His willingness to pay so much stunned her. It also didn’t lessen her misgivings. “You want to win that badly?”
Blaise raised his chin. “I will win. It’s a matter of when. With your help, it’ll happen sooner.”
She wasn’t impressed by such a display of arrogance. Well, maybe a little. “Winning isn’t everything.”
He pushed back his shoulders. “Henry said the same thing, so let’s agree to disagree.”
She read through the paperwork. Blaise had filled out a form for each of his friends. Thoroughly. Yes, she wanted a larger house and doing this for Blaise would make that happen.
But this wasn’t only about three million dollars. Her company’s reputation was at stake. What if he was hiding something? About one or both men?
Hadley needed to make sure she could find them wives before she agreed. “I’ll need to meet the two men before I say yes.”
“You don’t trust me when I say they’re marriage material?”
“I don’t know you.”
His lips thinned.
“You have a vested interest in the outcome of the matchmaking beyond that of a caring friend,” she continued, speaking at a fast clip. She hated how he made her nervous. “So, yes, I need to see for myself what your friends are like.”
“You don’t mince words and you’re passionate about your work. I like that.” Laughter glinted in Blaise’s eyes, but something that looked like respect shone there, too. “Come to Portland on Sunday. You can meet Dash and Wes then.”
Hadley straightened. “This Sunday?”
He nodded as if she could simply drive across the Bay Bridge to get there. Not fly there when she was due in New York on Monday morning.
“I’ll invite everyone over to watch football,” he added before she could speak. “Eat. Drink. Cheer on our teams. We’ve done it before.”
“What will people think if I’m there?” she asked.
“My friends bring people over all the time.”
“What about you?” she asked.
His gaze locked on hers. “I may not want a relationship or marriage, but I date casually.”
She wondered about his type. Most likely sexy blondes with perfect hair and figures—the opposite of her. Dessert was her favorite food group. The extra sugar in her diet showed, but she wasn’t about to starve herself to be a size two or four. Even six was pushing it because she enjoyed eating too much.
He raised a brow, the cocky gesture skyrocketing her pulse rate. “So, Sunday?”
Nosat on the tip of her tongue until she pictured the Avila Street house from the Internet with four bedrooms and three-and-a-half bathrooms. There was even a backyard—albeit a small one. They could adopt a dog from the local animal rescue to keep Tiny company during the day.
Yes, no. Yes, no.
Logic battled with her heart, but practicality won over both. “I’ll be there, but after I meet your friends, I reserve the right to say no.”
“Deal, but bring whatever contract we’ll need to sign to go forward.” Blaise grinned as if he’d already won the bet. “Just in case you say yes.”
Hadley was tempted to say yes now, but she couldn’t. Finding someone a spouse was hard work. Many of her interviews weren’t to take on clients, but with people who could be potential matches for them.
She skimmed over Blaise’s paperwork. His two friends lived in Portland. Both had founded tech companies. One was in his mid-thirties. The other was in his late-twenties. It wouldn’t be the first time she had clients not in the Bay Area or New York.
Finding wives for these men would be a means to an end. Could she, her sister, and the kids continue living in the condo? Yes, but a four-bedroom house would be more comfortable. That was her goal, what she was saving for.
Images from the house on the internet flashed through her brain. That was what she wanted—what her family needed.
So why was Hadley feeling so unsure? And why didn’t she know if she wanted Sunday to go well so she could say yes or be a complete disaster so she could say no and never see Blaise Mortenson again?
