Match Made In Paradise by Barbara Dunlop (black female authors TXT) 📕

happy to see Raven’s name come up on her phone screen. She quickly accepted the call and sat back in Alastair’s big desk chair. “Hey, you.”

“We need your help,” Raven said in a rush. “I’m here with Brodie.”

Mia’s interest immediately perked up. “You are?”

“In his room.”

“Uh-huh.” Mia waited for details, hoping they were juicy, wondering exactly what kind of help they might need.

“I don’t know the first thing about decorating.”

“You’re decorating?” Well, that was disappointing.

“Staff housing,” Raven said. “For the women. Brodie wants me to pick out colors and stuff.”

Mia laughed at the idea of Raven as a decorator.

Her cabin had been done in early practical. As far as Mia could tell, her cousin had randomly hung her paintings where she found existing hooks. The paintings themselves seemed equally random, gifts Raven said she’d gathered over the years. Her furniture was functional—some used, some floor models she said she bought on sale. And she’d confessed her bedroom linens had come as a set from a discount place, in a giant bag, sheets, blankets even curtains.

Mia doubted Raven had ever chosen an item for its aesthetics.

“There’s no way I’m doing all of that,” Brodie’s voice came on. “It’s your project.”

“You’ve got the speakerphone on?” Mia asked.

“You’ve got us both here,” Raven answered.

“What do you want to know?” Mia asked.

“Do you want the rooms together?” Brodie asked.

“Yes, we do.”

“I don’t suppose we could double people up.”

Mia frowned. “I don’t suppose we could. We’re trying to impress the women, make them like the town, not have some sort of college dorm roomie situation.”

“You know this isn’t going to work,” he said. “Not in the long run.”

“We’re curating the right type of women. I know both worlds, and we’ve come up with a questionnaire.”

“It’s a whole lot easier to answer a questionnaire than survive forty below.” Brodie changed his voice to soprano, mimicking a woman. “Yes, I like skiing, pretty snowflakes and sipping hot chocolate in front of the fire on cold winter nights.”

Mia laughed out loud. She’d never, not even once, seen Brodie make a silly joke.

“That was terrible,” Raven said, laughing along with Mia.

“You should be asking them if they know how to chop firewood, shovel snow, fuel a generator or stoke a fire,” he said.

“Chop firewood? Be serious,” Raven said.

“You chop your own firewood.”

“You know I have an electric log splitter. Anybody can run one of those.”

“No, not just anyone can do that,” he countered. It was pretty obvious he meant Mia.

“Mia ran the loader,” Rave pointed out.

It warmed Mia’s heart to have Raven immediately defend her like that.

Brodie didn’t rebut.

That part made Mia happy too.

“You want the units closest to the Bear and Bar?” he asked, moving on.

“The shorter the walk the better,” Mia said. “They might wear heels.”

“Heels. Perfect.” Brodie said, sarcasm clear in his tone.

“I’ve sent you pictures of Brodie’s unit,” Raven said as Mia’s phone pinged to signal their arrival.

The room was basic—a single bed, two chairs, beige walls and a small bathroom. On the upside, there was oil heat and indoor plumbing. Mia knew the units were a cut above wall tents.

“They’re all pretty much the same,” Raven said.

“What color do you want them?” Brodie asked.

“I was thinking maybe blue?” Raven said. “Or a soft yellow might be warmer and brighter, like sunshine inside.”

“Dusty rose,” Mia said. “It’s warm but not too bright. It’ll make the rooms feel bigger.”

“Dusty rose?” Brodie echoed. “Seriously?”

“I’ll send up some art for the walls. And some linens.”

Mia’s assistant, Dara-Leigh, had been disappointed when Veronica was assigned to decorate the office. So Mia had offered the matchmaking project décor as a consolation prize. To Mia’s surprise, Dara-Leigh had been thrilled and was already shopping for ideas.

“I’ll give your contact information to my assistant down here,” Mia said. “Dara-Leigh’s offered to help, and she’s got a good flare.”

“You don’t mean mine,” Brodie said.

“Mine?” Raven echoed, sounding doubtful.

“I was thinking Breena’s,” Mia said.

“Good choice,” Raven said, relieved.

“Is this going to be all frilly?” Brodie asked.

Mia chuckled. “You’ll just have to wait and see.”

Brodie’s heavy sigh came through loud and clear. “Well, won’t that be popular with the guys.”

*   *   *

As Mia ended the call, Silas bloomed in her mind. She was catapulted back to the town, back to his arms, back to every single thing they’d done together.

She missed him desperately, and she missed Paradise too. Dealing with it at work was bad enough, but at least there she had distractions. Home was even worse. Her house seemed so empty now, hollowly opulent, ridiculously large. Her own voice echoed back from her in every gilded room.

She couldn’t even picture Alastair anymore. When she tried, Silas filled the frame. Not that she could imagine Silas in his work boots, flight suit and WSA cap traipsing through that meticulously decorated monument to fine art.

He’d hate it.

She pretty much hated it now too. She knew she had to move out, buy something smaller, a condo or a penthouse closer to the office. But her days were busy, and at night she couldn’t seem to muster up the energy to look for new places.

Restless, she left her office and headed down the hall.

A movement caught her eye, and she drew up short. Hannah was inside her office, sitting at the meeting table deep in conversation with Henry. The pair had been in the office only a handful of times over the past three years, so Mia’s suspicions immediately rose.

She may have decided against purging the staff, but that didn’t mean Henry and Hannah were free to continue meddling in the company. No chance of that. And she was setting the ground rules right here and now.

She gave a sharp courtesy rap and opened the office door to walk in.

They both stopped talking and looked up in surprise.

“I didn’t expect to see you here.” Mia shut the door behind her for privacy and strode to the middle of the office.

They exchanged glances.

“We need to get a few things straight,” Mia said.

“Would you like to sit down?” Hannah asked.

The