Because of Blaise and that video clip.
Then I’ll hire someone else.
You’re firing me?
I am. I hired you for your matchmaking skills. Now, you’re telling me you can’t do the job. Yes, I’m firing you because Matched by Lowell is nothing but a scam. I’ll find a more qualified matchmaker who won’t give up when things don’t work out the first time.
Her life’s work destroyed in seconds by a badly filmed video shot. She only wished she could laugh.
Maybe someday.
But not today.
Blaise Mortenson had stomped on her heart and decimated her business with the precision of a neurosurgeon with a robotic scalpel. Even if Hadley wanted to defend herself, she couldn’t because she needed to protect her clients’ privacy even if in doing so she hurt herself and her livelihood.
The same word of mouth that had made her business a success was now destroying it, tearing down her years of hard work. By the end of the day, she might not have any clients left. That would mean the end of the Matched by Lowell.
Hadley glanced out the condo’s living room window to the street below. Matched by Lowell was sinking faster than the Titanic, yet she had a black SUV parked in front of her building with at least one, possibly two, bodyguards inside.
“Should you take the guys cups of coffee?” Fallon asked.
“I don’t know bodyguard protocol. Who knows if the same guys from last night are here this morning? I want to tell whoever it is to leave,” she said. “That we don’t need protection.”
“You don’t know if that’s true or not,” Fallon countered. “After what happened at the airport…”
Two reporters had been waiting for her when she got off the plane in San Francisco, but so had Jackson, who introduced himself as the head of Blaise’s security team and explained concerns over her safety following a video going viral. He’d whisked her out of the airport and into a waiting SUV driven by Kai, another man she’d never seen before. Yet, she was grateful for them getting her home safely.
“I know, but I can’t afford—”
“Blaise is paying. Isn’t that what Jackson said?”
Which was the problem. The thought of Blaise spending a penny on Hadley made her stomach churn. “I don’t want to feel obligated to Blaise.”
“Then don’t. He’s the one who put you in this situation. I watched the video.” Fallon sounded almost guilty. “The guy acted like a jerk. He slammed your business. He owes you.”
The kids giggled at something on the TV.
Hadley didn’t want to bring up her work—or what could soon be the lack of it—in front of them.
“He doesn’t owe me anything. I should have pressed harder for us to talk privately. I didn’t, so the video is on me, too.”
“Nothing should be on you, sis.”
Except it was. Hadley stared at Audra and Ryder, who laughed at their show. If anything happened to the kids…
Hadley forced herself to breathe. “This doesn’t involve only me. Until we know more of what’s going on and if there will be any issues, having someone watch the condo is smart. Once it’s over, nothing will be left tying me to Blaise.”
Not that there had been anything between them.
We got carried away pretending to be together. That’s all.
At least not on his side.
Her eyes burned.
She stared up at the ceiling and blinked.
Hadley’s cell phone buzzed. She glanced at the screen.
