Crazy Love (Emerald Lake Billionaires 3) (5 page)

“Jason’s gone to New Zealand. Rick’s busy with his new girlfriend and Sebastian is somewhere in the Middle East. What am I supposed to do in New York without you guys?”

“I thought you had your hands full with Chantal.”

Blake looked away. “
Chantal left three weeks ago. She was only interested in what I could give her.”

Daniel had met Blake’s girlfriend a couple of times. She’d never impressed him all that much, but she wasn’t his girlfriend. He knew how hard it was to find someone who didn’t have dollar signs in their eyes when they found out their boyfriend was a billionaire.

“I’m sorry she left.”

Blake stared across the lake. “I should have seen it coming. Everyone else did. Maybe you’re the one who’s got it right.”

“What do you mean?”

“Living out here. At least I could have a conversation with someone without them knowing how much money I earn.”

“You’d have to stop calling Bozeman cowboyland. If you don’t, you’ll end up eating dirt.”

“How about we give it a try?”

Daniel froze. Blake had lived his whole life with butlers, housekeepers, and chauffeurs. He’d never survive without the things that were causing him the most grief. “How long were you planning on staying?”

“I’m not, but one night at your place wouldn’t be too difficult.”

“You’d better watch out. You might decide to stay.”

Blake laughed. “I can’t see that happening. Giving up my corporate seats in Yankee Stadium would be too hard.”

“We’ll see. I’ll give my neighbor a call and see if he wants to come into town with us tonight. Charlie’s Bar and Grill will give you a taste of what you’re missing.”

Daniel pulled his phone out of his pocket and called Jacob. There was one advantage to sharing a lake with three couples. You got to know your neighbors really well. And sometimes, like now, those friendships came in mighty handy.

***

Daniel opened the door to Charlie’s Bar and Grill. After a quick change of clothes, Blake had been ready to experience what Daniel tried hard not to take for granted.

“There’s a good crowd here tonight,” Jacob said as he waited beside Daniel.

Daniel almost laughed when he saw the look on Blake’s face. Cowboys, businessmen, students, and tourists filled the bar to almost overflowing. He didn’t know what Blake had been expecting, but it obviously wasn’t this.

The jukebox was playing a song from the sixties and the dance floor was full.

“Is this the only bar in town?” Blake moved out of the way as a busty blonde walked toward them.

Jacob laughed. “Bozeman has more bars and restaurants than you could ever need. We can even be semi-civilized when we need to be.”

Jacob Green was a property developer. He’d bought all of the land around Emerald Lake and had subdivided it into four properties. He lived in a big house overlooking the lake and had built the home that Daniel now owned.

He was as successful in business as Daniel and Blake were. But unlike Daniel and Blake, Jacob was happily engaged to a photographer called Molly. They were good neighbors and had become good friends.

Jacob nodded at the bar. “I’ll get our drinks while you find a table. What would you like?”

“A local beer,” Blake said over the music and laughter surrounding them.

“Anything in particular?”

Blake shook his head. “Surprise me.”

After Daniel had ordered a beer, he steered Blake across the room. “If you don’t want your eardrums blasted, the best place to sit is over here.” They maneuvered their way through the crowd, keeping a close eye on the tables around them.

“There’s nowhere to sit,” Blake said over the noise.

“Keep looking.”

Blake pointed to their right. “What about over there.”

Daniel looked at the open doors Blake was pointing at. “You can go in there if you want to, but you’ll end up being the main attraction.” Blake looked confused. “Bachelorette party.”

His friend looked more closely at the people going into the room. Not one man crossed the threshold. “How did you know?”

Daniel pointed to the door. “We have a secret code. If there’s a garter hanging above the door, mere males aren’t safe.”

“Clever.”

“It’s called survival. The last man that set foot in a bachelorette party ended up marrying one of the bridesmaids. There’d be no need for your app if that happened each week.”

“Very funny,” Blake muttered.

Daniel caught a flash of orange out of the corner of his eye. He pushed Blake toward one of the tables as a group of women left.

“Daniel? What are you doing here? I thought you were going out with Jacob tonight.”

He smiled at the tall woman sliding out of the booth. “We thought we’d bring Blake to Charlie’s Bar and Grill. He thinks we’re socially deprived.”

Molly O’Donaghue’s green gaze landed on Blake. “You must be Daniel’s friend. I’m Molly, Jacob’s fiancée.”

Blake held his hand out. “It’s nice to meet you, Molly.”

“And you, too. Is my fiancé still with you?”

“He’s getting our drinks,” Daniel said quickly.

“There are lots of single women here tonight.” Molly’s Irish accent drifted between them. “A man who wants to remain a bachelor would be wise to stay away.”

“What makes you think we want to stay single?” Daniel asked.

Molly laughed. “Are you telling me you’re looking for someone to share your life with?”

Daniel frowned. “It wouldn’t be unheard of.”

Molly patted his arm. “I’m being mischievous. You’d make someone a fine husband, Daniel Sullivan.”

Two women rushed up to Molly. They both had blonde hair and the bluest eyes Daniel had ever seen.

“Are we too late?” one of the women asked.

“Of course not. Tess and Becky have already gone through. I was just going into the party myself.” With a twinkle in her eye, Molly turned to Daniel and Blake. “I’m forgetting my manners. Daniel and Blake, meet Claire and Hannah. We’re going to Juliet’s bachelorette party.”

Daniel nodded at the two women. They looked so much alike that they had to be sisters.

They both stared at him.

Claire, the tallest of the two women, frowned. “I think I saw your photo the other day. Do you know Holly Miller?”

Daniel started to shake his head, then stopped. “You’ve seen my photo?”

“And your profile. We’ve been accepted onto the trial, too. Do you live in Bozeman or have you come here to see Holly?”

“I live here.”

“That’s so great,” Hannah gushed. “Wait until we tell Holly we’ve met you. She’s looking forward to seeing you tomorrow.”

“You know about our date?” Call him paranoid, but he’d always been very careful about who knew what he was doing.

Hannah nudged her sister. “We were with her when you called.”

Claire looked at Blake. “Are you in the trial, too?”

“No. I’m from New York. I’ve come here for a short vacation.”

“It must be so different living in a big city,” Claire said. “I visited New York once for a friend’s art exhibition. There are so many exciting things to do.”

Blake glanced at Daniel before replying. “Are you artists?”

“Part-time at the moment,” Claire replied. “But our goal is to be full-time artists.”

Hannah opened a small bag she was carrying. “In two days’ time there’s going to be an art auction in town. We’re raising money for a little boy who needs an operation. You’re more than welcome to come.” She handed Blake and Daniel a flyer advertising the event.

“You don’t have to buy anything,” Claire added. “It’s a great opportunity to see some wonderful paintings by local artists.”

Blake looked down at the flyer. “Thanks. I’m not sure I’ll be here, but good luck with the auction.”

Molly picked up her camera. “It was lovely meeting you, Blake. If I don’t leave now, Juliet will be arriving at her bachelorette party before I get there. Enjoy your visit to Bozeman.”

Hannah checked her watch. “We’d better leave, too. It was nice meeting you both. Remember to come to the auction.”

Blake didn’t take his eyes off Hannah and Claire as they disappeared into the crowd of people around them.

Daniel gave Blake a gentle push. “We’d better sit down before someone takes the table. Did you recognize the them?”

“Not at first. I wonder if anyone else here is on the trial.”

“Including Holly, there’s already four of us from Bozeman. The chance of that happening is practically zero.”

“Not if the only place we advertised was in Bozeman.”

Daniel watched Blake’s face carefully. “You can’t be serious. Do you know how small Bozeman is? Every second person knows who you are and what you’re doing.”

“We wanted to trial the app in a defined location. There was no point matching someone from New York with a person who lives in Los Angeles. The couples had to meet as quickly as possible. You can’t do that when you live thousands of miles apart.”

“So let me get this straight. The people you matched with each other aren’t necessarily the best matches?”

Blake looked a little uncomfortable. “The only difference between this trial and the final application is that the number of participants will increase. But that doesn’t mean the people on the trial are incompatible.”

Daniel shook his head. “I can’t believe I’m helping you. If Holly finds out that I’m only on the trial to troubleshoot any problems, I won’t be able to show my face in town again.”

“Look on the bright side. Claire and Hannah seem like ordinary people. If Holly is their friend, she’s got an equally strong chance of being normal, too.”

Jacob set three bottles of beer on the table. “What have I missed?”

Daniel glanced at Blake. “It’s a long story. How much time do you have?”

“As long as it takes. Don’t tell me you’ve invested in something that’s going to land you in prison?”

“Not prison, but I might be run out of town.” Daniel picked up his beer and stared at the label. Jacob must have known what they were talking about. He’d chosen a boutique beer called
Ivan the Terrible
.

Daniel might not be in Ivan the Terrible’s league, but he was beginning to feel like a con artist. Making sure Blake’s app worked properly wasn’t the reason most people would want to be on the trial. But Holly hadn’t put her name down, someone else had.

And that was probably the only thing that would save his sorry ass.

CHAPTER THREE

Holly took a deep breath as she got out of her car. She was ten minutes early for her date with Daniel. Not that it could really be called a date. A date would imply that she knew the person she was going to meet. At least she knew what he looked like. But if his photo was as deceptive as hers, he could be completely different in real life.

The door to the flower shop opened as Holly walked past.

“Psst. Good luck.”

Holly turned to Becky. “You know about my date?”

Becky was Molly’s sister. Claire and Hannah must have said something to Molly when they were finalizing the photographs in the catalog for the art auction.

“Don’t worry,” Becky said quietly, “I haven’t told anyone else. How do you feel?”

Holly looked either side of her before moving closer to Becky. “Nervous. I haven’t been on a blind date before.”

“Just be yourself. If he doesn’t like you, then that’s his problem.”

“I’ve been telling myself the same thing for the last two hours. It hasn’t made much difference.”

Becky grabbed hold of Holly’s arm and pulled inside her store. “Come with me. I’ve got something that might help.” She took some lavender out of a bouquet. “Sniff this. It’s wonderful if you’re feeling stressed.”

Holly glanced at her watch. She still had another seven minutes before she was supposed to be at Angel Wings Café.

Becky wiggled the stem of lavender under her nose. “Another couple of minutes won’t hurt. What time are you meeting your date?”

“Three o’clock.” Holly took the lavender out of Becky’s hand and sniffed it. The sweet scent didn’t help her relax, but at least it smelled nice. “I’m surprised that Claire and Hannah didn’t ask if you wanted to go on the dating trial as well.”

“I’m a lost cause. I leave for the flower markets at four o’clock in the morning and I’m usually in bed by half past eight each night. That doesn’t leave much time for a social life.”

Holly took one last sniff of the lavender and handed the flower back to Becky. “You’re lucky they didn’t take that as a challenge. I’d better see if Daniel’s waiting for me. Thanks for the lavender.”

“You’re welcome. Let me know how the date goes.”

Holly left the flower shop and walked toward Angel Wings Café. She glanced at her reflection in the next store’s window. Her bright red coat and orange scarf made her feel happy, especially when the sky was so gray and overcast. She usually didn’t worry too much about what she was wearing, but today had been different.