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

MIA

A ll weekend, I’ve been wondering what Nova could possibly want from me. I assumed it had to be about flowers—maybe an event or some big PR gala. But the second I walk into her sleek Beverly Hills office and see him, my entire brain short-circuits.

Jack Calloway.

Jack-freaking-Calloway is standing in front of me, arms crossed over his chest like he owns the building, wearing this cocky half-smile that makes me want to throw something at him.

I don’t react this way because he’s famous—though, sure, that is jarring—but because he is… stunning. In a maddening, unfair, tall-dark-and-everything-wrong kind of way. Pictures don’t do him justice. Is he some kind of god or something? It’s so unfair that one man is this… fine.

Then he opens his mouth.

“So,” he says, eyes flicking over me like he’s already bored, “you’re the one who’s gonna play Cupid for me?”

“No way!”

The words leave my mouth before I can stop them. Louder than I mean. But I don’t take them back. I mean every word.

His brows lift like I’ve personally offended him. Which—fine. I probably have. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me.” I spin toward Nova. “Please tell me you didn’t fly me out here just to matchmake him.”

Nova’s expression remains stoic, while Jack frowns, glancing between me and Nova. “Let’s back up a bit, ladies. Um, Nova?” His frown deepens. “What’s with her reaction? Didn’t you say you’ve hired her? We paid a huge amount, your words. A huge amount of my money, if I may graciously add.”

“Hired me?” I scowl at Nova, too. “Am I misunderstanding something here?”

“No, Miss Davis. I will explain shortly,” she says with a lovely smile that disarms me. “I just needed you to show up first.”

“You lied to me.”

“I didn’t lie,” she says. “I reframed the context. I said we had a meeting. I didn’t tell you why.”

“I’m a florist, so I rightfully assumed you wanted my services in that area.”

Nova nods agreeably. “You’re definitely not wrong to think that.”

Jack scoffs. “Of course. Like we would need a florist from a village off the map if we actually need flowers. Step outside, Mia. There’s a floral shop every two blocks.”

“Wonderful.” I smile. “Then this meeting is over.”

“Miss Davis?” Nova rises to her feet, the smile still on her face. She’s tall and forceful. I like her, but not enough to put up with Jack.

“Miss Davis, you went viral,” she says. “A member of our team showed us your video, and I can tell you that what you do is beautiful. Connecting people in love, it’s not an easy job.”

“I’m happy you know that,” I say. “Firstly, it’s not my job. It’s not something I do professionally. I’m a florist, but even if I wanted to, it wouldn’t be for Jack Calloway; I’m sorry. Especially based on my reviews about him.”

“Let’s hear it,” Jack chirps from beside me.

It’s still weird that I’m standing next to one of the most famous men to ever exist on screen; it’s even weirder that I seem to have hurt his feelings, and he’s exchanging words with me.

“We don’t need to hear any of that, Miss Davis,” Nova says.

“No. I’m bored. Humor me,” Jack insists.

I turn to face him head-on, because he won’t get the satisfaction of intimidating me.

“I have nothing good to say about you, Jack Calloway. You’re in this position because you put yourself there; I don’t have to go out of my way to help you.

You’re just getting what’s coming to you, seeing as you have no respect for women. At all.”

He doesn’t seem the least bit affected by my words. Instead, he shrugs and leans back in his chair. “You’re so judgy. How do you join people in love with such a disagreeable attitude?”

“Disagreeable—what?” I whirl to face Nova, who’s studying us both with a weird look in her eyes. “Miss Chambers, I’m only standing here because of you. But at this point, there’s no need to drag this on. It won’t work. There’s no way I’ll set up a poor girl with this man.”

Nova is about to respond, but once again, Jack beats her to it. “You can drop the act now, Miss Davis. I know what you’re doing. Act uninterested, so I’ll notice you.”

He sounds so ridiculous, I laugh.

“It’s overdone and, frankly, irritating,” he continues. “Don’t act like you’re not stoked to be in this room with me. Any girl would kill to have this chance.”

His words set off an annoyance so deep in me that I know I must leave before I get out of character. Or murder him.

“Okay,” Nova cuts in, clearly sensing I’m two seconds from launching a stapler at his head. “Jack, why don’t you step outside for a bit? Give us a moment.”

“Oh, gladly.” He rises to his feet. “I need a cup of coffee because this is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen.”

He walks past me, and for a second, I breathe in his cologne. Gracious heavens. It’s the sweetest-smelling aroma I’ve ever sensed. For a moment, it douses my anger. But the door swings shut so hard the embers flame to life again.

“I’m sorry,” Nova says. “That was not the smoothest introduction.”

“You think?” I narrow my eyes. “If you had told me, I wouldn’t have come.”

“Miss Davis. Please have a seat. You’ve been standing since you came in.”

I take a deep breath and lower myself onto the leather chair across from her. How did I let myself get so worked up?

“I’m sorry, Miss Chambers. I’m not usually angry, but you brought me here to play matchmaker for Hollywood’s biggest cautionary tale.”

“He’s not that bad,” Nova laughs.

“His dating history says otherwise. So do half the tabloid covers at the airport.”

Nova sighs, walking around her desk. “Look, I know how it sounds. But this is serious. Jack’s image is tanking.

He’s being dropped from projects left and right, and the only reason he still has a lead role in the film he’s working on is because the director won’t let go of him. The studio’s on edge.”

“And this is my problem… why?”

“Because people believe in you, Mia. You’re real. You’re grounded. You made something magical happen with your sister and Prince Graham, and people still talk about it.”

“That was a fluke,” I say. “And I don’t want to be some celebrity’s reputation bandage.”

“We’re not asking you to date him. Just… help him find someone. Quietly. Discreetly.”

“I don’t even believe someone like him wants a real relationship.”

“He may not have before. But he doesn’t really have a choice now.”

I shake my head. “Still not my problem.”

Nova sighs and leans against the desk. “Please.” I can tell it’s so hard for her to even say the word. She really wants this; it’s obvious.

“Jack really, really needs this. Deep down, he knows it.”

“Uh, are you sure about that? Didn’t seem that way to me.

If you ask me, I’ll say he’s trying hard for this not to work.

This isn’t just some simple matchmaking stunt; it’s my reputation on the line.

You see, my successful matches are because I saw interest in the men, no matter how small. It was there.”

Nova nods solemnly. “I understand.”

“If I match some lady with Jack and he breaks her heart, it’ll be on me.”

“I know. But I guarantee you that won’t happen,” she says confidently. “You have my word. We’ll pay you, of course. Handsomely.”

“I don’t want your money.”

“What about the expansion of your flower shop?”

My breath catches. “What?”

“Your flower shop is the most successful business in Bardstown. You’re looking to expand and cover more grounds, but you can’t do it on your own. We’ve seen the grant proposals. We’ll fund it in full.”

I stare at her.

And then she says the thing that makes my stomach twist.

“We’ll also make a sizable donation to ‘Kids Living with Leukemia.’”

Silence. Heavy. Crushing.

“How do you know about that?” I whisper.

“We did our research. We know you’ve fundraised for them for years.”

I swallow hard. My chest aches in that familiar place. The one that remembers IVs and beeping monitors. The one that remembers my mom’s tears in the hallway. The one that remembers how close we came to giving up.

“We’ll fund the next two years of operations,” Nova adds. “No strings attached. All you have to do is try. Even if it doesn’t work.”

I stare at the polished floor and think about the kids in my organization, the parents who are one bill away from losing everything, and the nights I cried myself to sleep, too tired to speak, too sick to care.

Maybe this isn’t about Jack Calloway at all.

Maybe it’s about using something broken to fix something else.

I lift my head slowly. “I’m not promising to succeed.”

“I’m just asking you to show up.”

I nod once. “Fine. I’ll do it.”

Nova exhales like she’s just won a war. “Thank you,” she says. “Truly.”

“I haven’t even started yet,” I reply, arms crossed. “You said you want me to help him find someone. I’ll need to observe him. Learn what he’s actually like, not what the public thinks he is.”

“That makes sense.”

“But I can’t do that here,” I add. “This… this isn’t my environment. I do things best when I’m home.”

Nova frowns slightly. “Home?”

“Bardstown,” I say. “Kentucky.”

She straightens at that. “You want him to go to Bardstown?”

“If you want me to help him, then he needs to be in his most honest environment. And this”—I gesture around the luxury office, the glimmering city skyline behind her—“isn’t it.

I know real people in my town. Good people.

People who don’t care about his fame. If there’s a chance for him to build something authentic, it’s there.

We had a literal prince in Bardstown for eight years and no one knew. ”

Nova thinks for a second, then nods slowly. “Honestly, that might be a great idea. The team’s already trying to keep everything low-profile. A small-town setup could keep the paparazzi off our backs.”

“I’ll need him to actually live there, at least temporarily.”

“I’ll do my best to convince him.”

“And the women I match him with?” I raise a brow. “They’ll be from Bardstown. My town. No wannabe influencers or Hollywood hopefuls.”

“I wouldn’t want them to be,” she says. “I don’t need anyone looking for attention. I want someone who won’t stress him out. Someone with a quiet, grounded life.”

I eye her skeptically. “You make it sound like he’s a golden retriever.”

She laughs. “He’s honestly a retriever who thinks and acts like he’s a tiger. Trust me.”

I’m still not convinced, but there’s something in her tone—some genuine affection beneath all the business-speak. “You actually believe he’s a good guy?”

Nova’s smile softens. “I do. Deep down, Jack’s… kind. He’s just spent so long building walls with women that he doesn’t know how to drop them anymore.”

I tap my fingers against my thigh, the edge of sympathy creeping in despite myself.

“And one more thing,” she adds, leaning in. “Can we keep this private? Just between us? If word gets out, this whole thing becomes a circus. I don’t want the media tearing into every woman you introduce him to, and I certainly don’t want anyone exploiting you for it.”

“I wasn’t planning on posting it to Instagram,” I say dryly, but I nod. “Yeah. I can keep it quiet.”

Just then, the door opens.

Jack strolls in, coffee in hand, looking far too casual for someone whose career is hanging by a thread. “Are we still talking about me like I’m not in the building?”