Crazy Love (Emerald Lake Billionaires 3) (3 page)

Holly kissed Nick’s cheek. “We make a good team.”

“Are you kissing granddad again?” Mia said from behind Holly. “You’re going to disappoint all the Greek women in Bozeman if they find out.”

The grin on Nick’s face was full of love for his granddaughter. “It is a small price to pay. When was the last time you gave your grandfather a hug?”

Mia put down the canvas she was holding and wrapped her arms around her granddad. “How’s that?”

“Much better. I tried calling you last night, but you weren’t home.”

“I know you’re desperate to see me married, granddad, but don’t get your hopes up. I was helping Holly arrange all of the paintings.” She glanced at the portrait Holly had donated for the auction. “I couldn’t convince Holly to hang her painting here. I’m glad you changed her mind.”

“He didn’t. Your granddad did this on his own.”

“He knows quality when he sees it.” Mia looked proudly at Nick. “Anyone who sees your portrait will want to buy it. Has Tommy’s family seen it?”

Holly shook her head. “Not yet. They’re coming to the pre-auction viewing. I hope they like what we’ve done.”

Nick walked toward the table in the middle of the room and picked up one of the canvases. “Tommy’s family will be very grateful. I know just the place for this painting. After we’ve finished, I’ll share my apple and cinnamon muffins with my two favorite girls.”

“Granddad wants something,” Mia said, nudging Holly’s arm. “He never shares his muffins with anyone that easily.”

Nick frowned at his granddaughter. “Your papouli wants nothing more than to spend time with you.”

“Of course, you do, granddad. I’ll get the other painting out of my car.” After leaving a quick kiss on her grandfather’s cheek, Mia walked out of the warehouse.

Holly picked up the canvas she’d brought inside and followed Nick across the room. She tilted her head sideways as he held a painting against the wall. “A little higher and to the right.”

“Better?”

She nodded. “It looks beautiful against the black wall.” Claire’s oil painting looked stunning. Blue and green paint swirled across the canvas in a random pattern. It wasn’t until you looked closely that you realized there was a subtle pattern in the abstract form.

Nick attached a hook to the wall. “Tell me about Mia’s plan to find a boyfriend.”

Holly frowned at his back. “I didn’t know she had one.”

“She’s going to test a computer program. Why would my granddaughter need a computer to tell her who to date?”

“She was selected?” Holly had forgotten about the trial. She’d been so busy finishing a painting that she hadn’t caught up with what her friends were doing.

“She says it is the way of the modern world. What’s wrong with talking? When did that ever become old-fashioned?”

“I guess she wants to meet someone different.”

Nick grunted. “Mia needs a good Greek boy. I showed her a picture of my friend’s grandson. Was she interested? No. She wants to find someone who’s fun. What has fun got to do with anything?”

Mia walked into the warehouse. “Are you talking about me, granddad?”

“Tell Holly about your computer program.”

“We’ve been accepted. Jefferson Technology emailed us the full questionnaire two days ago. I sent mine off last night.”

Holly sighed. “I agree with Nick. There’s no way a computer program will find someone special for you. Are you sure they’re not asking for money? It could be a scam.”

“It isn’t.” Mia passed the painting she was holding to her granddad. “Claire called the company’s head office. It’s totally legitimate.”

Nick shook his head. “I will speak to this company’s head office if my little girl’s heart gets broken. You bring your man to see me, Mia. Your papouli will tell you if he is a good match.”

Holly glanced between Mia and her grandfather. They both had the same stubborn look on their faces. “How about we hang these paintings, Nick? Mia can make us a cup of coffee to go with your muffins.”

“I will hang the paintings. You talk to Mia. She has no common sense between her ears.” With his last words echoing around the warehouse, Nick walked stiffly toward the back of the room.

“I need double strength coffee,” Mia said quietly. “Do you think he’ll ever understand why I’m using the app?”

“Only if you find a husband. And if the love of your life is Greek, he’ll think it’s amazing.”

“How many Greek men do you know in Bozeman?”

“One,” Holly laughed.

“Exactly. From granddad’s point of view, no one’s ever going to be good enough for me.”

“He might surprise you.”

Mia opened the bag of muffins that her grandfather had left on the table. “I don’t think so.”

***

Daniel pointed to his computer screen. “What were you thinking?” he asked Blake, who’d returned after a week in New York. “There’s no way I’m going to date an artist. She looks like a hippy from the sixties.”

Blake didn’t bother looking at Daniel’s computer. “I didn’t match you with her. The Crazy Love app did.”

“Your app needs work,” Daniel muttered.

“That’s why you’re helping me. What happened to not judging a book by its cover?”

“There was no judging involved. No one except an artist would wear a dress with bright orange and pink flowers all over it.” Daniel didn’t bother to mention the headscarf, big plastic jewelry, or the halo of curly red hair shining brighter than the woman’s dress.

“At least she’s not pretending to be someone she isn’t. You wanted to meet a woman who was authentic. You can’t get more authentic than Holly Miller.”

Daniel had spent more time than he wanted to admit looking at Holly’s profile. For some strange reason, Blake’s computer program had matched him with someone who was everything he wasn’t looking for. She was supposed to be a professional artist, but he couldn’t find any information about her.

He’d started looking for her website or Facebook page. He couldn’t find any exhibition listings, gallery notices or professional associations she might belong to. Either she avoided the Internet like the plague or she wasn’t the person her profile said she was.

Daniel closed her file. He might not appreciate what she did for a living, but he couldn’t ignore her flashing blue eyes or the grin she’d sent to the person taking her photograph. “We’ve got nothing in common except your app.”

Blake pulled a folder out of his briefcase. “I thought you might say that. This is the raw data straight from the computer program.” He handed Daniel two sheets of paper. “The questionnaire on the left is Holly’s. The one on the right is yours. The program groups the answers to the questions based on five predetermined personality traits. In the first three categories, your answers are almost identical.”

Daniel’s eyes moved quickly across the paper. “But the last two sections are way off target.”

Blake shrugged. “No one’s perfect. If you met someone who was identical to you, your life would be boring.”

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. What’s so wrong with Holly?”

“There’s nothing wrong with her, she’s just not right for me.”

Blake looked at his notes. “She likes walking on the beach, spending time with her family, and French cuisine. You like all of those things, too.”

“Bozeman is thousands of miles from the nearest ocean, my family are almost as far away, and I’m more of a hamburger guy.”

“It’s near enough. You’ve bought a house overlooking Emerald Lake. Water is water. Invite your family for a vacation and learn to love snails. It’s not a lot to ask if you’re looking for true love. Besides, you promised me four dates.”

Daniel wasn’t in the mood for Blake’s warped sense of humor or his deliberately forgetful memory. “It’s three dates, not four, and I seriously doubt I’ll find true love using your app.”

Blake pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. “In that case you’d better call Holly now. The sooner you work out whether it’s my program or your emotional intelligence that’s broken, the better off we’ll be.”

Daniel didn’t need to meet Holly to know that Blake’s program needed serious work. “I don’t know what your rush is. I only received Holly’s profile this morning.”

“That’s because I wanted to be here on the same day you opened it. I had a feeling you wouldn’t want to meet her.”

“You’ve got more important things to do than worry about who I date. I get the fact that your reputation is on the line, but you’ve got plenty of other projects underway. What makes this app a high priority?”

“It cost more than half a million dollars to get Crazy Love into a trial phase. Another company has been testing a similar product. There’s no way I’m going to allow their app to hit the market first.”

“Why didn’t you tell me how much money you’d invested?”

Blake picked up Daniel’s phone and handed it to him. “You didn’t need to know. The most important thing was getting you involved. Five couples have been matched out of sixty-eight applicants. Either we’ve got the algorithms right or we need to go back to the drawing board. If the app doesn’t work I might as well wave goodbye to a lot of money.”

Daniel opened Holly’s profile and found her contact details. He glanced at Blake before calling her number. “You owe me big time for this.”

Blake stood up. “I’ll leave you to organize your first date. Good luck.”

He was going to need more than good luck. Dating a woman he didn’t want to meet was almost as crazy as Blake’s app.

CHAPTER TWO

Claire and Hannah rushed into Holly’s apartment.

“You’re not going to believe this,” Claire squealed. “We’ve got dates. Real, live, honest-to-goodness dates.”

“Don’t forget about me,” Mia yelled from the hallway. “I’ve got one, too. I’ll be there in a minute. I’m just taking off my boots.”

Hannah made herself comfortable on the sofa. “It was so quick. We only submitted the forms ten days ago.”

“We got an email from the person who designed the Crazy Love app. Blake wants our feedback on the whole dating process,” Claire said as she joined Hannah on the sofa. “We’re sort of like pioneers forging through unknown territory.”

Holly closed the box of art supplies she’d been unpacking. Even though she’d known Claire for six months, the dramatic way she described things still made her laugh. “You sound as though you’ve never been on a date before.”

Claire sighed. “It feels like it’s been a lifetime.” She pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket and handed it to Holly. “This is Ben. Isn’t he adorable?”

Holly looked at the picture. Considering the quality of the photo wasn’t great, Ben seemed almost normal.

“You’re scrunching your nose up again,” Mia said from the doorway. “Ben is cute, but not as cute as my date.”

The picture Mia held out to Holly was just as grainy as Claire’s.

“His name is Adam. He’s thirty-six years old and lives in Bozeman. He’s a lawyer.”

Holly didn’t know why she was smiling, but it was there all the same.

She gave the picture back to Mia. “I met Adam when I first arrived in town. He didn’t seem like the online dating type.”

Mia shrugged. “Looks can be deceptive. Who’s your date, Hannah?”

A blush filled Hannah’s cheeks. “His name is Brett Forster. He works at the Double Circle Ranch. It’s about an hour’s drive out of Bozeman.”

Mia sat beside Hannah and Claire. “You should have put your name down for the trial, Holly. If nothing else, we’re going to meet some interesting people.”

“I’m too busy. Spending time with a total stranger isn’t my idea of fun. I have a hard enough time fitting everything into my life now.”

Claire glanced at her sister, then back at Holly. “Are you sure you don’t want to meet someone? Ben seems really nice. He’s a mechanic at a garage in town. His sister and brother-in-law died a few years ago and he’s been looking after his niece since then.”

“Have you already met him?” Holly asked.

Claire shook her head. “No, but I’ve spoken to him on the phone. His niece is a big part of his life. He wanted to know if she was a deal breaker.”

Hannah looked worried. “Is she?”

“Of course not. I like children. I think it’s pretty special that Ben is her guardian. We’re going to meet tomorrow for coffee.”

Mia looked impressed. “That’s fast. I thought I’d call Adam tonight.”

Holly stood up when her phone started ringing. “We’re going to need to book time together.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” Hannah said. “That way, we’ll be able to find out how each of our dates are going.”

Holly picked up her phone. “Hello?”

“Is this Holly Miller?”

Holly frowned. She didn’t recognize the man’s voice. “It depends on who’s asking.” She waited for him to tell her his name, but there was nothing but silence on the end of the phone. “Look, mister. I don’t know who you are, but my phone number is unlisted for a reason. How did you find me?”

“I’m not stalking you if that’s what you mean. You applied to be part of the trial for the Crazy Love app. I’m your date.”