Twice the Charm

by Marie Carnay

  Dixon picked up the contract. After a moment, he responded, his voice laced with confusion. “You think Harlow picked me?”

  “Of course. I’m not that blind.”

  “I-I—” Dixon stuttered and Foster turned back around. The man looked as confused as Foster felt. “I drafted the contract because I thought Harlow picked you.”

  “What?” Foster took a step closer to the desk.

  Dixon’s mouth opened and shut before he managed to get any words out. “Kendra messaged me through the Crane Matchmaking program.”

  Foster froze. “Kendra? As in the woman who ripped your heart out and stomped all over it? That Kendra?”

  “The one and only.”

  Shit. Foster walked back over to the guest chair opposite Dixon and sat down. “What happened?”

  “She said she wanted me back. That she’d partied enough and was ready to settle down.”

  “Damn. Man, I’m sorry.”

  Dixon scratched his beard. “She told me Harlow guaranteed a match.”

  Foster swallowed. “You?”

  “Kendra didn’t come right out and say it, but that’s what she implied. I thought—” He fumbled for the words. “I thought Harlow had picked you. That this was her way of letting me down, by giving me another match.”

  “You can’t seriously want Kendra back.”

  “Fuck no!” Dixon stood up in a rush, his chair spinning around with the sudden vacancy. “I want Harlow.” He turned to face Foster, eyes sincere. “I’m in love with her.”

  “That makes two of us.” Foster leaned forward, forearms resting on his knees. He thought about how he’d stormed out of Harlow’s apartment, his clothes in a bundle under his arm, hurt and anger lashing out through his words.

  She’d called and emailed, but he’d ignored her. Shit. He exhaled and glanced up at Dixon. “We’ve been a couple of massive dicks.”

  Dixon laughed, but it rang hollow. “That we have.” He sat on the edge of his desk, deflated. After a moment, he looked up. “What are we going to do?”

  Foster knew the answer without a doubt. “Win Harlow back.”

  “Then what?”

  “I don’t follow.”

  “Say she forgives us, we tell her how we feel, then what? She dates both of us? It didn’t work so well up to now.”

  Foster let a grin slip. “Part of it did.”

  Dixon bit back a smile, but his mouth twitched all the same. “You know what I mean.”

  “This time we share. Those two lawyers manage to do it. If they can do it, we can.”

  “You mean the guys dating Harlow’s friend?”

  Foster nodded. “Yep. Real nice setup they’ve got, too. Clark and Mitch share a law office, and they all live upstairs. Maddie has an interior design business. I think Harlow said she’s got an office on site.”

  “But they live way out in the country.” Dixon glanced down at his driving moccasins. “I’m not the country type.”

  Foster smiled as he thought of the day they spent picking berries. “Neither is Harlow. But I don’t think we need to live in the country to have what they do. We just need to be creative. And willing to compromise.”

  Dixon nodded. “You add ability to grovel to that list. We’ll need a lot of that too.”

  “Truer words were never spoken.” Foster stood up. “You man enough to find a way to work this out?”

  Dixon held out his hand. “I am if you are.”

  Foster reached out and pulled Dixon in for a hug. Maybe this would all work out. If Dixon could put his ego aside for Harlow, maybe she could see it in her heart to forgive them. He pulled back and exhaled in a rush. “I hope you’ve got an idea.”

  “Oh, I’ve got one. But you’ll have to trust me.”

  Foster groaned. “Please tell me this time there’s no fudge.”

  Chapter 25

  HARLOW

  “Don’t tell me I burned the crust.”

  Harlow pushed a bite of chocolate mousse pie around her plate. “The crust is fine. I’m just not hungry.”

  Maddie slapped the dish towel on the counter and palmed her hip. “Now I’ve seen it all. Harlow Crane turning down dessert. What can we do to shake you out of this funk?”

  Harlow thought for a moment. “Tell me a mysterious illness is working its way through MacSwift Development. It only affects assholes who don’t give a woman the benefit of the doubt.”

  Maddie smiled as she sat down at the farmhouse table in the kitchen, her own plate of pie in her hand. “Symptoms?”

  “Warts, nausea, and a splitting headache.” Harlow managed a little smile. “Impotence, too.”

  “You don’t mean that.”

  Harlow hedged. “Maybe it doesn’t come with warts. How about a rash, instead?”

  “Is it itchy?”

  “Unbearably.”

  The serious exterior of both women dissolved and Harlow clutched at her side as she laughed. “Thanks. I needed that.”

  “Anytime. Now spill. I’ve fed, caffeinated, and otherwise pampered you. It’s detail time.”

  Harlow exhaled and leaned back in her chair before giving Maddie a rundown of everything that had happened in the last few days.

  Maddie forked a bite of pie and chewed, her brows pulled together in thought. “Let me get this straight. You all have the best sex of your lives, you wake up ready to tell them you’re in love with them both, and Dixon throws a contract in your face.”

  “Mm-hmm.”

  “And Foster takes one look at it and storms out half-naked?”

  “Yep.”

  “And somehow Dixon’s ex is involved.”

  “You got it.”

  Maddie shook her head. “I’m stumped.”

  Harlow nodded her agreement. “Me, too.”

  “It's got to be some giant misunderstanding. If they feel about you the way I think they do, neither one would walk away without good reason.”

  “I just wish I knew what was going on.”

  “Something wrong in the big city?” Mitch strode into the kitchen, looking every bit the dapper country lawyer in a blue suit and yellow tie. He poured himself a cup of coffee and leaned against the counter, waiting.

  Harlow didn’t volunteer, but Maddie filled the silence. “Do you remember when you and Clark were fighting about whether this would all work out?”

  “I do.” Mitch sipped his coffee. “It wasn’t our finest moment.”

  “Did you ever think it wouldn’t work out?”

  “Of course. We had no idea how we could fit our two lives with yours. It seemed impossible.”

  Harlow spoke up. “But you found a way.”

  “We did.” Mitch pushed himself off the counter. “But there was a good stretch there where we didn’t think it was possible. Hell, we were a couple of sorry asses, to be honest.”

  Harlow nodded. Maybe Maddie was right. Maybe Dixon and Foster were just trying to figure out how it would all work out, but she wasn’t sure. “Did you ever fight?”

  Clark’s booming laugh echoed as he entered the kitchen. “Hey, Harlow.” He bent to kiss Maddie on the cheek.

  “I take it that’s a yes.”

  “Most definitely.” He grabbed a mug and reached for the coffee pot as Mitch stepped out of the way. “Now if Mitch here had gotten his head out of his ass a bit sooner…”

  “Hey, watch it. I’m the one who makes the coffee around here. You don’t want me to switch you to decaf without your knowledge.”

  Clark raised an eyebrow in Mitch’s direction. “Are you going to deny that you were the problem?”

  Mitch hedged. “I’ll admit it took me a little longer to see how this would all work out.”

  Harlow glanced at Clark, then Mitch, and back again. “But it did?”

  “Smashingly.” Maddie reached out and patted her hand. “I’m not going to lie and say there won’t be bumps in the road, but if Foster and Dixon love you half as much as these two love me, you’ll find a way to work it out.”

/>   Harlow wanted to believe her best friend, but the hurt she’d seen in Foster’s eyes… and the way Dixon had thrown that contract at her…

  She glanced up at Maddie’s two men. “Why did you take the chance on this?”

  Mitch answered first. “You mean moving out here and starting a new firm?”

  Harlow nodded.

  “We love Maddie. She’s worth it.”

  Clark cut himself a piece of pie and scooped it onto a plate. “And she makes the best chocolate pie this side of the city. Who could resist that?”

  Maddie threw her wadded-up napkin at Clark, but he just laughed. “Never underestimate the power of baked goods, Harlow.” He gave Maddie another quick kiss before heading back to the law office portion of the farm house.

  Harlow couldn’t help but smile. Clark and Mitch really did love Maddie. She could see it in the way they watched her when she didn’t notice and how they smiled at just the mention of her name.

  Her intuition had been right on the money when it came to the pair of them and Maddie, but for some reason she never had the same luck herself. Were Foster and Dixon really in love with her? Was everything that happened a big misunderstanding?

  She didn’t know. Memories of her ex and all of his lies bubbled to the surface. If Dixon came back, would she even want to forgive him?

  Mitch said goodbye while Harlow was lost in thought. While she stared at the remnants of her pie, Maddie stood up to refill her mug. “Can you just promise me to have an open mind?”

  “What do you mean?”

  Maddie turned to face her. “Whatever happens next, I want you to think with your heart and your head. Don’t hold back out of fear. They aren’t Tyler. They are good men, Harlow. They would never intentionally hurt you.”

  “You don’t know that.”

  “Call it instinct.”

  Harlow frowned. “My instinct hasn’t been very accurate lately.”

  “Then trust mine.”

  Clark’s voice carried from down the hall. “Harlow, I think you’ve got a pair of visitors.”

  Her eyes went wide. Oh, no. Not again. Last time she’d run off to Maddie’s, Foster had tracked her down. Why would he do it again?

  She blinked and smoothed back her hair. At least this time she’d already taken a shower.

  Chapter 26

  FOSTER

  This damn well better work.

  Foster and Dixon stood on the front porch of the farm-house-turned-law-office and private residence of Harlow’s best friend.

  “You’re sure this is the place.”

  “One hundred percent. You sure she’ll even agree to see us?”

  “Yes.” Dixon clapped him on the back hard enough to shake the roses in Foster’s hand. “Have some faith, partner.”

  Faith was the one thing in short supply where Foster was concerned. He couldn’t believe he’d been such an idiot. Thinking the worst of Harlow when all he had to do was stop for a minute and ask her.

  He reached up, finger grazing the scar on his cheek. Sometimes the past didn’t repeat itself. Remembering that was easier said than done.

  Dixon stretched out his arm, ready to bang on the door again when it swung open. A bubbly woman stood in front of him, all curls and smiles. “Hi Maddie.”

  “Foster.” She nodded his direction before turning to his companion. “And you must be Dixon. I hope you both are prepared to grovel. And by grovel, I mean no holds barred, all the cards on the table, full-on begging.”

  Foster waggled the roses.

  “Nice start, but not even close to enough.” She stepped closer and dropped her voice to a whisper. “She wouldn’t even eat chocolate pie.”

  “I heard that!” Harlow’s voice sounded from the hall and Maddie stepped back.

  So fucking beautiful. Her hair was pulled up into a messy bun that looked like it took hours to get just right, but Foster knew she’d just thrown it up and called it good enough. The pink flush to her cheeks contrasted with the blue of her eyes and Foster wanted to fall at her feet and beg forgiveness just like Maddie advised.

  Harlow had this way about her, a way of being everything and anything he wanted without trying at all. Was that what love was meant to feel like? Was this how other men saw the greatest woman to ever walk into their lives?

  He held out the roses and she took them with the barest hint of a smile. “Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome.” He started to apologize at the same time as Dixon, their words tripping over each other as they rushed to get them out. “I’m sorry—”

  “I can’t apologize enough—”

  “—we were idiots—”

  “—total asshats—”

  “—forgive us—”

  “—just hear us out—”

  Harlow held up her hands to shush them. “I can’t understand a word you two are saying. How about you come in off the porch?”

  Foster exhaled. She was letting them in the door. We’ve got a chance.

  DIXON

  Harlow led them down the hall, past what looked to be a series of offices, and into the back portion of the house. A tidy kitchen bursting with colors of the country—yellows and blues and pale greens—gave way to a living room straight out of a photograph.

  “Maddie’s an interior designer. It’s kind of her thing.” Harlow answered his question before he even asked. God, he’d been such a fool.

  To think she would have gone behind his back and stuck Kendra with him… Dixon shook his head to clear the guilty thoughts. He needed to focus on the present, not the past.

  Harlow perched on the edge of a wingback chair upholstered in a pink herringbone and motioned for Dixon and Foster to sit on the couch. He sank down into the slipcovered cushions before scooting forward enough to feel in control.

  He ran his fingers over each other, struggling to come up with the right words. “Harlow, I want to apologize for the way I treated you.”

  “It’s okay. I understand why—”

  Dixon held up his hand to stop her. “Just let me get this out, okay?”

  Harlow nodded and slid back in the chair. Dixon took a deep breath. Admitting he was a total idiot wasn’t the easiest thing in the world, but he’d do it a million times over if it meant winning Harlow back.

  He cleared his throat. “When Kendra contacted me on chat, I was shocked. It was like I was right back there, staring out at this sea of guests, telling them the woman I thought loved me more than anything had run off with some guy in a Volkswagen Beetle.”

  Foster snorted next to him, but he ignored it. “She said you’d promised her a match and I just… I freaked out. I thought it must have been your way of telling me it was over. That Foster was the man you wanted.”

  “I’d never do that.”

  Dixon hung his head. “I know. It was completely irrational.”

  “So that’s why you drew up the contract?”

  He nodded. “It was out of spite and anger and I’m sorry.”

  Foster chimed in. “When I saw the contract, I thought you’d had it prepared, Harlow. I thought you’d picked Dixon.”

  Harlow frowned. “I don’t understand.”

  “If you sold all of the business, then you’d never have to come to our offices. You’d never run into me, work with me, it… It wouldn’t be difficult. You and Dixon could be happy.” He almost chuckled. “The thought of you not wanting to see me anymore…” He scratched at his short hair. “I got a bit mad.”

  “You stormed out of my apartment half-naked.”

  “Yep. Try explaining why you’re wearing a suit jacket and no shirt during rush hour on the train.” He shrugged. “It’s kinda awkward.”

  The tension in Harlow’s shoulders eased and Dixon took his first decent breath in what felt like forever. She wasn’t shutting them out or steering them out the front door. She was listening.

  He couldn’t ask for anything more.

  HARLOW

  Harlow’s gaze flitted back and forth between the
two wounded men sitting across from her. They had bared their souls, confessed to being the biggest idiots in the Windy City, and begged for forgiveness. It was more than she’d hoped for.

  At last, she laughed and shook her head. “The two of you are ridiculous, you know that, right?”

  Dixon nodded. “Completely and totally, one hundred percent, head over heels in love with you, yes.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “That’s not what I said.”

  “But it is what you meant, right?” He stood up before closing the distance between them in a single stride. As he lowered into a crouch, Dixon reached for Harlow’s hands. “I love you, Harlow Crane. More than I ever thought I could love anyone.”

  Her heart thudded like the ground beneath a thousand-elephant march and she struggled to not look away.

  Dixon squeezed her hands. “We’ve made bad choices and we’ve jumped to conclusions and said all the wrong things, but we’re both here, asking for you to forgive us.”

  Foster stood and came over, sitting on the edge of the coffee table to Dixon’s left. A small, hopeful smile lit his face. “Dixon’s right. I can’t claim to be perfect. Hell, I’m scarred and broken and all kinds of fucked up. I never thought I could fall in love, Harlow.”

  He reached for one of her hands and Dixon acquiesced. “But you changed all that. I love you with every piece of my heart, even the jagged edges.”

  Harlow’s mouth fell open, but no words came out. They loved her. Both Foster and Dixon loved her and wanted her and couldn’t be more apologetic if they tried. But…

  She inhaled and exhaled, letting the breath out her mouth in a slow, measured pace. “Where does this leave us?”

  Both men leaned back, a glance passing between them.

  Dixon spoke first. “What do you mean?”

  Harlow tried to put it in words. “There’s three of us. You run a business together. I work a day job. There’s the issue of my matchmaking company and what happens to it. What are we going to—”

  Foster placed a finger on her still-moving lips. “What do you say to being an equal partner in taking Crane Matchmaking to the next level?”