Virtually Yours: A Virtual Match Anthology

by Kait Nolan

  Meeting in person was a big deal. If she was honest with herself, she was drawn in by his charm and sweet messages from the beginning—it never felt like work, or too much of a stretch, to pretend to be in a relationship with him. That's why she felt truly awful for flirting with Drew, kissing him back, even though she had every right to want something real.

  And Drew...never in her wildest dreams did she imagine that her boss's son, the guy Monica had been trying to push on her for months, would make her panties catch on fire with one simple kiss. She knew that he had to be a nice enough guy, considering who his mother was, but from Monica's descriptions she always imagined a straight-laced square. This guy was a total surprise, in all the best ways.

  What the hell was she going to do?

  Which brought her to the article she still owed Shelby. The document was open on her computer, the cursor blinking accusingly on the blank page. There was no story there, not the kind Shelby wanted. But that didn't change the fact that she had an assignment. If she botched this, she'd never work at Modern again, not even as a lowly blogger. And if she met Oliver, she might end up the subject of a tell-all article rather than its writer.

  Wow, congratulations on the job. You must feel really great right now.

  Caroline knew her response was lame, but she couldn't help trying to stall for time. She could barely wrap her mind around what he was asking her for.

  Thank you, and I do. But are you just going to ignore the other part of my text?

  No, I'm just...overwhelmed by it. That's a big deal, and also quite a broken rule.

  We already talk on the phone. Hell, quit Virtual Match and then it won't even matter.

  He was right, in a way. She could quit Virtual Match and then feel zero guilt about meeting him in real life. But then she'd be quitting on her assignment for Shelby. That article was her ticket into the feature pool at Modern, the whole reason she started working there to begin with.

  Was she ready to throw away a year of work to take this kind of a chance?

  Unbidden, her mind flashed to Drew and the scorching, sweet kiss. He clearly thought that he made a mistake acting on the moment between them, and she didn't exactly disagree. They were so different, but she couldn't deny the pull that she felt between them. She felt a similar pull to Oliver, but what about when they were face-to-face? There was no guarantee that their chemistry would translate.

  I wish I could, but I can't. And I don't think it's fair to ask me to do that.

  I'm sorry, it's not. But I just want to know so much if what's between us is everything that I think it is.

  I do too, but it's more complicated than that. I'm more complicated than that. There's the job, and then there's stuff happening in real life, and I'm just not sure.

  Oliver was typing a response for a long time before his message finally popped up. Caroline steeled herself and opened it.

  Well, I am sure. And if you ever are sure, then you know where to find me. My contract with Virtual Match is up at the end of the month.

  Caroline dropped her head into her hands. Her story was due before the end of the month, and if he ever read it and put the pieces together, he would know she had been undercover the whole time. What would hurt him more, meeting only to find out that she had been lying by omission since the beginning, that he was cannon fodder for a magazine, or never knowing if what they had was real? None of it had been a lie, and yet all of it was a lie in the end.

  Oh God, that was her story. She just had to get Shelby to let her tell it in the right way. Maybe then he would understand why she was so hesitant, why she was trying to spare him from getting caught in the crossfire.

  Before she lost her nerve, she grabbed her phone, sent off a quick text, and then dialed the main line to Modern.

  "Yes, hello Sophie, this is Caroline Grant calling for Shelby. What's it about? Tell her I need to discuss my feature story, and it's urgent."

  Chapter Twelve

  The day of the Stanleyville Women's Center fundraiser was the perfect late spring setting—bright and sunny, birds chirping, flowers in full bloom. But Drew could only feel like a rain cloud was following him around everywhere.

  The last two words he received from Emily still made a hollow pit form in his stomach. "I'm sorry." He was the one who was sorry—he’d pushed her too hard, caught up in the adrenaline of quitting at Strong Man and feeling like his dreams were finally within reach.

  Between starting up his agency with Macy over the past couple of weeks and helping his mom put the finishing touches on the gala, his hands had been busy but his mind was not. He thought about Emily every day, wondering what she was thinking, missing the way she made him laugh.

  He tried texting a few times, but the messages only came back as undelivered. Virtual Match was a dead end, citing privacy and only telling him that they were happy to pair him with another match.

  Then there was Caroline. Working so closely with his mother meant that she was everywhere, right within arm’s reach. When he wasn't aching over Emily, sometimes he found himself staring at her across the room, remembering what she felt like in his arms and wondering just how things got so complicated. They were pleasant enough, but things were stilted and awkward to the point that even Monica noticed, and stopped trying to play matchmaker with them just to keep a tenuous peace.

  "Mom, are you finished primping already?" Drew straightened his royal blue tie and tugged at his cuffs, feeling fidgety at the prospect of spending the whole evening at the gala, when all he really wanted to do was crash on his couch with Netflix and a six-pack. He was tired and heart-sore, but he was also extremely proud of everything his mother accomplished and would never skip out on something so important to her.

  Monica clacked out into her living room on her signature impossibly high heels, smoothing the beaded burgundy column dress over her hips. "Hold on to your teeth, I just need to grab my wrap and my clutch."

  Drew could tell that she was nervous, so he crossed the room quickly and gave her a peck on the cheek and a warm hug. Her familiar perfume enveloped him just as her arms did, squeezing him hard.

  "Tonight is going to be wonderful, don't worry," he said. "You look stunning and you're going to rake in the money for the center, I just know it."

  "Thank you for all your help, baby. I don't know what I did to score such a fantastic son, but I appreciate everything you did to make tonight come together."

  "Just as long as you give me a great testimonial. We'll need those for our new website." Drew winked at her, making her laugh, and grabbed his keys to pull the car around.

  When they arrived at the center, the lawn had been transformed into a beautiful party space, the pathway flanked with candles and the trees twined with twinkle lights. White tents had been put up around the side of the building to protect the dance floor and dinner tables. Silhouetted in the doorway was Caroline, and when she turned toward them, Drew's breath caught in his chest.

  "Caroline, you look absolutely gorgeous!" Monica exclaimed, rushing up to fold her into a hug. "How on earth did you find shoes as pink as your hair?"

  "A lot of online shopping!" Caroline laughed, hugging Monica in return. "But my mom made the dress, didn't she do a great job?" The layers of soft pink tulle twirled around her thighs as she turned in a slow circle.

  "I'm so happy she's up and around again, and doing so well. Is she here yet?"

  "No, she's on her way. Said that after all the time she spent on my hair today it was her turn, and I couldn't argue. Plus I needed to be here to make sure the bartenders got set up correctly."

  "Oh, that reminds me, I need your help with the silent auction. Drew, we'll be back in a few. Guests will start arriving in the next thirty minutes or so, but you're off the hook until then."

  Drew wandered into the dark and empty lobby after them, checking his phone to make sure Ava was on her way. The space was usually bustling with activity, so it was strange to see it looking so much like a stark waiting room.

&
nbsp; He sat down on a chair facing the doorway and tried to relax. He was more on edge than he would have liked, and he wanted to make sure his mother's night went flawlessly. Idly, he sifted through the magazines on the low table next to his seat, looking for something to pass the time with. He almost went right by the latest issue of Modern, until something caught his eye.

  Virtual Match: Seedy service or potential love connection? See what we found out undercover.

  He felt his stomach knot at the mention of Virtual Match. He had nothing against the service, but he couldn't see the name without thinking of Emily. And Virtual Match was everywhere, considering how big it had become since the launch nationwide.

  Even so, he couldn't resist opening the magazine and flipping to the article. The spread was a woman with her head bowed over a cell phone, her face not visible but for the edges peeking through a curtain of hair. Pink hair that somehow looked very familiar.

  Drew felt like he was choking when he read the title and the byline.

  Love in the virtual age, or how I broke my own heart working for Virtual Match

  by Caroline Grant.

  When I first took this story assignment, I was looking for the shady back room or the gross clients looking for a sexting partner. But instead I found a sweet guy by the name of Oliver who suddenly became the center of my life for a whirlwind few weeks. What started as an experiment, hiding behind my middle name to become the fake girlfriend of some desperate dude, turned into something that I couldn’t quite explain. And I struggled with finding the balance between living in reality and living a lie as a Emily—code name: girlfriend.

  What the hell?

  Drew was fairly certain he was having some sort of out-of-body experience. He read the first paragraph over and over, trying to comprehend what he thought he was seeing.

  "Drew? What are you doing in here alone?" Ava poked her head into the room, concern written on her face. "I've been looking for you all over."

  "I was waiting for you," he said, sounding dazed. "I got bored and was looking through the magazines and...I found this."

  He shoved the magazine into Ava's hands. "Look. Just...look. I can barely even talk right now, I'm so blown off my feet."

  Ava scanned the article, and he could tell when she got to the end of the first paragraph because she went pale beneath her tan.

  "Oh my God, Drew...does this say what I think it says?" She sat down on the chair next to him and put her hand on his arm. "Is this her?"

  He nodded. "Everything makes so much sense now. Everything. I just can't believe it..."

  Ava gave his forearm a squeeze. "At least now you can have some closure. Now you know why she went dark on you—it was to keep from hurting you even worse. God, I can't imagine being in her shoes, being told to write some exposé when she just wanted to protect herself and you."

  "I couldn't figure out why she would just end things like that. I thought it was all my fault, that I pushed her away."

  Drew pushed to his feet, taking the magazine back from Ava. "I have to go find her. We can make things right again."

  "But it's your mom's big night. How are you going to find her?"

  "Ava, you don't understand. It's Caroline—Mom's Caroline. My Caroline. She's here."

  Her eyes grew wide as the pieces clicked into place. "Holy shit."

  "Can you distract my mom, go help her with whatever she needs? I want to talk to Caroline without an audience."

  Ava nodded. "Go get her, tiger."

  Feeling lighter than he had in weeks, Drew ran down the hallway, heading for the bar to get his girl.

  ~*~

  "Can you move the metal ice tubs over about three feet? They're blocking the walkway a little."

  Caroline pushed an errant curl out of her face, standing back and surveying the tent as the bartenders got set up and the volunteers put the finishing touches on the decor.

  "Okay, everything's in place," said the head bartender. "We're going to go start getting the bottles out of the truck so we're ready for the guests."

  "Great, thank you! I'll be around if you need anything." She turned to go back to the office and grab her to-do list for one last review and collided with Drew, who was running at full speed out of the building toward the tent.

  He grabbed her shoulders gently, keeping her upright on her platform heels, and just the touch of his skin on hers was electrifying. Ever since the dinner, he'd kept his distance. He was pleasant enough, always polite, but nothing like the man who gave in to temptation on the dance floor.

  She figured that was a fitting punishment, considering the guilt she still felt over how things ended with Oliver and Virtual Match. Shelby had grudgingly admitted that the piece she pitched in place of the exposé was more personal and interesting than the original assignment.

  Brent was right—once Caroline found the angle for her story, it just poured out of her. It was the hardest but most cathartic thing she'd ever written, and she was proud that she was able to pay tribute to what they'd been through, even though she knew she'd never speak to Oliver again.

  Surprisingly, Drew held her for a long moment, only reluctantly pulling away before reaching for a rolled-up document in his back pocket.

  "Caroline, I...I just read your story." He handed her the magazine, almost shyly. "I can't believe it...was the Virtual Match guy the one making things so complicated on the night of the dinner?

  She ducked her head, nodding. "I'm sorry, it was just so hard to explain. And you seemed to think that kissing me was a mistake, so I didn't want to push. I mean, hello awkward. I work for your mom."

  Drew closed his eyes, a grin cracking his face. "What a mess!"

  Caroline studied him curiously, cocking her head to one side. "Why are you so happy about that, exactly?"

  "Did you ever find out who Oliver really was?"

  She shook her head. "There were a lot of privacy guards in place, and we never shared anything more than names. That probably wasn't even his real name."

  "It wasn't." He reached for her hands, drawing her closer to him. "It's his middle name, too."

  "How could possibly know that?" Caroline was so confused, and Drew was getting more giddy looking by the second.

  "Do you still have his number in your phone?"

  "Maybe." Guilty as charged. Even though she knew she couldn't contact him again, she didn't want to let that last little piece of Oliver out of her life.

  "Call it, and you'll understand."

  "Why are you being so cryptic?" She groused, digging in her tiny evening bag for her smartphone. "Just tell me!"

  Drew crossed his arms over his chest and arched an eyebrow. "Call him, and I will."

  Caroline opened her contact list and scrolled down until she got to Oliver's number. She hesitated, but one glance at Drew's warm smile gave her enough courage to hit the call button and raise the phone to her ear.

  For a second, there was silence. Then a phone began to ring—the phone in Drew's hand. Meeting her eyes, he swiped across the screen to answer the call.

  "Hi Emily...my name's Oliver."

  The husky voice finally clicked into place, hearing it over the line and in person at the same time. Her phone dropped from nerveless fingers and she stood, frozen.

  "I can't believe you're...you. Caramel Girl and Emily. And you. How many more ways will the universe throw us together before we finally get the picture?"

  Before she even realized it, she was moving toward him, throwing her arms around him and feeling his rabbit-fast heartbeat against her shoulder, a twin to her own pounding pulse.

  "I'm so sorry, Drew. If I'd only known, I swear I would have told you. I hated the lies and the secrecy. I never expected...you...when I took that assignment."

  "I forgive you," he said. "If you can forgive me for all the guilt I felt being on a wonderful date with you and also pining over the other you at the same time. That made me realize how much I liked Emily, and how much I didn't want to lose my shot with her, if I ha
d one."

  He shifted slightly apart from her and moved his hand to tilt her chin up toward his. "Do I still have a shot with her?"

  In answer, she leaned up and closed the gap between them, hoping that everything she was feeling was transferring from her lips to his.

  If the way he gripped her waist and hauled her against him as they kissed, he knew her answer was yes.

  ~*~

  "Is it too early to say I told you so?" Monica asked, sidling up alongside where Drew and Caroline had cozied up together in a far corner, just enjoying the calm after the storm. "Because I think that just this once, it's appropriate for me to do a little gloating."

  Drew rolled his eyes. "I knew I should have started a bet on how long it would take you to throw your matchmaking in our faces."

  Monica shrugged, smiling smugly. "I'm just saying...if you had both just listened to me from the beginning, you could have saved each other a lot of heartache."

  "I think we had to take our own path," Caroline said softly, smiling up at Drew when he looped his arm around her shoulders. "But I'm glad we finally got there."

  "Me too." He leaned down and kissed her softly, eyes sparkling almost as much as the lights all around them.

  "I love being right," Monica said, clasping her hands to her chest. "And this is the best version of being right that I could have ever hoped for. Oh, kids, I'm so happy right now."

  "A successful fundraiser doesn't hurt, I'm sure, oh wise sage." Drew mock-scowled at his mother, squeezing Caroline closer to him.

  "Well, I couldn't have done that without both of you...so why don't you take the rest of the night off?" Monica leaned down and kissed Drew on the forehead, then Caroline on her crown of pink curls. "You've earned it. Just enjoy each other, and I'm going to stop hovering like a weird mom."

  She turned to leave, tossing one last request over her shoulder. "You just better be at my house on Sunday for dinner. And bring your girlfriend."