Client, remember?
Her cell phone rang. She glanced at the name on the screen—Blaise.
That was strange. “Hello?”
“Boarding the plane?” he asked.
Chills—the good kind—shot down her arms. Not good. And then she realized what he’d asked. Her fingertips dug into her phone case. “Did Dash put a tracking device on my phone?”
“No, but I’ve taken that flight before.”
Silence filled the line. Uncomfortable and awkward. She cleared her throat. “Did you want something?”
“Your retainer will be deposited first thing in the morning.”
She didn’t know Blaise well, but the man seemed anything but forgetful. “You told me that two hours ago. What’s going on?”
More silence. No music or television played in the background. If she listened hard enough, Hadley wondered if she would hear the gears turning in his brain. “Blaise?”
“I need you in Portland this weekend.”
She couldn’t have heard him correctly. “What did you say?”
“I need you to come to Portland this weekend. Well, Saturday night.”
A million thoughts ran through her head. They’d discussed how they would downplay their dating. “Why? I’m not supposed to come back unless I need to talk with Wes or Dash.”
“Change of plans.”
Oh, no. Was this something he’d planned to happen? Had everything he’d said earlier been lies?
“You need to explain because this is the opposite of what we decided at your house.” Her voice was firm, hard. “That was only a couple of hours ago.”
“Kieran and Mason will be around this weekend.” Blaise hesitated. “They want to meet you.”
She’d heard the names today, but it made little sense. “Isn’t Mason on his honeymoon? And the other guy away for his one-month anniversary?”
“Yes, but both called me after you left. Not texted. Called. They never do that. Word about my new girlfriend got around fast.”
Girlfriend, not date. Hadley nearly groaned. “I signed on as a matchmaker, and we have a plan. It included downplaying the whole dating scenario. I don’t want to deceive your friends more.”
“Me, either. I had no idea people would be so interested in my dating life. Honest.” Blaise sounded sincere, but pretending had been his idea so what did she know? “Kieran and Mason are the only ones who haven’t met you. After Saturday, we can do as we planned and not be seen together much.”
That didn’t make her feel better.
“But I’m not your…” She couldn’t bring herself to say it. “This is ridiculous.”
“It is.” Blaise laughed.
She would have to keep her voice low. “It’s also not funny.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry.”
Hadley had a hard time believing that. A man put a rollaway suitcase into the overhead bin and then sat on the aisle seat of her row. “Are you?”
“You have no idea.”
Hadley did, because of the regret she heard in each of his four words. Blaise needed her skills as a matchmaker. But he was stuck with her being his “girlfriend.” It was a means to an end.
