Page 22

He gave her a small smile. “He lives half the year in Los Angeles, half in England. He’ll be out shortly. Ladies, you look beautiful. Good luck.”

The two women were regarding Ellie with open curiosity, but before they could ask her any questions, she charged after Colin.

“Why didn’t you mention that?”

He gave a smile over her head to someone before meeting her eyes.

“I didn’t think it was important. You can do what you want with the information.

” He leaned in and whispered, “Here’s an insider tip: He’s been my most difficult client of all time, though he swears he’s a changed man all of a sudden.

” He pulled back and fought a smile as he tapped his chin thoughtfully.

“I wonder who will take his place as Most Difficult Client?”

Ellie pursed her lips. “You think I’m a difficult client?”

Colin gave her a slight wink. “Well, his tagline isn’t as fun as yours. I mean, we all still must see if Britain’s American will take her cake…”

She physically unclenched her jaw. “Still the worst moniker in the history of the paparazzi, for sure. And that’s saying quite a lot.”

He cocked a brow. “I’m sure there’s been worse. You do look lovely this evening. He’d be a fool to overlook you.”

She flushed and looked down, then noticed his footwear. “Your shoes!”

He glanced down. “What about them?”

“Do you own any footwear other than Doc Martens?” She wondered.

He winked at her. “I do, but they’re not work-appropriate.

Have a drink. And have fun. Maybe you’ll like him.

” He glanced up at Mike, who was waving at him, and gave a swift nod.

“I’ve got to go. Enjoy yourself.” He turned, then stopped and looked back at her.

“You look radiant tonight.” He quickly walked away, typing something into his phone, leaving Ellie speechless.

He made his way to the front of the room and started his speech.

“Ladies, thank you for coming tonight. I know each of you would make a wonderful life partner for our gentleman. You’ll see that your name tags are colored; you’re paired up by twos for the next hour.

We’ll go from group to group, so that all of you can have a chance to meet him.

Then he’ll choose three women for some one-on-one conversation, and then from those women, he’ll select one for a date of your time, the activity his choosing.

So, without further ado, I’d like to introduce you to Reginald Montgomery. ”

Ellie watched in bemused fascination as the other nine women in the room quickly straightened dresses, smacked lips, stood taller, and pushed their chests as far out as possible. Her judging stopped there, however, as a handsome man joined Colin on stage.

“Wow,” someone breathed from behind her.

“I know! He looks like that guy who played Superman…what was his name?” another woman murmured.

“Henry Cavill?” someone replied dreamily.

“Yes, that’s it! I wonder if they’re related?”

“Wow.”

“You said that already,” the woman pointed out, but her voice was breathy. “But I think he warrants a double wow.”

Ellie looked around her at all the intelligent, beautiful women. Then she glanced up at the men and realized that they, too, were just as intelligent and beautiful.

This is so far out of my league, she thought, panic settling into her stomach.

She didn’t care to impress Reginald Whatever-His-Name- Was, but she definitely didn’t want Colin to see the shy, awkward side of her again.

He’d already seen enough of the clumsy one to last her a lifetime.

Why this was important, she didn’t know. She understood they would never be anything more than client and matchmaker. But part of her didn’t want Colin O’Rourke ever having a negative thought about her.

Ever.

She found her color-coded partner, who was, of course, Tamryn—her opposite in every way. Tall, blonde, legs that went on forever…and her job title of hedge fund something with a side of something bigger.

“So, how do you know Colin?” Tamryn asked nonchalantly, as Reginald and Colin began making the rounds. “You ran after him as though you two are friendly.”

Ellie shifted uncomfortably. “Um…”

Her eyes narrowed slightly. “Oh. It’s like that .”

“Not at all!” Ellie exclaimed, turning pink. “He’s too…”

“Untouchable?”

Ellie sighed, casting a glance at Colin’s profile. “I met him when he was setting up his UK office.”

Tamryn nodded. “What do you do for a living?”

Ellie opened her mouth to answer, but Colin’s voice made her spin around. And, of course, as she was in new shoes (or so she told herself every time it happened), she lost her balance, flailed a bit, and hit—

No, wait a second. She wasn’t on the ground. She was being held up by two hands, attached to two forearms, which were attached to two rather nice biceps.

Her eyes traveled up, into the smiling face of Superman—no, Reginald.

“We didn’t mean to startle you,” he said, his voice smooth and deep. Decidedly British accent and a smile that went all the way into his light blue eyes .

Ellie gave a quick, embarrassed smile, tried to reconcile the fact that he was British, and disentangled herself with a muttered, “You didn’t, no worries.”

“You’re British as well?” he asked, surprised.

“Well, sort of…I mean, I am. I live there. But I’m not really, by birth, I mean—”

Tamryn held out her hand, interrupting Ellie. “I’m Tamryn.”

“Reginald. And you are…Eleanor,” he replied, peering at her name tag.

“Yes, but I go by Ellie. Sometimes El; that’s what my friends call me sometimes, right? So mostly Ellie, though—”

Colin interrupted quickly. “Ellie currently lives in London, and Tamryn works in the financial field. Perhaps you’ve heard of her company, Reg?”

Reginald and Tamryn chatted for a couple of minutes, but he quickly turned his attention back to Ellie. “Are you in finance too, Ellie?”

“Ah, no.”

“What things do you do to fill your time?”

“I read a lot. I’m a bookseller. Well, I mean, I sell books, but they’re not the easy-to-find ones, you know.”

Tamryn snorted before covering it with a cough.

Ellie wished the floor would open up and swallow her—or that Colin would move Reginald onto the next pair already.

Her palms were sweaty, and she knew Tamryn was judging her responses, and worse, maybe Colin was too, and she couldn’t even remember that she was a successful business owner in a very tough field…

“British literature?”

Ellie blinked out of her nerves. “Well…it depends on my mood, really. Lately I’ve been reading a bit of early American modernism.”

“Ah, yes. The Great Gatsby always fascinated me. And that green light…It was the highlight of my high school education.”

Ellie let out a small laugh, the tension easing slightly from her body. “Isn’t it everyone’s highlight? I’ve always found the parallels between Gatsby and Fitzgerald fascinating. He put a lot of himself into Gatsby, didn’t you think?”

“Yes! Didn’t Fitzgerald have a relationship with someone who inspired Daisy, and the story plays out that dynamic?”

“That’s the suspicion,” Ellie agreed. “I’ve yet to read a biography on Fitzgerald, though. I think that would offer great insights into the man, and his life.”

“Tamryn, your life has been quite busy lately,” Colin cut in smoothly. “Have you been able to find any time for pleasure reading lately?”

“I have, actually.” She sent a radiant smile Reginald’s way. “Last month, I was on a plane to Thailand, where I helped fund an orphanage. I used the down time to read The Five People You Meet in Heaven. ”

“Oh, I adored that book!” Ellie exclaimed. “Mitch Albom is such a wonderful writer!”

“I haven’t read that yet,” Reginald said.

“Oh, you must! It’s a sweet, almost heartbreaking tale of—what?”

Colin was giving her little head shakes and tightening his lips.

Oh. Right. It was Tamryn’s turn to chat with Reginald. Ellie’s flushed, feeling suddenly foolish. She floundered for something clever to say, but ended up just staying silent.

And red faced.

“I think what Eleanor was trying to say is that it’s a great little book,” Tamryn finally said. “But my last professional read was the latest by the new CEO of…”

Ellie tuned out and tried to remain invisible for rest of the conversation, but every time she risked a glance up from her shoes, Colin was watching her, a look of concern playing about his features.

Finally, the two men made their way to the next group, and Ellie headed for the refreshment table, where she hid for the rest of the hour.

When it was time for Reginald to pick his three mini dates, Ellie wondered if she could fit under the table. It didn’t look promising.

Colin stepped onto the small platform again.

He looked at ease, but Ellie noticed tight lines in his forehead that hadn’t been there earlier.

“Reginald’s had to make some very difficult decisions tonight.

He’s requested his one-on-one conversations to be with Teresa, Kelly, and—” his voice caught slightly “—Eleanor. If you three would like to continue your acquaintance with Reginald, please remain.”

The other women shook hands and began to file out, leaving Ellie alone with Teresa, Kelly, and Colin.

“Teresa, you’re up first. He’s right through there.”

She flashed a bright white smile and disappeared through the door.

“You know, Colin, I just don’t think he’s right for me,” Kelly said after a moment. “I’ve been thinking about it, and I don’t think I’m willing to relocate to the West Coast right now. My mom is in remission, but…”

“I understand, Kelly. Don’t even worry about it. I’ll give you a call if any East Coast candidates come up, okay?”

She smiled gratefully at him. “Thanks, Colin. You’re the best.”

After the door closed behind her, he stroked his chin. “I think I have a better match for her.”

“Great. I don’t have to go in there, do I?” Ellie blurted out.

Taken aback, Colin shrugged. “Of course not. But you did seem interested…”

She crossed her arms. “I said very little to him! How could I have seemed interested? ”

Colin raised an eyebrow. “Your deep discussion of Fitzgerald notwithstanding…”

“He was talking books , Colin! And that wasn’t even deep. We barely scratched the surface.”

“I know. You lit up like a kid at Christmas when he mentioned a light or something.”

“The green light at the end of Gatsby ? Come on, Colin, who wouldn’t be excited about that?” she demanded. His face gave away his answer, and she deflated. “Right. My inner nerd is showing again.”

Colin laughed. “Don’t hide your inner nerd. But maybe she could let others talk about the book they’d last read without inserting her thoughts on the subject.”

“Ouch. Point taken, Mr. O’Rourke.” Ellie paused. “That was rude, I suppose. I didn’t mean for it to be. I’m not great in social settings.”

“You were fine, El. And I don’t think Reginald saw it as rude. But Tamryn sure did.”

Ellie chewed her lip, unsure what to say, but Colin saved her from responding when he snorted and added, “I wouldn’t worry about it. She wasn’t Reginald’s type.”

“Why not?”

“She’s a hellcat. He needs less drama in his life, someone to balance him a bit.”

“Right.” Ellie fell silent again. “So what now?”

“Well, if you want to, you go in and talk with him. Mike, one of my employees, is in the room, too. You chat for a half hour or so, and then you leave. If Reginald’s interested in a date, he’ll let us know and we’ll contact you, at which point you can tell us if you’re also interested.”

“What about all the other dates I’m supposed to be going on?”

“It’s a date, Eleanor, not a marriage contract. You’re not tied to a single candidate.”

“I hate this. ”

“I know. You don’t have to do it.”

At the hint of hope she thought she heard in his voice, Ellie searched his eyes for some sign of interest, but there wasn’t a flicker of emotion anywhere.

“I’ll go in,” she finally said.

He nodded, then checked his phone. The Untouchable, indeed .