An Unexpected Match

She’d always loved coming here, hearing her mother and Mrs. Warren tell the same stories that never lost their sparkle. There was stability in the sameness, comfort in the familiarity.

Even seeing Matthew again hadn’t felt as awkward as she’d expected, so her excuse for staying away from Scott-Warren gatherings seemed silly now. Matthew had always been a decent boy, the one who’d insisted that she and Logan be allowed to play board games with the older kids. She should have known he wouldn’t grow into the type of man who would embarrass her over the past. That sweet little girl across the table, the one with two sandy-brown braids and caramel-colored eyes that mirrored her father’s, reminded her that Matthew had more important things on his mind these days.

Though Matthew had changed some since the last time she’d seen him, she still would have recognized that baby face anywhere. At twenty-eight, he’d filled out his lanky frame, and the peach fuzz that used to dust his upper lip and chin had been replaced by a five o’clock shadow, two shades darker than his hair. He probably chose those mod-shaped glasses rather than contacts to make him look older.

“Remember the time that Haley fed soap shavings to Logan’s fish?” Mrs. Warren was saying when Haley returned to the conversation.

“Poor Crunch,” Caroline said and made a sad face.

“Am I ever going to live that down?” Haley frowned. “Who names a fish Crunch anyway?”

Seated next to her father, Elizabeth looked up from the pile of peas she was scattering on her plate. “Miss Haley killed Crunch?”

Everyone laughed at the horror in the child’s voice before her grandma explained that Crunch had survived his sudsy ordeal. “You and Logan always were like oil and water whenever you were together.”

“Didn’t bode well for your old matchmaking scheme,” Caroline chimed. She must have realized it was poor timing for one of her dry side comments because she met Haley’s gaze and winced.

Trina and Amy missed that exchange as they grinned at each other across the table.

“Wow, the plan,” Trina said, shaking her head. “We haven’t talked about that in years.”

“Matched sets!” The two mothers exclaimed the words in unison, and with equally precise timing, the three Scott sisters and the lone Warren brother groaned.

Haley rolled her eyes. She should have known that even on a day like today the two moms would reminisce about their silly idea to arrange marriages among their six children. Their plan had been a running family joke, but it was far less funny today.

“It was worth a try, anyway,” Amy said. “Since your mother and I were pregnant together for at least a few months three different times, and she had the girls while I had the boys, we figured we might have a shot for at least one proper matchup.”

“God made it easy by giving us even pairs,” Trina supplied. “Two oldest, two middle and two youngest.”

“I sure messed that up then, didn’t I?”

This wasn’t the first sardonic comment Matthew had made tonight, but this time he didn’t get a laugh. Jenna cleared her throat, while the others took renewed interest in their food. Even living in Michigan, Haley had heard all about Matthew’s brief marriage to his college girlfriend who deserted him and their infant daughter.

“Messed up what, Daddy?”

“Just a game,” he assured her. “Now eat your peas.”

Amy tugged one of her granddaughter’s braids. “Sure, it was just a game.” She looked farther down the table to her son. “But two moms could dream, couldn’t they?”

“Moms never stop dreaming,” Trina said. The meaningful look she gave first to Matthew and then Caroline left no doubt that she hadn’t given up on their matchmaking plan, especially where those two were concerned. Caroline’s cheeks were pink as she concentrated too intently on her roast beef.

Haley had a strange impulse to raise her hand and announce, “Hey, this is supposed to be about me.” If their mothers were going to start matchmaking again, at least they could have waited for another day. Not the day of her broken engagement.

Anyway, if they only knew. She’d never told them then, and she certainly didn’t plan to now, but at one time, one of the Scott sisters had longed for a matchup with a certain Warren brother. At the memory of her crush from long ago, Haley coughed into her napkin. Her cheeks burned. She felt fourteen again, the embarrassing images repeating in her mind like a love story performed in a Three Stooges episode.

“You okay?” Matthew asked when her gaze darted his way again. His eyebrows were drawn together above the frames of his glasses.

She nodded. The others studied her with the same concern they’d focused on her most of the night. If they’d known what she’d been thinking about just then, they really would have been worried. She had no business ruminating on an adolescent crush when the real love of her life had deserted her only hours before. It just went to show how muddled her thoughts had become tonight.

“Is anyone ready for dessert?” Matthew asked, breaking the silence.

Elizabeth shot a hand into the air. “I am. I am.” She leaned in and announced in a stage whisper, “Do you want some, Miss Haley? Grammy said it’s chocolate cake.”

Of course, it would be cake. Even before opening her own bakery, Amy Warren had made all the scrumptious desserts for their gatherings. The only difference now was she brought them home in a box. Amy hurried into the kitchen, with Elizabeth trailing behind her to help and probably sample the frosting.

Haley’s mother stood and started stacking dishes. “If all this had happened one day later, we would have had an even bigger dessert. Amy’s staff would have already started on the cake, so we could have split a three-tier wedding cake seven ways.”

“I would have taken that challenge,” Matthew said. “Imagine that, a baker’s son who still loves wedding cake.”

Haley cleared her throat to get their attention. “Sure glad my sad story is a punch line for everyone.” She frowned first at her mother and then at Matthew. “Why didn’t you just keep tiptoeing around the subject? You were doing a good job of it.”

“Because you need to talk about the wedding,” Trina insisted. “It’ll be easier to heal if you do.”

“I don’t want to talk about it, Mom.” Not here. Not in front of these people.

Matthew spread his hands wide. “Then you don’t have to talk about it, at least not until you’re ready.”

Trina blew out a frustrated breath, but she nodded. “Fine. When you’re ready.”

Amy picked that moment to return with the cake, her assistant following closely behind. “Now everyone had better take a piece, or I’ll be offended.”

Despite the warning, Jenna attempted to decline but ended up with a big piece in front of her anyway. Soon appreciative murmurs filled the room.

Haley studied the people around her as they ate. How many times had they gathered around a table just like this one, sharing food and their lives? These people were like her extended family. They’d been there for her during the trials of her childhood, and they were there for her now, waiting to talk about her life-changing day until she was ready. Maybe she could talk about it after all.

“Boy, it’s a good thing there’s not going to be a wedding.” Haley waited until all those surprised faces turned her way before she continued. “After this dinner, I never would have fit in my wedding gown.”

“You’re not getting married?” Elizabeth asked.

Matthew sent a wary look his daughter’s way. Of course, no one had thought to tell Elizabeth.

“No, sweetie,” Haley said. “We canceled the wedding.”

“But why?”

Haley shrugged, uncertain how to explain to a child what she didn’t know for sure herself. “My fiancé decided he didn’t want to marry me.”

Elizabeth sat straighter in her seat and crossed her arms. “He was mean not to marry someone nice like you.”

They all laughed at the child’s summation of the situation, except Haley, who managed a smile. She wasn’t ready to join in the laughter, but she didn’t feel the need to sob on the floor, either. It was a start.

With the taboo subject of the canceled ceremony now on the table, the women began dividing up their assignments for the next day. Jenna would meet with the florist who had to cancel a whole order of white roses, while Haley took on the bridal storeowner and Caroline faced off with the caterer, dealing with cancellation policies. Haley’s mother had volunteered for the task of phoning all the guests.

Caroline looked up from the notebook she’d pulled from her purse, with the first two pages already detailing the next day’s chores. “Too bad Mom doesn’t have a best friend who is owner of one of these other businesses.”

“We did get special treatment there.” Trina turned to Amy. “I don’t know how to thank you for returning the deposit.”

Amy waved off her friend’s thanks. “What are friends for? You might recoup some of your money on the dresses, too, if the bridal shop owner agrees to sell them on consignment. It’s good when couples can reclaim some of their costs, so they’ll be able to focus their attention on what to do next.”

Haley could feel Mrs. Warren’s gaze on her, but she couldn’t bring herself to look at her. Beyond tomorrow’s chores, she didn’t know what she would do next. She realized that she needed to carve out a new life for herself now, a focused life, but how could she find it when she didn’t know what she wanted?

“Okay, what’s my job?” Matthew asked as he leaned forward, bracing his forearms on the table.

“Hang around and nod your head a lot,” Jenna supplied.

Caroline looked up from her list. “You could check off chores on the list while the rest of us do the jobs.”

“Or,” Amy paused for effect before adding, “you could tag along while Caroline talks with the caterer.”

Matthew shot a frown his mother’s way, but then he turned back to the others.

“What is this? I thought you were all evolved, twenty-first-century women, and here you are applying a double standard by saying a man wouldn’t know his way around wedding plans. I’ll have you know that I plan the music for all the weddings at our church, and no one ever complains.”

“Then what do you want to do?” Jenna asked.

“I don’t know.” He hesitated, as if he’d just realized what he’d gotten himself into. “I can handle anything as long as it doesn’t involve frilly dresses or makeup.”

Caroline glanced down at her list and then at Matthew again. “You could help repackage the gifts for return.”

He turned to Haley. “You have to return the gifts?”

“That’s how it works,” Haley said.

“She doesn’t have to return mine.” Caroline crossed her arms over her chest. “Single women can use blenders, too.”

Matthew was grinning over Caroline’s feminist perspective when he turned back to her youngest sister. “You don’t need to open Caroline’s gift since she gave away the surprise. It’s a blender.”

“It is not,” Caroline insisted, but everyone laughed again, anyway.

Haley even chuckled this time, the light feeling in her chest offering another surprise in a day chock-full of them. She’d planned to be at her rehearsal dinner tomorrow night. Surprise. She’d expected that the details in her life would be neatly in order by Saturday afternoon. Surprise. And now she’d discovered that with the support of family and these friends, she might someday have more reasons to laugh again.

The two families were working together to clear away dishes as they’d done so many times over the years when Amy Warren cornered her son in the kitchen.

“I have a better idea for something you can do to help Haley,” she told him.

He lowered an armload of half-empty platters on the counter. “What’s that? And don’t tell me it’s by going out with a certain sister of hers, either.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Mother,” he said in a warning tone.

“We’ll worry about that later.” Glancing at the door separating the kitchen from the dining room, she gestured for him to come closer to the sink. She spoke in hushed tones. “You can kill two birds with one stone. You need a child-care provider, at least a temporary one, and Haley needs a job.”

Matthew was shaking his head before the plan was out of her mouth. He felt badly for only thinking of his own problems when Haley was having a crisis, and he’d wanted to help her in some way, but this wasn’t it. “You’re not serious.”

“Of course, I am.”

“But this is Haley Scott we’re talking about.” Haley, whose résumé was too long to fit on one page, and not in a good way. Haley, who switched college majors and jobs as often as other people changed clothes. But he said only, “I don’t think that’s a good idea. And besides, I still have a few candidates left to interview.”

Amy shrugged as she rinsed dishes and loaded them in the dishwasher. “Up to you.”

“Yes, it is.”

His mother clearly disagreed with him, but as Elizabeth’s father, it was up to him to decide who should provide care for her. What kind of father would he be to trust his child to someone as flighty as Haley? He couldn’t even understand why his mother had suggested it, except that Haley was her best friend’s daughter.

His obligation was to his own daughter, whose needs he would always put ahead of his own or anyone else’s. Elizabeth deserved better than a child-care provider who might desert her without looking back. Might do exactly what his ex-wife had done.

“She isn’t Stacey, you know,” his mother said.

Matthew blinked. His mother was bringing out the big guns if she was mentioning his ex. He’d declared that name off-limits, and usually his family abided by that rule. Before he could call out his mother for breaking the rule, though, Jenna pushed through the door, carrying an armful of dishes. Haley followed right behind her, but she only had dishes in one hand because his daughter was holding the other.

Matthew glanced surreptitiously at his mother, who caught his attention and grinned. He started shoving dishes into the dishwasher, hoping the others hadn’t overheard their earlier conversation.

“I was just telling Haley that when I get back from the florist tomorrow, we can go shopping for some new outfits,” Jenna said. “There are so many cute styles for spring.”

“Jenna, I don’t think—”

“Aw, come on. It’ll be fun.”

Their mother and Caroline entered the kitchen, stopping just inside the door.

“You know…shopping therapy,” Jenna continued. “Haley will want to look her best when she gets back out there.”

“Back out there?”

The dread in Haley’s voice couldn’t be missed. She didn’t sound anywhere near ready to be out there again. Matthew knew what that was like, and he could also relate to times when relatives’ well-meaning help felt too much like pressure.

“Shopping therapy might work for some, but are you sure that’s what your sister wants to do?” Matthew turned to Haley. “Haley, what do you want to do?”

“That is the question of the day.” Haley shook her head, appearing overwhelmed with the thought. “Haley Scott, what do you plan to do with the rest of your life?” For the last, she took on a game show announcer’s voice.

“I’m not talking about the rest of your life. Just tomorrow.” Matthew had been searching for a way to help, and now it seemed obvious: He could give her something to do to take her mind off her problems. She probably needed a temporary distraction even if he doubted she would accept that distraction from him. They hadn’t exactly parted on the best of terms the last time they’d seen each other.

“Oh, tomorrow. I hadn’t really thought about it.”

“Well, I have an idea if you need one. Something fun.”

“Like what?”

Her answer surprised him since he expected an automatic “no.” He cleared his throat before giving his pitch. “I’m chaperoning a youth group road rally at church, and I thought you might like to tag along.”

“Sounds to me as if they’re short on volunteers.”

“No. That’s not it,” he began, but he stopped when the side of her mouth lifted. “I just thought—Anyway, it’s a photo scavenger hunt, and I’m one of the drivers.”

Matthew placed a few more glasses in the top rack of the dishwasher, giving her a chance to answer. When she didn’t, he hurried on. “The youth group kids are great. I’ve chaperoned several of their trips, and they’ve been a lot of fun.”

He didn’t know why he was selling the plan so hard. Chaperoning a youth group trip wasn’t one of his favorite things, but the youth director was always begging for volunteers, and Matthew helped whenever he was available.

“I don’t know,” she said, finally.

“It’ll be an adventure.”

She lifted an eyebrow. “Don’t you think the whole dumped-at-the-altar thing is enough of an adventure for one weekend?”

“She’s right, Matthew,” her mother said as she scooped leftovers into plastic containers. “She has too much on her plate right now to be chasing off in a car with teenagers. Caroline might like to go though.”

“Me working with teenagers?” Caroline shook her head. “That’s not going to happen.”

Matthew turned back to Haley. “I just thought you would like to forget about the wedding business for a few hours.”

Haley had already opened her mouth, probably to decline, but she closed it again, appearing to reconsider. “You know, maybe I will go with you. I could use a break from my life.”

Trina Scott turned and rested her hip against the counter. “Now Haley, are you sure you want to do that?”

“It will be better than sitting at home feeling sorry for myself. Besides, it will give Elizabeth and me the chance to get to know each other better.” She patted the child’s head, and Elizabeth grinned up at her.

“She won’t be there.” Matthew had spoken too quickly, and from the women’s expressions, he could tell he wasn’t the only one who’d noticed. Just because he didn’t want his daughter to spend too much time with Haley didn’t mean he needed to be unkind. “I mean…younger kids aren’t included in this event. Elizabeth will be spending the night here.”

“Oh. It’ll be fun anyway, I guess.”

Haley appeared disappointed, and Matthew didn’t know what to think about that.

“Daddy, I want to go, too,” Elizabeth whined. “Why can’t I go with Miss Haley? It’s not fair.”

Matthew sighed inside, preparing himself for his daughter’s meltdown. This was a new stage for her, one he was determined to put to an end quickly. But just as he started toward Elizabeth, Haley lifted her up on her hip.

“You get to spend the whole night here with Grammy? You’re going to have so much fun.”

“That’s right. You’ll have a blast,” he agreed.

Matthew didn’t have to look to know his mother was watching him again, sending him another one of those knowing looks. Just because Haley had averted one tantrum didn’t mean she was qualified to care for his child. She was still Haley Scott—and all that implied—and he was still Elizabeth’s father.

Those truths didn’t stop him from feeling badly for Haley though. She’d been through a lot today, and the coming weeks were sure to be difficult. Maybe it was a bad idea for him to invite her to join him in chaperoning, but he would never be so cruel as to withdraw the invitation.

That didn’t keep him from wanting the whole event to just be over with. Then he would have completed his good deed for the day by helping out a woman he’d known since childhood get through a couple of rough days. After that, he could wish her well, and he and Elizabeth could get on with their lives.

Chapter Three

Haley stepped back from the front door, gesturing for Matthew to come inside. She felt strange inviting him in like a guest when he’d visited her mother’s new house more times than she had. In fact, everything felt peculiar about her going on this outing with Matthew now, though it had sounded like a good idea last night.

Already she’d spent the morning hanging her incredible wedding gown on the consignment rack at the bridal store and arranging storage for her possessions back in Michigan. Next, she’d “enjoyed” an afternoon of writing thank-you notes for gifts she had to return. Now the idea of accepting an invitation—probably given out of pity—felt like one dose of mortification too many.

Oblivious to her humiliation and appearing fidgety himself, Matthew scanned the room, now stacked with wrapped gifts on one wall and about a dozen packages addressed for return on the opposite wall.

He cleared his throat and turned back to her. “Wow, look at this place. You’ve been busy.”

“Probably too busy. Maybe Mom was right. I am tired. Maybe I should just—”

“Not so fast, Haley Scott.”

Haley had been staring at the gifts again, feeling the weight of the work ahead, but she turned to look at him. “Excuse me?”

“You don’t know how hard it is to get volunteers for youth group events. Now that you’re on the hook, there’s no way I’m letting you off.”

She snapped her fingers, grimacing. “I knew it. I knew you were only asking me because I was vulnerable and you were short of volunteers.”

“Smart gal. Now get your coat. A rowdy bunch of teens are waiting for us.”

Forgetting her flimsy argument, Haley did as she was told. Matthew seemed too determined to treat her as his charity case for her to change his mind anyway. For a few seconds last night, she’d wondered if her mother had discouraged her from accepting Matthew’s invitation just to trick her into going, but one look at that disapproving frown had ruled out any suspicion of matchmaking motives.

Even the two matchmakers probably recognized the unfortunate timing, and besides, they’d always intended Caroline for Matthew in their silly plan. Not her.

After she retrieved her purse from the bedroom, Haley found Matthew bent in front of the pile of small appliances and stoneware place settings stacked along the wall.

“You’ve got quite a stash here,” he said.

“Two toasters, three waffle irons, a blender and a smoothie maker, and that’s without unwrapping any of the ones I hadn’t already opened.”

“Caroline was right. You should get to keep the loot.”

“I don’t think so.” She shook her head to reinforce her words. “I do wish I could use a form letter for my thank-you notes though. My hand is killing me.”

As she flexed and unflexed her left hand, her gaze stopped on her third finger. Her hand looked so bare now without her engagement ring. That piece of jewelry was safe in a drawer upstairs for when she would return it to Tom. The sound of Matthew clearing his throat brought her attention up from her hand.

“Then you need a break…for the sake of those sore fingers. So shall we?” With a tilt of his head, he indicated the front door.

Haley couldn’t help smiling as they went outside and descended the steps toward Matthew’s hybrid SUV parked at the curb. He was so kind to distract her from her problems. He opened her door before jogging around to the driver’s side.

Once inside, he gave her shoulder a squeeze. “Each day will get a little easier, you know.”

“How do you—” Haley began, and then she remembered that he did know from experience what it was like to be the one left behind. Though she’d worried briefly about her mother’s motives, she found relief in knowing she didn’t have to worry about Matthew’s. He was reaching out to her in friendship, just as he’d done all those years ago.

Back then his offer had felt like a nightmare, a pat on the head when she’d hoped to be held in his arms. The same offer now seemed perfect. She didn’t want or need anything else from a man right now, but she could really use a friend.

The glare from the fluorescent lights caught Haley’s attention, and a newborn’s distinctive cry filtered down the aisle, as Haley raced through a discount department store, searching for the backdrop for their final photo. Matthew jogged after her, the two girls and two boys they’d shared a ride with in Matthew’s SUV earlier taking up the rear.