Miss Match (16 page)

“Bye,” Luke said. But Brooke had already hung up.

“Brooke?” Mitch asked, nodding at the phone.

Luke nodded. “My first date is next week. A football game.”

“Even if the chick is a total bore, at least you’ll see the game, right?”

“Right.” Luke set his phone back on the ground and grabbed the basketball. “I’ve got thirty minutes before I need to leave.” And he took off down the court.

* * *

Today was the day. Luke took a deep breath and looked himself over in the mirror, hoping he’d struck the right balance with his outfit. He’d gotten stuck late in a meeting with the Talia team and had rushed home to change. He should’ve picked out his clothes yesterday. He wanted to look nice, but casual—it was a football game, after all. He’d chosen his favorite pair of jeans and a Ryder Communications hoodie and baseball cap. But did he look too much like a frat boy instead of a CEO?

The press would be there, and he didn’t want to reflect badly on Brooke or Toujour. Should he go with a button-up shirt, but no tie, and a blazer? Or would that be too dressy?

He sighed. Brooke had coached him yesterday on everything from topics of conversation to appropriate physical contact on a first date. But she hadn’t covered dress. Or maybe she had and he hadn’t been listening. It’d been so bizarre to have her coach him on dating.

Just call her.

He hit the speed-dial before he could talk himself out of it. If he pretended things weren’t weird, maybe they wouldn’t be.

She picked up after only two rings.

“I have no idea what to wear on this date,” he said.

“Hello to you too.” Brooke sounded like her old self. Maybe she’d also decided to put aside the weirdness. One could hope. “We went over this yesterday. Were you even listening?”

He frowned at his reflection in the mirror. “I was distracted by how weird the whole thing was. Can you please help me? Is a hoodie a bad choice? Or a baseball cap?”

“I suggested a tee and leather jacket, but a hoodie could work. I think Tamera will probably find it very endearing. You’re showing you’re a person and not just a billionaire CEO.”

Luke groaned. “This is ridiculous. I doubt I’ll go on a second date with this woman, so it shouldn’t matter.”

“You promised to really try. Give Tamera a chance. I think you’ll like her. I can’t wait to hear how it goes.”

Luke hung up, his chest tightening in anxiety.

At the stadium, Luke had the driver drop him off at the appropriate gate. He scanned the crowd as he made his way toward the entrance, looking for Tamera. Brooke had shown him a photo, so he knew more or less who he was looking for. Food vendors sold ice cream and pretzels from little carts, and a few people loitered outside the gates trying to sell tickets.

“I think you’re meeting me.”

Luke turned around. His smile came without forcing it. Tamera was beautiful—dark brown hair cut in a bob, hazel eyes, a petite figure. The photograph hadn’t done her justice. She wore an NFL football jersey over a long sleeved white T-shirt. He was glad he’d gone with the hoodie. “Tamera.” Luke held out a hand, and she gave it a firm shake. “It’s so nice to meet you. I’m Luke.”

She laughed, and he heard the nerves behind it. “Well of course I know who you are.” She blushed. “I mean, I’ve read about you in the papers.”

Great. She’s one of the tabloid followers.
Her hotness factor dropped a solid point.
That’s one thing he’d always liked about Brooke—she didn’t follow celebrity gossip. It surprised him Tamera did. Brooke had described her as very down-to-earth.

Tamera and Luke stood there awkwardly for a moment, both smiling at each other.

Click.
“Mr. Ryder, is this your date?”

The paparazzi were here and ready to work.

“What’s your name, honey?” a woman photographer asked.

Tamera’s face glowed bright red, but she grinned from ear to ear. “Tamera Hadley.”

“How’s the date going?” another photographer said.

“Well we just introduced ourselves—” Tamera began.

Luke held up a hand, forcing a smile. “Thanks, but that’s all the time we have right now.” He lowered his voice so only Tamera could hear. “Let’s go in.”

“That sounds great.”

Luke shoved his hands in his pockets to avoid any awkward hand holding and walked beside Tamera to the entrance. Then he wondered how the press would interpret that. What would Brooke want him to do? She’d said hand holding was okay, but she probably hadn’t meant from the get-go.

Too late. They were already at the front gate. The college student checking tickets stared at Luke with wide-eyed wonder. “Are you really Luke Ryder?”

“I am. This is my date, Tamera.”

The boy’s eyes grew to the size of silver dollars. “My girlfriend isn’t going to believe this. Can I take a picture with you?”

“Sure,” Luke said. He glanced over at Tamera. She grinned so wide he worried her face would split.

The boy handed his cell phone to her. Luke blinked. He’d assumed she’d be in the picture. The kid quickly moved to Luke’s side.

“Say cheese,” Tamera said.

“Cheese,” the boy said. Luke remained silent, forcing a smile. He saw several of the paparazzi snap photos as well.

The boy took his phone back, and Luke handed him their tickets. “You’re at the fifty yard line, first row,” he said. “Awesome seats. Enjoy the game.”

“Thanks,” Luke said.

“I can’t believe there are photographers
here,” Tamera said as they walked inside.
Snap snap snap.
“Am I going to be in the papers tomorrow?”

Luke shrugged. “Probably. Sorry about that.”

“Are you kidding? This is awesome. The paparazzi are photographing our date!” She blushed. “I’m sorry, I’m being such a ditz. But I can’t believe I’m on a date with Luke Ryder.”

I can’t believe I’m on this date either.
Why hadn’t Brooke told him Tamera was the star-struck type? They’d discussed Tamera’s likes and interests at length so he’d know what to talk about if the conversation stalled. Celebrity gossip hadn’t been mentioned.

They wandered through the people waiting near the restrooms and standing in line at the concession stands. Luke led the way through the small tunnel underneath the seats. It opened up, and Luke took in a deep breath. He loved the smell of freshly mowed grass and humidity. A vendor wandered up the stairs, selling foam fingers. Luke walked in the opposite direction, down the stairs and toward their seats.

“Mr. Ryder, can we get a statement?” a photographer asked. Luke ignored him, but it didn’t stop the camera flashes from following them. He found the right row and stepped aside so Tamera could sit down first.

“Wow, they are really in your face,” she said. “How did they get in the stadium?”

Keeping this date normal would be harder than he’d expected. “They must’ve bought tickets. Are you a fan of either team playing tonight?”

Tamera shrugged. “I don’t follow college football too closely.”

“Oh.” Hadn’t Brooke said their mutual love of sports was one of the reasons she’d matched them up? And she was wearing a jersey.

“Oh, I love football. But I follow the NFL mostly.” She motioned to her shirt. “Go 49ers. Are you a fan of college football?”

Click click click.
Luke tried to ignore the photographers, leaning against the railing only a few feet away. “Yeah. I feels nice to be back at UCLA’s stadium. Brooke attended here. We spent a lot of time together on campus. Went to lots of games too.” Whoops. Brooke had stressed more than once that under no circumstances should he talk about her.

Tamera’s smile drooped. “Right, you and Brooke are best friends.” Her voice was purposefully casual. So she knew about his and Brooke’s relationship. Probably read about it in the papers every time there was a story. “I don’t know her that well since she isn’t my matchmaker. I’m sure she’s a lovely person.”

Whenever Brooke entered the conversation, his dates had a tendency of spiraling downhill fast. Time to avoid the topic like Brooke had coached him to. This date had to go well. For Brooke’s sake. “What led you to Toujour?”

Tamera brushed her hair behind her ear. “Oh, you know. I was in a miserable relationship for three years, and when we broke up I didn’t know how to reenter the game. After six months of awful dates, I signed with Toujour.”

And now she was bringing up old relationships. Luke swallowed. Brooke had mentioned that Tamera was still working through some hang-ups, but said she’d made lots of progress the last few months. He really hoped the reporters couldn’t overhear their conversation. The chatter of the crowd was loud enough he didn’t think they could. “I’m sorry to hear that. About the relationship, I mean.”

Tamera shrugged. “It happens. Caleb was such
a jerk. Did you know that he left me for my sister? And last night she called to announce they’re engaged. She wants me to be maid of honor. What am I supposed to say to that?”

“I don’t know.” Luke tapped his fingers against his leg.
Where are you when I need you, Brooke?
This was so far out of his wheelhouse. She’d told him to avoid old relationships, but hadn’t told him what to do if Tamera was the one who brought them up.

“Yeah, me either. I faked a bad connection and hung up. I’ve ignored thirteen calls since.”

“That sounds bad.”

“Yeah.” She laughed. “I can’t believe I’m telling Luke Ryder
about my family drama. This is unreal. Anyway, real estate keeps me pretty busy so I don’t have a lot of time for the whole bar scene. That’s another reason Toujour’s so helpful—they do all the leg work for me. They can get you into any game, any play, any restaurant. VIP treatment the whole date. And they do background checks, although I guess a few bad eggs could still slip through.” She slapped him playfully on the shoulder. “You’re not a bad egg, are you, Luke Ryder?”

Sort of.
Luke laughed uncomfortably. What would Tamera say if she knew he had no interest in a long-term relationship? At least not with anyone but Brooke.

“So what brought you to Toujour?” Tamera asked.

Brooke had told him that was a common topic of conversation on first dates, but he still hadn’t come up with an answer that sounded believable without being an outright lie. “Same as you—I’m ready for something more serious, but with work I don’t have time for the searching.” He cleared his throat.

“Cold beer,” a vendor called as he made his way down the stairs. “Ice cold beer, seven dollars.”

Luke stood, signaling the guy over. “Want one?” he asked Tamera. There was no way he could get through this date without alcohol.

“Sure,” Tamera said. Luke bought two pints from the vendor and handed her one.

The pre-game mercifully started then, and Luke didn’t have to talk much. Tamera quickly finished her beer. “Want another?” Luke asked. She nodded. He didn’t buy one for himself, though. Brooke would kill him if he got drunk on this date. She’d stressed that yesterday during their coaching, too.

The game eventually started, and Luke sat back, ready to enjoy it. Tamera hadn’t been lying about her love of football. Before the end of the first quarter, she was on her feet, screaming at the refs for bad calls. He wondered if that was normal behavior for her, or if the two pints of beer helped. Brooke had said she had a strong personality, but he hadn’t pictured this. Her face turned 49ers red, perfectly matching her jersey, and her voice grew hoarse from yelling.

“Can you believe that?” Tamera turned to him as the cheer squad ran onto the field for their halftime routine while the crowd cheered. “That call was ridiculous. Are the refs blind? That was clearly a fumble.”

Luke glanced at the score board. “We’re ahead twelve points.”

Tamera shrugged. “Every point counts.”

Her hotness level dropped yet again. There definitely wouldn’t be a second date. “Want something to eat?” Luke asked. “I’m starving.” And maybe if she had food in her mouth, she wouldn’t be able to scream. Maybe it would help counteract the two pints of alcohol she’d consumed.

“Sure.”

Luke rose. “What do you want?”

“I’ll come with you.” Tamera tried to stand and tripped, nearly falling into the lap of a middle-aged man. Her laughter was lost in the clapping of the crowd.

“No, I’ve got it. You sit down and enjoy the halftime show.”
Please.

Tamera giggled and complied. “Such a gentleman. I’ll have nachos, I guess.”

He nodded. “Be right back.”

The cheers of the crowd faded as he walked toward the packed concession stands. He’d barely got into line when a reporter sidled up next to him. “Can I get a statement?” the reporter asked.

This is for Brooke,
he reminded himself. Luke moved forward with the line, then turned to the reporter. “Tamera’s a great girl, and I’m grateful that Toujour has given me the opportunity to meet her.”

The reporter nodded, holding his voice recorder closer to Luke. “She appears drunk. Given your recent love affair with alcohol, are you pleased or upset that she might drink you under the table?”