Miss Match Read Free Page A

said.
    “Talia, how many times has Luke been mentioned online recently?”
    “Fourteen times in the last month,” Talia said, her voice surrounding them from all sides.
    Luke’s jaw clenched. “Of course I’m in the news a lot right now. Ryder Communications’ founder just died.”
    Brooke grunted.
    “There’s nothing between me and Candi.”
    She removed the bacon and blotted it with a paper towel. “She didn’t seem to know that. You two were quite the item in college.” Was it Luke’s imagination, or did she sound angry? Maybe even jealous?
    Don’t get your hopes up. Despite Antonio’s many, many flaws, Brooke seemed committed. Why else would she have accepted the ring?
    “I had a momentary lapse in judgment, nothing more,” Luke said.
    Brooke put a pancake on each plate, then took the saddle barstool next to his. “You’re spiraling. I know you miss your dad. I do too.”
    “Of course I miss him. He’s barely been gone a month.”
    “I know. And I won’t pretend to understand what you’re going through. But this . . .” She motioned to the tabloid. “She stole the door off your car when you broke up with her.”
    Luke savagely bit off a chunk of bacon. “I was drunk last night.”
    “You didn’t used to drink very much or very often.”
    Life was easier to handle with alcohol. He didn’t have to remember the death rattle he’d listened to for five hours or his mom’s sobs after his dad breathed his last. He didn’t have to recall how the company’s stock still hadn’t recovered and he was a woefully unprepared and inadequate CEO. He didn’t have to think about how he’d lost Brooke. “So I showed up in the tabloids again. Their next big story is ‘Stars Without Makeup!’ I don’t think I have much to worry about.”
    “Oh, I disagree. You know Darius and the rest of the board are going to hate this.”
    Luke grimaced. That much was true. Darius was old fashioned, and loudly disapproved of Luke’s every action. As though being chairman of the board of directors gave him the right. “I can handle him. The most I’ll get is another lecture on how I need to man up and act like I’m forty.”
    “Mitch is worried. He says stockholders are really nervous.”
    Luke snorted. “What does Mitch know? He’s just my personal assistant.”
    “He’s more dialed in to the company than you are. The anniversary gala is really important, and he wants to keep the focus on that and not you. Try to stay out of the papers for a week, okay?”
    The anniversary gala next weekend. Just thinking about it made Luke want to take another drink, or maybe go lift some weights. His father had been so excited about the celebration—thirty years since he’d started the company out of his basement. He’d planned a lot of the event, and had been determined to be there. The memories stung. “I’m not going.”
    “You say that now, but you’ll change your mind by next Friday.”
    “It’s too hard, okay? I’ll go to the press release for the lung cancer foundation next month, but not the gala.” The company was nearly ready to announce their nonprofit, and Luke hoped it would help shareholders feel more positively about the dipping stock.
    “You’re strong. You can do this. You think the board is going to freak about the tabloid? Try not showing up to the most highly publicized company event of the decade. Besides, it’ll destroy your mom if you don’t attend. And it’s disrespectful to your father’s memory.”
    She was right—Brooke was always right. He’d have to go. “Are you coming with me?”
    “Of course. Zoey and I will both be there. Antonio won’t be back until the day after the party.”
    He knew she was bringing Zoey for Antonio’s sake. Brooke hadn’t been Luke’s “plus one” to an event since she and Antonio started dating. Rule #11 effectively voided Rule #4. It was yet another reason to hate Antonio.
    “Eat up,” Brooke said. “You’re braving the Black Friday