And there he was. The fantasy man of only moments before. And, if she were honest, the fantasy man filling her dreams lately.
But she kept her composure. “What a coincidence.” Was it? Or had she come here because she’d hoped to see him?
She held up a finger as the barista asked for her order. Troy actually seemed to wait patiently. When she was done, he said politely, “I haven’t finished my coffee yet. Will you join me?”
Maybe this was karma. She’d found all sorts of excuses not to call him right away, and here he was. She had to tell him about the date. Was it better to talk face-to-face? Grrr. Stop overthinking, Michaela. “That would be nice.”
Yet it felt as though a swarm of bees were buzzing in her belly. She was a professional, however, and didn’t show him even a scintilla of emotion.
Sitting across from him with his coffee cup on the table between them, she took the plunge. She pasted a smile on her face she hoped didn’t look fake. “I found the perfect date for you.”
He raised a very skeptical eyebrow. “Perfect? Really?”
He didn’t want to be matched. He probably didn’t care that much about forfeiting the bet. Of course his answer would be no.
Why did that make her happy?
She held up a hand. “Before you say no, let me tell you about her.”
Instead of addressing the date, he asked, “Have you matched Gabby?”
That threw her off track, but she answered him. “I haven’t found the right match for her yet.”
He eyed her for a long moment. “But you managed to find the right match for me?”
She maintained her courage. “Yes, I have.” Even if she hated the whole idea of it. “Alice Fletcher is beautiful. She’s accomplished. She’s intelligent. She runs a nonprofit.”
“Does she pay herself an exorbitant salary?”
“Absolutely not. Most of the money goes to funding her charity programs,” she said defensively. Because this was her client.
She didn’t even get up when she heard her name called. Because she had to say this, even if she didn’t feel it. “I won’t take no for an answer. You agreed.”
He would say no despite that. Her heart pounded in anticipation.
But he smiled. If she hadn’t already been seated, she would have flopped into a chair, because that smile was enough to make her knees weak.
“Beautiful and accomplished? And she gives most of the donations she receives to her programs?” His brilliant blue eyes seemed to sparkle. Was that different than a twinkle? And did either a sparkle or a twinkle mean anything? And then he floored her. “Sure, I’ll do it. Did you and the lady discuss an evening for the date?”
For a moment, she couldn’t address the question. He’d shocked her to the very pit of her stomach, letting loose all those buzzing bees in a swirling, sickening swarm. He was supposed to say no and forfeit. Yet here he was, agreeing to the date. All she could say was, “I heard my coffee called. I’ll be right back.”
But he stood politely. “I’ll get it for you.”
Her mind kept going over it and over it. He was supposed to say no. But he’d said yes. What was she supposed to do now?
When he returned with her coffee, there was only one thing she could do: set up the freaking date. “She’s available Thursday night.”
He hadn’t even asked to see a picture of Alice. He’d simply taken Michaela’s word for it. And he wanted the woman for her beauty, her intelligence, and her philanthropy.
Her mouth kept working even while her brain seemed to be imploding. “Where would you like to go?”
His eyes twinkled. It didn’t matter about the difference between a twinkle and a sparkle. That look meant he was interested.
“How about the Grand Epoque in Saratoga?”
She picked her jaw up off the floor, hoping she hadn’t broken it. The Grand Epoque was the most expensive restaurant in the South Bay. Only San Francisco had anything to rival it. They had a prix fixe menu with four courses for over five hundred dollars. The champagne and cocktails would be on top of that.
But he was a billionaire. And he obviously wanted to impress Alice.
