Meeting His Match

Chapter 1 Mac stormed into his mother’s office, yanking at his tie. He pointed at her. “You set me up.” “Stop being melodramatic, Malcolm. What are you talking about?” She barely glanced up from the file in front of her. Mac closed the door behind him and then saw Paul, his friend since college and recently hired PR consultant, sitting on the couch against the wall. He pinned Paul with a stare. “Did you know about this?” “About what?” Paul’s face revealed nothing, but Mac knew the guy could bluff. “I met with the producers, as you requested. They want to change the format.” He looked between his mother and Paul, waiting for one of them to c***k. The idea for the matchmaking show had been his mother’s idea, and when the studio decided to move forward with it, it had been based on Mac being part of the show. They’d liked the spin of having a male matchmaker. Mac had agreed based on Paul’s urging that it would help build the business. His mother sat back in her leather chair and waved a hand as if swatting an imaginary fly. “They mentioned something about making some changes, but they didn’t get specific.” Mac sank to the chair across from her. “They want to turn it into some kind of competition. To pit me against some dating expert.” He barely managed to say it without using air quotes, but hell, he’d seen the videos of their so-called experts. “And the problem, Malcolm?” His mother folded her hands on her lap. “Do you think you’re not up to the challenge?” One eyebrow arched regally as she spoke. One thing Gail Sterling excelled at was looking superior regardless of what she was doing. She rarely let that image slip. He wouldn’t take her bait. He knew better. She was waiting for him to admit he didn’t have the skills to take over Everyday Love. She was fine with him running the office and the books, but she didn’t think he could be a matchmaker. “I have every confidence in my abilities. But the people they’re looking at…” He pushed out a heavy breath. “Let me show you.” He rose and went behind the desk next to his mother. Paul joined them. Mac wasn’t surprised Paul hadn’t said anything yet. He’d always enjoyed the way Gail poked at Mac. Mac stood his tablet up in front of his mom and tapped the screen. He flipped quickly through videos of the three contenders, all of whom were young women. “They’re cute,” his mother said. “They’re not dating experts. They’re pick-up artists who aren’t interested in helping people find true love and commitment. They’re looking to get laid.” Paul snickered. “Nothing wrong with that.” Mac shoved his friend’s shoulder. “They’re not taking the show seriously. They’re making it a joke.” “It’s only as bad as you allow it to be,” said his mom. “If you’re the matchmaker you say you are, the only people who matter are your clients. The competition has no effect on how you do your job.” Putting it like that was worse than poking him with a veiled dare. This challenged the core of who he was. And she knew it. Paul tapped his shoulder. “You can’t lose sight of the fact that this show, regardless of the format, will give us great publicity. You’ll be poised to be the matchmaking company in Chicago. And your mom has a point. This pick-up artist won’t have the skills and background you have, the reputation of this company. It’ll be an easy win.” Mac absorbed what Paul said. When Mac had convinced his mother to bring Paul on as a public relations consultant to breathe new life into the company, he had never imagined going in this direction. He looked at Paul and Gail. “So we’re going forward with this no matter what?” His mother angled her head as she looked up at him. “Unless you back out. They don’t want an old lady like me on camera. It’s all about the hot, young studs.” Mac groaned. “Please don’t. It makes me a little sick when you talk like that.” She laughed. As much as he resented the fact he’d come home last year to help with the business and she hadn’t trusted him with clients, he loved his mom. Hearing her laugh was great. She’d been much too sad since his dad died. He went back to his seat on the other side of the desk. “So if I go through with this, I’m in charge. You agree to retire and take it easy, leaving Everyday Love in my hands.” There went the eyebrow again. “If you do this and succeed.” He’d grown up in these offices, watched his parents build it from the ground up, long before Millionaire Matchmaker was a TV hit. He couldn’t believe his mom was even entertaining the idea of selling the company. “Define succeed. I can’t control votes to win the contest.” “We’ll figure it out.” “I want it in writing.” Her jaw dropped. “Don’t you trust me? I’m your mother.” He smiled. “And because you’re my mother, I know how you like to change the terms of an agreement.” “Paul is our witness.” She swiveled in her chair to look at Paul. “He’ll decide if you succeed, based on new clients brought in because of the show.” They weren’t the best terms, but Mac could live with them. He nodded to his mom and shook Paul’s hand. He knew how to read people and he knew he could be one hell of a matchmaker. In addition to his degree in psychology and years of working as a counselor, he’d spent most of his life watching his mom in action. Yeah, this was a lock.