Catch Me a Catch (11 page)

“Mr. Murphy.”
His hand slid off the car’s sleek exterior.

“I have the
keys all ready for you.” Murphy’s grip was damp and limp. The sensation was
like holding a dead fish. Jack dropped it as soon as was polite. “Your
secretary has organized all the paperwork; it’s ready to drive away.”

The Aston was
perfect for the smooth unblemished streets of New York. Durna had no such
streets. The ride was harsh at the best of times over the country roads pitted
with potholes. Parked outside the pink house by the sea, the car would be an
oddity. He could only imagine the curious looks it would garner from the
locals. Annie was sensitive about people gossiping, and the Aston would
definitely be a talking point. Such a talking point the entire village would
make the pilgrimage.

“Maybe I won’t
take the Aston Martin.”

Murphy’s eyes
widened in shock. His mouth gaped and he looked so dismayed Jack almost
relented. Then an image of Annie filled his mind. She would be happier with
something less flashy. More practical. What would please Annie was a factor he
hadn’t had to consider when he ordered the Aston. Now, it was of major
importance. He stuck to his guns.

“It’s a
beautiful car, and I know you’ve gone to great lengths to get it for me. You
had to bring it in from your Dublin branch, I believe?”

“We did.”
Murphy crossed his hands over his chest. He still looked upset. As though
Jack’s rejection had struck him to the core.

“Well, I’m
more than happy to cover the extra expenses, but I’m going to need a more
conventional car.” His gaze settled on a dark blue BMW coupe. “How about the
BMW? Is it available?”

“It is.”
Murphy dropped his arms to his sides, recovering quickly from the shock of
having his baby rejected.

“I have a bit
of shopping to do, so I’ll fill in all the paperwork now, and then come and
collect it when I’ve finished.”

“Right.”

Jack dropped
into a local café for a cappuccino and a huge pain au chocolate, dunking it
like a kid. He still had a rake of things to do. A flood in the cabin had
destroyed his work suit. Tomorrow was Judgment Day. The day he’d finally meet
his grandmother. Although bruised inside by her lack of interest, there was no
way he would show it. Her neglect hadn’t damaged him. His hands clenched around
the cup, and he drained it rapidly. He was a success. He just needed to look
the part.

A pretty
waitress sidled over to clear the table.

“Hi.”

At his
greeting, her face flushed red, matching her hair.

“I need to
find a man’s shop, somewhere I can get a good suit. And a barber. Is there
anywhere around here?”

“Magill’s is
just around the corner,” she answered huskily. “You should be able to get
whatever you’re looking for in there. And the barber is a few shops down.” She
smiled, flirting. Jack was well aware of his effect on women. Hell, he’d had
them falling at his feet for years. None had cracked his veneer. Except Annie.
One kiss from her, and he’d shattered.

An hour later,
he was at the barber. He had a charcoal grey suit, shoes and all the trimmings
in a bag with some new sailing clothes. In the shop he’d changed into new black
jeans, a black shirt, and a brown leather jacket with black boots. He’d
abandoned his old, worn clothes and shoes. They’d served their purpose.

After a wet
shave, he pushed back a lock of hair that dipped into his eyes. His surfer look
was at odds with his smooth jaw and his new wardrobe.

The barber
stood with scissors poised. “Now, what will we do with this hair?”

“Take it all
off.” Jack slouched confidently in the chair as the barber set to work.
Watching with satisfaction as Jack Miller, millionaire and advertising
executive re-emerged.

A vision of
Annie as he’d last seen her flooded his thoughts. She didn’t know how lucky she
was to have a family who cared about her, a place to belong. She was loved and
needed. A vital part of the intricate puzzle that formed a family. He’d been
part of a family once. Long ago, before his parents were stolen away in the car
crash. He hadn’t realized how much he’d missed it until her family had embraced
him as one of their own.

Meeting Mary
Byrne would be hard. He didn’t want to prejudge her, but couldn’t help it. She
was his blood. But she was also the woman who could have given him a home, and
instead had left him to take his chances.

Outside the
barbers, there were visions of love everywhere. Couples sat on the grass with
arms around each other and lay entwined in the rare Irish summer sunshine. He
ached to lie there with arms full of Annie. To bury his face in the fragrant
cloud of her hair, and trail his lips over her soft neck. He glanced at his
watch and cut through the laneway toward the car dealership. He would have to
get a move on if he was going to get back to Durna in time for five.

****

Jack fished
the black book and Annie’s camera from the rucksack, and ambled into the pub.
In the early evening’s warmth people lounged outside, gazing at the azure sea.
Many of them greeted him by name.

“Like the
haircut,” Niall said from behind the bar. “You look different.”

“I’ve a
business meeting in Dublin tomorrow. I thought I better brush up a bit. Annie’s
in Dublin today, so I’m in charge.” He tapped the book. “For what it’s worth.”

“A couple of
girls came in earlier. I told them the matchmaker would be in at five. You only
have a couple of minutes. Can I get you something?” Niall wiped the counter
with a beer towel, flicked out new beer mats like a croupier dealing cards.

Jack nodded.
“A coffee, please, Niall. I think I better keep my wits about me.”

“Good idea.”
He glanced toward the door.

“Oh, here we
go. You’re on.” A couple of young women lingered in the doorway, then linked
arms and approached nervously. They looked as terrified as Jack felt. When they
reached him, they stopped and looked him up and down.

Niall gifted
them with his best, friendly bartender smile. “Welcome back, ladies. This is
Jack. He’s standing in for our regular matchmaker, Annie Devine for tonight.”

“Hi.” It was
like being on a very uncomfortable blind date. Doubled. Way worse than facing
into a wall of water in the middle of the ocean. His shoulders tightened and he
concentrated on loosening them. He could do this. Annie was counting on him to
do her job for her, and he was damned if he would let her down. Sweat prickled
on his brow. He plastered a smile on his face, and prayed for Niall to help him
out.

The tall
redhead put him out of his misery. “I’m Sinead,” she announced. “And this is
Carol.”

“What’ll you
have ladies?” Niall took their orders, and then gave Jack a surreptitious wink,
as though he knew full well the agony Jack was suffering. “I’ll bring them
over.”

Feeling as
though he’d received a reprieve from execution, Jack pulled in a deep breath
and dived in. “Come on over.”

They followed
him to the matchmaker’s booth, where he set the book and camera down on the
table. He shrugged off his jacket, and slung it over the back of his chair. The
girls sat down opposite him. He swallowed, forcing down an unaccustomed flutter
of butterflies.

“So, you’re
American?” Sinead eyed him suspiciously, as if he hailed from another planet,
rather than another country.

“Yes, I’m a
friend of Annie’s. She asked me to help out.” He plastered on his most
reassuring and capable expression. “Annie’s father is the regular matchmaker, and
he’ll be here tomorrow. I’m helping out for today. The process is pretty
straightforward, let me take you through it.”

Drinks flowed,
and after a while, both girls let down their guard and honestly revealed what
they were hoping for in a partner. Jack concentrated on the job at hand
carefully writing down details. He even relaxed enough to get the shyer Carol
talking. When he coaxed a smile from her, he felt like he’d climbed Everest and
stood, triumphant, at the summit.

“I’d really
like to go on a date with someone good looking and fun, like you,” Sinead
teased. “What are you doing tonight?”

“Jack’s
Annie’s boyfriend,” Niall threw over his shoulder as he passed on his way back
behind the bar. “He’s taken.”

Jack nodded.
“I have plenty of wonderful men in here.” He gripped the book tightly, as if to
keep them from escaping. “I’m pretty sure I can sort you both out. Let’s go
outside and I’ll take your pictures in the sun.”

The bright
sunshine was a shock after the dimness of the bar. He busied himself taking
photographs of the smiling women, while his mind raced.

When Niall had
declared he was taken, a peal of satisfaction reverberated to his core. In his
other relationships, he’d always remained one step emotionally removed. Even
when he thought he was in love, he held a part of himself back, unwilling to
trust. He’d never craved belonging before, but with Annie it was different. His
lungs expanded with clear sea air. Niall was right. He was taken.

****

Annie
straightened and tossed the empty piping bag into the bin. She stretched her
arms up and rotated tired shoulders. Her spine cracked, and she sighed aloud.
Only
two more to go, then I’m finished.
A pristine white box awaiting her
chocolates was on the counter. She shook her hands out, flexing cramped
fingers. The silence in the kitchen set her nerves on edge. She flicked on the
radio and tension flowed out of her body like water as classical music swelled
in the empty room.

The last
perfect crystallized violet she had spent ages preparing lay ready on a plate.
It would take a steady hand to attach it perfectly. A nearby plateful of
rejects bore testament to that. A bead of moisture trickled down her spine, as
she inhaled the scent of warm chocolate. She aimed her ‘point and click’
thermometer at the heated vat and pulled the trigger.

The
temperature was perfect. For the umpteenth time that day, she packed a pristine
bag half-full, twisting the end so she’d have control over the contents. Next,
she snipped the end with her scissors, bent from the waist, and carefully
squeezed a shining pearl onto the chocolate’s glossy surface. With the
tweezers, she stuck down a perfect violet.

She peered at
her plateful of entries, searching for flaws. There weren’t any. A wave of
satisfaction rolled over her. They were
perfect
.

After the
intensity of chocolate making, Annie yearned for a shower. Her upper arms ached
with the strain of holding the same pose for hours. A massage would be heaven
right now. At the mere thought of Jack’s masterful hands working out her body’s
kinks she almost groaned aloud. She’d relived their conversation in the car all
day. Obsessing over the moment his eyes had darkened to navy with desire as he
kissed her. Jack’s kisses had burned her up from the inside, melting her
resolve to guard her heart. He was upfront and honest about what he wanted. He
didn’t promise forever like Steve had done.

She stripped
off her clothes and climbed into the shower. Loading her sponge with lavender
shower gel, she ran the bubbles over her body. The slightly abrasive surface of
the sponge was deliciously arousing. She closed her eyes, let her head fall
back, and imagined his calloused hands running over her breasts instead of the
warm sponge. The blistering heat of their attraction was inescapable.
Lovemaking with him would be spectacular; she just knew it. She turned up the
heat, breathing in the lavender laden steam. He’d explained why he’d turned
away from her on the beach, and she was ready to give him another try. It was
time to take a chance on love.

Chapter Eight

Dinner with
Bull, their plates on their knees in the sitting room, was an awkward affair
without the distracting presence of the women to break the tension.

“You’re a
natural. You’ve a real flair for it.” Bull finished his last mouthful of
chicken pie, and edged the tray onto the sofa next to him. The moment Jack had
returned from the pub, they’d worked through the book, discussing new people
and outlining potential matches. It had been a long, hard process. One that
continued over dinner. “You’re good with people. You listen to them.”

“It’s what I
do in my business.” Warmth flooded Jack at Bull’s approval. “In advertising
it’s important to find out what people really need.”

“That’s the
way it is with matchmaking too,” Bull’s brow creased in a frown. “I’m not sure
Annie understands that. It’s not natural for her, never has been.”

So at least
Bull understood how difficult this was for Annie. That was a start. Maybe there
was an alternative, one that didn’t involve shoehorning her into a role she
didn’t want. He’d promised not to tell Bull her innermost thoughts, but he
hadn’t promised not to look for alternatives. Maybe in this time alone with
Bull he could figure out something.

It was one
thing to stand in as matchmaker for a day, but quite another to assume the
mantle full time. Especially when you had another path in life. Annie’s desire
to succeed in her career consumed her. It was difficult to see how she could do
both and be happy. She wasn’t a natural matchmaker, but she was trying her best
with the role heredity had dropped in her lap. Bull should give her a break.

“It’s all to
do with what people want. Her focus is to find them partners for life. Some
want that, but not all of them. Some just want a sympathetic ear to listen.
Others want to practice their pitch before trying it out on a date. The one
thing they all have in common is they want a connection, a respite from
loneliness. So many people are isolated and alone, Jack.”

Bull’s words
sat like heavy lead in Jack’s heart. Since the accident he’d wanted more than
anything not to be alone, to be part of a family. In his long isolation, he’d
almost given up hope of things ever being different.