“I hope you’re right.”
“Me, too.” He spun his chair so he faced the window. “Because if this blows up and she chooses Cal or Cy, I’m going to look like an idiot.” An idiot who’d given up the best thing that ever happened to him.
“More than you do now?”
“Exponentially.”
“You look like someone stole your idea again.” Vera was headed out the door when Maddy came steaming in. “What happened?”
Maddy flopped onto the couch face first. Was her heart still broken? It was so numb, she couldn’t tell. Every time she felt her chest crumple in on itself, she went into denial. She didn’t have time to fall apart. “Someone stole that hot tub video I shot and the Avengers posted it on their website.”
“I take it Blue isn’t happy.” Vera perched in her business suit on the arm of the couch, her purse and briefcase at her feet. “And he dumped you.”
“I dumped him yesterday.” Saying the words brought some measure of distance. Maddy turned on her side, facing Vera, whose mouth hung open. “What? It was just sex. We weren’t dating or anything.” Oh, the lies she had to tell herself to keep pushing toward her dream. So the earth moved. So her soul connected to his. He’d lied. The Rules had all lied.
She hadn’t just lost Blue. She’d lost Dooley Rule as well.
Oh, God.
Her chest started caving in on the broken foundation that was her heart.
This was so going to hurt.
Her heart clambered for recognition of its wound. Blood roared in her ears. She curled in on herself.
Not now. Not now. Not now.
“Are you okay?” Vera knelt beside her.
“No.” Maddy struggled to breathe like a normal person, not a heartbroken fool. “Do you know what the worst part of it is?”
“No, honey. What?”
“That knowing him has made me a better person.” She managed to sit up. “I rocked two pitches. I faced off Dave twice. I haven’t let people push me around, not even Blue.” She gulped in air. “And even though he lied to me, my career is about to take off. I think he finally developed the perfect technique to get rid of a woman.”
“Listen to yourself. You sound just like those Avengers you filmed.” Vera’s voice spiraled angrily up to the next floor. “They thought he made them a better person, too. Maddy, what’s happened to you?”
“I loved and I lost. But I don’t have time to fall apart right now.”
“Oh, Maddy.” Vera groaned. “I’m going to work, where I can rely on people to react like they should when a romance falls apart.”
Maddy’s phone rang. “Hey, Mom.”
“Honey, your father’s Google Alert just went off. That Rule man made a hot tub porno.”
“He didn’t, Mom.” But no matter how many times she said it, Maddy couldn’t convince her mother.
The restaurant they chose for the mini-dates was Javier’s because it had a private room with enough space to set up two cameras. The atmosphere was cigar bar stuffy, but the food was good and the management embraced the extra P.R.
Blue shut off his phone, which had been ringing non-stop since morning. Sex sold. Too bad it didn’t sell to million dollar clients. But he was able to believe once more he could grab that brass ring, by helping people change their attitudes and behavior and find love. He’d leave the Freedom Transformations to Senge.
Things were falling into place for the reality show, too. Not because they were well-prepared. They’d gotten lucky. All the bachelors were able to attend. Cal and Cy knew that any press they generated would only help them land bigger deals in Hollywood. Marcus had nothing to gain other than what he’d thought would be a date with a very nice, very beautiful girl.
The men showed up on time. Blue settled down with them in a corner booth in the back, far enough out of sight that Jenny wouldn’t see them when she came in. Blue explained the set up. Cora would bring them into the private dining room one at a time and then escort each of them back. At the end of the interviews, Jenny would decide on her dinner date.
“Jenny’s here,” Cora announced. She nodded at each man in turn, but there was something about the way her gaze lingered on the older movie producer that gave Blue déjà vu as he followed her toward the private dining room.
He tugged her to a halt. “When did you date Cal Lazarus? Is this going to be a problem?”
“You know I don’t date anyone.” But her pinkening cheeks gave her away.
“We’re doomed.”
“Far from it. This is kick-ass.” She straightened Blue’s tie. “Who I sleep with is none of your business. I wouldn’t have suggested Cal if I had an emotional attachment. Now when are you going to make up with Maddy? She’s not an Avenger. She didn’t leak that film. She won’t pine over you, hoping you’ll come back. Some guy will snatch her up, pronto.”
“Butt out.” Maddy was sensitive territory. “Tell me about Cy.”
“Cy is…” She glanced back at him. “He’s more like me. Or you.”
Blue liked to think he wasn’t like Cy anymore, but how could he be sure? He’d rushed into bed with Maddy, just like he always did with women. And she’d dumped him. Karma was an ironic bitch.
Cora took his arm and headed toward the private dining room, hesitating before the closed French doors. “It’s weird, isn’t it? Doing something Daddy did to us, but to someone else?”
“Yeah.” But it was also an adrenaline rush, much as he hated to admit it.
“Let’s hope Daddy wasn’t full of shit.”
“He was, but look how we turned out. Not so bad, right?”
Cora dropped her veneer of sophistication until looked like the wide-eyed girl she’d been when she was eight and still thought the world was her fairyland. “Do you really think so?”
“Yeah.” He hugged her. “Wish me luck.”
And she did.
Blue stepped into the private room, now crowded with two tripod-mounted cameras, and two cameramen, one of whom was Maddy. He didn’t look at her. If he did, his mind would drift to what if scenarios and ways to mend fences with her. He had to focus on the task at hand – transforming himself into a believable Dooley Foundation relationship coach. He had to prove Maddy’s faith in him on film. He had to rebuild her trust. Getting on his knees to beg wasn’t an option.
“I’m nervous,” Jenny admitted, glancing sideways at a camera pointed her direction.
“Don’t be.” Blue sat across from her. “Here’s how it’s going to work. I’ll bring in three men, one at a time. You have up to ten minutes to get to know each one, but you have to ask all three of these questions.” Blue handed her an index card. “At the end of all three dates, you’ll be inviting one of the men to stay for dinner. Sound good?”
She took a deep breath. “I’m ready.”
“Here we go.” Blue nodded at Cora on the other side of the French doors.
Portable mic in hand, she left to get their first bachelor.
“Jenny, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Cal Lazarus.” The mega-successful movie producer was tall, in shape and in his fifties. Silver hair threaded through thick brown. He had friendly, brown eyes. He greeted Jenny with warm professionalism – a handshake plus touching her shoulder with his free hand.
It was hard for Maddy to reconcile the image of this kind-looking man with the cut-throat image he had in the film business. She felt a sudden angst, working under the scrutiny of such a talented man. What if he found her lacking?
“The pleasure is all mine,” Jenny gushed. “Please sit down.”
Blue stood next to Maddy, leaning against the darkly paneled wall, his gaze intent on Jenny. Without taking his eyes off the action, he took her hand and gave it a brief squeeze.
Don’t. Her heart panged.
“I’ve never been to this restaurant before.” Cal demonstrated his good manners as he pulled out Jenny’s chair for her.
“They have really great chips and salsa.” Jenny smoothed her dress alo
ng her rib cage. “Not that I let myself eat it often.”
“I find a good hour on the treadmill absolves me of many sins.” Cal’s smile was golden. He should have been in front of the camera, not behind it.
“Can I ask you a question?” As if hesitant to take up more of the mogul’s time, Jenny got right to the point. She glanced down at the card Blue had given her. Not even Maddy had seen the questions before filming. “Do you like the L.A. party scene?”
“I used to really enjoy it. I was something of a hell-raiser in my day.” His dark eyes twinkled. “I was struggling to find myself in my career back then. The frustration tended to get released via my fists in some poor fool’s face.” Cal’s gaze drifted to Blue.
Maybe the stories she’d heard of Cal decking Blue’s father were true.
“But the hangovers started to make me feel old and the party goers started to look too young, so I moved on.”
“Wow.” Jenny looked a bit uncomfortable. She glanced down at the card and then blushed. “Does it matter to you how successful a woman is?”
“It’s hard to judge success. I’m interested in a woman who’s looking to the future. Do you have a plan for the future, Jenny?”
Maddy silently answered for her: Beyond making Blue’s life miserable? No, she didn’t.
Jenny’s blush deepened. “I’m still trying to figure things out.”
“You have plenty of time,” he said kindly. He could afford to be kind now that he’d essentially said she wasn’t the woman for him. What a way to be dismissed.
“Thank you,” Jenny murmured, looking like she knew this was a dead end. “If I wasn’t an heiress, how would that change your opinion of me?”
“It wouldn’t. I’m a self-made man and I judge people on who they are and what they’ve accomplished, just as I expect to be judged. If you suddenly lost all your inheritance, I’m sure you’d surprise us all with a brilliant career choice.”
“Oh,” Jenny said in a small voice.
Standing behind Jenny, out of the camera’s view, Blue tapped his watch so that Cal could see.
“Jenny.” Cal reached for her hand, the one on her water glass. “I find you very attractive.”
“Oh?”
“I’ll be waiting for your decision.” He left.
“I think I want to have Cal’s baby,” Maddy said, having bravely followed Blue out of the dining room.
“You drive me nuts.” Blue’s gaze bounced off her lips. Then he sighed. “You could do better than Cal.”
Heaven help her if he tried to fix her up. She wrapped herself in a mental embrace from Poppa Bert. “How so? He’s the ideal man – settled, mature, wealthy.” Who was she kidding? Blue was her ideal man. The floor suddenly seemed treacherously unsteady. Maddy leaned against the wall.
“It’s a façade. That man has been through more Dooley Foundation programs than you have fingers. He’s a work in progress, so you can forget about having his babies.” There was a possessive edge to his voice that made her pulse kick up a notch.
For her peace of mind, it was time to bring in Auntie Maddy. “Your questions were brilliant.” She patted his arm. “Congratulations on figuring out a way to coach these women.”
“Thank my dad.” He sounded glum.
“I prefer to thank you. Your dad had nothing to do with this.”
He didn’t look as if he believed her.
Chapter 28
“How long will this take?” Cal asked Cora, pausing at a juncture in the restaurant where he could either turn toward the restrooms or head toward the bachelors’ table.
She smoothed his jacket across his shoulders. “Maybe another hour. Drinks are on me.”
“Plenty of time. She’s not going to choose me. And I’m not heartbroken.” Cal rested a hand on her hip, igniting a warmth that tempted. His was a big hand, with strong fingers. And he knew how to use them on a woman. “Should I see if the men’s room is free?”
His assumption annoyed her. Normally, when a man made assumptions and a move like that, Cora snapped. But she was very aware of her brother and Maddy talking behind them, of the millions that were at stake for the Dooley Foundation – not to mention her freedom from the conditions of Daddy’s will.
She drew on the rarest of her assets – a patient smile, even as she drew his hand off her hip. “Cal, I’m working. Just because we fucked once, doesn’t mean we’re doing it again.” She started to turn toward Cy, but she paused, looking up at the man she’d screwed in a public restroom to get back at her former best friend. “You’re sweet, Cal. But I don’t date and you seem, well, despite what we did, you seem more the dating type of guy.”
Over at the table, Cy laughed.
Marcus, who seemed to have heard as well, flushed with embarrassment.
She ignored the naïve nursing home assistant and smirked at Cy. There was something about the agent that got under her skin. He was too perfect, too together, too sure of himself – a mirror image of her. She didn’t want to think about what a cliché he was. Because what did that make her?
“I could change,” Cal whispered, catching the hand she was raising to wave Cy over.
She freed her hand and laid it on his shoulder. “Guys like you don’t change. Not permanently. Let me save you some regret.”
Cy was slick, and less sincere than Cal.
Cal, who’d apparently dated his sister.
Although she didn’t date, so that meant…
Blue wasn’t going to think about what that meant. He had enough to worry about.
Like whether or not Cy was going to charm Jenny into a mini-date and ruin everything. The guy was a classic Hollywood player – great haircut, great suit, smooth conversationalist.
Crap. He’s me!
He hadn’t wanted to take Cora’s pronouncement seriously. He ran a finger beneath the collar of his dress shirt, wiping away a light layer of sweat. Everything hinged on this working. Everything. His inheritance. The continued success of the Dooley Foundation. Maddy’s dreams. His chances at being with her ever again.
He snuck a glance at Maddy, who was watching Jenny and Cy through her camera’s viewfinder.
Cy laughed at something Jenny said. She seemed captivated by Cy’s good looks. She’d preened a bit when he’d greeted her with a kiss on each cheek. But she was wary after her stumbling experience with Cal and cut quickly through the small talk. “Do you like the L.A. party scene, Cy?”
“Oh, yeah. I’m more particular about where I go nowadays. Not just any bar will do. I like Tingle over in Westwood.” Cy’s gaze never left Jenny, but Blue knew he’d said that to get points from the Rule camp. Amber was part owner of Tingle. “I like a place with a good D.J. and great drinks.”
Cy’s personality was as unique as a stump in a clear cut forest. The question was: Did Jenny notice?
Some of the shine had come off Jenny after her first mini-date. She was less eager and more business-like. “Does it matter to you how successful a woman is?”
“Only if I’m working for her. I was raised by a stay-at-home mom, so I judge a woman by what she does with her days.”
“How sweet,” Jenny said sourly.
Blue thought Cy was heaping it on pretty thick, too.
“But on the other hand.” Cy’s quick wit and smile had probably saved many a deal. “I represent successful, powerful women who didn’t just sit back and let life hand them a bowl of cherries. They went out and earned that bowl and then some.”
Unwittingly, Cy had pierced the heart of Jenny’s insecurities. Blue wanted to high five someone. He looked to Maddy. She cast him a sidelong glance and a half smile. Trust her to know exactly what he was thinking.
Jenny bit her lip and returned her attention to the index card with questions. “If I wasn’t an heiress, how would that change your opinion of me?”
“I can’t wrap my head around that question. You are an heiress. Every man wants a beautiful woman, one who’s good in bed, and won’t drain his bank account. I�
��m no different, even though I’d never give up working if I married a wealthy woman.”
Jenny glanced at her card and then up at Blue, dismissing Cy. “Next?”
There was hope.
It was time to bring on the everyman – Marcus.
“Jenny.” Marcus hurried forward to shake her hand, clasping it in both of his. He wore nice slacks and a gray pinstripe button down. He wasn’t nearly as nicely dressed as the first two men. And he wasn’t nearly as comfortable in front of a camera. His gaze bounced around the room nervously as he took his seat across from Jenny. “It’s good to see you again.”
“Really?”
“Yes. The ladies at the home couldn’t stop speaking about you.”
Jenny pouted, just a little.
Marcus was no slouch. He noticed. “They didn’t have to remind me how pretty you are. I couldn’t get the image of you out of my head.”
Throw the ball deep, Marcus.
Blue wished he could have coached the guy a little before this meeting. Lesson learned for next time.
Jenny graced him with a smile, but she was starting to realize there was more to people than looks. She got right down to business. “Do you like the L.A. party scene, Marcus?”
“Party scene? It’s kind of hard to get out when you have to work at six every morning. I wouldn’t be much help to my patients if I partied every night, would I?” Marcus rubbed his hands over his thighs. “I like to go out on Saturday night, maybe see a movie or hang out with friends at a bar.”
“That sounds…nice.”
Marcus beamed at her. He seemed like a good man and was clearly smitten.
“Does it matter to you how successful a woman is?”
“Not to me. I look at the ladies where I work and I’m amazed at what they’ve done in their lifetime, but I think I’d be just as fond of them if they’d worked on a dairy farm all their life. It’s what’s inside that’s important.”
Jenny smiled. “My mom used to say that.”
“Used to?” Marcus tread carefully. “Did she die?”
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