Page 27 of Matched with the Hollywood Heartthrob (Matched for Love #4)

MIA

I t’s the weekend, and Emma and I are in Riley’s hardware store, wandering through the aisles like we’re on some sort of domestic adventure. We’re in the small appliances section, standing between rows of dishwashers and microwaves, and all I can think about is Jack.

I pick up a box for a blender, stare at it for a second, and put it back, not really caring. Emma catches my eye, a smirk playing on her lips as she watches me.

“You’re not looking at those, are you?” she asks, raising an eyebrow. I can tell she’s already figured out what’s been on my mind.

I sigh, dropping the blender box and running my hands over my face. “Remind me why I’m here again,” I say jokingly, earning me a laugh.

“Don’t tell me you pulled me out of my house this early in the morning—when I should still be in bed with my husband—and you don’t remember what you came here to buy?”

I glare at her. “First of all, ew. I don’t want to hear about you being in bed with my brother. Eww.”

She rolls her eyes. “Girl, buy the blender, you know you’ve needed one since last year.”

I pick up the blender and throw it into my cart before looking at the other appliances on the shelf. Emma, however, keeps her eyes on me.

“What’s bothering you, babe?” She frowns, her eyes shining with concern. “Is it Jack?”

At the mention of his name, I give up all hopes of pretense.

What’s really bothering me is our second kiss, the way he held me, the way he looked at me, like he sees me.

I’ve woken up two nights in a row, sweating from questionable dreams about him.

This isn’t me. At all. But there’s no switch I can flip to stop all these emotions.

But I’m too ashamed to tell Emma this, so I tell her the other thing that’s bothering me.

“I don’t know what I’m doing anymore, Em,” I complain, rolling my eyes as I glance at a display of vacuum cleaners. “Jack’s date with Denise was a bust, and now this picnic date with Ashley didn’t go any better. Jack claims he feels no connection with either of them.”

Emma raises an eyebrow and looks over at me, clearly intrigued. “Wait. Event planner Ashley?” She sounds like she’s processing the information, giving me a quick glance as she reads the label on the lightbulb box.

“Yes.” I sigh, leaning back against the shelves. “She’s gorgeous, she’s smart, and I thought they’d hit it off. But no, nothing.”

Emma hums, her eyes narrowing slightly as she sizes me up. There’s something weird in her expression. “She is beautiful. Jack didn’t like her?”

I roll my eyes. “No! I don’t know what he wants. I mean, Ashley’s great. She’s everything he should want, but it’s like he has no interest.”

“So what’s next?” she asks. “You can’t give up.”

“Of course not.” I grab a flashlight and add it to my cart. “His next date is a beautiful nurse named Mirta. I don’t know how to convince him to give Mirta an actual chance.”

“I have an idea.”

At the sound of the familiar masculine voice, Emma and I jump, turning to see Ryan standing there with a full cart, a smile on his face.

“What are you doing here?” I ask, my annoyance evident in my voice.

Ryan glances at his cart, then looks back at me with a soft, almost apologetic expression. “Just came here to shop.” He nods at Emma. “Hi, Emma.”

I don’t even try to hide my skepticism. “I see.” I start to turn away, but Ryan calls after me.

“I overheard what you and Emma were saying. I have an idea.”

I stop and roll my eyes. “You don’t see me giving you ideas about your work, do you? Thanks, but I’ve got this.”

Ryan’s expression falters, and for a second, I feel a pang of guilt. I can tell he’s not expecting this cold reaction. I don’t need his help, especially when it comes to Jack, but it won’t hurt to know what he’s thinking. Afterall, I need all the help I can get right now.

“All right. What’s your idea?” I say, my tone begrudgingly neutral, though I can’t hide the irritation bubbling just under the surface.

Ryan smiles like he’s already won. “I was hoping we could do a double date.”

I blink at him, completely taken aback. “A what?”

He nods, still looking too pleased with himself. “Look, I’m a man, and I know how these things work. Men like Jack—guys like him—they thrive on excitement, challenges. If we do a double date, it’ll make things more interesting for him. Give him something to think about.”

“Who’s going to be the second couple on this double date?” I ask, crossing my arms.

Ryan leans forward slightly, as if he’s got a grand revelation. “Me and you.”

I stare at him, trying to process what he just said. A double date? With him? And Jack? At the same table. Like the nightmare dinner at my parents’ house. Yeah, no. It sounds completely absurd.

I laugh, louder than I intend to. “I’m not going on a date with you, Ryan.”

Ryan’s smile fades, but he quickly recovers, pushing on with his suggestion. “I’m not asking you to date me right away. I’m just trying to help you. With work.”

I roll my eyes again, feeling the frustration build. “Help me? How do you think this will help anything? You think I’ll just go on a date with you to help Jack?”

Ryan doesn’t back down. “It’s not about that, Mia. It’s about giving Jack a little push. Making things feel real for him. You know he won’t take this seriously unless you make it interesting for him.”

When I realize his suggestion is starting to make sense, I turn away abruptly, wheeling my cart toward the counter. Emma walks beside me, and I can feel the heat of her stare against my face.

“Just out with it. Okay?”

She giggles. “I actually think it’s a good idea, Mia. You don’t have to date him. You could just go along with it since he’s just trying to help. It might help Jack get out of his head.”

“I don’t know, Emma.”

Emma just shrugs, casual as always. “Well, yeah. You’ve been pushing him to connect with someone. Why not make it fun?”

“Nah. It won’t work.” I shake my head stoically.

“I don’t see why not,” she answers. “Well, except you’re worried about sitting at a table with Jack and another woman,” she says, matter-of-factly.

My heart skips a beat, and I freeze. “Excuse me? What does that mean?”

“I’m just saying.” There’s a slight teasing edge in her voice. “You want Jack to find someone, but maybe deep down, you don’t want to because it’ll be tough for you to watch him with someone else.”

“Emma, that’s not funny. I don’t think about him that way.

I don’t care who Jack dates. I’m the one doing the matchmaking.

I don’t need to be bothered by who he chooses,” I argue hotly, even though my stomach feels queasy at the thought of sitting across a table and watching Jack interact with another woman.

What if he kisses her? My goodness. What’s wrong with me?

Ryan wheels his cart past her again at that moment, and as he waves us goodbye, I call, “Hey, Ryan.”

“Yeah?” He glances back at me.

“I’ll agree to the double date. But it’s not because I want to date you. Okay? Please, let’s keep things platonic. It’s because I need to make this work for Jack. That’s it.”

Ryan’s face lights up immediately. “Great! Just send me the details when you can.”

“Thanks, Ryan.”

Thirty minutes later, I’ve dropped Emma off at her place, and now I’m on my way to Jack’s cottage. The thought of walking into that cottage again makes my stomach twist. I’m not sure what to expect from him after the way we left things last time.

Usually, I’d just text him the details of the next date, but this one is different. It features Ryan and me, and I think we should discuss it so I know how comfortable he is with it. At the end of the day, this is about him, and he might want privacy with Mirta.

I pull into the driveway of Jack’s cottage, and my heartbeat speeds up as I park the car.

The house looks quiet, almost serene, like no one is home.

I sit in the car for a moment, staring at the front door.

I know I should just get out and go in, but my nerves are getting the best of me.

After everything that’s happened between us—the kiss, the awkwardness that followed in the car ride back to town—I’m not sure what kind of reception I’m going to get.

I take a deep breath, then step out of the car and walk toward the door. I knock, and before I even get a chance to reconsider, the door opens.

Jack stands in the doorway, looking surprised to see me. He’s wearing a casual hoodie and sweatpants, his hair a little disheveled, like he just woke up from a nap. There’s a brief moment where we just stand there, looking at each other, before he steps aside and gestures for me to come in.

“Hey,” he says, his voice low and a little hoarse.

“Hi,” I reply, stepping inside. “You were napping?”

“Nah, I was already up.” He sits on the opposite couch. “I’ve been expecting you.”

“Really?” I say, my voice betraying a hint of surprise. “Why were you expecting me?”

Jack hesitates, then his gaze drops to the floor, like he’s collecting his thoughts. “It’s about the picture I saw on the wall that day. I want to apologize for?—”

I cut him off quickly, my frustration bubbling up. “Stop.”

I can’t even look at him. Here we go again. I knew this would happen. This is why I didn’t like anyone finding out. I didn’t want to be known as the girl who battled an illness and won. I didn’t want anyone’s pity. It’s exhausting to keep explaining myself.

“Let’s move past that, please,” I say firmly, my voice tight with the effort to keep my emotions in check. I hand him an envelope, hoping the change in topic will distract us both. “I have your next date here. Her name is Mirta.”

Jack doesn’t immediately take the envelope.

Instead, he just looks at it, his eyes lingering on the paper like he’s unsure whether to open it.

His jaw tightens, and I can see the hurt flash in his eyes.

He looks… disappointed. I want to say something, but the words don’t come.

I feel like I’ve just thrown up another wall between us.

He eventually takes the envelope, and I wait for him to open it, but he doesn’t. I let out a frustrated sigh, feeling the weight of this exchange starting to wear on me. Why is it always back and forth with Jack? We’re always angsty about something whenever we’re in the same space.

“Are you going to open the envelope or not?”

Jack doesn’t respond. He just stares at me, his gaze cold, like he’s shutting himself off from everything. A strange lump forms in my throat, but I keep my stance firm.

“I suggest you open it and read through all the details quickly. The date is on Friday,” I say, trying to keep my voice steady, though my nerves are starting to get the best of me.

Jack rises to his feet then, slowly, his eyes meeting mine with an icy intensity. His posture is stiff, almost confrontational, like he’s gearing up for something I can’t quite place. He doesn’t open the envelope just yet.

“Is that all?” His voice is colder than I expected.

His attitude is cutting. He’s so cold, I rise too, unable to bear it longer than necessary.

“Uh, yeah, no,” I say, shaking my head. The tension is too thick to ignore. “It’s going to be a double date.”

I watch Jack’s expression shift, but it’s not out of interest or excitement. He stares at me as if waiting for me to explain further, his face unreadable.

“You and Mirta. Me and Ryan,” I add, wondering why my heart is racing.

He doesn’t say a word, but I can feel his anger in the way his body stiffens, in the way his jaw clenches.

I try to steady my breath, but it feels like the room is closing in on me.

I expect him to say something, anything, but there’s nothing.

He just turns and walks away from me, his silence louder than any words.

Before I can say anything else, he slams the door to his room behind him, and the sound echoes through the house. I stand there, frozen, the space between us widening with every second.