Page 115 of Perfectly Matched: Harbor Falls Romance Collection

“So why in hell didn’t you tell us all this, Scott?”

He really wasn’t up to the lecture but endured it all the same. “Look,”

he said, staring across the kitchen island at the two of them, Brad and Suzie.

“I just didn’t want to get into it. I had no clue that photo would leak over to the U.S.”

“And we had no clue that Jillian was the daughter of Ross Bass, the owner of the tabloid who published that picture.”

“Seems like everyone has secrets.”

“Yeah.”

“The picture and the story are a lie. I did not sleep with a fifteen-year-old girl. Idiots. I did have brief relationship with the girl’s mother, and that woman happened to be the daughter of Franco Bianchi, the president of the company. It was a very bad move on my part, and I lost my job. That picture? We were all on a vacation at the beach in France, and the girl was being a stupid teenager and took off her top, even though her mother told her not to. I was nowhere near when it happened. What you have there is excellent use of photo software. I didn’t touch her.”

They were all silent for a moment.

“I lost my job over it. I don’t work for Bianchi anymore. And the relationship was over a few weeks before I came here.”

Suzie scooted closer on her bar stool.

“Scott, Jillian would want to know all this. It sounds like she thinks you were trying to romance some information or recipes out of her.”

“I know. Bianchi is not above some illegal reconnaissance and Jeaneva was always on the list. Not that I was involved—not my job—but the company had a reputation of scandal. That, and I wasn’t on the up and up with her, either. Too many avoidances and white lies.”

“She sure looked shocked.”

That, she did.

“Somehow I have to talk to her. I’m not sure tonight is the night. But it scares the hell out of me that she’ll leave town before I have a chance to explain.”

Suzie laid a hand on his forearm.

“You’re right, Scott. Tonight, is not the night. Go upstairs and sleep here, then you can get up early in the morning and catch her. You’ll do better on a good night’s sleep.”

He supposed that was a good idea, but he really doubted that sleep would come at all. For the first time in his adult life, he was truly scared about losing a woman. The thought panged him so deep that he didn’t know if he would ever get over it.

****

Much as she hated to admit it, her father was right. Damn it.

She’d put her parents up in her spare bedroom, convincing her mother that it wasn’t safe to drive back to Asheville in the dark in this neck of the woods. Her mother cringed at the thought of the locals, as she called them, being out and about at night. In truth, she really wanted them gone, so she could ponder all of what had transpired this evening in private, but that wasn’t happening. They weren’t leaving without her, or so they had said. So, staying the night in her apartment was the only option.

Fortunately, she had convinced Rand that it was truly over between them and he left on his own accord. Thank goodness.

At least now it was quiet. Her mother had finally stopped uttering inappropriate things to her father on the other side of the thin wall. Her mother. Seems she’d finally spilled the secret to her father, telling him that Jillian owned Jeaneva. Of course, her mother was never hip on her leaving New York, anyway, so this was probably just the way to get her to come back home. Her father really didn’t need her, he just wanted to control her.

Her brain drifted—not to sleep, but just wandering over every nuance of conversation she and Scott had shared since they’d met a week and a half ago, every gesture, every look on his face...

She hadn’t ignored any red flags, had she?

Her stomach hurt, tied up in nights. At one point, she had gotten up and retrieved her laptop, doing an Internet search on Mr. Scott Matthews. Her father’s tabloid, Insights, carried several articles. She never read that thing. Didn’t believe anything in it was true. But she read this article through and through. And others.

If she knew her father published lies, then why had she reacted that way when he showed her that picture?

“Because it wasn’t only about the tabloid, was it?”

No, it wasn’t. He was not honest with her. According to other things she read about him, he’d lost his job at Bianchi due to the scandalous affair and other assorted playboy type shenanigans. She was so confused at this point about what Scott was, and wasn’t, that she could barely get past the fuzzy haze to figure out her next step. But there was one thing she did know, and that rang true in every article or photo she saw of him across Google.

Scott Matthews was a player.

And she had allowed him to play her like no other.

Come morning, she had worked through it all to the best of her ability, and now, as her father helped her mother into the cab they’d summoned all the way from Asheville very early this morning, she knew she was making the right decision. Harbor Falls had been a good idea, a pleasant idea that just didn’t pan out—and her time here was through.

Pulling the heavy door to her candy shop closed, she twisted the key in the lock, ran a palm down the smooth painted surface once last time, and paused in bittersweet reflection for just one moment. She would call James Martin once she’d settled back in New York and see about selling the place. She hated too but it had to be done. Best to just get rid of everything.

Finally, she lifted her head for one last glance into the shop, straightened the sign on the door, and turned toward the street.

****

“I am going to have to fix this.”

Suzie sat in the passenger side of Brad’s Jeep looking at the front door of Bittersweets. Scott had been here earlier, came back to the inn, and then silently retreated up the mountain to his cabin. Her husband had told him he could stay there if he needed.

They were parked right in front of the store. Brad leaned closer to Suzie from the driver’s side and peered out the window.

“I can’t believe she closed the place.”

It was true. Suzie stared at the big sign tacked on the door. It was not only closed but closed permanently.

“Do you think she’s really gone?”

“Yeah, I do. Did you see the look on her face last night?”

Suzie nodded.

“And the one on Scott’s face this morning was even worse.”

“I have never seen him so dejected,”

Brad added.

“I figured that. Scott doesn’t seem like the kind of guy to go into depression over a woman.”

“Scott usually juggles at least three women at the same time. Or at least he did when he was younger.”

Suzie sighed.

“Well, this only means one thing.”

Turning in her seat, she looked to her husband.

“He loves her. And I have to get to work.”

“Oh?”

“And you are going to have to bear with me on this, okay? I may need to go out of town.”

Brad’s gaze narrowed.

“What are you going to do, Suzie?”

“Not me. The Matchmaking Chef. She is so going to fix this mess.”

She motioned toward the steering wheel.

“Now, get going. I have work to do. Move it.”

Brad immediately saluted and threw the Jeep into gear.

“Yes, Ma’am.”

Sigh. She loved that man so damned much.