Page 5 of Matched with the Hollywood Heartthrob (Matched for Love #4)

JACK

N ova slices me a glance, but Mia doesn’t.

She keeps her gaze firmly on Nova while acting like I’m not in the room.

I expect to see Mia hurling a flower pot at someone’s head.

Instead, she’s seated calmly, legs crossed, arms folded, and wearing an expression that screams I already regret agreeing to this .

Which surprises me. I don’t know whether I’m relieved or disappointed to see that she’s accepted the job.

Nova seems to think this is great for my image, and I’m willing to see how that will play out.

But Mia carried herself like she was different, like she couldn’t be bought or swayed by fame.

But they’re all the same… she’s the same. No way I thought she was different.

“Jack, can you sit?” Nova nods at the chair next to Mia.

I’d rather sit on the floor than be so close to her. There’s something about Mia that just makes me itch.

“She said yes?” I ask.

Nova’s eyes narrow into a glare. Mia still doesn’t even look at me.

Huh.

I glance at Nova. “Wow. Didn’t think money worked that fast.”

The temperature in the room drops five degrees. Nova’s eyes flash as she shoots me a warning glare. “Jack.”

“What?” I shrug. “Everyone’s got their price. I’m just impressed hers came with a big, fat invoice.”

Nova practically lunges to apologize. “Mia, I’m so sorry. He doesn’t mean that.”

I’ve never seen Nova suck up to someone so hard. It’s apparent she believes that this is the best course of action. It’s the only reason I’m still standing here…

“Oh,” Mia says coolly, rising to her feet. “He meant it. Trust me, men like him always do.” She finally looks at me then—one sharp, crystal-clear glare—and something about it hits harder than I expect.

Without another word, she turns and heads for the door.

“Mia—” Nova starts. “Wait?—”

“Nova, I’ve had enough.” Mia’s voice is tight. “I’ll need a minute to myself before I can stay in the same room with him.”

Nova rises to her feet. “I’ll see you at the hotel tomorrow. Is that okay?”

“Sure.” She smiles, and my breath catches in my throat. It’s the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen. “See you tomorrow, Nova,” Mia says without looking back. The door shuts quietly behind her, but it feels like a slammed insult.

I flop into one of Nova’s stupid designer chairs. “Well, that went well.”

Nova glares at me like she wants to chuck her stapler at my forehead. “You just insulted the one person willing to help us clean up this mess.”

“She doesn’t want to help me,” I mutter. “She just wants the money.”

“Is that so bad?” Nova barks. “Everyone wants money! You want money!” Nova walks to the window and pats her hair.

“You know what? I don’t care what she wants.

She’s good at what she does. And this time, Jack, you don’t get to decide who stays or goes.

Until we’re in the clear, you’re not going back on set.

The producers are barely hanging on, and Frank Howard is already tightening the noose. ”

I look up at her. “So you’re blackmailing me?”

“I’m keeping you employed.”

I stand. “I’m not playing house. I’m not looking for a wife or a girlfriend, Nova.”

She turns slowly. “Then pretend like you are. And maybe along the way, try to stop acting like the whole world owes you something.”

That stings.

More than I want it to.

I shove a hand through my hair and exhale loudly. “So now what?”

“Now,” she says, walking back to her desk, “you pack. You’re heading to Bardstown at the end of the week.”

“Where?”

“Bardstown. The charming town that Mia lives in.”

“Oh.” I flash her a saccharine smile. “You mean the ghost town where Mia lives.”

“You don’t know that for sure; you can’t tell.”

“I’m not going.”

She gives me a look. “Mia only agreed to work with you if she could do it from her town, where things are quiet. We agreed to keep this process off the radar, remember? No paparazzi. No rumors.”

“And no Starbucks, Wi-Fi, or civilization?”

“You’ll survive.”

“Wait.” My heart pumps. “There’s really no Starbucks and Wi-Fi?”

“We’re not in the Stone Age, Jack. Stop being so judgy.”

“You had no problem when Mia was doing it.”

“She was right.”

I roll my eyes. “You expect me to find the love of my life in a village where people still churn butter?”

“I expect you to shut up and trust the process. Mia has her way of doing this.”

I grit my teeth. “This should have been discussed with me.”

“We are discussing it.” She folds her arms. “So what’s it going to be?”

I hiss and storm out of the room, angry and frustrated. With Nova. With Brody. With Harry. With everyone in my life. How did I get here? I hate being at Nova’s mercy. She’s ruthless.

I storm out of the office and straight to the parking garage, jaw clenched tight.

I slide into my car, slam the door shut, and punch the steering wheel lightly. Great. I’m being shipped off like some delinquent teenage boy. All I need now is a personal growth montage.

My phone buzzes.

Dad.

Perfect timing. In fact, I’ve been expecting it.

The headlines were particularly vicious today, and old news about me is being dug up and re-exposed.

I’m getting all the hate, and I know my dad is worried.

Still, I don’t want to have this conversation.

I already feel like a disappointment. I’ll break if I hear the voice of the one parent who single-handedly raised me with love and care when my other parent decided to dip and never return.

I stare at the screen, then sigh and swipe to take the call. “If you’re calling to yell, I’m ten seconds from losing it.”

“I wasn’t going to yell,” Dad says quietly. “But I did see the headlines. They’re worse today.”

“Well, I’m used to it. You should be, too. By now.”

“It’s worse today,” he repeats.

I lean back in the seat, staring up at the ceiling. “I wonder why she’s not getting any hate. She’s the one who lied to me. She’s the one who has a loyalty to her husband. Not me.”

“She’s not the one with the reputation,” Dad chuckles. “And you’re more influential, so of course, more attention would be on you.”

“I hate it here.”

There’s a moment of silence where the only sound I hear is my Dad’s soft breathing. It relaxes me. “Jack, are you doing this for her?”

“Stop.” My heart almost stops at the mention of her . I’m not doing all these for her. I don’t care about her. I’m young and rich; this is normal. “I’m just living my life, Dad.”

“No. You’re spiraling. And I wish to God you’d let someone help you out of it.”

The silence stretches between us.

Eventually, he adds, “Maybe some time away will do you good.”

I look out the windshield. Trees blur in the distance, and beyond that, the city skyline—the only place I’ve ever really known how to perform in.

I suppose disappearing for a while would shut everyone up. Harry. My father. Even Nova. I suddenly crave silence and privacy more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life. Maybe the ghost town isn’t such a bad idea after all.

“You know what, Dad? You’re right.” I tell him all about Nova’s solution.

“That’s a great idea. Nova is brilliant.”

I stop a smile from forming. “She’s a pain.”

“Take the time off, let things go. Time has a way of fixing things. America loves you, and I’m certain that this will be over before you can blink.”

I blink, but the problem is still right there. With a smile on my face, I say goodbye to my dad and press the Bluetooth button. “Call Brody.”

The line clicks. A second later, Brody answers with too much pep for someone clearly complicit in this disaster. “Hey, boss?—”

“You knew about Nova’s insane plan, didn’t you?”

“No! I swear?—”

“Then how’d you know what I was talking about?”

Silence.

I smirk. “Yeah. That’s what I thought. Send me everything you’ve got on Mia Davis.”

Brody exhales. “Right away.”

I hang up, lean my head back, and stare at the roof again.

Great.

I’m about to live in a Hallmark movie.

God help me.

By the time I pull into my driveway, the sun’s already starting to dip below the horizon. Shadows stretch long across the pavement, and for once, the silence around my home is kind of welcome.

I head inside, drop my keys on the console table, and collapse onto the couch. The second I do, my phone buzzes again. Brody.

New file received: Mia Davis.

I sigh and open it. Let’s see what kind of small-town fairy godmother Nova’s shoved me with.

The first thing that pops up is a picture of her shop. It’s colorful in a charming, annoyingly perfect way, with little flower carts outside and hand-painted signs that say things like “Fresh as First Love” and “Wild at Heart.” Eww.

I scroll further.

There’s a write-up about how she’s matched a few couples over the years. Something about one couple meeting over daffodils and ending up married after six months. Another pair met at a town fair because of Mia’s meddling. It’s all very sweet. Sickeningly so.

Then I hit the photo section.

One picture grabs my attention more than I care to admit—Mia, mid-laugh, hair in a messy braid, surrounded by sunflowers and little kids.

Another has her dancing in the rain outside her shop, completely soaked but grinning like a maniac.

And then one at what looks like a wedding, glass of champagne in hand, her face flushed and joyful.

None of the sharpness I saw earlier. None of the venom.

She’s… softer in these. Real.

Still stubborn, probably. Still impossible. But maybe not a total nightmare.

My phone rings again.

Nova.

I answer with a groan. “You calling to make sure I’m packed already?”

“No,” she says dryly. “I’m calling to ask if you’ve made up your mind.”

I pause for a beat. My eyes flick to Mia’s photo again—the one where she’s dancing in the rain, eyes squinted shut in joy.

“Yeah,” I mutter. “I’ll go to Bardstown.”

There’s a beat of silence. Then—“That’s great, Jack. But before you head there, I need you to do something.”

“I don’t like the sound of this already.”

“You have to go over to Mia’s hotel and smooth things over.”

I sit up straighter. “Excuse me?”

“She’s doing us a favor.”

“No. She’s getting paid.”

“Jack,” Nova sighs. “Your introduction was… less than ideal. You need to fix that. Get on the right foot.”

I groan, dragging my hand over my face. “Can’t we just skip to the part where she hates me quietly, and I do my part from a safe distance?”

“Jack.”

“Fine,” I mutter. “I’ll go.”

“Tonight.”

“Of course tonight.”

“Thanks, Jack.”

She hangs up.

I stare down at Mia’s file one more time, then rise from the couch with a sigh. Guess I’m apologizing to the woman who called me “Hollywood’s most hopeless case.”

Fantastic.