Page 2 of Saving the CEO

“My next meeting’s at eleven thirty.”

Bekah pulled out her cell phone and held it up for Devin to see. “I still have two more minutes.”

“Fine, but make it quick.”

“Great!” She flashed him a genuine smile for the first time that morning. “What you need is a woman in your life, someone who will help you have some work-life balance. And I know exactly how you can find one.”

“I don’t need help in that area,” he uttered through gritted teeth. “I can easily find a woman—or ten—to date if I want to.I’mnot the problem. The problem is that dating is a waste of time. Who has the luxury of going to dinner and the movies every night? My schedule doesn’t allow for that. There should be a more efficient way, one that skips over the mundane, drawn-out process of getting acquainted. What I need is to be paired up with someone who I already know is compatible with me.”

Her eyes widened. “Whoa, who are you and what have you done with my big brother? This is the first time I’ve ever heard you talk like this! You sound like you wouldn’t mind having a girlfriend.”

Actually, what he needed was a wife, but his sister didn’t know that. Since he had handled all the business affairs related to their grandfather’s will, he was the only one of their siblings who understood the gravity of the situation. He kept his tone nonchalant as he replied, “I figure I’m not getting any younger. It’s about time I settled down.”

Bekah stomped her feet and let out a high-pitched squeal. “This is awesome! Scarlett’s going to be thrilled!”

Devin furrowed his brows at this unfamiliar name. “You’re not trying to set me up with one of your friends, are you? I’m not interested in twenty-somethings. I need someone who’s serious about commitment.”

“And you’re going to get one!” She clapped her hands in excitement. “Scarlettismy friend, but she’s not the one you’ll be dating. She’s the matchmaker.”

“The what?”

“Matchmaker. Her family’s been in the Christian matchmaking business for three generations. They’re looking to expand and reach clients in the corporate world, especially people who have packed schedules and are too busy to date. She asked if I knew anyone who would benefit from their services, and you were the first person that came to mind!”

His eyes widened in disbelief. “You’re serious?”

“Totally serious! Scarlett is amazing at her job. She’s had a perfect track record of putting compatible people together. All the couples she matched are still married. One even named their dog after her.”

“Their dog? If you’re trying to reassure me of her credentials, you need to come up with something a lot more convincing.”

Bekah groaned. “Why do you have to always be such a grump? If Scarlett weren’t so desperate, I would totally find someone else to introduce to her.”

“I don’t know if you’re listening to yourself, sis. Telling me that your friend is desperate makes it sound like she’s not able to find clients because she’s not good at her job. Is she or is she not a good matchmaker?”

“She’s the best! She’s only desperate because she’s in a competition with her sisters to see which one of them can sign their first corporate client and find a successful match for them. She’s in it to win it.”

Devin’s ears perked up. Her friend sounded hardworking and determined—two traits he appreciated in a person. He could get behind someone like that. “What happens if she loses?”

The room grew silent as Bekah chewed on her lower lip. Concern clouded her eyes as she sighed. When she finally spoke, her voice was soft and somber. “Whoever loses has to shave off one of her eyebrows.”

His jaw dropped. Laughter rose from his chest and tumbled out of his mouth. His shoulders shook as he tried to catch his breath. All this drama over an eyebrow? This was so ridiculous; he couldn’t stop laughing.

“This isn’t funny, Dev!” Bekah insisted. “It’s about more than an eyebrow. It’s a matter of honor. Scarlett’s the youngest of four, and she’s always having to prove herself to her older sisters. Winning this competition will help her earn their respect. And it would be nice, of course, if she could keep both of her eyebrows. She has the most perfectly arched brows you’ve ever seen!” She scrolled through her phone for a few seconds, then passed it to Devin. “Look at them!”

He studied the photo she had found. Two women wearing bright green goo on their faces looked back at him. He recognized the one on the left as Bekah and presumed the other one to be Scarlett. Placing his fingers on the screen, he zoomed in on the woman to the right. Her dark brown hair was pulled back by a headband with cat ears, allowing him to see her well-groomed brows and her eyes. Piercing green eyes that captured his attention and made it hard to look away. There was also something about her smile. It radiated joy and warmth and awakened a curiosity in him.

She appeared to be content and fulfilled—two things that continued to evade him in life. Perhaps she did have knowledge that he could benefit from. Moreover, he was in a position to help her win a family battle. It wasn’t on the same scale as his, but he understood the pressure all the same. If they could be of mutual assistance to one another, it made sense for him to agree.

He met his sister’s gaze and nodded. “I’ll do it. I’ll sign up to be her client.”

CHAPTER2

Scarlett

“You showed your brotherthatpicture?!” Scarlett shrieked so loudly the older couple sitting at the next table stopped talking. Eyes wide, they held their forkfuls of pasta midway to their mouths and glanced over. Smiling sheepishly, Scarlett apologized in a hushed voice, “Sorry! Everything’s fine!”

“Are you sure you know which one I’m talking about? Let me show you.” Bekah rummaged through her bag, groaning in frustration. “Great. I think I left my phone at Devin’s office. It’s the one we took at your place last month when we had our girls’ night in. I thought we looked so cute.”

“We did. It’s a fun picture and we had a really good time that night.” Scarlett swallowed her disappointment and tried to sound gracious. If there was one word to describe the friend she’d met through her church’s women’s group, it wasinnocent. It was hard to be upset with someone who didn’t have a mean bone in her body. Not to mention the fact that Bekah had gone out on a limb for her by talking to her brother. “I was just hoping that your brother’s first impression of me would be more of a professional one. One that makes him thinksuccessful matchmakerwhen he sees me, not The Incredible She-Hulk.”

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