Crazy Love (Emerald Lake Billionaires 3) (6 page)

She had no idea who Daniel was expecting to meet. The questionnaire her friends had filled out was partly her, but not entirely. And the photo was so not her that it was a wonder he wanted to talk to her at all.

She waited behind an elderly couple while they made their way into the café. It was busy for a Thursday afternoon. Most of the tables were taken and Daniel was nowhere in sight. She should have called Tess and booked a table or warned Daniel that they might have to find somewhere else to meet.

While she was standing in the middle of the café feeling lost, Kate Carter, one of the part-time waitresses, came across to her.

“I saved you a table. Tess mentioned that you were bringing someone with you. It’s Doris Stanley’s birthday and she’s invited all of her mahjong friends here for coffee. You would have been lucky to find a seat, otherwise.”

“Does everyone know that I’ve got a date?”

Kate had already started moving across the café. She glanced over her shoulder and smiled. “It’s a small world and even smaller when Hannah was here at lunchtime. Will this table be okay?”

Holly nodded. Sitting at the back of the room was so much better than being by the front window. At least this way she’d see Daniel as soon as he walked into the café.

“Can I get you something to drink while you’re waiting?” Kate asked.

“No, thanks. I’ll wait until Daniel arrives.”

“If you change your mind, just wave at me.”

Before Holly could say thank you, Kate was gone. She pulled two pieces of paper out of her pocket and reread Daniel’s profile. Halfway down the page she put them back in her pocket. He reminded her so much of her ex-boyfriend, it was scary.

He’d started his own business when he was in his twenties, liked classical music, and his favorite vacation destination was Bali.

The bell above the door jingled and a man walked into the café. A man who looked remarkably like Daniel Sullivan. Holly quickly took her scarf off and stood up. He looked across the room and frowned.

Holly’s heart sank. He looked so serious. She had a feeling they’d only be here for half an hour before they both realized they’d made a mistake.

By the time Daniel made it across the room, Holly had decided that this was the worst thing she’d ever done.

“Hi, I’m Daniel Sullivan. You must be Holly?”

“That’s me. It’s nice to meet you.” She held out her hand and shook Daniel’s. His grip was firm, but not too strong. At least she’d still be able to paint after their disastrous date. “Have you been to Angel Wings Café before?”

“A few times.”

“It’s my favorite café.” Holly took her coat off and hung it over the back of another chair at their table.

“I hope you haven’t been waiting long?”

“No. Just a couple of minutes.”

Kate arrived at their table just as Daniel was taking off his coat. He was wearing jeans and a pale blue sweater that matched the color of his eyes.

“Would you like to see the menu?” Kate asked.

Daniel looked at Holly. “Do you still want pancakes and coffee?”

“That would be great.”

“Short stack?”

Holly nodded. “And I’ll have a cappuccino, please.”

After Kate had taken their order, Daniel pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. He turned it around so that Holly could see it. “Is this really you?”

Holly nodded and took Daniel’s photo out of her pocket. “I guess we’ve got something in common, after all.”

“Interesting photos?”

“That, too. But I was thinking more about why we brought each other’s photo with us. From the information on your profile I’d say you’ve got a pretty good memory.”

Daniel smiled. It was the kind of shy smile that lit his face from the inside out. “I wasn’t sure whether your hair really was this red or whether you were wearing a wig.”

Holly pulled a strand of her hair. “It’s real. I never understood why I was born with bright red hair and ringlets. Mom and dad both had straight black hair. I used to pretend I was descended from an Irish warrior queen.”

“You’ve got a good imagination.”

“When you’re ten years old, it makes standing out from the crowd a little easier to live with.”

“Having a good imagination must help with your art as well.”

“Sometimes.” Holly wasn’t sure whether Daniel knew who she was, and she wasn’t ready to tell him.

“Do you have any sisters or brothers with red hair?”

“No, there’s just me. What about you?”

Daniel grinned. “There’s no red hair in our family. We’re all sandy-blond, blue-eyed, and prone to wearing suits too much.”

“Sounds like an interesting family.”

“We have our moments.”

Someone tapped Holly on the shoulder. An elderly lady with gray hair and a pink sweater stood beside her.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but would you like a slice of birthday cake, Holly? Tess made it for me this morning.”

“Thanks, Mrs. Stanley, that would be lovely. Happy birthday.”

“Call me, Doris. We’re practically neighbors, give or take a few miles.” She looked at Daniel. “It’s very nice to see you again. We don’t often see you in town.”

Holly’s eyes widened. She’d heard that Mrs. Stanley knew everyone and everything that was happening in Bozeman, but she’d never seen her in action.

“Holly and I decided to have coffee together.”

If Mrs. Stanley knew how their coffee date had come about, Holly suspected she’d want to know everything so she could share her news on Facebook.

“Are you going to Holly’s art auction? The girls in the art collective have done such an incredible job of getting everything ready.” Mrs. Stanley leaned forward and whispered, “I’ve been invited to the pre-auction party. Most people don’t realize it, but Mr. Stanley is a patron of the arts. And who wouldn’t support little Tommy Adams? It’s a crying shame that he was born with such a cross to bear.”

“I was given a flyer about the auction last night.” Daniel glanced at Holly. “I’m looking forward to seeing Holly’s painting.”

Holly froze. There was no way Daniel could know her artist’s name. The only people who knew wouldn’t tell anyone. Before she could think of something to say, Kate arrived at their table.

“Hello, Doris. Jessie told me that you wanted to light the candles on your cake.”

Mrs. Stanley turned to Kate. “I do. Thank you for looking after me.”

“You’re one of our special customers. Let’s go and see what your friends are doing.”

With very little effort, Kate steered Mrs. Stanley back to her table and Holly breathed a sigh of relief. “Kate just saved us from being the next entry on the Bozeman Community Facebook page.”

Daniel watched Mrs. Stanley as she sat at the head of her birthday table. “She looks harmless.”

“She means well, but if you don’t want the rest of Bozeman knowing what you’re doing, don’t tell Mrs. Stanley anything.”

“I’ll remember that.”

With the candles lit and a round of
Happy Birthday
underway, Kate made her way back to their table. “You can thank me later. I’ll bring your coffee and pancakes out to you now.”

Daniel glanced at Mrs. Stanley’s table. “This doesn’t seem like your typical café.”

“I suppose it depends on what you’re used to. Your profile said you’re from New York. Have you always lived there?”

“I was born and raised in Iowa. I lived in Massachusetts while I was studying, moved to Florida when I graduated, then bought an apartment in New York and started my own company.”

“That’s a lot of moving around. Why did you decide to live in Bozeman?”

“A friend showed me a picture of a property at Emerald Lake. I contacted the developer and he sent me the plans for the house he was building. I moved here a week after my home was finished.”

“Wow. You don’t waste time when you make your mind up about something.”

Daniel’s blue gaze caught hers. “Not usually.”

Kate left two plates of pancakes on their table. “Here you go. I’ll be back soon with your coffee.”

Holly spread a napkin on her lap. “I hope you’re hungry? These are the best blueberry pancakes you’ll ever taste.”

Daniel looked doubtful.

“You don’t think so?”

“No. It’s not the pancakes…” He picked up his knife and fork. “…it’s you. You’re different from the person I thought I was meeting. You like French cuisine, vacations in Europe, and medieval castles, but you live in Bozeman and enjoy eating pancakes from a café.”

Holly stopped chewing.

Daniel stared at her. “You didn’t fill out the questionnaire for the trial, did you?”

She shook her head. “My friends put my name forward for the trial. I only saw the answers they wrote on the questionnaire two days ago. It’s not that I don’t have a social life, I do. I go out with my friends all the time. Except they’re female and you’re male. This isn’t the way I usually meet people.” Holly closed her mouth before she said anything else.

“It’s a first for me, too.”

“I’ve emailed the person who designed the program and asked him to take me off his database.”

“Have you heard back from him?”

“Not yet. Did you answer the questions you were sent?”

Daniel hesitated before answering. “I did.”

“And do you like French cuisine, European vacations, and medieval castles?”

“No.”

“Oh.” Holly pulled a copy of her questionnaire out of her bag. “Do you like cats, dogs, and chocolate ice cream?”

“I’m allergic to cats, but I like dogs. My favorite ice cream flavor is vanilla.”

An amused gleam lit Daniel’s eyes as she took a pen out of her bag.

Holly ticked the dog option and put a cross beside cats and chocolate ice cream. “Do you like walking on the beach?”

“Depends on who I’m with.”

Holly looked up and smiled. “Exactly.” She bent her head and looked at the next row of questions. They moved from section to section, marking Daniel’s answers against the answers she would have entered on the form. Kate refilled their coffee mugs twice, laughing at some of the things Holly told Daniel about herself.

“Last section,” Holly said with a grin. “The answer to these questions entitles the respondent to a free chocolate brownie from a world-renown café in Bozeman.”

Daniel’s gaze focused on Holly’s mouth.

Warm tingles skittered along her spine, warning her that she was dangerously close to liking her blind date. “Have I got a coffee mustache?”

Daniel cleared his throat and looked at the paper spread across the table. “No moustache. I’d better tell you that I’ve got high standards when it comes to chocolate brownies.”

“So do I. Angel Wings Café makes great brownies. You wouldn’t be stalling for time would you?”

“Never.” He sat back in his chair and waited for her final questions.

“Have you ever been married? Would you do it again? And how many children do you want?”

Daniel frowned. “Those questions weren’t on the form.”

“I know. I’m testing your memory.”

“Have you got space on your form for my answers?”

She flipped the last page over and waited, pen poised, above the blank page. “Go for it.”

“I’ve never been married, so question two is out. Not sure about the number of children. Six would be good.”

Her mouth dropped open. “Six? Are you serious?”

Daniel laughed. “No, but I was testing you. It’s your turn.”

“I’ve never been married, but I got close once. I’m not sure marriage is for me so I may have made question three redundant.” She watched Daniel’s face. He looked more surprised than disappointed.

“You must have been badly hurt.”

Holly put down her pen. “I thought he was incredible. It turned out he wasn’t.”

“How long has it been since you broke up?”

“Ten months, give or take a few weeks.” She looked down at the form. “What do you think would have happened if I’d filled out the form myself? Do you think we would have been matched by the computer program?”

Daniel leaned forward and glanced at the pages in front of them. “I doubt it. We didn’t agree on many of the answers.”

Holly looked at the questions with ticks beside them. “If compatibility relied on our favorite musical group, the best movie of all time and the vegetable we dislike the most, then we’re perfect for each other.”

Daniel turned one of the pages around. “Even with the answers your friends gave, I’m surprised the algorithms behind the program thought we were compatible.”

Holly didn’t know much about algorithms, but there had to be more to the dating program than a mathematical formula. “What about chaos theory?”

“What do you mean?”

“Chaos theory describes what happens when you change one small thing and look at its effect on the outcome. A couple of years ago I ran a series of workshops with some art students. We were exploring what made a painting look the way it did. All of the students started with the same painting by Picasso. We researched his life and what was happening when he painted the canvas. Then I altered one thing in his life for each of the students. They recreated the painting taking into account the effect they thought the change would have made.”