An Unexpected Match (14 page)

It all made sense now: the pleasant invitation last week, her mother's secretiveness this week. The two women had a plan, all right, and it hadn't changed a bit from before. Did Caroline know that she was being set up? When Haley had spoken to him earlier in the day, Matthew hadn't had a clue.

“Oh, Mom, this isn't a good idea.”

Why she was saying it, she wasn't sure. Was she speaking out in Matthew's defense, or Caroline's? Or was this a selfish plea to stop her mother's attempt to set up Matthew with the wrong Scott sister?

The front door opened then, and Dylan galloped inside, carrying Elizabeth on his back. Matthew followed him inside, carting a few plastic grocery bags, probably containing items his mother had asked him to pick up at the last minute.

Like Haley, they had dressed for the family dinner, Matthew in one of his dark suits from work and Dylan in gray trousers and a navy sports jacket.

“Great. We're all here.” Mrs. Warren's smile was a little too bright, her movements stiff.

“Logan isn't coming?” Matthew said.

“No, but we have another surprise instead.” Haley's
mother turned to look up the stairs just as Caroline took her first step downward. “Look who made it back to Markston to join us tonight.”

“It's Miss Caroline!” Elizabeth climbed down from her uncle's back and then scrambled up the stairs to meet her.

“Hey, everybody.” Caroline bent to hug the child and then waved at the others below.

Caroline looked especially pretty tonight in an elegant black dress, with her long hair swept back from her face and delicate silver hoops dangling from her earlobes. Either their mother had told Caroline that the rest of the family would be dressed up tonight, or Haley's sister was in on the plan.

“I didn't know you'd be coming to town.” Haley tried to keep any accusation out of her voice, but she wasn't sure she succeeded.

“You know how persuasive Mom can be,” Caroline said with a shrug. “She wanted to see me, and she just happened to have a daughter who could get me a cheap ticket.”

“It sure was a surprise,” Haley quipped.

Matthew didn't seem to pick up on that comment, but his gaze ticked from Caroline to his mother and then to Haley before he glanced back at the women's mother. “Will Jenna be here, too?”

Trina shook her head. “She couldn't make it this time.”

Matthew swallowed, his Adam's apple shifting. His jaw tightened the way it always did when he became frustrated. Haley couldn't blame him. He'd expected a pleasant family dinner, and now he had to prepare himself for a night of constantly being shoved toward Caroline.

The worse part was he didn't know the half of it yet.

Dylan cleared his throat to break the awkward silence
that had settled in the room. “So, what's for dinner, Mom? Something smells great.”

“It does,” Caroline agreed.

“Well,” Amy said, pausing for effect, “that's part of the surprise.”

With a wave for them to follow, she led her guests into the dining room. Their chatter died down when they observed the romantically set table for two.

“Hey, what is this?” Dylan called out. “Where are the rest of the place settings?”

“Where are all the plates, Grammy?” Elizabeth asked.

“That's just it,” Amy explained. “The dinner here will be beef burgundy for two. The rest of us have dinner reservations at the new steak house near the mall.” She didn't bother explaining which two were scheduled for the private dinner and which would be going to the restaurant. The secret glance that passed between the two older women said it all.

“Oh, Mom,” Dylan said sadly. “You didn't do this.”

“Of course, I did. You know how much I enjoy gathering everyone together.”

For his part, Matthew said nothing. He just stood there, his posture stiff, an incredulous expression on his face. Unlike his brothers, Matthew had always been there for his mother. She'd rewarded him by tricking him, whether she thought she was doing the right thing or not.

Haley couldn't help but turn a disappointed look her sister's way. Caroline was supposed to be so strong, so independent, and yet she'd allowed herself to be a part of this ruse. Haley might have been dumped mere days from the altar, but she still had more pride than to do something like that. Where was Caroline's pride? She'd been so vocal about her determination to remain single. What happened to that decision?

But one look at Caroline squashed every accusing thought in Haley's mind. Her sister's skin was as pale as Amy Warren's lace tablecloth. Caroline's mouth had gone slack, and she stared at the floor. It couldn't have been clearer that she hadn't been involved in the ambush. Haley felt guilty for rushing to judgment.

Caroline shook her head. “You know, Mom, I can't stay for dinner after all. I…”

“Of course, you can stay,” Trina said, but she looked worried.

Had she waited until now to have second thoughts about her plan with Mrs. Warren? Well, Haley wanted to tell her that her questions had come too late.

“Okay, let's just get this meal on the table, so the rest of us can be on our way.” Amy brushed her hands on her apron, turning toward the kitchen.

“Mother, stop!”

Matthew's loud voice stilled all the murmurs and fidgeting in the room. Amy did stop and slowly turned to her son. Noticing that Elizabeth stared at her father with wide eyes, Haley slipped an arm around her shoulder.

Matthew appeared too angry to notice his daughter's reaction or even the worried glances the others were exchanging. His infuriated focus was on his mother alone.

“I don't know what gave you the idea that you could humiliate Caroline and me by forcing us together like this, but I never agreed to any of it.” Without looking at Caroline for confirmation, he continued, “And you know full well she didn't agree to it, either.”

Amy pressed her lips together before bravely meeting his gaze. “I'm sorry, Matthew, but we just wanted you to be happy, and we—”

“Don't you understand that it doesn't matter what you
want or what Mrs. Scott wants?” He paused, giving Haley's mother the same withering look he'd trained on Amy. “These are our
lives
you're talking about. We're not pawns in some matchmaking game.”

Trina began her plea for understanding. “Of course we don't think of you as pawns. We were just trying to—”

“Get what you wanted by whatever means necessary,” Matthew finished for her.

“Come now, Matthew,” Amy said. “It wasn't like that.”

“So what was it like, Mom?”

He asked the question, but he appeared to be too incensed to wait for her answer.

“You hinted and suggested and coaxed, and when none of that worked, you duped us. Didn't you ever consider, even for a minute, that you might be going too far?”

Amy opened her mouth as if to answer, but he cut her off again.

“Well, I can tell you this. You
did
go too far.” He tilted his head back, closed his eyes and took two deep breaths as if he was trying to gain control over his temper. “I have one more thing to say. Stay out of my love life!”

The last probably came out louder than he intended because he blew out a frustrated sigh and shoved his hands through his hair. Haley's mother caught Mrs. Warren's attention from across the room, and they both looked contrite. They would have more apologies and some groveling ahead of them.

Matthew's mother made the first move, taking a step toward him, but he didn't appear to notice. When he spoke, the words were just above a whisper. “Doesn't anyone realize that if I were going to date any of the Scott sisters, it would be Haley?”

U
ntil he heard Haley's gasp, Matthew wasn't aware he'd spoken his thoughts aloud. His own breath hitched, as well, as he realized with a jolt that what he'd said was true: he did have feelings for the youngest Scott sister. Until now, he hadn't even realized what he wanted, and here it was, out there, for everyone to hear.

Part of him wished he could draw his words inside again to the place where he could digest them instead of sharing them so soon. The other part was relieved it was too late to take them back. Around him, he could hear the whispers, but only one reaction mattered to him. His chest tightening, he turned to look at Haley, who stared back at him, wide-eyed.

He couldn't blame her for feeling confused. He'd never given her any clues that his feelings for her had changed. How could he when he hadn't really known himself? It all made sense to him now. He'd never understood why pretty and intelligent Caroline never interested him, but he'd been unable to see possibilities with Caroline when his thoughts had been on her sister.

What was Haley thinking now? He had to know. The bewilderment on her face didn't give him any clues. She might have been worried because she had feelings for him, but she also could have been feeling angst because she didn't share his feelings and didn't want to hurt him.

“Daddy, you want to go on a date with Miss Haley?”

Matthew swallowed as he lowered his gaze to Elizabeth, who stood under Haley's sheltering arm. He wished his daughter hadn't been present for his outburst and confession, but he couldn't change that now. There was no dodging the truth when a child was around.

“How would you feel about it if I did?”

His mother had stepped over to Mrs. Scott, and the two of them were exchanging doubtful looks, but Matthew barely glanced at them before he turned back to his daughter.

Elizabeth pressed an index finger to her cheek and appeared to consider but only for a few seconds. “Happy.”

“Well, there you have it,” he said, holding his hands wide with a confidence he didn't feel.

This matter was anything but settled, even if his daughter had made up
her
mind. Matthew was no more accustomed to this adolescent, sweaty-palmed nervousness than he was to asking a question for which he didn't already know the answer. He felt more out-of-control in situations involving Haley, so he shouldn't expect this time to be any different.

Clearing his throat, he lifted his gaze to the woman whose opinion really mattered here. “Haley, I was wondering if you would like to go on a date with me tomorrow night?”

Haley stared at the floor, her pulse beating a staccato rhythm. She'd waited a lifetime to hear words like these
coming from Matthew, and now that he'd spoken them, she felt frozen. She couldn't speak, and even if she could, what was she supposed to say?

Shock didn't begin to cover the way she was feeling right now. Her thoughts raced, so many conversations now painted with a different brush of a new perspective. Yes, she'd surmised that their relationship had changed, but she'd never taken the mental leap to believe that Matthew just might have been interested in her.

Even the night when she'd thought he was going to kiss her, she'd convinced herself it was wishful thinking. Now that she had proof that her instincts were far more accurate than she'd realized, she felt panicked.

Should she accept? Of course she wanted to. She couldn't remember ever wanting anything as much as she wanted to say yes at this moment. But should she? How many rash, foolish decisions could be contained in one lifetime?

Accepting might be the most foolish decision of all. She couldn't put her heart at risk to him a second time, could she? The heartbreak she'd felt nine years before would pale by comparison to the pain she was risking now. She shouldn't take a chance like that when she wasn't even sure about his motivation for asking. What if he'd only been trying to shock their mothers for the trick they'd pulled on Caroline and him? What if his feelings hadn't changed at all?

Mrs. Warren made an uncomfortable sound in her throat. “You know, why don't we all go out for steaks? Just let me put these things away first.”

“I don't think so, Mom,” Matthew answered without looking her way.

Trina released a loud sigh. “Maybe we should just call it a night.”

Haley couldn't bring herself to look at any of them. They all made the sounds of nervous shifting, but they stayed where they were as if held in place by the question she had yet to answer. Even Elizabeth became antsy, finally slipping out from beneath her arm to turn and face her.

“Miss Haley, don't you want to go on a date with my daddy?” Her little face looked heartbreakingly sad.

“I don't know,” Haley began, but when she met Matthew's gaze, she stopped again. She did know. The man before her looked nothing like the confident man she'd always known, the uncertainty in his eyes every bit as intense as her own. Once again, she was allowing her heart to control her head, but she didn't care.

“I mean I do,” she heard herself saying. “I would love to go on a date with your father.” She smiled down at the child who was grinning up at her.

Then, though heat rushed to her cheeks, Haley gathered her courage and faced the man himself. “Yes, I would love to go out with you.”

At once calm flooded through her veins. She knew better than to trust it; wasn't there always a calm before a storm? Still, there was something freeing about listening to her heart. She would try not to make too much of it, but she planned to enjoy herself. Nearly a decade after she'd first dreamed about it, she would be going with Matthew Warren on their first date.

 

“Now this I didn't expect,” Haley said as Matthew guided her into the Markston Central High School auditorium the next evening. His fingers grazed the small of her back, causing her to smile. The previous weekend, she'd already planned to attend Elizabeth's
recital, but he had surprised her by bringing her to the first show as his date. In front of all the parents and dancers there, he was making the statement that he'd chosen to be with her.

“Does that mean you like it or you don't?” He waited for her to choose a seat in one of the theater chairs and sat next to her.

She could feel his gaze on her, and her skin warmed under his inspection. “I love it.”

When Haley glanced over at him, his smile made her feel tingly to the arches of her feet. He looked so handsome in his black slacks and matching dress shirt left open at the neck.

She wanted to tell him that he couldn't have chosen a more perfect place to bring her for their first date, but she kept that to herself. Though she didn't want to appear too easily impressed, she couldn't help finding it sweet and romantic being in that audience waiting for the house lights to lower so they could cheer on this little ballerina.

“I'm glad you like it. And don't worry. I promised you dinner. We'll go eat after the show.”

“I wasn't worried.” She was too busy trying not to read too much into this family moment. Trying and failing. “Wait. Won't that be late for Elizabeth to be out?”

“You didn't think we would be taking her to dinner with us, did you?” He waited for her nod before he continued. “Of course not. Mom's keeping her overnight.”

Haley stretched up in her seat and looked around the auditorium. On the far side, in the third row, Mrs. Warren sat with Haley's mother. Though she sensed that the two women knew they were there, neither was being nosy, looking back at them.

“Why aren't they sitting with us?”

“And interrupt our date?”

Twisting her head, Haley looked over in time to see him grin.

“It's partly that, I'm sure, but I think they both realize they need to keep their distance for a while.”

“Makes sense.” Distance and, perhaps, space. Those were the things her mother had been giving her and Caroline when Trina had suggested that Haley drive her sister to the airport. The space was for her daughters' benefit, the distance, for Trina's own good. “Neither of them were in favor of…tonight, were they?”

“They didn't say anything, but—”

“You probably had them too scared to offer an opinion. The ‘stay out of my love life' order was pretty clear.”

“I suppose you're right.” His gaze flitted to their mothers and then back to Haley. “Still, you would think that two women who'd tried so hard to set up their children would be—I don't know—more enthusiastic.”

“This wasn't the outcome they'd planned. The
unexpected match.
One they probably think is a bad idea.”

“It's not up to them, is it?” He waited for her nod before he continued. “Did Caroline's flight take off okay?”

Haley nodded, surprised it had taken him this long to ask. She'd expected questions while they were still in the car. “She was anxious to get back to Chicago.”

“Can you blame her?”

“No.”

“Was she all right?”

Haley found his concern for her sister sweet. “Caroline was fine. She was…relieved to be let off the hook. Maybe Mom will finally accept her decision to stay single.

“She told me to tell you that she hoped we had a nice time.” Caroline had also reminded Haley that it was one
month to the day since Tom Jeffries had broken off their engagement, but Haley didn't mention that now. Strange how lately Haley thought of that situation less and less.

Haley brushed her hands down the long babydoll-style top she'd paired with jeans and short boots. “She even helped me choose this outfit.”

“She did a good job. You look great.”

Their gazes caught, and, despite the warmth that spread on her cheeks, Haley didn't look away. She didn't want to, even when the house lights lowered. She'd waited what felt like a lifetime for this night, and she wanted to enjoy every minute of it.

 

Matthew pushed back a few inches from the table at The Pie. “My last slice was a mistake.”

“That's because you said each of the last three slices was your
last slice.
”

“There is that, I guess.” He leaned forward and touched his finger to the yellow globe in the center of the table. The light from it flickered over Haley's face, framing her profile in gold. Each time she turned her head, the glow reflected all those untamed highlights in her hair. He might have said she'd never looked more beautiful than she did tonight, but it was more likely that he hadn't been paying attention.

For the first time all night, he allowed himself to be fully relaxed. He'd been tempted to settle in and enjoy himself at the recital, especially after seeing Haley watch his daughter's performance with such pride and delight. Still, he hadn't been able to let go, not with the tentacles of his uncertainties still wrapped around his thoughts.

Could it be possible that he'd asked Haley out, at least in part, to counter his mother's matchmaking scheme? He
didn't want to believe he could do that, but he wasn't certain. Of course, he really wanted to spend time with Haley. His pulse picked up its pace at the thought of her, and he felt more alive just being around her, but a tiny part of him refused to give up the notion that what he wanted was unwise.

“I love this place.” She brushed her hand over the checkered plastic tablecloth.

She laced her fingers together on the table in front of her, and he found himself wishing his could have been the hand touching hers. If not for the half-empty pizza pan and the hot flame in the oil lamp that separated them, he might have tried.

“Doesn't it bring back bad memories for you?”

“Funny ones, maybe.”

Matthew frowned. “That night was not funny. It—” He stopped himself to reconsider. “Okay, it was a little funny. It might have been funnier if it hadn't been
my
child having a conniption in the middle of the restaurant.”

“Every parent needs a few war stories, right?”

“I guess so,” he said with a shrug. “So you don't mind coming back here again? There are some other places I would have liked you to try, but it's Sunday night. Most of the places that were open also served chicken fingers and a toy with dinner.”

“I like toys.”

Matthew rolled his eyes, but he couldn't help grinning at her. “Only you.” He'd meant the words as a funny turn of phrase, so the chord they struck within him surprised him. Only you. Until Haley had returned to Markston, he and Elizabeth had been just existing. Haley had been the only one to awaken him from his stupor and to remind him to live.

“No, really, it's fine,” she said, misinterpreting his pause. “We didn't get to eat much of the pizza last time, and I've been craving a good cheese pizza.”

He chuckled at that as he looked down at the pan between them on the table. Only a few straggling green peppers and clumps of sausage remained on his half of the pan, while her cheese-only half still had a few slices left for a doggie bag.