Finding His Mrs. Right (Mending Hearts Series) (4 page)

“I knew it.” He chuckled.

“Shut it, Tyler. Send her in.” I responded, and Valarie nodded before disappearing.

A moment later, Tessa sauntered into my office. She was dressed in a tan blazer,
with a black shirt, and deep black skinny leg jeans. Her dark hair was pulled up into a long ponytail, and she looked amazing.

“Ms. Winters,
this is my best friend, Tyler. Tyler, this is Tessa Winters, my matchmaker. Ms. Winters, what have I done to be graced with your presence?” I asked, leaning back in my leather chair.

“Hi,” she
replied, smiling at Tyler, before shaking his hand.

“Nice to meet you, Tessa.”
Tyler replied.

Tyler was the
polar opposite of me. He had sandy blonde hair, with brown eyes. He topped out at 5’9, and was a bit rugged. He loved to sport scruff. The biggest difference was the fact that he was a softie. I mean, not in a bad way, he just wore his heart on his sleeve. He was more open to love and that happily ever after thing, than I was.

“I figured we could have a late lunch before your first date tonight.” Tessa insisted.

“First date? I thought I wasn’t worthy enough to be let out my cage yet.” I smiled, raising an eyebrow.

“You’re not the only one full of surprises
, Landon. So, you game?” she smiled.

“You’re on.” I replied.

“Matchmaker my ass.” Tyler smiled, looking over to me.

“Tyler, don’t you have work to do?” I insisted.

“I guess I could leave you two alone.” He winked at me.

“Quit it, and get out.” I insisted, jumping up from my desk
and pushing him from the room.

“Nice to meet you, Tessa!”
He shouted before I shut my door.

“So, that’s Tyler eh?” Tessa asked smiling as she folded her arms over her chest.

“Yeah, I’m sorry about him. He’s just never met any girl I’ve dealt with.” I shrugged, a bit embarrassed.

“Dealt with?” she asked, repeating me, and I realized I used the wrong choice of words.

“Yeah, I don’t use the word date, because I don’t date. I’m not boyfriend material. I don’t do the whole romantic spew of affection, Ms. Winters.” I said clearly.

“I’ve heard it all before, Landon. Underneath that hard shell is definitely a soft heart. I’ll find it somewhere.” She replied.

“If you think so.” I shrugged. Little did she know, my heart was cold. I wasn’t one to let others in under any circumstances. “Shall we?”

Landon pulled ou
t
my chair, and allowed me to sit, before he sat at the other side of the table. The place he picked was rather unconventional for a wealthy male of his caliber. I expected him to take us to some overly fancy restaurant that served things on a menu that I didn’t understand. Instead, he took us to his favorite family friendly eatery. The place had a great view of the mountains. I was falling in love with the scenery of this town, but I didn’t belong here.

Where I lived, things were fast paced, and alive
, all the time. It wasn’t small like this. Not that I was complaining. It was a place to settle down in, and raise a family. I was secretly happy to have this vacation away from my home. Even though I was technically working, I was going to find time to enjoy myself.

“So far
, so good.” I said to Landon, as he looked over to me.

The guy was sex on legs, I wasn’t going to lie.
He had the ability to make any girl’s heart race with just a look of his ocean blue eyes alone. Too bad there wasn’t much else after that. I was certain that it wasn’t because he lacked personality, because he didn’t. It was just the fact that he was so closed off. He wasn’t the inviting type, but when he did “let loose”; it was only what he wanted you to see. Landon Brooks was smart, arrogant, and handsome, but that was all I knew.

I was determined to learn more. Underneath his arrogance was a heart as well.
I could tell by last night. Landon’s charity meant a lot to him, and it was dedicated to terminally ill children. So, that showed me a lot, especially the fact that he was capable of caring about someone other than himself. But, I was certain of something. Landon Brooks, was trying hard to show he was a playboy, but I just didn’t know why, especially since he had hired me to find him love.

“
Meaning?” Landon asked, raising a brow at me.

“You’ve been a gentleman thus far. You’ve opened doors, pulled out chairs, and been polite.
I hope you’ll do the same tonight, on your date.” I answered.

“Contrary to your earlier beliefs, I am a nice guy, Ms. Winters.”
He responded.

“I know.” I said quietly, looking at the menu.

“What’s my date look like?” Landon asked curiously.

“So, looks do matter?” I asked jokingly.

“Just tell me.” He smiled.

“She’s a tall
, strawberry blonde, that’s sweet. A country girl” I said curtly.

“A blonde?” he asked, as if he were pondering the things I said.

We ordered, and our food was brought out very promptly. I had to admit, the food was among the best I’ve ever had. The conversation between me and Landon had been nothing, but light. Now, it was time to kick it up a notch.

“So, have you ever been in a committed relationship?” I asked, taking another bite of my food.

Landon shifted in his seat uncomfortably, so I took that as a yes. No matter what his answer was, his body language had already given him away.

“Once.”
He said curt, but at least he had been honest.

“For how long?”
I pushed, still watching him.

Landon’s
face was looking down at his plate, so he hadn’t noticed me staring. God, I was kind of wishing this wasn’t a business date, because Landon had peeked my interest a bit. But, even if this was a “date”, it would’ve only been a one night thing for me. I wasn’t open for a romance, especially with a rich playboy. I was wondering what was underneath that concealing blue suit of his. It was something that had been on my mind since the night before. The moment our bodies touched, I felt the heat between us.

Landon was
definitely different from every other client I dealt with. I was used to pompous jackasses walking into my office and spilling about their very torrid affairs. I was also used to shy guys who hadn’t had much luck in the bedroom because of it. But, I had never dealt with a playboy who shut off his emotions, and threw himself headfirst into his work. Landon was young, and could get any girl he wanted because he was overly attractive. What I didn’t get was his work ethic, as well as his attitude. He just didn’t seem like the “settle down” type.

“Two years.” He replied.

“What happened? Did you end it?” I pushed, trying to get a deeper story.

“
Is that important?” Landon asked, looking up to me finally.

“Yeah,” I nodded. “It is.”

“Have
you
ever been in a committed relationship, Ms. Winters?” he asked, and I could hear the annoyance in his voice.

“Not that it matters, but yes.” I shrugged.

“Let me guess. You tore his heart out of his chest?” Landon asked angrily. It was obvious that the question had rubbed him the wrong way. The anger was written all over his gorgeous face.

“I didn’t mean anything by the question, Landon.” I assured, as his cell phone went off. Without hesitation,
he dug in his pocket, pulled out the phone.

“Excuse me, I need to take this.” He said urgently, answering the call, and placing the phone to his ear.

“Hello?” Landon asked a bit panicky. “This is he.”

As he listened, his eyes moved over to mines, and then away again. I looked away, pretending as if I weren’t listening, but for all I knew, it could’ve been a booty call. I knew it was a bit early in the afternoon, but so what? I needed to know every little detail about Landon.

“I’ll be there as soon as I can. Just—please—don’t do anything until I get there.” Landon replied before hanging up the phone.

“Ms. Winters, I have to cut this lunch short. I apologize, but a pressing matter has presented itself.”
He said standing up.

“Is everything alright?” I asked, standing as well.

Landon broke eye contact, and I again noted his body language. It left me wondering how no one else saw through his façade. He wasn’t good at hiding certain feelings. So far, he had been straight forward with me. I just hoped he kept that trend going.

“Fine.”
He replied, pulling himself together and looking at me.

He flashed me his award winning smile, and I took it. I couldn’t really pry into his business just yet. After all, it could’ve been a work emergency. Landon did after all own his own empire. I got calls all the time when things weren’t going right at the office.

“Well, don’t let me keep you.” I smiled. “Are you going to be done before your date tonight?”

“I—um—I’ll keep you posted.” Landon replied, pulling out his wallet. He pulled out a huge bill and dropped it on the table.

“Do you need a ride or anything?” he asked, looking back up at me.

“Sure, I still don’t have a car. My assistant gave me a lift to your office earlier.” I answered, giving him way too much information.

“Where are you staying?” he asked a bit rushed.

“The Double Tree Inn.”
I answered.

“I know where it is.
Come on, I’ll drop you off.” Landon replied heading out, and I followed. I’d given him my number, to keep in contact before he dropped me off.

Five

I waited outsid
e
of the cozy restaurant for my date. After handling the business from the unexpected phone call I had earlier, I had called Tessa. Even though I was emotionally and physically drained, I didn’t want her to think I wasn’t serious about this whole “dating” thing. I wasn’t going to lie, I was a bit nervous. This could’ve possibly been “the one”. The thought sounded funny, so I laughed out loud. I’m sure I must’ve looked a bit crazy because a few people turned their heads to stare at me.

I was dressed
in a gray button up, and a black loose tie. But I had on a dressy pair of slacks and expensive shoes. This was my almost casual look, I guess you could say. Looking at my watch, I saw that I was a bit early. The table had already been ready inside; all I had to do was wait for my date.

“Landon?” I heard a voice ask behind me. The voice had a hint of a southern accent, and I dreaded turning around.

Biting the bullet, I did. I half expected to see an unkempt farm girl, but to my surprise, she was pretty. Just as Tessa had said, her hair was strawberry blonde, and she was no more than 5’8. I wasn’t one to go for blondes, but what was I going to do? I had to roll with the punches. But, if I did have a pick, I’d go with someone with dark locks, like Tessa’s. Her hair was perfect. It was something I would’ve loved to get lost in.

“Hi.” I smiled, handing her the red rose I had brought.

“Pretty.” She smiled back, and I saw she had a pretty smile, but it was nothing like Tessa’s. “My name’s Colby Lynn, but you can call me Colby.”

Oh yeah, sh
e was definitely from the south, and I didn’t have much experience with her type. This was going to be an interesting night.

“Nice to meet you, Colby.”
I replied, giving her a quick hug.

I opened the door for her, and the hostess immediately seated us. Needless to say, all eyes were on us until we got to the private table. I was thankful that Tessa had set it up that way. With my status, being on a date with everyone watching would’ve been nerve wrecking.

“I assume you already know who I am, and what I do. So, how old are you, and what do you do for a living?” I asked her, breaking the ice.

“I’m twenty two, and I’m still in school. I actually graduate in a few months.” She smiled.

“What do you study?” I asked curiously.