An Unexpected Match (2 page)

In the foyer, he hesitated. He had no reason to be nervous. It had all happened a long time ago, and even then it hadn't been a big deal. Anyway, Haley probably had bigger things on her mind today than her adolescent crush that had ended in an embarrassing rejection. Shaking his head, he opened the door.

Trina Scott stood on the stoop, her gloved hand poised to knock. “Oh, there you are. I thought you were going to let us freeze out here.”

Behind her, the older two Scott sisters stood in their heavy coats, their arms laden with food.

“Sorry about that,” he said.

Elizabeth squeezed in front of him as he pushed open the storm door to let them inside. “Hi, Grandma Trina. Daddy and Grammy were arguing in the kitchen.”

“Really?” Trina lifted an eyebrow as she leaned in to hug Matthew and then dropped a kiss on Elizabeth's head. She turned to her daughters. “Elizabeth needed something to call me, so Amy thought ‘Grandma Trina' would be nice.”

Matthew turned to the other women. “Hey, Jenna. Hey, Caroline. Where's Haley?”

Just as he spoke her name, the fourth guest appeared behind them, her face peering out from the hood of her parka. She opened the door and stepped inside.

“Hi, Haley. It's been a long time.”

“Yes, it has.”

Haley flicked her gaze his way as she removed her coat and handed it to him. She looked different, but he should have expected that. People tended to change after nine years. Her hair was blonder than he had remembered, and though she used to wear it long like her sisters, she'd cut it in a sassy shag style that reached just to her chin. It suited her, he decided.

“Who's she, Daddy?”

Matthew glanced down at the child tugging his arm and then looked back to Haley. “I guess you two haven't met.” Of course, they hadn't. Her sisters had helped their mother move back to Markston a year before and had visited a few times since, but until now, Haley hadn't made the trip.

Instead of answering him, Haley crouched in front of his daughter and extended her hand. “Hello. I'm Haley.”

“Call her Miss Haley,” Matthew instructed.

Though the child could sometimes be shy with strangers, she bravely shot out her hand. “I'm Elizabeth.”

“It's nice to meet you, Elizabeth.” Haley shook the child's tiny hand.

Elizabeth tilted her head to the side and studied the woman still crouched before her. “You're pretty.”

“Thanks. So are you.” Haley stood again and toyed with the belt of her sweater.

Leave it to a four-year-old to state the obvious. Haley was an attractive woman, just like her sisters. Though “little Haley” had been a cute kid, the twenty-three-year-old had come into her own look as the rest of her face had finally caught up to those huge, bright blue eyes. The pretty, high cheekbones and generous lips were clearly Scott family traits.

Matthew stopped himself. What was he doing? He had no business noticing women. Particularly someone like Haley Scott. Someone like…

He looked away from her but not before she glanced back and caught him studying her. The color spreading on her cheeks suggested that she'd mistaken his curiosity for pity. Of course, she would think that on a day like today.

“So…” Caroline cast a frown his way. “Where's everyone else?”

“It's just us, I'm afraid,” Amy Warren said as she emerged from the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron.

“The guys aren't here?” Jenna looked disappointed. She and Dylan had always been the closest among the Warren-Scott children, but even they had lost contact over the last few years.

Amy Warren shook her head. “Dylan's at an optometry meeting in Chicago, and Logan has a date.”

She cast a glance Matthew's way as if daring him to contradict his youngest brother's story. Somehow Matthew managed to keep a straight face. There were few nights when Logan
didn't
have a date, but none that couldn't have been rescheduled. Matthew had a better excuse than either of his brothers for not coming tonight—a child-care crisis—but, as usual, he was present and accounted for. Just once, he wished he could share the freedom from obligation his brothers enjoyed.

Trina Scott crossed the room to hug her best friend. “Thank you for inviting us.” Like the elephant in the living room, she avoided mentioning the reason her daughters were in town in the first place.

“Here, let me take some of that food for you.” Matthew reached for the casserole dish in Jenna's arms.

“Elizabeth will show us where the kitchen is,” Jenna told him, though they could have found it blindfolded.

Elizabeth led Jenna and Caroline down the hall. Caught in some hushed conversation, the two mothers headed in the same direction, leaving Matthew and Haley standing alone in the entry. Haley had moved away from the door and was staring at a photo collage on the wall.

“We had a lot of good times back then,” she said when he stood next to her.

“The best.”

As Matthew tried to come up with something comforting to say, the impulse to touch her shoulder surprised him. Even if she'd had a lousy day, Haley was a grown woman now. She could take care of herself. His knight-in-shining-armor gear fit uncomfortably, and he doubted she would appreciate his need to protect, anyway.

At the sound of someone clearing her throat, Matthew glanced back at his mother and Mrs. Scott.

“What are you two just standing there for?” Amy asked. “Now get in the kitchen and help, or it'll be midnight before we eat.”

“Many hands make light work,” Trina added.

Her comment made him smile. How many times had Mrs. Scott or his mother said those same words while they were all staying at the beach condo in Hilton Head or in that mountain rental in Gatlinburg?

“After you, ladies.” Matthew gestured gallantly.

“Just make sure you're right behind us,” Trina said.

When he and Haley were alone again, Matthew paused, searching for the right words. Something wise, he hoped. Something that would make her feel better. But when he peeked at her, Haley was watching him.

The side of her mouth lifted. “You heard them. Now get to work.”

“Yes, ma'am.” He saluted, but he must have failed to hide his surprise that she'd played along with the old family game because Haley crossed her arms over her chest.

“I'm not made of blown glass, you know.”

“Never said you were.”

“Then stop looking at me like I'm about to shatter.”

“I didn't mean to—”

She waved away his apology before he could finish it.
“Forget it. I'm getting used to it. Everyone I've talked to today…even mom's new neighbors—they all feel sorry for me. It's a real blast.”

“I can imagine.”

“I always wondered what it would be like to be a celebrity.” She moved her head back and forth, as if weighing her opinion. “It has a downside. Anyway, we'd better get in there before they send a search party.”

Haley started down the hall, Matthew falling into step behind her. Outside the swinging kitchen door, he gave in to the earlier temptation and rested a hand on her shoulder. She stiffened but didn't shake away his hand.

“I'm sorry about…everything that happened,” he said.

“Yeah, me, too. But what doesn't kill us makes us stronger.”

She had to be speaking of today and the loss of the person she'd cared about enough to consider making her husband. Matthew understood that. The hurt he'd played a part in had been a long time ago and nothing compared to what she'd experienced today.

Still, he'd been apologizing for both.

A
s Haley scanned the length of the Warren family's formal dining table, she felt warm for the first time all day. Yes, a few of the maple dining chairs were empty, and a pint-size newcomer sat cross-legged in another, but the place offered the same comfort she had remembered.

She'd always loved coming here, hearing her mother and Mrs. Warren tell the same stories that never lost their sparkle. There was stability in the sameness, comfort in the familiarity.

Even seeing Matthew again hadn't felt as awkward as she'd expected, so her excuse for staying away from Scott-Warren gatherings seemed silly now. Matthew had always been a decent boy, the one who'd insisted that she and Logan be allowed to play board games with the older kids. She should have known he wouldn't grow into the type of man who would embarrass her over the past. That sweet little girl across the table, the one with two sandy-brown braids and caramel-colored eyes that mirrored her father's, reminded her that Matthew had more important things on his mind these days.

Though Matthew had changed some since the last time she'd seen him, she still would have recognized that baby face anywhere. At twenty-eight, he'd filled out his lanky frame, and the peach fuzz that used to dust his upper lip and chin had been replaced by a five o'clock shadow, two shades darker than his hair. He probably chose those mod-shaped glasses rather than contacts to make him look older.

“Remember the time that Haley fed soap shavings to Logan's fish?” Mrs. Warren was saying when Haley returned to the conversation.

“Poor Crunch,” Caroline said and made a sad face.

“Am I ever going to live that down?” Haley frowned. “Who names a fish
Crunch
anyway?”

Seated next to her father, Elizabeth looked up from the pile of peas she was scattering on her plate. “Miss Haley killed Crunch?”

Everyone laughed at the horror in the child's voice before her grandma explained that Crunch had survived his sudsy ordeal. “You and Logan always were like oil and water whenever you were together.”

“Didn't bode well for your old matchmaking scheme,” Caroline chimed. She must have realized it was poor timing for one of her dry side comments because she met Haley's gaze and winced.

Trina and Amy missed that exchange as they grinned at each other across the table.

“Wow,
the plan,
” Trina said, shaking her head. “We haven't talked about that in years.”

“Matched sets!” The two mothers exclaimed the words in unison, and with equally precise timing, the three Scott sisters and the lone Warren brother groaned.

Haley rolled her eyes. She should have known that even on a day like today the two moms would reminisce about
their silly idea to arrange marriages among their six children. Their plan had been a running family joke, but it was far less funny today.

“It was worth a try, anyway,” Amy said. “Since your mother and I were pregnant together for at least a few months three different times, and she had the girls while I had the boys, we figured we might have a shot for at least one proper matchup.”

“God made it easy by giving us even pairs,” Trina supplied. “Two oldest, two middle and two youngest.”

“I sure messed that up then, didn't I?”

This wasn't the first sardonic comment Matthew had made tonight, but this time he didn't get a laugh. Jenna cleared her throat, while the others took renewed interest in their food. Even living in Michigan, Haley had heard all about Matthew's brief marriage to his college girlfriend who deserted him and their infant daughter.

“Messed up what, Daddy?”

“Just a game,” he assured her. “Now eat your peas.”

Amy tugged one of her granddaughter's braids. “Sure, it was just a game.” She looked farther down the table to her son. “But two moms could dream, couldn't they?”

“Moms never stop dreaming,” Trina said. The meaningful look she gave first to Matthew and then Caroline left no doubt that she hadn't given up on their matchmaking plan, especially where those two were concerned. Caroline's cheeks were pink as she concentrated too intently on her roast beef.

Haley had a strange impulse to raise her hand and announce, “Hey, this is supposed to be about me.” If their mothers were going to start matchmaking again, at least they could have waited for another day. Not the day of her broken engagement.

Anyway, if they only knew. She'd never told them then, and she certainly didn't plan to now, but at one time, one of the Scott sisters had longed for a matchup with a certain Warren brother. At the memory of her crush from long ago, Haley coughed into her napkin. Her cheeks burned. She felt fourteen again, the embarrassing images repeating in her mind like a love story performed in a
Three Stooges
episode.

“You okay?” Matthew asked when her gaze darted his way again. His eyebrows were drawn together above the frames of his glasses.

She nodded. The others studied her with the same concern they'd focused on her most of the night. If they'd known what she'd been thinking about just then, they really would have been worried. She had no business ruminating on an adolescent crush when the real love of her life had deserted her only hours before. It just went to show how muddled her thoughts had become tonight.

“Is anyone ready for dessert?” Matthew asked, breaking the silence.

Elizabeth shot a hand into the air. “I am. I am.” She leaned in and announced in a stage whisper, “Do you want some, Miss Haley? Grammy said it's chocolate cake.”

Of course, it would be cake. Even before opening her own bakery, Amy Warren had made all the scrumptious desserts for their gatherings. The only difference now was she brought them home in a box. Amy hurried into the kitchen, with Elizabeth trailing behind her to help and probably sample the frosting.

Haley's mother stood and started stacking dishes. “If all this had happened one day later, we would have had an even bigger dessert. Amy's staff would have already started on the cake, so we could have split a three-tier wedding cake seven ways.”

“I would have taken that challenge,” Matthew said. “Imagine that, a baker's son who still loves wedding cake.”

Haley cleared her throat to get their attention. “Sure glad my sad story is a punch line for everyone.” She frowned first at her mother and then at Matthew. “Why didn't you just keep tiptoeing around the subject? You were doing a good job of it.”

“Because you need to talk about the wedding,” Trina insisted. “It'll be easier to heal if you do.”

“I don't want to talk about it, Mom.”
Not here. Not in front of these people.

Matthew spread his hands wide. “Then you don't have to talk about it, at least not until you're ready.”

Trina blew out a frustrated breath, but she nodded. “Fine. When you're ready.”

Amy picked that moment to return with the cake, her assistant following closely behind. “Now everyone had better take a piece, or I'll be offended.”

Despite the warning, Jenna attempted to decline but ended up with a big piece in front of her anyway. Soon appreciative murmurs filled the room.

Haley studied the people around her as they ate. How many times had they gathered around a table just like this one, sharing food and their lives? These people were like her extended family. They'd been there for her during the trials of her childhood, and they were there for her now, waiting to talk about her life-changing day until she was ready. Maybe she could talk about it after all.

“Boy, it's a good thing there's not going to be a wedding.” Haley waited until all those surprised faces turned her way before she continued. “After this dinner, I never would have fit in my wedding gown.”

“You're not getting married?” Elizabeth asked.

Matthew sent a wary look his daughter's way. Of course, no one had thought to tell Elizabeth.

“No, sweetie,” Haley said. “We canceled the wedding.”

“But why?”

Haley shrugged, uncertain how to explain to a child what she didn't know for sure herself. “My fiancé decided he didn't want to marry me.”

Elizabeth sat straighter in her seat and crossed her arms. “He was mean not to marry someone nice like you.”

They all laughed at the child's summation of the situation, except Haley, who managed a smile. She wasn't ready to join in the laughter, but she didn't feel the need to sob on the floor, either. It was a start.

With the taboo subject of the canceled ceremony now on the table, the women began dividing up their assignments for the next day. Jenna would meet with the florist who had to cancel a whole order of white roses, while Haley took on the bridal storeowner and Caroline faced off with the caterer, dealing with cancellation policies. Haley's mother had volunteered for the task of phoning all the guests.

Caroline looked up from the notebook she'd pulled from her purse, with the first two pages already detailing the next day's chores. “Too bad Mom doesn't have a best friend who is owner of one of these other businesses.”

“We did get special treatment there.” Trina turned to Amy. “I don't know how to thank you for returning the deposit.”

Amy waved off her friend's thanks. “What are friends for? You might recoup some of your money on the dresses, too, if the bridal shop owner agrees to sell them on consignment. It's good when couples can reclaim some of their costs, so they'll be able to focus their attention on what to do next.”

Haley could feel Mrs. Warren's gaze on her, but she couldn't bring herself to look at her. Beyond tomorrow's chores, she didn't know what she would do next. She realized that she needed to carve out a new life for herself now, a focused life, but how could she find it when she didn't know what she wanted?

“Okay, what's my job?” Matthew asked as he leaned forward, bracing his forearms on the table.

“Hang around and nod your head a lot,” Jenna supplied.

Caroline looked up from her list. “You could check off chores on the list while the rest of us do the jobs.”

“Or,” Amy paused for effect before adding, “you could tag along while Caroline talks with the caterer.”

Matthew shot a frown his mother's way, but then he turned back to the others.

“What is this? I thought you were all evolved, twenty-first-century women, and here you are applying a double standard by saying a man wouldn't know his way around wedding plans. I'll have you know that I plan the music for all the weddings at our church, and no one ever complains.”

“Then what do
you
want to do?” Jenna asked.

“I don't know.” He hesitated, as if he'd just realized what he'd gotten himself into. “I can handle anything as long as it doesn't involve frilly dresses or makeup.”

Caroline glanced down at her list and then at Matthew again. “You could help repackage the gifts for return.”

He turned to Haley. “You have to return the gifts?”

“That's how it works,” Haley said.

“She doesn't have to return mine.” Caroline crossed her arms over her chest. “Single women can use blenders, too.”

Matthew was grinning over Caroline's feminist per
spective when he turned back to her youngest sister. “You don't need to open Caroline's gift since she gave away the surprise. It's a blender.”

“It is not,” Caroline insisted, but everyone laughed again, anyway.

Haley even chuckled this time, the light feeling in her chest offering another surprise in a day chock-full of them. She'd planned to be at her rehearsal dinner tomorrow night.
Surprise.
She'd expected that the details in her life would be neatly in order by Saturday afternoon.
Surprise.
And now she'd discovered that with the support of family and these friends, she might someday have more reasons to laugh again.

 

The two families were working together to clear away dishes as they'd done so many times over the years when Amy Warren cornered her son in the kitchen.

“I have a better idea for something you can do to help Haley,” she told him.

He lowered an armload of half-empty platters on the counter. “What's that? And don't tell me it's by going out with a certain sister of hers, either.”

“I have no idea what you're talking about.”

“Mother,” he said in a warning tone.

“We'll worry about that later.” Glancing at the door separating the kitchen from the dining room, she gestured for him to come closer to the sink. She spoke in hushed tones. “You can kill two birds with one stone. You need a child-care provider, at least a temporary one, and Haley needs a job.”

Matthew was shaking his head before the plan was out of her mouth. He felt badly for only thinking of his own problems when Haley was having a crisis, and he'd
wanted to help her in some way, but this wasn't it. “You're not serious.”