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His heart filled with hope Maybe there was a chance with her after all She was at least opening a door for hih she’d have no choice but to let hiht away
Tanner picked up the phone When the man on the other end answered Tanner said, “Hey, Charlie, I need a favor”
“What’s that?”
Tanner wasted no ti, “I need you to hire a matchmaker”
“I don’t think my ould like that” Charlie chuckled
“No, I need you to pretend you need a o in your place” Tanner couldn’t afford for this to go wrong
“You’re notany sense Why can’t you just do it?”
Tanner explained he wasn’t sure that Whitney would et her to a public place so she was more likely to hear him out “You do this for me and I’ll take your calls for a month”
“Wow, you want this pretty bad”
“I do”
“Then it’s a deal What’s the number?”
A few days later Charlie called back with a date and time at Café Loo to this kind of trouble”
“She is Thanks”
Three days later Malcolm stopped him in the hallway outside the CICU “Tanner, can I have a ith you?”
“I’ve only got a second” He was due to meet Whitney in two hours and he wouldn’t be late Tanner was anxious and hoped Malcol-winded
Malcolive you a heads-up on this The board ot the directorship”
Tanner should have been super excited but all he could think about wasWhitney The directorship paled in co Whitney back He took a few steps backward, anxious to leave “Thanks for letting me know”
Malcolave him a quizzical look “Maybe you and Whitney would like to have dinner with us to celebrate”
“I’ll let you know,” Tanner called over his shoulder as he headed down the hall
Two hours later Tanner sat at a table in the patio area of the café where he and Whitney had met his prospective matches What would her reaction be when she saw him? Would she turn and walk away? Would she listen to him?
His pulse jumped There she was His heart swelled She looked beautiful He’dhe carried
Wearing a sky blue dress that fit her torso then flared gently around her legs, Whitney looked nothing like the dowdy shopkeeper of old There was a spring in her step that was new A sick feeling came over him What had put that there? Had she found so him as much as he was her
Tanner saw the second her step faltered as she crossed the street She’d seen hiazes , he never took his eyes off her She continued toward him at a slower pace
When she reached him he said, “Will you join me?”
“I have—” she cleared her throat “—to meet a client”
“I’m the client”
“What?” She looked as if she ht run
He quickly said, “I wasn’t sure you’d meet me so I asked a friend to pretend to need a match”
She sighed and her shoulders sluames”
“I’ about here He pulled out a chair “Please, join me for just a minute”
For a second he feared she was going to say no but she reluctantly sat, her hands clutching her purse “What’s this all about?”
“I ondering if you could help me find someone to love and ill love me?”
Me Me Me Whitney wanted to shout
Did he ht? He had said love Soive Did she dare hope? She watched hiht we settled this weeks ago I’ht matchmaker for you”
“You’re usually not this slow to catch on,” Tanner said with a smile
“To what?” Noas starting to irritate her
“You’reyou I love you I hope you still feel the same about me”
Whitney’s hands treht she’d hear hi true?