Crazy Love (Emerald Lake Billionaires 3) (15 page)

Holly rolled her eyes. “I’m trying to convince Blake that his app works. If the results say we’re incompatible, then the personality markers are wrong.”

“Are you saying that you like Daniel?” Blake asked.

Holly blushed. “Most of the time.”

Daniel raised his eyebrows. “Only most of the time? When don’t you like me?”

The frown on Holly’s face made Daniel smile.

“I can’t say I like you all the time. Your head would swell so much that you wouldn’t be able to get through the door.”

Daniel placed his hands either side of his head. “You’re right. No swelling.”

Holly looked at Blake. “It’s a wonder I survived the last four dates. Your friend has a warped sense of humor.”

“As long as his sense of humor matches yours, I’ll be happy.” Blake turned to Daniel. “It’s your turn. What do you think about Holly?”

Daniel hoped Blake wouldn’t ask that question. Holly had spent all of Sunday with him and the last three evenings. They’d gone through the questionnaire, analyzing their old and new answers. But it hadn’t been the questionnaire that had intrigued him.

Holly had done that all on her own. She had a great sense of humor. She treated him like a normal person, not someone with too much money. He liked her honesty and her ability to think outside of the square. But most of all he liked her spirit. She wanted to make the most of her life, surround herself with positive people and wonderful experiences. She made him want to be a better person, someone she could enjoy spending time with.

“We’ve got a lot in common,” Daniel muttered. “Holly is fun to be around, even if she doesn’t like anchovies.”

Blake opened a file on his laptop. “It’s just as well I don’t have to rely on what you say to sell my app. I’d be out of business within seconds. We ran Holly’s questionnaire through the program and came up with something interesting.”

“I shouldn’t have ordered pizza,” Holly said. “Antonio suggested spaghetti, but I was worried about spilling the sauce on my sweater.”

“It would have had anchovies in it,” Daniel said without thinking.

Blake shook his head. “I don’t know whether I want to tell you the results. If I hear another anchovy story I’m going to test the app on myself.”

If Blake didn’t tell them the results soon, Daniel was going to look at his friend’s laptop himself. “What did the program say?”

“You have the highest compatibility rating of any of the couples we matched. According to the Crazy Love app, you’re what we would call a perfect match.”

“Doesn’t that worry you?” Holly asked

The frown on Blake’s face would have been funny if there weren’t half a million dollars at stake. “Why would you say that?”

“The program matched us the first time around. It matched us again even though three-quarters of my answers were different from Daniel’s. I don’t understand why that would happen.”

Blake looked less worried. “Each of the questions are weighted. Not all of the answers you gave would have had the same degree of importance. The fact that you don’t like anchovies isn’t as important as your reaction to what happened in the restaurant.”

He pointed at the results on his laptop. “Take question sixteen, for example. Asking someone how they feel about walking into a room full of strangers is only part of the analysis. We’re also interested in their response to other people walking into a room full of strangers. How they relate to that person shows us their level of empathy and understanding. It tells us whether they’re paying attention to the people around them or more interested in themselves.”

“You’re not worried that Daniel and I were matched even though I didn’t complete the first questionnaire?”

“Are
you
worried?” Blake asked.

Daniel held his breath while he waited for Holly’s answer.

“No. I think your app works. Mia and Hannah have met the men they were matched with. They both liked them.”

Blake glanced at Daniel. “I’m looking forward to seeing the results from their feedback questionnaire.”

“There’s another one?” Holly looked surprised and a little dismayed.

Blake opened another computer file. “After five dates, all of the selected applicants complete another questionnaire. If their experience is as positive as yours and Daniel’s, we’ll fast-track our sales program and start marketing the app.”

“So, Daniel and I don’t need to spend any more time together?”

“Not for the trial of the Crazy Love app. It would be great if you could fill out the last questionnaire, but you’ve already spent a lot of time helping me. Whatever happens from here is up to the two of you.”

“We haven’t been on five dates yet,” Daniel said.

Holly wasn’t the only one who looked surprised. He hoped Blake didn’t mention the number of times he’d agreed to go out with her.

“We’ve already been on five dates,” Holly said.

“Going over the questionnaire doesn’t count. We’ve only been on two official dates. Once in Angel Wings Café and another at the Italian restaurant.”

“What about when I came to your home with my friends? That has to mean something.”

“It means we talked.” Daniel glanced at Blake daring him to disagree.

“That’s what you do on a date,” Holly insisted. “We’ve spent more time together than most people would during five dates.”

“You like me and I like you. What’s wrong with going out three more times? At least we’ll be able to fill out the questionnaire with more accuracy.”

“I’ve got a lot of painting to do.”

“They can be short dates.”

Holly’s eyes narrowed. “If we have to go out again I want to choose where we go.”

Daniel didn’t care where they went. He was just happy that she wanted to go out with him. “That sounds okay to me.”

Blake closed the lid on his laptop. “I’ll resend the last questionnaire to you both. Good luck with your last three dates. It sounds as though you’re going to need it.”

“We’re a perfect match,” Daniel said half-seriously. “We don’t need luck.”

Holly picked up her bag. “I wouldn’t be too sure about that. It depends on where I take you for our next date.” She glanced at her watch. “I need to leave. I’m meeting Mia at the hospital. Tommy Adams has been transferred back to Bozeman.”

“Is that the little boy you raised money for?”

Holly nodded. “His surgery went really well. He still has a long way to go, but at least his family has enough money to pay his medical bills. I’ll give you a call tomorrow night, Daniel. Bye, Blake. Good luck with the rest of your trial.”

“Remember to send me your final questionnaire.”

Holly nodded and left his office.

“That was interesting,” Blake said. “She’s not like any of the other women you’ve dated.”

“What do you mean?”

Blake put on his jacket. “Holly’s intelligent and has the same warped sense of humor that you do. You couldn’t have chosen better yourself.”

“I suppose you’re going to say, I told you so.”

“Not yet. If you’re not doing anything you can buy me lunch. My flight to New York doesn’t leave for another three hours.”

Daniel leaned over his desk and forwarded his calls to his cell phone. “What do you feel like?”

“The pizza with anchovies and olives sounded good.”

“It is good. Antonio makes the best pizzas in town.”

Daniel put his wallet into his jacket and looked for the keys to his truck. “If we get there in the next half hour we’ll miss the lunch rush.”

The door to Daniel’s office opened and a man in a dark blue pinstriped suit walked in.

“Sam? It’s good to see you. I didn’t know you were coming here.” Daniel walked across to his friend and hugged him tight.

“I thought it was about time I came and saw you.” Sam hugged him, then smiled at Blake. “How’s the trial of your dating app going?”

“It’s going great thanks to Daniel.”

“I always knew he had hidden depths.”

Daniel hadn’t seen Sam for a while and he was surprised at how tired he looked. “How’s life in New York?”

“A lot quieter since you left. When you’ve got time, I want to know what’s happened in the Sudan. You didn’t sound happy last time we talked.”

Blake picked up his laptop. “I might have found a solution to half of Daniel’s problem with the Red Cross. We’re going for pizza. Why don’t you come with us? Daniel can tell you the rest of the story.”

Sam glanced at Daniel. “Are you sure I won’t be interrupting?”

“Positive. Do you know anything about alpacas?”

“You’re not raising them on your property, are you?”

Daniel opened the door and waved Blake and Sam through. “My neighbor arrived yesterday with two alpacas from the animal shelter. I’ve got a feeling they might be staying for a while.”

Sam chuckled. “I always knew Montana would be good for you.”

Daniel wasn’t ready to tell anyone how good Montana was. It could get a whole lot better if a certain redhead was prepared to let him close to her. But that was something to think about on another day.

Right now, his two best friends were with him and that was enough good news for anyone.

***

Holly and Mia arrived at the hospital at five o’clock that evening. Tommy had taken a long time to settle and Andrea, his mom, looked exhausted.

“We won’t stay long,” Mia said to Andrea. “We can come back another day when everyone’s feeling better.”

“It’s okay. It’s nice seeing you.” She rested her hand on the side of the crib where her baby son was sleeping.

“How’s Tommy?” Holly asked.

“He’s holding his own. The surgery went well. There were no complications and the surgeon was happy. It just seems so unreal. No one can tell us why it happened or if it will happen again if we have more children.”

“He looks so peaceful,” Holly said softly.

“He hasn’t slept properly all day. We’ll be here for two days and then we’re going home. In another week he’ll have a helmet made to fit the shape of his head.”

Andrea talked about her husband, the support they were getting from their friends. When the nurse arrived to check Tommy, Mia and Holly left the room.

“How about we go to the cafeteria for coffee?” Mia suggested. “You can tell me what you’ve been doing this afternoon.”

Holly stopped in front of a map of the hospital. “The Bistro’s still open. Do you want to go there or to one of the other cafés?”

“The Bistro’s fine.” Mia pushed the elevator button. “What happened with Blake and Daniel?”

“We talked about the questionnaire. Blake’s convinced that Daniel and I are a perfect match.”

“Are you going to see him again?”

Holly didn’t know if continuing what they’d signed up for could be counted as seeing him. “He thinks we’ve still got three dates left before we can fill out the final questionnaire.”

“And you don’t?”

The lift stopped on the next floor and Holly made room for another person. “We’ve seen each other almost every day since I met him, but he’s not counting those as dates.”

“I don’t blame him,” Mia said with a grin. “He meets a pretty, intelligent, woman and wants to get to know her. But the pretty woman has cold feet. What’s he supposed to do?”

The man who stepped into the lift smiled. “Warm her feet up fast before she gets frostbite.”

Mia’s grin got a whole lot wider. “How would you do that?”

“Find any excuse to go out with her.” He held his hand out to Mia. “I’m Stan Lewis, the Director of the hospital. If you need more advice, I’d be happy to help.”

A bell pinged and the elevator doors opened.

He stepped into the corridor and turned to Holly. “Good luck with your dating issues.”

Mia put her hand on the door to stop it from closing. She peered into the corridor and watched Stan walk away. “Oh, my. He’s gorgeous.”

“He’s built like a grizzly bear.”

“I don’t mind grizzly bears. Did you notice his eyes? They were amazing.”

“While you’re thinking about his eyes you can move your hand away from the door. The Bistro is on this floor.”

Mia sighed. “We could have asked him to join us for coffee.”

Holly grabbed hold of her friend’s arm. “Come on. If you’re not careful, you’ll get arrested for ogling the hospital boss. I thought you were seeing Adam.”

“Adam is a nice guy, but he doesn’t seem like the type of person who’s looking for someone special.”

“And you think Mr. Hot and Steamy could be looking for someone special?”

“I don’t know, but it would be interesting to find out. He wasn’t wearing a wedding ring.”

“Neither do half the men in Montana.”

“I’m thinking positive thoughts. Let me dream for a few more minutes.” Mia pointed at a sign and frowned. “We’re on the wrong floor. The Bistro is on level one.”

“Why did I think it was on level two?”

“I don’t know, but our elevator ride meant we met Stan. I can forgive your wonky sense of direction if it leads me to men as cute as him.”