Meddling in Manhattan

  Meddling in Manhattan

  Book Two in At the Altar

  By Kirsten Osbourne

  Copyright 2015 Kirsten Osbourne

  Kindle Edition, License Notes

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  After the most recent in a stream of horrific blind dates, Addie's roommate suggests she see a professional matchmaker to try to find love, instead of allowing people who are less qualified to set her up. When she doesn't agree, her friend sets up a meeting without her knowledge. After meeting the woman, Addie decides to let her try to find someone for her, but she doesn't hold out much hope.

  Jake watched his best friend find love through the services of Matchrimony, but doesn't consider it himself. He's persuaded to contact matchmaker, Dr. Lachele, by his friend and his wife. When he meets his new bride, he's thrilled with the match. Will they be able to get past his obsession with his work to find love? Or will they give up too quickly?

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  Chapter One

  Addie Myers leaned forward across the table, talking animatedly about her work. She was doing the only thing she'd ever really wanted to do, and she wanted to share it with the world. She loved being excited about her work, unlike so many of the young women she knew. Just then, she was sharing it with the most recent man her roommate, Jennifer, had set her up with. "So every weekend, I teach a class in a different kind of craft to mothers and children. A kind of mommy and me class for crafts."

  Bob continued acting as if he was paying attention, by staring straight at Addie's cleavage as he'd been doing the entire night. "Sounds cool." He'd said very little else in the hour and a half she'd spent with him so far. She was glad they had met at the restaurant, so she wouldn't have to let him escort her home. That would just drag out the time she was forced to spend with him.

  She took another bite of her lasagna, trying to continue the conversation, but getting more than a little annoyed with the man. "What do you do for a living, Bob?" Do you have a job, Bob? Do you work with the mob, Bob? Please don't make me sob, Bob. When she was bored, she always made up rhymes in her head. It made her happy.

  Bob tore his eyes away from her chest and finally met hers. She was certain it was the first time all night. If she asked him what color her eyes were, he'd probably respond with a guess as to her bra size. What a boob. "Huh? Did you ask me something?"

  Addie closed her eyes and mentally counted to ten. "I asked what you do for a living?" It was a pretty typical first date question. She hoped he'd prepared an answer.

  Bob shrugged, his eyes going right back to her breasts. "I'm a mid-level manager for a paper company. We do stationery and that kind of thing. Kind of boring really."

  What a shock. Boring Bob has a boring job. She put her hand over her mouth to stifle the giggle over her rhyme. "Sounds fascinating," she lied. "How do you know Jennifer?"

  "Oh, she's dating my brother. She didn't tell you?"

  No, she didn't tell me. She also didn't tell me you were so obsessed with a woman's mammary glands, you were incapable of having a conversation. It's hard to believe that sweet Andrew has such a lecher for a brother. "I see." She finished her meal in silence, wondering if Bob would ever be able to tear his eyes away from her chest long enough to carry on a conversation.

  After the waiter inquired whether they wanted dessert, she sighed. "I think maybe I should get a sticker with an eyeball on it to put on my chest, don't you?"

  Bob shrugged again. "I guess so."

  "That way we could make eye contact." She stood and picked up her purse. "I'll catch a cab. Good night, Bob. Thanks for the delicious meal and the titillating conversation."

  Addie rushed out the door to the street, holding her hand up for a taxi. It was a cold March evening, and it had started to snow. She loved snow in November. By March? She was ready to never see another snowflake again. She climbed into the back of the taxi. "Where to?"

  "Greenwich Street." She leaned back, trying to block out the smell of stale smoke. Closing her eyes she thought over her boring date. Why did her roommates insist on boring men for her? Did she really seem that boring? She knew she worked more than her share, but boring? She didn't think she was that boring.

  When they'd arrived at her apartment she'd paid the cab driver. For a minute, she just stood there in the snow, her face raised to the heavens. Why was finding a good man so difficult? She had a degree in marketing, was a successful business-woman, not bad to look at...especially her breasts apparently. Why did she attract men like Boring Bob the Boob?

  She'd never been anyone's idea of a sex object, though. She had dark blond hair and green eyes. She was slender, but not model slim. Like every other woman in the country, she wished she was thinner. No, she wasn't drop-dead gorgeous, but she didn't make small children run away in tears either.

  She sighed and headed toward the main entrance of her apartment building. When she reached the apartment she shared with three other women who were also in their twenties, she unlocked the door, praying she'd be alone for a few minutes. That was a date she needed some time to recover from.

  Her roommate Danielle was sitting on the couch with a tub of popcorn watching Notting Hill. She looked up at Addie. "Another bad date?"

  Addie sank down onto the couch and took a handful of popcorn, even though she wasn't at all hungry. "It was awful. His name was Bob, and he spent all night starting at my chest. Boring Bob the Boob." She rolled her eyes. "What's wrong with me that I keep ending up with creeps like him? All I want is a regular guy who will treat me right and love me. Do they still exist?" She sure hoped they did, because she didn't want to spend the rest of her life alone.

  Danielle paused Notting Hill on a close up of Hugh Grant's face. "You really want to know what I think?" Danielle was a petite blond who made Addie, at five foot four, feel like a giant. She was just tiny.

  Addie took another piece of popcorn and chewed it slowly while studying her friend's face. "I don't know. Do I want to know what you think?" Danielle was working on her masters in psychology, and often her opinions hit too close to home.

  "I think you're letting people set you up who have no business finding their own man, let alone one for a friend. You need a professional."

  Addie let out a bark of laughter. "What? You mean like a dating website? There's no way!" She'd heard too many stories of creepy men who met women through dating sites.

  "No, I mean like a professional matchmaker. A woman with a PhD in psychology who has a proven track record."

  "Yeah, like someone like that exists." Addie rolled her eyes at the very idea of someone with that kind of education wasting her time matching people. It would be ludicrous!

  Danielle grinned. "Well, I just happen to know someone..." She turned sideways on the couch so she was fully facing her friend. "You know I'm doing my internship this semester with this bigwig relational psychologist?"

  "Yeah..."

  "She's got a matchmaking business on the side. It's called Matchrimony. Isn't that an awesome name?" Danielle was obviously excited at the idea. "What she does is she finds people, and after extensive interviews, she pairs them up. The catch is they meet at the altar. So like you for instance, you have a business here in the city, so she would either find you someone who works really
close to here, or doesn't mind relocating. Then you'd see him for the first time while you're walking down the aisle. She's got a great success rate."

  Addie shook her head adamantly. "There's no way! I let people set me up for dates and look at the freaks I end up going out with. Imagine what would happen if I let someone find me a husband, and I had no veto power. I couldn't do it!"

  "Will you at least agree to meet her? I promise, you'll love Dr. Lachele. She's sweet and quirky and has purple hair. What more could you ask for in a matchmaker?"

  "I don't think so. Thanks for the suggestion." Addie stood up and stretched. "I'm going to go take a bath, and wash the feel of Bob's eyes off my body. I'm going to take my iPad in there and watch a movie, so I may see you later, but I may not."

  "Have a good bath!" Danielle called out as Addie disappeared into the bathroom. She stared at the door for a minute after it closed. Addie needed Dr. Lachele. More than anyone she'd ever met.

  *****

  Jake Roberts ignored the ringing of his phone. He was in the middle of a scene where a dragon was tamed by a beautiful princess. When the ringing stopped and started again immediately, he let out a growl and snatched his cell phone up, not bothering to check the caller ID. "What?"

  "Sorry to disturb you. It's Scott."

  "Is it important? I'm in the middle of a scene." Scott was his best friend, but he really wasn't in the mood to be disturbed by anyone just then.

  "Want to call me back when you're done?"

  Jake sighed. "No, I'll get back to it. What's up?" He wandered into the kitchen of his small house and snagged a Coke from the fridge, glancing out the window. It was dark. How had that happened?

  "Savannah wanted me to invite you over for dinner tomorrow night. She said that you're just to the point in your book that you are probably forgetting to eat again."

  Jake started to protest, but he was sure Scott could hear his stomach growling, so there was no point. "Sure. I can do that. What time?" He did need to eat, and he loved his best friend's new wife. Besides, he hadn't seen their baby in a couple of weeks. He needed to take the little rug rat a couple more books.

  "About six?"

  "I'll be there." Jake hung up without another word. He needed to get some food in him and finish his scene. He felt drawn back to the computer as if it was a magnet, but stopped and shook his head. "No. I need to eat first!"

  Wandering back into the kitchen, he checked the refrigerator. There were more Cokes but little else. Opening the freezer, he hit the jackpot. A frozen pizza. While it cooked, he could finish up his scene. Perfect.

  *****

  Jake got to the ranch just before six the following evening. He banged on the front door, a gift for the baby under one arm, and a dozen daisies in his other hand. Savannah opened the door with the baby cradled in one arm. She took the flowers and inhaled deeply. "Thank you, Jake." She stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek before wandering into the kitchen to put the flowers in water.

  Jake knew her well enough to know to follow her to the kitchen. "How old is Kaeden now?"

  "Three weeks." She expertly put the flowers in water using only her free hand. Carrying them to the table, she put them in the center. "There. Perfect." Glancing down at the baby, she smiled. "He's asleep. I'm going to put him down." She wandered to one of the small bedrooms on the first floor of the huge ranch house and put Kaeden in a bassinet before closing the door softly, careful not to wake him.

  "I made a bison stew," she told Jake as she wandered back into the dining room.

  "Oh, yum. I need something hot!" He looked out the window. It was snowing again. He was sick of the snow. "Where's Scott?"

  "He's taking a shower. He'll be down in a minute."

  They chatted about his book and the baby for a few minutes until Scott joined them, his hair still damp from the shower. "Hey, Jake."

  Jake nodded to Scott. "I've decided to run away with your wife. You want us to take the baby or leave him with you?"

  "Oh, leave him with me," Scott said. "I know she can live without me, but she won't last without the baby."

  Savannah laughed, as she served the stew into bowls which she carried to the table. "I made a loaf of fresh bread to go with it."

  Jake was practically drooling. "I need a woman to take care of me. I don't care what she looks like just so long as she remembers that I need to be fed every few hours."

  Savannah and Scott exchanged a look. "I think you should talk to Lachele at Matchrimony," Scott told him. The two men had been best friends since childhood, and he knew if anyone could convince him to do something as stupid as calling a matchmaker, it was Scott.

  Jake laughed. "Sure."

  Savannah leaned forward. "We're serious. Jake, you don't trust anyone, because you're afraid all women are after your money. If you meet at the altar, that worry is gone. Why not at least talk to her?"

  Jake looked back and forth between the two. "Well, I know it worked for you two, but really? How could she possibly find a woman for me?" A woman who would put up with being ignored ninety percent of the time for a computer. Women just didn't go for that kind of thing.

  "Just ask her!" Savannah insisted.

  Jake sighed. "Fine. I'll call her as soon as I finish my book." He had at least two weeks to go on it. They'd probably forget by then.

  Savannah shook her head. "After dinner."

  "It'll be too late in New York to call after dinner."

  She gave him the woman look that Jake knew meant she knew he was just making excuses. "I'm not going to let you forget on purpose, Jake."

  "Forget on purpose? What does that even mean?"

  "Jake? You're calling her after dinner." Savannah handed him the plate with the bread on it, and he took a piece, recognizing the futility of arguing.

  *****

  Addie wove her way through the restaurant. Danielle had texted her that she was waiting at a booth in the corner. She spotted her friend's blond hair, but who was with her? Wait...hadn't she said the woman she worked for had purple hair? She frowned, but decided to give her friend the benefit of the doubt. Maybe Dr. whatever-her-name-was had forgotten her lunch and hadn't wanted to eat alone.

  She slipped into the booth beside Danielle. "Hey! Did you order for me? I only have an hour."

  "I got you their baked potato soup. No chives." Danielle grinned at her. "You always get the same thing."

  "Doesn't everyone?" Addie looked at the woman across from her, noting her sparkling green eyes and her purple hair. "I'm Addie Myers."

  "Hi, Addie. I've heard so much about you. I'm Dr. Lachele Simpson. Most people call me Dr. Lachele."

  "It's nice to meet you, Dr. Lachele. I've heard a lot about you too. Do you enjoy your work?" It felt strange eating lunch with two people who had made psychology their life's work. She wasn't up for being psychoanalyzed during her lunch hour.

  "Oh, yes. I love introducing two people who I know are meant for each other. It satisfies me in a way nothing else ever could." Dr. Lachele's voice was soft and sweet. Addie felt drawn to her immediately, in a wary sort of way. If she hadn't been so nervous around her, she thought the woman would make a great friend. "Why don't you tell me about yourself, and we'll get the ball rolling."

  "What ball?" Addie looked at Danielle. "I told you I wasn't willing to be set up!"

  "Good Gravy, Danielle! You could have at least told me that so I wasn't coming here blind." Dr. Lachele gave Danielle an annoyed look. "You know better than to force someone to talk to me!"

  Danielle had the grace to look ashamed. "Normally I'd agree with you. You don't know Addie, though. She keeps getting set up with these losers. Who was the guy last week, Addie? Boring Bob the Boob, wasn't it?"

  Addie shook her head. "Jennifer set me up with him!" Why was she being blamed for Jennifer's mistake?

  "Give Dr. Lachele a chance. She's really good at this." Danielle leaned over and whispered. "I think she already has someone in mind for you."

  Addie sighed. "I guess w
e can at least talk, since you've already wasted your time by coming here." She was intrigued at the idea that Dr. Lachele may have someone picked out for her. She wanted to find the right man.

  Lachele looked back and forth between the two friends. "I won't force you to do anything you don't want to do, Addie."

  Addie crossed her arms over her chest. "That's good, because I won't do anything I don't want to do. I don't know what kind of women you usually work with, but I assure you, I'm self-confident and know how to think for myself."

  Lachele nodded. "Do you mind if I take notes while we talk?"

  *****

  Once the process was started, Addie was amazed by how quickly everything went. In mid-April, she went to her parents' house to talk about what she'd done. The youngest of seven children, Addie was nervous to admit to her parents that she was going to be walking down the aisle in less than two weeks toward a man she'd never met. At this point all she knew was that he lived in Montana, and he was flying there to marry her. It wasn't a lot to go on.

  Her mother brought cookies and coffee from the kitchen like she did every time someone visited. Her mother had been forty-two when she was born, so she was now approaching seventy, and she had the silver hair to prove it.

  Addie took the cookie and leaned back in her chair, trying to find the right way to explain what was happening. She'd rehearsed the conversation fifteen times on the subway on the way over, but still, she felt at a loss for words.

  "I'm getting married," she finally said after her parents had filled her in on her brothers and sisters and nieces and nephews.

  Her mother squealed, clapping her hands together. "Oh, I'm so happy for you! I didn't even know you were seeing anyone. When do we get to meet him?"

  Addie took a deep breath. "You can meet him the day of the wedding. It's a week from Saturday." She wanted to close her eyes to escape from the looks on their faces, but she couldn't do that. She had to act like she wasn't at all nervous about what she was doing.