Not Your Match (29 page)

She’d spent another restless night, thinking about her conversation with Rachel. After Mark, she hadn’t thought she’d ever want another relationship. But Ben made her believe in love again, and Rachel was right—he was worth the risk.

Tonight, she’d go over to his house for dinner so they could finally talk about the almost kiss and where there relationship was going. She would arrive a free woman, unattached even in the press.

Someone clinked a glass, and Andi fell silent, taking her place next to Luke.

“Thank you all for being here today,” Charlotte, the founder of Toujour, said in her heavily accented French. “Two months ago, I thought something like this would be impossible. We owe it all to Brooke and Luke.” She lifted her glass. “To Brooke and Luke.”

“Speech,” Zoey called. Brooke swatted her, and Andi hid a grin. Zoey was a good friend. She’d gone to great lengths to make sure Luke remained unattached emotionally. Andi owed Zoey a lot for that, too.

After all, dating Luke and seeing his love for Brooke had helped convince Andi to take another chance.

“Yes, we should have a speech.” Charlotte turned to Luke. “The ceiling is yours.”

“The floor,” the receptionist corrected, and Andi laughed along with everyone else.

Luke stepped forward and cleared his throat. “What can I say? If not for Toujour, I wouldn’t be standing in this room right now, with the love of my life.” His eyes locked onto Brooke’s, their gaze so intense Andi almost felt awkward being in the same room as them. “Toujour gave me my life back. It gave me a reason to fight, a reason to become a better man. For that I will always be grateful.” He raised his glass. “To love.”

“To love,” everyone echoed. Andi offered him a warm smile. It had been a good speech. She had a feeling Luke would be perfectly fine when she broke up with him that evening. He and Brooke were going to live a long and happy life together.

Zoey playfully shoved Brooke. “Your turn,” she said.

Brooke nodded, walking to the front of the room. “I want to thank Charlotte for going along with my crazy idea, and Luke for agreeing to it. I believe in matchmaking, and I believe it works.”

Andi thought about that. Matchmaking hadn’t worked for her, at least not the way she’d expected it to. But dating Luke certainly had helped show her she was ready to find love again. And it helped convince her that whatever craziness Ben had in his life, she wanted to be with him.

“Ten couples have put their files on hold this week after finding love,” Brooke continued. “If not for Luke, those couples never would’ve met each other.” She lifted her glass. “To many happy years, and many happy couples.”

“Hear, hear!” one of the other matchmakers cheered. The room broke into pleasant chatter, and Brooke made her way back to Luke. The two of them pulled each other into a tight hug. Andi watched Brooke close her eyes and breathe in, inhaling Luke’s scent.

Those two were so in love.

“I’m glad it worked,” Luke said.

“Me too.” Brooke pulled away, focusing on Andi. “And thank you, Andi. You’re a big part of this too.”

Andi smiled. It was too perfect an opening. She glanced around, then leaned forward so only Luke and Brooke could hear. “I’m ready for the charade to be over.” She gave Luke a teasing wink. “Think we can break up soon?”

“Sure,” Luke said, nudging Andi with his shoulder. “I was kind of getting sick of you anyway.”

Brooke’s face paled. Had Andi said something wrong? Or was Brooke surprised Andi and Luke really were all for show?

“Are you okay?” Luke asked, his brow furrowed in obvious concern.

“Yes,” Brooke gasped. She shook her head as though to clear it. “I have to go.”

Luke raised an eyebrow. “Looks like the party might continue for a while still.”

“I know. Can I come over later tonight? We can talk.”

“Sure,” Luke said, his eyes softening with hope. “Can I . . . help you with anything?”

“No, thanks. There’s something I need to do, and I’ve got to do it on my own.”

Andi waited until the glass conference room door swung shut behind Brooke, then turned to Luke. “Did you hear that?”

“I know.” Luke leaned closer as someone bumped into him from behind. “She said she wants to see me tonight. What do you think she wants to talk about?”

“I think she’s going to give you a chance.”

“Maybe we’re misinterpreting.”

“I saw her face. And that’s the face of a woman in love.”

“I don’t know if I dare hope.”

Andi knew exactly how he felt. But she wasn’t about to let him miss his chance. “Well, start hoping, mister. Do you think you can get everything set up for tonight?”

“But what if we’re wrong?”

Andi slapped him on the shoulder. Honestly, men could be so dense. “I think this is your moment, either way.” She tugged on his hand. “C’mon, let’s go.”

She would help Luke win over Brooke. And then Andi would win over Ben.

They said their goodbyes to the small party and escaped the building. “There’s no way we can pull this off in just a few hours,” he said.

“Oh, stop being such a pessimist.” Andi raised her voice over the honking horns of rush-hour traffic. “Sure we can. We already know what you’re going to do. We just have to pull it together. There’s a party shop a few blocks away. It’ll be quicker to walk. We can get everything there.” It shouldn’t be that hard to recreate a high school dance on short notice. She’d been on the dance committee once in high school, and they’d pretty much waited until the last minute to do anything.

“Okay,” Luke said.

They paused at the corner, waiting for the crosswalk to change to the white walking symbol. It flipped from red to white and let out a beep, indicating it was time to cross. Andi stepped into the street, already thinking of what supplies they’d need at the party store.

“Look out!” Luke yelled. His arm wrap around her waist and yank her behind him. And that’s when she saw the bicyclist. The front tire hit Luke, and he fell. His shoulder smacked the blacktop with a sickening thud, and the bicyclist sailed over his head.

Andi dropped down next to Luke, fear spiraling through her. “Are you okay?”

He let out a hiss. “I think so.”

She ran her eyes over him, trying to assess the damage. “Crap, you’re bleeding. And your ankle’s swelling.” His pant leg was pushed up, and his ankle was already turning purple. “I’m calling an ambulance.” Andi whipped her phone out of her pocket, then yanked off her jacket and pressed it against his arm.

“You’ll ruin it,” he said.

“Shut up and let me help.”

“Go check on the bicyclist.”

Andi swore. “You’re right. Keep pressure on that arm.” She rose and ran to the fallen bicyclist as sirens sounded in the distance. He lay on the blacktop groaning, his arm held tight to his chest. Blood oozed from the gash, and tiny bits of gravel were embedded in his flesh. “Are you okay?” Andi asked.

“Yes,” he said, his teeth clenched.

A witness dropped down next to the biker. “Go back to your friend,” he said, motioning to Luke. “I’ll stay with him until the ambulance gets here.”

Andi nodded and ran back to Luke. “The bicyclist is all right,” she said. “He has some road rash, but he was wearing a helmet. Someone stopped and is with him. Ooo, that’s bleeding a lot. And I think you broke your ankle or something.”

The ambulance screeched to a stop a few feet away, and two paramedics jumped out the back.

Andi stepped back, allowing the paramedics space to work on Luke. The adrenaline of the moment started to wear off, and she wrapped her arms around herself to try and stop the trembling.

A blanket dropped around her shoulders. “You’re in shock,” a paramedic said gently.

“I’m fine,” Andi said.

The man shook his head and led her to the ambulance, helping her sit on the edge. He grabbed a bottle of juice and handed it to her. “Are you going to be okay?”

She nodded, motioning to Luke. “I’m fine. He’s the one who was hit by a bicyclist.”

The paramedic nodded and left her. Andi watched as paramedics wrapped Luke’s arm in gauze.

Today, it had only been a bicyclist, and nothing severe had really happened. But it could’ve been a car or a bus or a train. It could’ve ended in disaster. And she would’ve died without Ben ever knowing she loved him.

I love him,
Andi realized. She didn’t want to be friends with benefits, or go on a few dates and “see where things went.” She wanted to be with him forever, every day for the rest of her life.

She loved him.

The paramedics stabilized Luke’s shoulder and ankle, then loaded him into the cramped ambulance. Andi insisted on riding with him to the hospital.

Luke was lucky. His shoulder was bruised and his ankle sprained, but he’d be fine in a few weeks. Doctors and nurses filed in and out of the room, attaching monitors and writing things down on charts. Someone came in with a tray and stitched Luke’s arm up.

“I’ve got to get home,” Luke told the doctor. Andi knew he was thinking of Brooke and her promise to come by later.

“We’ll get you out of here soon,” the doctor said. He clicked off the pen light he’d been using to check Luke’s pupils for the fifth time and scribbled on the chart. “I’ll have the nurse start processing your discharge papers.”

Luke’s phone rang. “I’ve got to take this,” he said. The doctor nodded absently, still making notes in the chart. “Hello?”

Is it Brooke?
Andi mouthed. Luke nodded, and she gave him a thumbs up.

Andi leaned back in her chair, shamelessly listening to Luke’s half of the conversation. Then he said, “I love you, Brooke.” His eyes glistened at her response, and he pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at it. “She said she loves me.”

Andi squeezed his good arm. “That’s fantastic.” Then she laughed. “I’m breaking up with you.”

“What?” Luke blinked.

She laughed again. “Go get your happy ending, Luke. I’m ready to go get mine too, whatever that is.” She kissed him on the cheek. “I expect an invitation to the wedding.”

Andi took a deep breath, staring at the silver 215 on Ben’s door. She should probably go back to her condo and clean up a bit after spending the last few hours at the hospital with Luke. But she was worried if she didn’t see Ben now, she’d lose her nerve.

Besides, it was rude to show up late to dinner.

Andi knocked on the door, and it swung open almost immediately. Ben leaned against the door frame, a soft smile on his lips as he folded his arms across his chest. Andi’s eyes traveled the length of him, her heart quickening at the way his jeans hugged his hips.

“Hi,” Andi said, biting her lip.

He held open his arms and she fell into them, resting her head against his shoulder. He buried his face in her hair, and she breathed in deeply, relishing the smell of shaving cream and soap. “Hi,” he said.

Andi pulled away, focusing on the condo. The breakfast nook was empty, the broken table gone. The new breakfast bar was set for two, containers of Chinese takeout spread in front of the plates.

“Smells great,” Andi said.

Ben stuck his hands in his pockets, his cheeks reddening. “I didn’t feel much like cooking after what happened this week.”

Andi rested a hand on his arm—anything to touch him. “This is perfect. How did you know that’s my favorite Chinese restaurant?”

“We went there once in high school after a competition. You and Rach talked me into driving you there, and the three of us had dinner.”

A memory sparked, and Andi laughed. “I remember now. We had a lot of fun that night.”

He reached out, running his hands over one of her silky curls and tucking it behind her ear. Andi’s breathing stuttered and she leaned her head into his hand.

“I spent the whole night staring at you, thinking you were the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen,” Ben said.

She blushed, looking down. She took the plate Ben offered her, and they spent the next few minutes dishing up their food.

“So . . . are we going to talk about it?” Andi asked. She didn’t need to specify what
it
was. The almost-kiss hung over them, exciting and terrifying at the same time.