Page 32 of Matched with the Hollywood Heartthrob (Matched for Love #4)

There’s a pause on her end. “Wait—seriously?”

“Jack’s going to be in L.A. too. By Friday.”

Hayley gasps. “No way! That’s perfect! If he’s free, I’d love to meet up then. I can do dinner, drinks, whatever fits his schedule.”

I smile—genuinely—for the first time in what feels like days. “That’s great. Let me… let me check in with him, and I’ll confirm.”

“Yes, please do!” Hayley says brightly. “This actually feels kind of fated now. Like, cosmic timing.”

I laugh, nodding even though she can’t see me. “I’ll call you back soon.”

We hang up, and for a second, I sit with the feeling. The moment of relief. I can salvage this. The whole PR romance plot hasn’t gone completely off the rails.

I reach for my phone, thumb hovering over Jack’s number, heart thudding.

Then I stop.

Before I can even question myself, I turn my car around and head to the cottage. It’s not like I want to see him, duh, he practically shoved me out of his house the last time I was there.

But I know how he is. He doesn’t take anything about this date seriously. I have to stand in his face and tell him he’ll be meeting Hayley in L.A. on Friday. He can’t shimmy or excuse his way out of this.

And maybe Hayley is right. Maybe this is divine orchestration.

Because what are the chances that they’ll both be in L.A.

at the same time? Something twists in my stomach, and I fumble with the radio, taking a deep breath when loud rock music fills the vehicle.

As harsh as it sounds, it’s better than the direction my thoughts are starting to take.

Jack’s in the living room when I arrive, lounging on the couch with the TV humming low—some late-morning news rerun or maybe just noise for distraction.

I didn’t expect him to be there, as he’s usually locked in his room or in the background. He doesn’t move when he sees me. Doesn’t smile. Doesn’t even flinch.

His eyes land on me like I’m a stranger who walked into the wrong house. Cold. Detached.

The whisper of hurt brushes against my chest again, but I swat it away like smoke.

This is business. Strictly professional. That’s if we can even call it a relationship at all.

I step closer, clutching my phone like armor. “I’ve come with a concession,” I say, voice flat. “That is… if you still have the dinner scheduled in L.A. this Friday?”

Jack sits up, arms resting on his knees. “Yeah.”

I nod. “Good. You’ll be meeting Hayley then. In L.A.”

His brow tightens immediately. “Why?”

“She can’t make it to Bardstown until next month,” I reply. “We can’t afford to stall. It’s better to meet her there while you’re already in town.”

He scoffs, rubbing a hand over his jaw. “You’re serious?”

“Yes.”

“What’s so urgent it has to happen in L.A.?” he demands. “This whole thing started here. In Bardstown. Why can’t it wait till I’m back?”

My spine stiffens. “Because we don’t have the luxury of time, Jack. Your image cleanup is on a schedule. You said it yourself: You want results.”

He shakes his head, jaw ticking. I can see the wheels turning, his brain scrambling for an excuse, something to dodge this.

Then suddenly, he looks up. “Fine. But you’re coming with me.”

I blink. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me. You want to set this up? Then you’re coming. To L.A.”

“No,” I say immediately, the word firm and final. “That wasn’t the deal.”

Jack stands. “It’s your job to make sure the dates are properly planned. I shouldn’t be the one coordinating or worrying about it.”

“I can plan it from here!” I shoot back. “You don’t need me hovering in the background like some weird romantic chaperone!”

He crosses his arms. “Then this whole thing falls apart. Your call.”

I clench my fists, frustration boiling. “You are impossible, Jack.”

He shrugs, walking past me toward the hallway like he’s already done with the conversation. I don’t wait for anything else. I storm out, the door slamming harder than I mean it to.

I don’t care about him. Let him figure it out.

I’m halfway to the shop, still gripping the steering wheel like I might snap it in two, when my phone buzzes on the passenger seat.

Nova.

I answer with a clipped, “Hi.”

“Mia,” she breathes, “I just got off the phone with Jack. He told me what happened.”

“Well, you can tell him I’m not going to L.A.,” I snap. “Not for him. Not for this.”

“I know he’s being a pain right now,” Nova says, voice gentle, “but… he needs you. Even if he’d rather choke on his own ego than admit it.”

I sigh. “Nova?—”

“Hayley is exactly the kind of girl Jack likes,” she cuts in. “Classy, sweet, good press. You being there could make a real difference. Just a few days. Please.”

I hesitate.

“I’ll show you around the city,” Nova offers. “We’ll make it fun. Just help me get through this week.”

I glance at the road ahead, my resolve starting to flicker. I should say no.

But the truth is… I care more than I should. About the project. About him.

Even if I shouldn’t.

I blow out a breath. “Fine. I’ll come.”

Nova’s voice lights up. “Thank you, Mia. You’re the best thing that’s happened to Jack in weeks. Even if he doesn’t end up liking any of the girls, you’ve done your best. I mean that.”

I don’t know what to say. The words settle into my chest like warmth in a cold room.

We hang up. I keep driving.

Just as I’m pulling up to the shop, my phone pings again.

Credit alert. From Nova. She’s just made full payment for this business arrangement that seems to not be working.

Right under it, a text from Nova:

Thank you

I stare at it for a long beat.

Then I take a deep breath, put the car in park, and stumble out, dreading the next few days and how I’m expected to navigate it. Now I definitely have to go to L.A. with Jack, even though it’s the last thing I want. I’m doing it for Nova, nothing else.

As for Jack, I don’t care if he goes to L.A.

and never returns to Bardstown. He’s better off in L.A.

anyway. I’ll be so glad if he finally chooses a woman and gets out of my hair for good.

My stomach dips at the thought, but I push my way into the shop and ignore it.

Some decisions are better made with the head, and that’s a hill I’m dying on.