The triplets looked happily up at Mina when she sat their pancakes in front of them, and they said thank you in unison. As rowdy as they were, they were still adorable. The mother smiled up at her as Mina filled her coffee cup and then gave an adoring look to her three boys.
“How old are they?” Mina asked.
“They’re six next month, starting first grade in the fall.”
“You must be so proud.”
“I am. And so is their father. He’s meeting us at the baseball game after breakfast. He had a bit of work to finish up, so we went out for a special mother-son breakfast.”
“Oh, that’s so sweet.”
“It is.”
“Your husband sounds great too,” Mina said wistfully.
“I couldn’t be happier.” The mother sipped her coffee.
Mina walked back behind the counter, feeling a bit down. She wrote about happy endings in her books, but she’d never experienced one herself. She’d never wanted to do anything besides write about love and romance. But in pursuit of her dream, she’d never experienced any.
Now it seemed like both her career and her life were stalled before they’d started. Kayla always told her she was too young to worry about such things, but Kayla was different. She didn’t worry. She simply went full force into whatever she wanted, and most of the time she got it.
Mina wished she was more like her best friend and didn’t hesitate so much. But they had been raised differently. Kayla believed in herself, but Mina had always been taught to be careful—not to bruise her knees, not to mess her dress, not to get her hair tangled. All of that careful waiting had kept her safe, but it also had kept her from experiencing the full depth and breadth of life.
She believed that if she were a bit more adventurous, she might have the love she so desired and the writing contract she wanted more than anything. She knew, deep down, that if she never experienced true love, she couldn’t accurately write about it. It was all a big mess, and the longer she went without accomplishing any of her big goals, the more she felt like a failure.
After work, Kayla and Mina sat together in one of the back booths, eating their shift meals. Mina loved nothing more than a plate of waffles covered in sweet apples and whipped cream. Kayla was an eggs-and-bacon girl who took her coffee black, while Mina filled hers with cream and sugar.
“If I just had more time,” Mina lamented. “Maybe I would be able to write a novel the publishers actually wanted.”
“You know what you need?” Kayla sipped her coffee.
“A fairy godmother?”
“You need a rich husband.” Kayla flipped through the local periodical.
“Yeah right,” Mina snickered. “When I marry, it will be for love, not money.”
“Well, if you change your mind, the Billionaire Mate-Maker can hook you up with the sugar-daddy shifter of your dreams.”
Kayla turned the periodical around to face Mina and tapped the advertisement in the back of the paper. Mina almost choked on her coffee.
“Is that for real?”
“Seems legit,” Kayla said.
“It can’t be. It must be a joke.”
“I say we call her up.” Kayla pulled out her phone.
“No, Kayla. I couldn’t.”
“Aren’t you always saying you want to be more adventurous, take more risks, get out of your comfort zone?” Kayla teased as she tapped on her phone.
“Yes, but this wasn’t what I had in mind.”
“Hi, yes,” Kayla said. “I’d like to make an appointment with the Billionaire Mate-Maker.”
* * *
Two days later, Mina sat in the luxurious sitting room of a downtown Beverly Hills office, staring at a massive bouquet of flowers in an expensive-looking vase. She fidgeted in her seat, feeling ridiculous and underdressed for her surroundings.
She had worn her best outfit: the dress she’d bought for her graduation, a simple white dress with a ballerina neckline and a high waist. Her dark blond hair was brushed down her back and parted in the center. She’d worn simple eye makeup with only a bit of pink blush and a nude lip.
“Mina L’Amour?” asked a pretty, young woman in a pink herringbone skirt suit.
“Yes?” Mina rose from her chair.
“Ms. Malone will see you now.”
Mina let out a deep, quivering breath and followed the assistant down the hallway. She opened the door at the end, and Mina walked inside.
“Mina L’Amour.” The woman behind the desk rose and offered her manicured hand.
She wore a formfitting purple dress with a notched neckline, two-carat diamond earrings, and a gold belt around her waist. She appeared to be in her late forties with lustrous brown hair descending nearly to her waist.
“Kitty Malone,” the jaguar shifter mate-maker said. “Nice to meet you, Mina. I’ve been reading your file, and I think I have the perfect match for you.”
“Really?” Mina said breathlessly. The idea of being matched with a billionaire shifter made her head swim—the idea of being matched with any man made her head swim.
"I need more information from you first," Kitty said as they sat.
"What do you need to know?"
"What are your goals in regard to my service?"
"It all started out as a joke," Mina admitted. "But it escalated quickly from there."
"So… you aren’t looking for a husband?"
"Oh, it's not that. I'd love to get married and have children someday."
"Then why not today?"
"Why not?" Mina snickered. "I had hoped to get my career off the ground first."
"There's no reason you can't do that while married. You're a writer, correct?"
"Yes. I write romance novels. I haven't had a lot of luck getting them published though. My best friend Kayla thinks it's because I don't have any experience. She doesn't even know how little experience I have."
"You mentioned that in the questionnaire." Kitty tapped her pencil on the papers on her desk.
"You aren’t going to tell him that, are you?"
"Not if you don't want me to," Kitty said. "But some men might prefer it."
"I haven't told anyone."
"I'll keep your secret, but I suggest you reveal it before things go too far, if you know what I mean." She winked.
"Of course," Mina muttered. "Will he expect us to go all the way on the wedding night?"
"Considering the conditions of my service, few couples spend their wedding nights together."
"Can you explain the conditions to me again, so I’m sure I understand what I'm getting into?"
"By all means," Kitty said. "My mate-making service is a little bit different in that I only make one match for anyone. If you don't like my match, you can go to another service. But I have a ninety-nine-point-nine-percent success rate. So, I won't back down or change my conditions. Those conditions are: you and your future husband meet only once before the wedding. That meeting will offer you the chance to back out before making the commitment."
"It sounds like an arranged marriage."
"It is, in a way. During the pre-wedding meeting, you and the groom sign a contract agreeing to stay married for one year. At the end of the year, you, the bride, will receive one million dollars. If either of you chooses to end the marriage at that time, he will only have to pay you one million. You won't have any rights to his other assets. If you stay in the marriage, the original contract is void. I consider my work done. Pregnancy during the first year also voids the prenuptial agreement, and the marriage should be treated as any other by the courts if you separate. I don't anticipate my couples separating. I simply have these agreements in place to ensure the rights and responsibilities of both parties."
"If I stay with him for a year, I get a million dollars?"
"Yes.”
"It's almost too good to pass up."
"I would not do this for the money if I were you."
"Why not?" Mina felt ready to back out now before she got i
n too deep. A million dollars or not, she was not a gold digger. She wanted to marry for love and nothing else.
"Because you will be disappointed when you fall in love."
Chapter 3
Spencer left the interview with the mate-maker feeling as if he’d stepped into an alternate reality. Kitty Malone was positive she could find him a wife in the time he had left before he lost his clan’s legacy forever.
“I already have someone in mind,” she’d told him.
He’d had his lawyer and his investigator look into her claims and had found she really did have an extremely high success rate. Of the couples she’d matched, nearly all of them had stayed married. Spencer didn’t care if he stayed married or not. What he needed was a willing bride to satisfy the conditions of his grandfather’s will.
If she proved a benefit to him in the long run, that was merely a bonus. He scoffed at the million-dollar prenuptial agreement, but he knew everything came at a price. At the end of the day, a million was a small price to pay to ensure his legacy. He had worked too hard for his clan for too long to let it slip through his talons.
His grandfather believed a wife would help him achieve balance in life. All Spencer wanted was to work and to grow his family’s company bigger and better than anyone had ever imagined. He’d always been taught to relentlessly forge ahead, ignoring anything that stood in his way. At thirty-two years old, he had accomplished more than most people did in their entire lives. And he stood by what had gotten him there.
The next day, he received a call from Kitty Malone, letting him know his bride was secured. They would meet the next day, and if both agreed, the wedding would be scheduled and arranged for them by the end of the week. It wasn’t a moment too soon. Spencer’s last day to find a wife was only a week away. He was running out of time.
If this girl backed out at the last minute, he’d have to find someone on his own. He had enough connections that he believed he could find someone, a secretary, an assistant, even the girl who served coffee at the café on the first floor of Camden International Headquarters. But he would prefer not to have to take that route. Kitty Malone had better be as good as her word.
Meeting his bride could not come too soon. Between arranging the opening of his new resort in Tahiti and managing all the other hotels and resorts in the Camden empire, he hardly had an hour to spare. But he had Olivia put the meeting on his schedule, and his chauffeur drove him to the Billionaire Mate-Maker offices.
When he arrived, Kitty’s assistant offered him coffee or tea. He declined both, wanting to get down to business. “Where is she?” he asked as he was ushered into the private sitting room.
“She’s arriving now.”
Spencer sat in a high-backed, upholstered chair, crossed his legs, and uncrossed them. Why was he nervous? He was getting married because he needed to, not because he wanted to. Just because Kitty Malone called herself a mate-maker, didn’t mean that the girl she found would be the love of his life. Spencer didn’t need love in his life. He had his work.
A moment later, the door inched open, and Kitty walked inside, wearing a bright-pink dress.
“Spencer Cameron, meet Mina L’Amour, your bride to be.”
He stood. Kitty stepped back and revealed the girl who would save his future. Mina stepped forward. Spencer observed the nervous smile on the girl’s full, pink lips. Waves of dark blond hair swept down her back and around her shoulders, and a lacy white dress hugged her voluptuous curves. He blinked three times, taken aback. She was quite lovely. He would not be ashamed of associating with this creature for the length of the contract. His inner dragon growled hungrily.
“Hi, Spencer,” she said in a confident voice that betrayed the smell of anxiety wafting off her.
His inner dragon paced aggressively inside his mind. Nerves twisted in his stomach, and he forced them down, knowing this was a business deal like any other. Not a romance. Not a love match. A business deal. Period.
He reached out to take her delicate white hand. She took his with a firm-but-gentle grasp and smiled sweetly.
“Pleased to meet you, Mina.” He gave her a firm handshake then dropped her hand.
“I’ll let you two get aquatinted.” Kitty stepped out into the hall.
The door closed behind the mate-maker, and Spencer and Mina were left alone in the room, staring at each other like two awkward teenagers.
“Please, have a seat.” He motioned to the chair beside the one he’d been sitting in.
“Thank you.” She took her place.
“What led you to seek out Kitty’s services?” he asked as a means to pass the time. He required no getting-to-know-each-other meeting. He needed a wife in a hurry. Anyone would do.
“Well…”
“You can be honest.”
“The truth is, it started as a bit of a dare.” She bit her lip and glanced around the room before focusing back on him. “I just graduated from college, so it’s time to move on with my life. All I’ve ever wanted to do is write, but I have to work so many hours at the café just to stay afloat. There’s not much time left to write and submit work to publishers…”
“I see.” Understanding formed in his mind. She was looking for a business arrangement too.
“I do want a husband and a family though.” She gave him a shifty look.
“Don’t apologize for prioritizing your career, Mina.”
“I didn’t want to make it seem like I’m only out for money or something because I’m not.” She sighed.
“I didn’t assume you were.” He did.
“Why did you seek Kitty’s help?”
“The conditions of my grandfather’s will stated I must find a wife in thirty days or lose everything I’ve ever worked for.”
“Oh…” she muttered. “I see.”
“Are you disappointed?” he asked.
“No. I’m relieved.”
“Good. Then we are both well aware that this is a business agreement and not a love match. You will help me gain my rightful inheritance, and I will help you with your career. You will have time to write as well as free housing, food, and an allowance to buy whatever personal items you need. At the end of the year, we can end it all amicably and go our separate ways.”
“Alright.” Her eyes darted anxiously.
“Is there a problem?”
“No.” She looked at the floor. “It’s just that Kitty assured me that we’d be a perfect match.”
“These people make all kinds of claims to get business. Believe me. Her fees are proof of that.” Spencer knew Kitty’s claims were valid but was determined not to fall for it. “But we don’t have to play along. We both need something from the other. Let’s not make it out to be something it’s not.”
“Fair enough.” She rose from her chair and offered her hand. “See you at the wedding.” She let out a nervous laugh as he took her hand.
“See you then.” He shook her hand, confident that he’d just closed a very important deal.
* * *
Mina left the meeting with Spencer, feeling as if she’d just made a very bad deal with an unscrupulous person. She’d expected her match to want a wife. Even if she had gotten into the situation half as a joke and half as a dare, she thought that the man she’d be matched with would take it more seriously.
Spencer was cute, in a buttoned down, clean-cut, preppy-boy kind of way. He wasn’t unappealing to look at. But his attitude ruined it. He was willing to be with her for the next year, but she wasn’t so sure she was willing to be with him.
She’d always hoped to marry for love. Didn’t everyone? Was there any other reason to marry someone? She’d come to the meeting hoping she would feel butterflies and fireworks when she met him, but instead, she felt disappointed and annoyed.
The lure of a million dollars was undeniable, and he was willing to pay her for her time. If he left her before the year was up, she would get ten million per the contract. And if she left before the year was up, she got nothing.
It was in both of their best interests to stick it out for the year. But Mina was having second thoughts.
She didn’t want to marry someone for money alone, no matter how much she needed it. He’d told her she would get an allowance, free food, and housing. How could she pass that up when she was barely scraping by, working fifty-hour weeks on her feet? She would never get ahead.
But love was everything to Mina, everything she believed in. It was the deepest part of her soul. She’d waited to be intimate with anyone because she’d been waiting for the love of her life to come along. How could she turn her back on love and marry someone for any other reason? She went home and found Kayla sitting on the couch, eating Doritos and studying for her exams.
“How did everything go?” Kayla asked.
“Okay.” Mina opened the refrigerator and found it nearly empty. The Doritos must have been the only food in the house.
“Just okay?” Kayla asked.
“Yeah. I was matched with a guy named Spencer Camden.”
“Like, as in Camden Hotels?”
“Yeah, I think so.”
“What’s wrong with him? Is he ugly or old or something?”
“Definitely not. He’s young and attractive. Hot even, for an Ivy League preppy boy.” Mina took the last pickle out of the lonely pickle jar in the empty refrigerator.
“So what’s the problem?” Kayla leaned around on the back of the couch to look at her.
“He needs a wife to get his inheritance—not because he wants someone to love.”
“Well, that’s perfect. He won’t expect anything from you. You can get the million dollars, get your books published, and move on with your life. It’s a win-win.”
“But I don’t want to marry him for his money.” Mina crunched into the pickle.
“Don’t think of it that way. Think of it as doing each other a favor.”
“But I always wanted to marry for love. How can I believe in the books I write if my marriage is based on a business agreement?”
“Mina, one doesn’t have anything to do with the other.”