wait until May when we go to that wonderful holiday in Europe that the lovely Leila in your office is organising for us. She is doing a wonderful job, by the way."
"That's good to know. So everything is to your satisfaction?"