Perfect Match

Hector stared at him for a long moment. “That’s it? ‘I see’? What’s wrong with you? It’s not like you to be this calm. Are you still thinking about that woman? At least tell me her name in case she calls.”

“She’s not going to call. Who else is there we can hire?”

“No one.”

Amal began to tap a beat on his desk, holding on to his temper. “What do you mean ‘no one’?” He wasn’t going to let them win. He couldn’t. The Walkers wanted to take away everything he’d built with Jade Walker, his former girlfriend. Their business, The Eye of Jade, an art import/export business, had been a success, but unfortunately their relationship had not. He hadn’t realized how unstable she was in the beginning. He’d taken her mood swings as part of her vibrant personality and quick mind, although soon her addiction to painkillers following a series of surgeries for a back injury she’d suffered while skiing got out of control. He’d stood by her as she tried rehab after rehab, but nothing helped.

Finally, he had to break free, but it had been hard to leave her. Amal remembered the day they met. He had attended a local fund-raiser for the Raleigh Philharmonic Orchestra’s mentoring program that provided musical scholarships to underserved youth in North Carolina. As part of his philanthropic work, Amal donated to several causes and was used to attending these types of functions. On this particular afternoon, he was struck by the striking woman who caught his eye. Now she was dead from an overdose, sixteen months after their breakup. He’d read about it in the papers. It was ruled a suicide, and the Walkers blamed him and wanted him to pay for their loss. But he wasn’t going to let them steal away their business. They claimed that the collection of art found in Jade’s private storage unit was hers and did not belong to the business. Unfortunately, the last shipment of art she had purchased abroad had been sent to her private storage instead of the company’s warehouse, where they usually stored items. This arrangement had been an exception to their normal protocol because Jade had wanted to have pictures taken of the items prior to having them shipped off to the gallery where they were to be displayed.

Unfortunately for Amal, nothing had been put in writing to explain this arrangement, and the Walkers had taken legal action banning him from taking what he believed was his. The gallery owner in New Mexico, where the show was to be held, and the artist, an up-and-coming sculptor, were both threatening to sue. He needed to go to court to refute the Walkers’ claim if he didn’t want to lose everything.

Hector shifted, uneasy with Amal’s silence. “We’ve gone through twenty law firms and no one will take your case.”

Amal started tapping two fingers. “Someone will. Keep digging.”

“You want someone ethical, right?”

Amal tapped faster. “I want someone who will win.”

Hector swallowed. “All the lawyers in this city know it’s career suicide to go up against the Walkers.”

“Did you tell them how much I’d pay?”

“They’re not interested.”

Amal flattened his palm on the desk, his voice low. “Find someone who is.”

Chapter 3

At home, Hannah turned on the TV and then glanced at the bouquet of flowers from Jacob sitting on the dining table. When she pulled out her wallet and a crushed flower floated to the floor, she smiled and picked it up. It was the buttercup that the stranger had given her. Its yellow blossom seemed more beautiful than all the flowers in Jacob’s bouquet. It made her feel as if she wasn’t alone. She took the flower and gently placed it in a page in her journal that she kept nearby. She’d always remember him.

That night Hannah dreamed. She didn’t dream about winning the lottery and saving her parents’ house or finally convincing Jacob that he was better off without her, or finding a way to get along with her sister. No, she dreamed about him. The Stranger. She’d tried to come up with a name for him, but nothing seemed to suit him. Paul seemed too pedantic. Armando too exotic. So to her he was just The Stranger. The Handsome Stranger, that aspect of him she couldn’t refute—those captivating brown eyes and beautifully etched features.

She imagined walking and talking with him in the park again.

Hannah dreamed about him the next night, too, and the one after that, each time her dreams becoming more detailed and more intimate. Dreams were safe, and she couldn’t get hurt. Soon she no longer met him in the park, but for dinner and then she was in his arms. There she always felt safe. Cared for. It was nice to have someone to lean on. And he always said the right thing, encouraging her as he had in the past. Lifting her up. Making her feel like a success when only seconds before she’d felt like a failure. She remembered the feel of her hand in his, the touch of his hand on her skin. She imagined it on her arm, caressing her face, sliding down her body.

She hadn’t noticed a ring, but a guy like that wouldn’t be single. Even if he was...with her luck she’d likely never meet him again. A week later she went back to the park on the same day they’d met, hoping it was a habit of his to be there. She waited two hours on the same park bench with no luck. She felt foolish knowing that part of her wanted to see him so that her dreams could stop and she could face the reality of him. Still, a part of her liked him just being her dream man. Relationships weren’t her specialty anyway, and not seeing him again was probably for the best.

* * *

Across town Amal was also thinking about her, but not in the same way or for the same reason. She came into his mind quite unexpectedly as he tried to gently break up with his present girlfriend, Evie, who’d convinced herself that they were destined to be married. There had been signs early in their relationship. After the first date, she’d already started talking about marriage, babies and how “Mrs. Evie Harper” would look great on personalized stationery and matching towels.

They hadn’t been dating long. Unfortunately, Amal hadn’t realized that it was a rebound relationship to help him forget about Jade. He did not love Evie and did not want to lead her on much longer.

“What do you mean I’m too good for you?” she demanded, tears streaming down her face, her nose red. Clearly, her makeup wasn’t waterproof, because two black streaks stained her cheeks. She was still a beautiful woman with hazel eyes and curly short hair who was a magician at event planning and worked for a company that organized national conventions held in Raleigh.

Amal quickly glanced around, aware of heads turning, sending him curious and judging glances. He’d thought that by taking her to a restaurant it would stop her from creating a scene. He’d guessed wrong. “Just that,” he said, keeping his voice soft and measured, “I’m not ready to settle down. I told you that.”

Evie dabbed at her eyes, smudging her makeup more and making her look as if she had a black eye. “I thought I could change your mind.”

“I’m no good for you.”

“You’re perfect for me. I knew I’d lose a guy like you. You can get any woman you want. Is there someone else?”

“No.”

“Then just give me another chance.”

“It’s not going to work.” Amal tried to get the waitress’s attention, but she was busy checking out her lipstick in the reflection of a spoon.

“I love you, Amal.”

“You hardly know me.”

“I know you enough.”

Amal glanced up again, wanting to throw a bread roll or something at the absentminded waitress so that he could pay the check and leave. He stopped another passing waiter. “I want to pay my bill.”

The waiter glanced at Evie, concerned. “Is everything all right?”

“My life is over,” Evie whined.

Amal gritted his teeth. “The food was so delicious, it made her cry. Now, I’d like my bill, please.”

“Yes, sir.”

“You’re angry with me,” Evie said.

Amal drummed his fingers on his thigh. “No, I’m not.”

“I can always tell when you’re angry. Your eyes narrow and your jaw twitches.”

Amal counted to ten.

“I hate when you’re angry with me,” she said and then burst into tears.

Amal silently swore, wishing he’d gotten a private booth instead of just a table. He moved his chair closer and pulled her near his side to hold her. He didn’t care what those around him were thinking. Let everyone stare. Most already were. “It’s okay.” He hated to see a woman cry. And that’s when his mind floated to the woman who’d been crying alone, sitting on the park bench. For some reason her tears and misery bothered him more than Evie’s. Maybe because with Evie, he was relieved at finally letting her know there was no chance of them being together, or the fact that he knew she’d get over him quickly.

The woman in the park smelled sweet and there was a heaviness he understood. She didn’t seem like the type to normally cry in public, although he could be wrong. But he’d felt helpless and had come up with the story that he knew her just to make her feel better. He was happy he’d been able to make her smile. He wondered how she was doing and if she’d been able to save her parents’ house.

“Amal?”

He blinked and glanced down. He’d totally forgotten about Evie even though she was wetting his shirt with tears. “Huh?”

“Did you even hear a word I said? Don’t you care about me at all?”

“Of course I do. But this is for the best.” He glanced at his watch. It was time to go. Besides, he was hoping to drop her off before the evening news started. And he’d make sure to never come to this restaurant again.