Page 33 of Matched By Mistake
Misha was free and they made plans before her friend left to go to work. Maggie stayed at the café sketching on her iPad, finding herself drawn once again to the image of Jericho. Leaving him at her door after their date had been hard, but she had just felt too vulnerable to do anything else.
As much as walking into Sheen had restored her self-image and her confidence, she knew that she was going to have to take another big step and let herself trust her gut and her instincts when it came to Jericho. But this was much harder. There was no one’s hand she could hold. This had to be her trusting herself. And it was easier in business, where she knew she had expertise and a good eye for art.
But men and love—that was something else entirely and there was a huge part of her that wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to 100 percent trust herself again. Which was starting to feel unacceptable. She hated that she’d allowed herself into this state and she knew it was past time.
If there was a man she was going to trust... Could it be Jericho? A part of her was pretty sure it already was. Another part wasn’t so sure. Which was just making her more determined to get over this.
That part that had sent him away last night instead of inviting him in. She got a flag that she had a message in the k!smet app. She clicked on it and saw that the message was from Jericho.
There was a tiny thrill that raced through her and her traitorous body practically went into seduction mode. Sitting up straighter, shoulders back, she tossed her hair and then shook her head. He couldn’t see her, she reminded herself.
Jericho: Drinks tonight?
Maggie: We don’t have a contracted date.
She had to point that out because she wanted to be clear that this was something else. Did Jericho feel that way?
Jericho: Does that matter?
Did it? Seemed he didn’t care about the contract their families had carefully designed and had them both sign.
She knew that her family might want her to say yes but she wasn’t sure it did matter to her. She felt the pull between her family obligation and what she personally wanted. This was a good test. She’d do it, trust her gut and see what happened.
Maggie: Was planning to check out a summer concert in the park. Want to join?
Jericho: Yes. I’ll bring a picnic and drinks. See you at seven?
Maggie thumbs-upped his message and then smiled to herself. She felt both scared and strangely exhilarated. Not really strange since the no-touching dare was back in effect and she had enjoyed the teasing between herself and Jericho. And maybe tonight, as well as proving her instincts weren’t wrong, she’d be able to shake Jericho’s walls and make them crumble.
Her mom texted to remind her to leave if she was going to be on time to the board meeting and Maggie texted back the girl emoji with her hand on her face before she got up and headed to her car.
She had a busy day but in the back of her mind was the concert that evening and the plans she made for herself.
Jericho hit the gym after work and then went to pick up the basket of food he’d ordered from a local barbecue joint. It had taken all of his self-control to leave Maggie at the door the night before and he knew that the heat in both the long, hot summer days and that Maggie generated in him was starting to wear him down.
He’d found himself looking at that photo of them from the night at her studio more than he should. But he was obsessed with her. He wanted to believe that if they had sex, then maybe he could get her off his mind. But he wasn’t too sure.
He was surprised at how likable and down-to-earth she was. Last night had shown him that despite what his family had always believed about the Del Rio family, they weren’t cold-blooded and they didn’t seem as calculating as he’d been led to believe. But the truth was even if her family was that way, it didn’t change the fact that he was starting to really like Maggie.
Last night she’d let herself be vulnerable...or maybe she’d just felt safe enough with him to let her guard down. Something that Jericho had never really allowed himself to do. He admitted to himself that part of it was the fact that his parents had fallen hard for each other. Even though Jericho had always believed he’d do when he met the right woman—after he’d accomplished his plans for RoyalGreen.
But in the back of his mind, had he been looking? To be fair, most of the women he dated wanted the same things he did. Just someone fun to hang out and hook up with. Nothing serious.
Maggie might be the same but because of their families’ rivalry and the pressure to make the k!smet app seem successful, they’d been placed in a weird pressure cooker. One that made the chemistry between them feel...more intense?
Well, that was what he was going for, he thought as he rubbed the back of his neck. He parked his car in the lot near the park and then got out. He slung an insulated cooler bag over his shoulder and tucked a picnic blanket that he’d borrowed from his mom under his arm.
They’d agreed to meet near the concert stage—a temporary structure that had been set up to accommodate the summer concert series. Mostly the artists were either up-and-coming bands trying to make their big break or artists from decades earlier who hadn’t had any big hits lately but still liked touring and playing their old songs. Tonight it was a band from the ’80s and he was surprised when he noticed his parents in the crowd.
“Hey! There are way more people here than I was expecting,” Maggie said as she came up next to him. She had on a pair of high-waisted shorts that left her long legs bare, and honestly for a minute he couldn’t tear his eyes off them.
Then he looked up, noting that she had tucked a sleeveless T-shirt into the waistband and had her long hair in a braided ponytail that hung over one shoulder.
“Yeah. Um. My folks are over there,” he said.
“They are?”
“Yes. I had no idea they’d be here,” he said. If he’d been with any other girl, he would have gone over to see them.
