The Perfect Match

by Melody Summers

  I wasn’t so sure, but I had made it this far in one piece. “All right.” I pushed off the way he’d shown me then windmilled my arms as I promptly lost my balance. “I’m never going to get this.”

  “You can do it. I’ve got you.”

  I pushed off again, this time with all my attention focused on the board under me and keeping my balance. I rode down the street, going faster than before because of the hill. I was doing it! A rush of adrenaline hit me. It felt like I was on a rocket, even though I knew it wasn’t really fast, but I was on my own two feet instead of sitting in a car. Finally the slope leveled out and I came to a stop.

  Dylan grabbed me as I began to wobble and lifted me off the board to swing me around with a delighted grin on his face.

  “See? You did it!”

  In my excitement I hugged him. “That was amazing!”

  My heart was racing as I looked up at him. Our faces were close together, and our arms around each other. Our lips were so very close. All it would have taken was for one of us to lean forward half an inch for them to touch. The moment hung there, waiting, and Dylan’s grin faded and was replaced by something else that made me shiver in his arms. I thought he was going to do it and a swarm of butterflies exploded in my stomach, but instead he let me go.

  “I’ll teach you some more next time. We’d better head back.”

  I climbed back into his truck, my chest aching with hollow disappointment. Why had he backed off? The moment had passed, though, and the silence gave me time to think. It was best that he hadn’t kissed me. The only reason I was here was to stalk the guy for clues to set him up with another girl. Kissing him would have been a very bad thing—no matter how much I had wanted him to. Still wanted him to.

  I’d gotten too close to him. It had been a huge mistake to spend so much time with him this way, and my feelings had gotten all jumbled up. He was Dani’s ex. My heart belonged to Seth. But I was still longing for that kiss when he dropped me off.

  Chapter Six

  Dylan’s fascination with dolphins cinched my choice in favor of Miranda. She’d told me any number of times in biology that she wanted to become a dolphin trainer, and she regularly went to the Texas State Aquarium to visit the dolphin exhibit there. It had to be Fate or something. At least that’s what I kept telling myself so I’d stop thinking about how Dylan and I had almost kissed. Or had that just been something whipped up by my overactive imagination and all in my head? The important thing was to get it out of my head and get this matchmaking project over with so I could stop thinking about Dylan at all.

  Again, though, the hard part proved to be figuring out how to get the two of them together. I struggled with that all the next morning, but I couldn’t come up with a single idea that wouldn’t make it painfully obvious to Dylan what I was up to. I didn’t know of any upcoming parties, and I wasn’t sure that I could talk Miranda into going to one with me even if I had. She mostly only went to the parties her drill team friends threw because she didn’t drink and didn’t like being around people who did.

  This time it was Dylan himself who provided me with the opportunity I needed. He called me right after lunch, and I kicked myself for the helpless excitement I felt when I saw his number on my phone.

  “You busy this evening?” he asked.

  “Just avoiding the kids.”

  He laughed. “Glen and I are going to see that new horror movie tonight. Want to come?”

  “Sure. Everyone says it’s awesome.”

  “Great. Is the 7:30 show okay?”

  “Fine with me. Can I bring a friend?”

  “The more the merrier.”

  “We’ll meet you at the theater.”

  “All right. See you there.”

  I hung up and let out a deep breath. Now I just had to convince Miranda to come along. Fortunately I still had her contact information in my phone.

  Me: Are you in town?

  Miranda: Hey, girl. What’s up? Yeah, I just got back.

  Me: Have you seen the new horror movie yet?

  Miranda: No. We've been at my aunt’s place out in the middle of nowhere

  Me: Want to go see it tonight? I’m meeting Dylan Stafford and Glen Kaplan for the 7:30 show

  Miranda: Yes! You saved my life because I was about to die of boredom!

  Miranda: Plus BOYS!!! Sign me up for that

  I laughed to myself. If only she knew that was exactly what I was doing!

  Me: Sweet. I’ll pick you up at your house at 6:45

  Miranda: Awesome! Thanks!

  When I picked her up I was even more convinced that I’d made the right choice. She looked amazing in a dark green skater skirt with black stockings and ankle boots, and her straight, brown hair hung in a shimmering fall that reached halfway down her back. The boys would definitely sit up and take notice. I’d deliberately dressed down in jeans and a plain white top and put my hair in a ponytail. With any luck I’d never get a second look standing next to her.

  It went about like I figured. I introduced Miranda to Glen, but she only had eyes for Dylan. We got our tickets and went inside to the concession line, where I made sure to keep Miranda between me and Dylan. It wasn’t exactly difficult, because that was clearly where she wanted to be and Dylan didn’t seem to mind. I ignored the glimmer of irritation I felt over that and pushed on with my plan. I cleared my throat.

  “So, Miranda, Dylan and I went over the ferry yesterday and saw dolphins. I had no idea they stuck around during the winter.”

  “Really?” she asked, her eyes sparkling with interest. “I wish I’d seen that. I’m saving up my money to do one of the dolphin tours this spring.”

  She was already pretty, but when talking about her favorite subject she lit up and became dazzling. I didn’t see how Dylan could possibly resist her.

  “Really? Dylan mentioned that he wanted to do that.”

  It was like dumping chum into shark infested waters. She turned back to Dylan with a glowing smile.

  “You like dolphins, too? I’m going to be a trainer after I graduate.”

  She latched onto his arm and they walked together to the popcorn counter. Glen gave me an odd look which I ignored as I pretended to study the menu board. All I had to do was pretend to be clueless and uncaring about Dylan and Miranda’s attraction. No one would ever know that I’d planned it.

  She sat next to him in the theater, and I tried not to listen to the whispers and giggling coming from their direction during the trailers. Glen was friendly enough, but he’d taken the hint at Walker’s cookout that I wasn’t interested and didn’t try to push his luck. It was just as well for him—I barely knew he was there. All through the movie I had to struggle against the urge to look over at Dylan and Miranda, but I kept my eyes glued to the screen. I couldn’t afford to show any interest. And if they were holding hands or anything—especially anything—I didn’t want to know.

  But vivid memories of looking up into Dylan’s bright blue eyes while our lips hovered only a breath apart kept distracting me from the movie. I bit my lip until it hurt then stuffed my mouth with popcorn. Hopefully after tonight I’d be done with this whole matchmaking thing and I could go back to my normal Dylan-free existence. He’d have the girlfriend he deserved, and there would be no reason for us to hang out again.

  After the movie ended, we decided to go out for coffee at a shop near the theater. As we headed for a table Dylan glanced over at me, his eyes alight with mischief.

  “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather go to Caroline’s, Allie?”

  “No, I really don’t think so.”

  Miranda cocked her head. “What's wrong with Caroline's?”

  I told them the story while we sipped our coffee, with Dylan interjecting comments and filling in gaps where I left things out. When I finished describing us sitting there covered in ketchup while the police hauled the delinquents away, Glen and Miranda both laughed.

  “You were lucky you didn’t get brained by that bottle,” Miranda said.


  “Yeah. It’s going to be a while before I go back there. I’m not sure the cinnamon rolls are that good.”

  Glen nodded. “I don’t blame you. And guys, it's been fun but I need to get home.”

  “I can take you,” I told him. “It’s on my way.”

  Miranda’s lips curved into a pretty pout. “But I’m not ready to go, yet.”

  “I haven’t finished my coffee, either,” Dylan said. “I can take you home when we’re done.”

  Her pout was instantly replaced with that dazzling smile. “Cool! Thanks for inviting me along tonight, Allie.”

  I waved it off. “No problem. Thank you for inviting us, Dylan. I really enjoyed the movie.”

  “Sure. Good night.”

  I dropped Glen off at his house and then slumped in my seat with a sigh. My plan seemed to be going perfectly. I was getting exactly what I wanted. So why wasn’t I happier about it?

  I wasn’t any happier about it the next morning when I met Delaney and Molly for brunch. If anything, I felt even more down than I had the night before, and I’d blown up at my cousins for being so clingy and now they were all giving me a wide berth. I shouldn’t have done it, but they’d been stomping on my last nerve when I was already in a mood, and my Christmas spirit had gone on vacation.

  When we sat down I ordered an appetizer instead of a meal because my appetite had vanished as well. My friends launched into a discussion of The Nutcracker performance they’d gone to the night before with Walker and Quinn while I poked at my food and pretended to listen.

  Molly finally ran down and turned to me. “So what did you do last night, Allie?”

  “I went to that new horror movie with Dylan and Glen.”

  Both their eyes lit up and they spoke at once.

  “Dylan?” Molly asked.

  “Glen?” Delaney asked.

  They looked at each other and then back at me.

  “Yeah. I took Miranda along for company.”

  My friends shared another look at that, and Molly raised an eyebrow.

  “How’d that go?”

  I poked at a piece of bacon with my fork, pretending disinterest. “Good, I guess. She and Dylan seem interested in each other.”

  Delaney’s eyebrows crawled up her forehead. “Really?”

  “Yeah. Turns out they’ve got quite a bit in common.”

  Molly shook her head slowly. “Allie…” she started, then let it trail off with a shrug. “Never mind. Do what you’re going to do. You guys want to come over to Quinn’s tomorrow night to watch movies? The boys are talking about bingeing through the whole Alien series.”

  “I’m in,” I said. “Too bad I can’t show those to my little cousins. They wouldn’t sleep for weeks. Serve their parents right for pawning them off on me.”

  Delaney pulled a face. “Sure, I guess.”

  “It’s only fair. They did The Nutcracker thing for us, and I know you’ve been forcing Walker to watch those holiday romantic comedies you like so much.”

  “I suppose so,” Delaney sighed.

  She didn’t sound particularly gracious about it, and Molly and I laughed at her. I was so glad I had both of them as friends. As usual, they had managed to lighten my mood. I would have been happy if my appetite stayed on vacation, though. All the holiday eating was going to require putting in some serious gym time later.

  The next afternoon Molly texted me while I was pretending to read to get away from the kids again.

  Molly: Laney can’t make it tonight. She’s stuck babysitting because her mom had to go in to cover someone’s shift

  Molly: You still coming?

  I was feeling down again because I hadn’t heard anything from Dylan, which was stupid because I’d wanted things to go so well between him and Miranda that he’d be too busy to text me. None of it made any sense, and I didn’t know what to feel anymore.

  Molly: Well???

  Me: I’m thinking about it

  Molly: Dylan will be there

  My heart flipped and began to beat a little harder in excitement. It was because it would give me a chance to find out what was going on with him and Miranda. It had nothing to do with me wanting to see him again. Nothing. At. All.

  Me: Yeah, I’m coming

  Molly: Thought so :)

  Me: NOT because of Dylan. I just want to get away from the kids

  Molly: Uh huh. The only person you’re fooling is yourself, babe

  Me: See you tonight

  Molly: Later! <3 <3 <3

  Despite my protestations, I practically floated up the steps to Quinn’s house that night. Just the five of us were there: Molly and Quinn, Walker, Dylan, and me. They already had the popcorn made when I showed up, and as soon as I claimed an empty spot on the couch next to Molly we settled in to watch Alien.

  Why had Dylan come alone? Was Miranda busy with her family? I was dying to find out, but I couldn’t just come right out and ask with everyone sitting there. Not unless I wanted them all to know how interested I was. Curiosity gnawed at me until we got to the end of the third movie and took a break for a while. I caught Dylan standing alone in the doorway to the kitchen.

  With all the nonchalance I could muster I said, “I figured you would have brought Miranda.”

  He rolled his eyes with a disgusted grunt. “We went out last night, and afterwards I asked if she’d like to join us all at Molly’s the day after Christmas to play games. Apparently in addition to computers being boring, video games are stupid and adults should have better things to do.”

  “Wow.”

  “So seeing as how those are two of my main hobbies these days, I don’t expect we’ll be seeing each other again.” He paused for a moment with a thoughtful expression. “Too bad, though. She’s a pretty good kisser.”

  White hot flames of irrational jealousy twined around my heart. I was trying to come up with some kind of response when I realized Molly was behind me. She smiled beatifically at us.

  “Ahem.”

  “What?” I asked.

  She pointed upwards. “You guys are standing under the mistletoe.”

  A wicked smile slowly spread across Dylan’s face until he was grinning like the Big, Bad Wolf. “We are, huh? Who am I to let a perfectly good tradition go to waste?”

  I really didn’t believe he’d do it. I was so very, very wrong.

  Before I could protest he’d taken me in his arms and his lips found mine. His kiss was soft, almost teasing at first. I knew I should try to stop him, but by then it was too late. The warmth spreading out from his lips turned my willpower to Jell-o and I slid my arms around his back.

  Once he was confident that I wasn’t going to pull away, his kiss became more eager. My heart pounded like a bass drum as his tongue grazed my lips, and my nerves tingled all the way down to my toes. Dylan’s fingers brushed against my face then curled into my hair to hold me still more tightly to him, like he was never going to let go.

  I’d kissed my fair share of guys before, but none of those kisses had been like this. I was drowning in him, forgot all about Molly standing there watching us, forgot about breathing. There was nothing in the whole world but Dylan’s soft, sweet lips.

  Just about the time I thought my knees were going to give out he drew back. His eyes were dark with hunger as he looked down at me, and my heart fluttered like a baby bird inside my chest. No one had ever looked at me that way before, and it took my breath away all over again.

  It dawned on me that Molly was staring at us, her eyes round in awe.

  “Wow!” she breathed.

  Dylan’s lips quirked up in another wicked smile. “Mmm. Much better than Miranda,” he pronounced with satisfaction.

  I couldn’t say anything. My lungs were still struggling to work and I just gaped at him.

  “And since nothing else could possibly top that, I’m going to call it a night. Besides, I promised Mom I’d stop by the store to pick up some things on the way home. Good night, ladies.”

  I star
ed after him, still speechless, my brain stuck in neutral.

  “Wow,” Molly said again.

  When I turned to her she was regarding me with extreme satisfaction. “You’re welcome,” she said.

  I was far too flustered to even try to argue with her. It wouldn’t have done any good anyway. She’d seen the kiss.

  “It’s getting late. I’d better go, too.”

  I certainly wasn’t going to be able to concentrate on another movie after that.

  Chapter Seven

  Molly came by the next morning to go out for coffee and a sugar fix. Of course we both knew the real reason was to discuss that kiss with Dylan. I wasn’t remotely ready for that, but it was either go along or have her get Delaney involved so I decided to surrender to the inevitable.

  We decided on Caroline’s and picked out a small table in a corner. It was the first time I’d ventured back there since that night with Dylan, but I was craving the sweet solace of those cinnamon rolls. Molly killed time with small talk until we got settled in, then pounced.

  “All right. Tell me about it. And don’t even try to play dumb with me, Allison.”

  I slumped down in my seat with a sigh. “I’m in big trouble.”

  “Out with it!”

  So I told her everything, how I’d felt bad for Dylan and had decided to step into Dannika’s shoes to play matchmaker. I told her about all the time I’d spent with him and my two failed attempts to set him up with the perfect girl. When I finished she echoed my sigh and offered a sad, commiserating smile.

  “I think I should give up,” I said. “I’m nowhere near as good at this as Dani.”

  “You’re falling for him.”

  “But I don’t want to!” I wailed.

  She snorted a laugh. “What does that have to do with anything? Laney didn’t want to fall for Walker, and I didn’t want to fall for Quinn. We both knew that it would only end in disaster if we did.”

  “Yeah, but…”

  “Dylan is a sweetheart. Yeah, we had our moments back when I was still The Ditz and he was so angry over his accident and taking it out on everyone, but he’s apologized profusely and groveled a lot for it. He really is a good guy. Besides,” she added with a grin, “he’s a serious hottie.”