A Match Made in Heaven

Chapter 4

Reece was over the show. He didn’t want the other two women. Not when he could have Janelle. She was perfect. The more time he spent around her, the more he felt himself falling for her. He couldn’t stop thinking about her. The way her back arched, the way her mouth felt on his, the curves of her body, the softness of her skin…

The man opened the front door to his house. A blur of color bounded up to him before arms were thrown around his neck. When he looked down, he saw a short woman in a jogging outfit and sneakers. Her brown skin was smooth. When she pulled away from Reece, there was a big smile on her face.

“Daphne,” Reece said in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

“I was in town, so I thought that I’d visit. Besides, tomorrow is the finale of the show right? I heard it’s a live show.”

“And?”

“And,” Daphne said with her hands on her hips and her no nonsense attitude firmly in place. “I want to be there! I’ve been keeping up with the show!” She said excitedly.

Reece sighed. “I don’t know if I even want to do the show anymore,” he admitted as he closed the garage door.

Daphne raised an eyebrow. “Why not? I thought this was your brilliant idea to find true love or something like that.”

“It was, but….”

“But what?”

Reece shrugged. “I think I already found it.”

Daphne clapped excitedly. “Where did you meet her?”

“On the show, surprisingly,” Reece said with a laugh as he headed to the kitchen with Daphne in tow. “She’s actually the producer of the show.”

“Have you told her?”

“Told her what,” Reece asked as he dug around in the fridge.

“Duh! That you love her. Pay attention.”

“Woah, I don’t know if it’s love…”

Daphne crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t think you’ve seen your face when you talk about her. You clearly love her.”

Reece didn’t respond as he pulled out eggs and bacon. He cracked the eggs in a bowl before glancing at his phone. There wasn’t that much time left to get to the studio on time, so he’d have to hurry. He was trying to avoid Daphne’s glare as he whisked the eggs.

Finally Daphne sighed. “You can deny it all you want to, but you love her. And if she’s amazing enough to catch your picky attention, I would tell her. Before someone else does,” she called as she walked toward the entrance of the kitchen.

“Where are you going?” Reece called.

“I’m going on my run, then I’m coming back to change for the show!”

Reece heard the front door close behind her. He sighed. She was nosy, but she wasn’t wrong. Reece loved being around Janelle, he wanted to ask her out. The last time he’d tried, she’d become nervous and timid. Still, he wanted her. More than he’d ever wanted anyone.

He finished his breakfast before getting dressed for the show. His heart pounded in his chest during the entire drive. What he had in mind could have some consequences, but he knew he had to do it. Reece smiled. The small bit of nervousness that dwelled within his belly wasn’t enough to keep him from Janelle.

*****

Janelle felt life falling into a routine. She’d wake up, work on the show, meet up with Reece after. Sometimes they’d grab coffee or watch a movie together, other times he’d wrap her up in his arms as they watched a movie together in her bed. Janelle had never had so much fun around someone. She’d become completely comfortable with Reece.

Smiling, she walked through the studio, clipboard in hand. She glanced at the stage where they were about to shoot one of the final scenes. Reece looked amazing as usual; a purple, striped button down, black slacks and a wide grin. When she caught his eye, he winked at her before chuckling. Janelle felt her stomach flutter nervously.

“There you go again,” Clark said with a laugh as he approached her. “You really have a thing for him, don’t you?”

Janelle shook her head quickly. “We’re just friends.”

“Sure,” Clark said with a big grin on his lips. “Sure you are.”

“Would you stop that?” Janelle asked with a scowl, holding her head up higher. “Besides, it wouldn’t matter. He has to pick one of those two, remember?”

Clark placed a hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry. You guys really did seem to be alike.”

You have no idea, Janelle thought. They really were very compatible, but she knew it couldn’t happen. Not to mention the fact that she still wasn’t sure if she was ready to date. Hanging out with Reece was one thing, complicating it with a relationship was a completely different thing entirely.

Janelle bit her lip. “Who do you think he’ll pick?”

Clark laughed at this. “Not that crazy ass Patricia. At least I hope not. She stalked me around all morning asking who he was going to choose,” Clark shook his head. “She definitely has a few screws loose.”

She laughed. “Don’t I know it. I caught her trying to break into his dressing room last week.”

“Seriously?”

“Oh yeah,” Janelle said. “Look, can’t you tell I’ve pissed her off? She’s been staring daggers at me since I ran her off from his door.”

Clark glanced over at Patricia. He stifled a laugh. “We might need security after he chooses.”

“Already covered,” Janelle pointed over to the right to two men standing in the shadows.

“Nicely done, Peters,” Clark said as he looked back at her. “Ready to get this freak show started?”

Janelle shook her head. “It’s not a freak show, but yes. We should start soon. Is the audience in place?”

“They’re a little rowdy, but it looks like a full house. Which is good news. Ratings are going to be through the roof. How does it feel to produce your first successful show?” Clark asked.

Bittersweet. That was what Janelle wanted to say. She loved the fact that her show was actually off the ground and doing well, but then there was Reece. She almost couldn’t take the thought of him choosing another woman. Still, she smiled.

“It feels good. I’m doing what I love,” she said to Clark.

The man obviously saw something in her eyes, but he closed his mouth right after he opened it. Janelle was happy that he did. She didn’t want to explain about Reece. The thought of it would hurt too much if she had to say anything out loud.

“You look really nice today,” Clark said instead. “It’s nice to see you come out of your shell.”

Janelle laughed. “Thanks. I didn’t want to look tore up in front of the audience,” she said, her face growing hot.

That had been part of the reason, but not all of it. When she slipped into the little black dress that barely brushed her knees, she’d been thinking about Reece. If it was the last time she was going to see him, she wanted him to have good memories. The dress dipped lower in the front, hinting at cleavage. She wore heels too, tall, black ones that made her legs look amazing, as Mya had said. Her hair as well was courtesy of Mya. Long, wavy, beautiful. Her glasses were perched on her nose. She felt amazing, but it still felt sad. After today, Reece would have a new woman in his life. No time for her.