Match Made In Paradise

by Barbara Dunlop

  Chapter Twelve

  “Is something going on between you and Mia?” Brodie asked Silas as the two men muscled bags of mineral core samples into the beaver at the Duncan Exploration camp. The Duncan airstrip was short and rough, and Brodie didn’t trust anyone but the two of them to land or take off there, especially after the rain had taken its toll.

  Sleeves rolled up, sweat dripping from their brows in the sunshine, they were most of the way done on the thousand-plus-pound load.

  “What do you mean?” Silas asked, fishing for what Brodie might know before answering.

  Brodie stopped and straightened. “I mean, do the two of you have a thing going?”

  Silas straightened too, taking the opportunity to readjust his leather work gloves. “Why would you ask that?”

  “Why won’t you answer?”

  “Because I don’t understand the question. Do you want me to just say no?”

  “I want you to tell the truth.”

  “Then no.” Silas wished there was something going on between them. But there wasn’t, not right now. And Brodie hadn’t asked if anything had ever gone on between them.

  “People keep seeing you together,” Brodie said.

  Silas silently cursed at the size of the town. “Where? When? Who?”

  Brodie stopped working. “Well, that wasn’t at all defensive.”

  “I just want to know what we’re talking about here.”

  “AJ, Xavier, at the Bear and Bar, in your truck.” Brodie waited.

  “Everyone’s always at the Bear and Bar. And she doesn’t have her own car, so I was just giving her a ride.”

  Silas hopped in to secure the load. He covered the bags with a net then secured the tie-down strap to the floor, tightening it with the ratchet.

  “So, that’s all it is.”

  “That’s all it is.” Silas double-checked his work on the load then hopped down to close the cargo door.

  “Cobra mentioned you brought Mia to the office.”

  Brodie had obviously saved that revelation for last. He had Silas trapped, and he knew it.

  Silas paused, hoping for more specifics to help him frame an answer, but Brodie just waited him out.

  Silas weighed the pros and cons of his admission. Did he tell Brodie he had a thing for Mia, or did he tell him she was learning to operate the radio?

  “The longer you stall, the guiltier you look,” Brodie said.

  “I was showing her the radio,” Silas blurted out.

  “Uh-huh,” Brodie looked suspicious. “And what did Mia think of the radio?”

  “That wasn’t a euphemism. I was literally showing her how to operate the radio.”

  Brodie’s expression changed from suspicious to perplexed.

  “I felt bad about how things went at Galina, so I offered to teach her the radio instead. It’s a better fit for her. She’s smart, articulate, quick on her feet.”

  Brodie held up a hand. “Hang on, hang on. You want to let Mia loose on the WSA radio?”

  “I—”

  “Are you kidding me? There are pilots in the sky depending on Shannon. I’m not letting some—”

  “She’s learning the skills, not taking over for Shannon.” Silas secured the door, remembering Mia’s enthusiasm that day. “I have to say, I’m surprised at how fast she’s catching on. I thought it would take a lot longer.”

  Load ready, he headed for the pilot’s seat.

  Brodie had flown the left side on the way over, taking the landing on the camp strip while Silas helped spot the condition of the runway. Silas would do the takeoff and fly them back home.

  “What I should have said was thanks,” Brodie said as he buckled in.

  The abrupt mood change confused Silas. “For?”

  “Going the extra mile for Raven. Her stress level has dropped since Mia stopped working there.”

  “I know we need Raven in top form.” Silas started his checklist. “The entire operation falls apart without her.”

  “My world falls apart without her,” Brodie said, a reflective note in his voice.

  Silas couldn’t help but remember what Mia had said about Brodie having a thing for Raven. He’d thought the idea was crazy, but now he was curious.

  “How so?” he asked.

  “Well, for one, the dinner with the transportation commissioner. According to Hugh Oberg, I’m not enough to close the deal on my own.”

  “That’s not how I picture Raven.”

  “Picture her?”

  “As eye candy at a dinner meeting.”

  Brodie looked insulted on Raven’s behalf. “She’s not eye candy.”

  “I know. That’s what I’m saying.”

  “Hugh wants it to have a personal feel, multigenerational Alaskan business owners who influence the vote and deserve government support.”

  Silas put on his headset. “It’s not the worst idea in the world.”

  Brodie put his on as well, and they switched to intercom. “She could be eye candy if she wanted.”

  “Sure,” Silas agreed, fighting a smile at Brodie’s sudden defense of the multitalented Raven. “She can be anything she wants.”

  * * *

  * * *

  “Well that’s three hours I’ll never get back,” Raven said as she studied herself in the mirror.

  “The girl does not know how to do a spa day,” Breena said to Mia.

  Mia grinned. Yolanda’s beauty salon in the back of the Butterfly Boutique wasn’t the most luxurious she’d seen, but it was more fun than she had expected, and the services were top-notch.

  “My nails feel fantastic, Yolanda.” She held out her hands to gaze at the new lilac shimmer. It was refreshing to have them redone. “They look great too.”

  Yolanda seemed pleased with the compliment.

  Raven had gone with a sheer cashmere pink on her nails.

  It didn’t surprise Mia that she’d gone with something subtle. Unless she moved her hand under the light, you could barely tell it was there.

  Raven’s hair on the other hand, well you could definitely tell she’d changed her hair. It was the same color, mostly light brown. But the way Yolanda had combed and dried it, it looked thicker, sort of halo-like, and her natural auburn highlights were more pronounced.

  “It’s lighter since I took off an inch,” Yolanda said, fluffing it up.

  “I can’t get used to my face,” Raven said, wiggling her chin. “Hugh’s not going to recognize me.”

  Mia smiled as she lifted her glass of wine. Everyone had seemed glad she brought a couple of bottles along for refreshments.

  “You’re still you,” she said to Raven. “You’ve always been this gorgeous.”

  Raven tilted her face one way, then the other.

  “She’s right, you’ve got beautiful features,” Breena said earnestly.

  “You just needed to want it a bit,” Mia said.

  “I’m not the one who wanted it,” Raven complained.

  Mia stood and wrapped an arm around Raven’s shoulders and gave her a squeeze. “Don’t fuss so much. Just enjoy the girlie part of you for once.”

  Their gazes met in the mirror.

  Raven’s eyes looked darker than usual, bigger and a deeper blue. Her skin tones were perfectly even, with her cheeks ever so slightly bright. Her brows were perfectly shaped and her lips were a brick red, not too bright, just enough shine to make them more prominent.

  “Hugh will be blown away,” Mia finished. “And so will anyone else who gets a look at you.”

  Mia was happy with her own makeup as well. It was sharper than she did at home but more subtle than her look on the runway. Yolanda’s assistant, Bette, had given them facials and brought an artistic flair to the makeup.

  Breena seemed pleased too.

  “Show u
s the full package,” Breena said to Raven, taking down the gray plastic dress cover hanging on the wall.

  Mia liked the idea, especially since she’d been the one to pick the outfit. She didn’t want to miss seeing the full effect. “Try it on. We’ve got half an hour.”

  “Fine,” Raven agreed a little reluctantly, taking the outfit behind an opaque screen.

  Mia had picked an all-purpose skirt, high-waisted and short, made from charcoal-colored fabric, with a slight flare. She’d combined it with a mottled burgundy and purple silk tank top with flat black lace on its scooped neck. A thin cropped burgundy cardigan with pushed-up sleeves would keep Raven’s shoulders warm if the temperature dipped. And it all went on top of black leggings and high heeled ankle boots.

  “Ta-da.” Raven came out doing a pirouette in the outfit.

  “That’s killer,” Breena said in awe.

  “Why don’t you dress like that all the time?” Bette asked.

  “Are you kidding?” Raven asked. “It took a team of skilled professionals a whole afternoon to get me looking this way.”

  “You could easily learn how to do it.” Mia took a look from several different angles. “I’d love to update your style while I’m here.”

  “My style’s fine.”

  “Your style is early warehouse.”

  Breena laughed. “And you never know who might be visiting Paradise.” She gave Mia a wag of her newly sculpted eyebrows.

  Mia hadn’t been thinking about the matchmaking women. She was excited about Raven’s dinner with Brodie—more excited about it than Raven seemed to be. But that was okay. Mia was confident Brodie would be very excited . . . impressed . . . maybe in awe when he got a look at the updated Raven.

  “Now we really are running late,” Breena said, looking at the clock on the wall.

  Raven hopped back into her jeans, and the three of them raced for Breena’s truck, Mia squeezing into the middle of the bench seat, Raven with the plastic-covered outfit on her lap.

  “Are you excited?” Mia asked, fishing for information as they made their way out of town.

  “Excited about dinner with the commissioner and Hugh?”

  “And Brodie,” Mia said. “It’s a little bit like a date.”

  Raven snorted. “It’s nothing like a date. We’ll be talking about road repairs.”

  “While looking like a million bucks,” Mia said.

  “All they’re going to care about are the facts and figures.” She pointed to her temple. “I know all the details of Galina’s business. I hope they give me a chance to rationalize spending taxpayer dollars on the haul road into one of the most important transportation points in central Alaska.”

  “Try to work in something fun,” Mia said, hoping Brodie might know how to be a little less business-focused . . . it wasn’t a really great hope.

  They pulled into the parking lot to see Brodie doing a walkaround on a small plane. He was definitely a good-looking man, tall, strapping and confident. Mia could certainly see the appeal—so long as a woman wasn’t sensitive to his scowls.

  “Have fun,” she called as Raven hopped out of the pickup truck.

  “Do you think she knows?” Breena asked as Raven made her way toward Brodie.

  “That Brodie’s into her?”

  “Yeah, that. I think he’s been fighting it for a long time.”

  “I don’t think she has a clue.”

  Breena cranked the wheel to turn the truck around in the parking lot. “Nice move, by the way, making her over like that.”

  “Yolanda and Bette did all the work.”

  “You got her into the chair.”

  Mia spread her fingers and held her nails out in front of herself. “It wasn’t entirely altruistic. I feel more like myself now.”

  “You mind if I come to visit in LA some day? I’m guessing the spas there are off the charts.”

  “Oh, anytime,” Mia said happily. “I know just the place.”

  * * *

  * * *

  Mia’s latest radio lesson was finished, and Silas was busy taking a customer call in the WSA office when her cell phone rang in her pocket.

  She saw Marnie’s name and quickly stepped outside, letting the door swing shut behind her. “Marnie, hi!” Her calls were infrequent enough these days that she was excited about getting one.

  “How are you holding up?” Marnie asked.

  “Good,” Mia said, realizing it was true. She was good these days.

  Raven might be mostly busy working; her trip to Anchorage tonight was just the latest thing. But Mia was keeping busy too. She and Breena had taken the opportunity to come up with some good ideas for the matchmaking event.

  They planned to host a walking tour of the town, an afternoon hike through the meadows to the river bend, followed by a cocktail mixer, then a big barbecue on the Bear and Bar patio. No pressure, no matchups, just good fun for everyone involved.

  “How about down there?” Mia asked. “What’s the latest?”

  “Well . . .” Marnie’s voice turned somber and trailed off.

  Mia’s joy dipped a notch. “Uh-oh.”

  It took Marnie a moment to start talking. “I tried to reason with the judge. I really did. But I can’t even get a meeting in chambers.”

  A sinking feeling hit Mia’s stomach. “What happened? What did they do now?”

  “It’s not the twins this time. It’s the management team.”

  “Lafayette’s management team?”

  “They cancelled Milan and London to attend São Paulo and Shanghai.”

  Mia took a few paces across the gravel, not believing she could have heard right. “They can’t do that.”

  “I told them the decision went way beyond caretaking. That it was fundamental to the strategic direction of the company.”

  “It is.”

  “I know.”

  Mia turned so the sun wasn’t shining directly in her eyes and kept walking. “So, what did they say?”

  “That the strategic vision was archaic.”

  “That’s insane. Alastair was a brilliant visionary. He’s proven that year after year.”

  “I agree, and so do the company’s balance sheets.”

  “Are they trying to ruin us?” Mia waved away a buzzing mosquito and walked a little faster. “How can they ignore Alastair’s official plan?”

  “Theresa’s secretly behind it, I’m positive of that. But she must have Henry and Hannah’s backing too.”

  Mia paused, figuring out exactly what was happening here. “If they can’t have it, they’ll burn it down.”

  “That could be it.”

  “What else could it be?”

  “That they believe in their own vision.”

  “Those three don’t know the first thing about the fashion business.” The mosquitos started buzzing again, and one bit her on the back of the neck. Mia smacked it and started walking away from the forest, where the bugs were thick, and toward the open space of the runway access road.

  “Agreed,” Marnie said.

  “Where have they even been for the last decade?”

  “In high school and college,” Marnie ventured.

  “You’re cracking jokes?”

  “Sorry. Not funny. I’ll keep trying with the judge.”

  “Do you think I should come back?” Mia asked, wondering if she could somehow pressure them into doing the right thing.

  She heard footsteps on the gravel behind her and turned to see Silas striding her way, looking puzzled.

  “No, it’s safer if you stay there for now,” Marnie said. “You run the risk of ramping up the protests again. And you being here won’t help. You’re the last person they’ll listen to. I’ll keep trying with the judge.”

  “We can’t let them get away with this,” Mia said
as Silas grew closer.

  “I’m on it. I’ll do everything I can.”

  Mia wanted Marnie to be more reassuring—to say they would definitely stop the twins and the vice presidents, that they’d beat this, that the judge would have no choice but to see it their way. But Marnie wasn’t being reassuring right now, and that told Mia they were in real trouble.

  “I’ll call you when I know something,” Marnie said into the silence.

  “Okay. Thanks.” Feeling demoralized and defeated, Mia ended the call.

  “What was that?” Silas asked, coming to a halt.

  “Home. LA. My lawyer.”

  Taking in her expression, he sobered. “Something wrong?”

  Mia waved her phone in the air. “Why, why do they have so little faith in me?”

  “Who?”

  “Everyone. Seriously, everyone.”

  “I have faith in you.”

  “Don’t humor me.”

  “I’m not humoring you.” He moved closer, his gaze intent. “You’re smart, hardworking, committed.”

  She appreciated the effort, but it was too little too late. “You’re trying a bit too hard here, Silas.”

  “I’m dead serious. You learned the phonetic alphabet in forty-eight hours.”

  “That’s just memorization. I need to be analytical, strategic. I need to guess what people are going to do to thwart me and come up with a plan to fight back.”

  He covered her shoulder with his palm. “Tell me what happened.”

  “Henry and Hannah happened. The Lafayette vice presidents happened. Even the judge happened.”

  “Hey.” He eased closer.

  “They’ve tossed out Alastair’s strategic plan. They’re just making things up as they go along. Everyone is so convinced of my ineptitude that they’re not even pretending.”

  “You’re going to win, you know.” Silas wrapped his comforting arms around her. “Before this is over, you’re going to win.”

  “Maybe,” she said, suddenly feeling more tired than angry.

  “Not maybe. Be positive. Be confident.” He smoothed her hair then drew back to meet her eyes. His lips curved into an unexpected smile. “In the meantime, want to do something fun?”