Molly (Perfect Match Book 3) Read online

  Molly

  Perfect Match Series

  by

  Julie Jarnagin

  Copyright © 2018 by Julie Jarnagin

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Edited by Robin Patchen, Robin’s Red Pen

  Cover Design by Raine English, Elusive Dreams Designs www.ElusiveDreamsDesigns.com

  Sign up for Julie’s newsletter to receive a free novella and be the first to find out about book releases, cover reveals, and other news. www.JulieJarnagin.com

  Introduction

  You’re cordially invited to spend an all-expenses-paid week-long trip to the island of your choice, courtesy of Perfect Match Online Dating and Travel Agency.

  Grab your beach umbrella and prepare for six weeks of romance and fun in the sun with a brand-new series brought to you by USA Today bestselling authors…

  Perfect Match!

  Six exciting, sweet novellas linked by a unifying theme. You’ll want to read each one!

  PERFECT MATCH SERIES (MOLLY)

  Six women receive invitations from Dawson Yates, owner of Perfect Match, a brand-new online matchmaking travel agency for a free week-long vacation to the island of her choice. As part of an extensive promotional campaign, Dawson expects to make six perfect matches that he can use to champion his business. The women expect to meet the men of their dreams. What none of them anticipates is the chaos that ensues when six couples who were strangers before agreeing to spend the week together discover that love is a lot more complicated than a match made by computer algorithms.

  Join Bree, Marni, Molly, Jade, Ava, and Maeve as they embark on a once-in-a-lifetime vacation in the pursuit of love.

  This is Molly’s story…

  Molly McShea, a relationship columnist for a national women’s magazine, is assigned to write an article about Perfect Match, a new matchmaking travel agency. When her date doesn’t show, she’s determined not to lose the promotion she’s been working toward or the chance to redeem her reputation after an ugly, public break-up.

  Sean Logan started a new life as a surf instructor so that he could escape his painful past. He’d let himself get pressured into signing up for a dating site, but he finds out his date is planning to post his photo all over social media and write about their week together in a popular magazine. He knows he can’t let Molly get in the way of his privacy or his brother’s quiet life on the island. But he must ultimately decide if falling in love with his perfect match could be worth all the risks.

  Meet the women of Perfect Match!

  BREE (Raine English)

  MARNI (Aileen Fish)

  MOLLY (Julie Jarnagin)

  JADE (Rachelle Ayala)

  AVA (Denise Devine)

  MAEVE (Josie Riviera)

  Prologue

  Molly’s Perfect Match Profile…

  The Pink Pen, 27

  “If you aim at nothing, you'll hit it every time.” –Zig Ziglar

  I’m a hard-working, independent young professional who’s looking for a man who shares my ambition and whose busy lifestyle matches my own. My career doesn’t leave much time for hobbies, but someday, I’d love to travel more and see the world. If you’re seeking some company on the ladder to the top, maybe we’re right for each other.

  Chapter One

  As long as Molly stuck to the plan, everything would be fine. She slipped off her gold sandals and carried them across the warm sand toward the building with the hand-painted Surf Hut sign above the door.

  Waves crashed against the shore. She’d love to stretch out on a beach towel with a book in hand. Instead, she was about to take surf lessons with a man she’d never met. A man she would need to create some kind of connection with in the next seven days. If not, her article about the Perfect Match dating site wouldn’t be enough to impress the editor of Gloss and Glitter. And if it didn’t impress her boss at the magazine, her chances of being promoted to relationship editor would disappear.

  She hadn’t worked her tail off for the past four years to let go of her dream now—even if that dream did require her to do this silly review of a new matchmaking travel agency. What would they think of next? Speed dating while swimming with sharks? Matching couples based on their pets’ profiles? It was getting ridiculous.

  But if it got her promoted from writing her advice column to managing the entire relationship section, this trip would be worth it. Not to mention that she had a reputation to redeem. What kind of relationship advice columnist had such a disaster of a love life? Everyone knew Cody had dumped her. She still shuddered when she thought of all those sympathetic smiles and pats on the back. Humiliating.

  She approached the Surf Hut. A tanned man in neon yellow board shorts was standing with his back to her. His shaggy hair looked as if it had once been brown but the tips were now bleached out by days in the bright island sun. His shoulder and arm muscles flexed as he moved something back and forth across a white surfboard.

  Heat rushed through her. A day spent learning to surf from a hot instructor. This might be a little distracting for a first date. She would need to keep her focus on the man the Perfect Match dating site had chosen for her. Their algorithms for matching were supposed to be amazing, but did anyone really believe they could meet the love of their life by answering a few questions on a questionnaire? She certainly didn’t. Life had taught her that nothing came that easily. She’d always believed it was more important to find someone who had similar goals in life. Someone driven and successful, someone who shared her ambition, someone who would understand how important her career was to her. Of course, that theory hadn’t worked out so well with her last boyfriend.

  Nevertheless, she had no illusions that she’d meet her perfect match today. This wasn’t about that. This was about taking her career to the next level and salvaging her reputation.

  Molly walked around to the other side of the surfboard that held the man’s focus. She almost hated to disturb him. The dating site had set up the itinerary for the week, but they hadn’t told her anything other than her plans for the morning. She’d thought the hotel was supposed to provide her with a copy of her date’s profile, but so far, she’d simply received a note that read: Meet your date at the Surf Hut at 3:00 pm. She pushed her sunglasses on top of her head. “Hello.”

  He looked up, his light blue eyes peering at her. Amazingly, his face was even more gorgeous than his body.

  “I’m Molly. I’m here for the surf lessons.”

  He gave her a bright smile, revealing a dimple on only one cheek. He set the white piece of something, wax maybe, on his surfboard, reached out, and shook her hand. “It’s great to meet you, Molly. I’m Sean.” His voice was deep but soft, perfectly suited to the sexy, surfer thing he had going on.

  Someone had painted a mural of a mermaid beneath the window, and through the open door she could see racks and racks of surfboards inside. She set her beach towel and phone on the edge of the low deck that surrounded the building as she admired the painting. “This place is great.”

  “I’m glad you like it. Are you ready for all of this?”

  The surfboard in front of him looked huge, and she wondered how she would even get it in the water. “I’m a little nervous. I’ve never surfed before.”

  He gave a light laugh. “I’m a good teacher. It’ll be an adventure.”

  “I’m not sure if my date has ever surfed.” She hoped they would be beginners together, so that she didn’t make a fool of herself. “I ha
ven’t actually met him yet.”

  Sean’s brow creased and his mouth parted, but he didn’t say anything.

  She knew it sounded crazy, and she didn’t blame him for not knowing what to say. “I’m not sure if they told you the situation when they set this up. This is a blind date.” Just saying the words made her feel embarrassed about the whole thing, especially explaining it to this handsome surf instructor.

  He nodded slowly. “They told me.”

  Meg, her friend from high school, had invited her to try out the new matchmaking site. She’d been about to decline the invitation when she accidentally mentioned it to her boss, who thought it would make a great column for the relationship section. “I’m just doing this for my job. I’m writing a story about the whole experience.”

  He rubbed his hand across the side of his face that had the slightest shade of stubble. “So, you’re a writer?”

  “I write for a women’s magazine. It’s called Gloss and Glitter.”

  “I think I’ve seen it in the checkout line. What do you write about?”

  “Relationships. Dating. That kind of thing.” The people at the magazine liked to refer to her as a “relationship expert,” whatever that meant. She certainly didn’t have any official qualifications other than writing for the magazine for the past few years. “That’s how I got myself into this blind date.”

  He squinted, the blues of his eyes almost disappearing. “And you’re going to write about it?”

  “A feature article. We’re doing a whole social media push to build up to it. I’m going to be posting photos of my adventure.”

  She glanced around. “So where do you think this guy is?” she asked, wanting to get the awkward first introductions out of the way. Being late wasn’t the best first impression.

  He shifted, looking uncomfortable. His gaze met hers. “I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but your date isn’t coming.”

  Panic rose in her throat. Had he stood her up? Had he seen her and changed his mind? Had he found out her name and googled her? Why would he back out at the last minute? What was wrong with her that she couldn’t even get a blind date? They only had seven days, and she was on deadline. She couldn’t fly back home to New York without an article for her editor. Not only was her promotion at risk, but it would also be additional humiliation after her last relationship debacle. “What do you mean? Did you talk to Dawson at Perfect Match? He set this all up ahead of time.”

  “I’m really sorry. Maybe you could reach out to him, and he could find you someone else.”

  Oh, she’d talk to Dawson. She’d give him a piece of her mind.

  ****

  Sean watched as Molly walked away. Man, what had he been thinking? She was beautiful with that blond hair and that smile, and he’d just turned her away. A few hours surfing with a woman like that would have been a good way to spend a day. But what else could he have done?

  He picked up the surfboard he’d picked out for her, carried it inside the little two-room building, and stuck it back on one of the racks that lined the walls.

  He shouldn’t have gotten himself into this in the first place. When the creator of the dating website had come to the hotel to scout out the island, the owner of the hotel had decided the site could bring in more business. Part of the deal included a promise that Sean’s boss would convince all of his single staff to sign up for the new site. Sean had balked at first, but his boss insisted, and Sean’s refusals were starting to draw unwanted attention to him.

  He went to the small front desk and sat in front of his ancient computer, which he used to schedule lessons and take payments. A few minutes later, he’d emailed Dawson to let them know he wouldn’t be able to go through with the week of dates.

  Sean had uploaded a photo of himself surfing because it had been taken from far enough away to obscure his identity, but he’d struggled to even fill out his profile. What was he supposed to say? Seeking fellow loner who prefers sea turtles to humans? It wasn’t that he was anti-social. He just valued his privacy. Sean wore his solitude like a pair of sunglasses. Keep out the unwanted and don’t let anyone see too much.

  Her talk of working for a big magazine had been a grave reminder that he needed to stay alert and do his best to maintain his privacy. As beautiful as she was, sending her away was for the best. He shouldn’t have agreed to the date. He was getting too relaxed.

  He stepped back out into the bright sunlight. Two women in bikinis stood in the sand, looking up at him. One had a long brunette braid, and the other wore a wide-brimmed straw hat.

  “Oh, hey,” the woman with the braid said. “We wanted to know if you rent out umbrellas.”

  “No, sorry. Just surfboard rentals and lessons here. If you’re staying at this hotel, the guys on the pool deck can help you.”

  Her eyes narrowed slightly. “Do I know you? You look so familiar.”

  His spine stiffened. “I don’t think so, unless you’ve been to the hotel before, and I work at the bar sometimes.” Hopefully, he’d waited on her this week, and that was how she remembered him.

  Her friend gasped. “You know who he looks like?”

  His stomach lurched. He took the sunglasses hanging from the neck of his shirt and slid them on his face.

  The woman pointed at him. “He looks like that kid from that television show about the family who lived out in space. You know, the one from when we were kids? What was his name? Teddy?” She hit her friend on the arm with the back of her hand. “Teddy Thomas?”

  His jaw tightened. “No. Sorry. I’m Sean.” It had been awhile since he’d been recognized. It never got easier. He hated lying, but it was a necessary evil. As the years passed, fewer and fewer people saw the resemblance. Not even his coworkers had noticed. Of course, who would think a famous child actor would now be on this tiny island teaching surf lessons? But this life was the life he wanted and the one he’d chosen for himself and his teenaged brother. He didn’t want anything to screw that up.

  The girl with the braid nodded. “He does look a lot like him,” she said as if he weren’t standing right in front of them. “I had his poster in my locker in seventh grade.”

  He couldn’t wait to get out of this conversation. “Would you like me to call the guys on the pool deck? I bet they would have an umbrella waiting for you.”

  “Didn’t he have red hair?” the woman in the hat asked.

  He looked down the beach to see Molly walking toward him. What was she doing back here?

  “Sean,” the brunette said, pulling his attention back. “What are you doing tonight? Maybe you could take us around town. Show us where the locals hang out.”

  “Can’t. Sorry. Check with the concierge desk. They’ll be able to give you a great list of bars and restaurants.” Molly stopped at the corner of the shack, waiting. “If you’ll excuse me…”

  He left the two women and walked over to Molly, relieved to have an excuse to escape. Even better that it was Molly.

  She lifted an eyebrow. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

  He glanced at the women, who were heading back toward the hotel pool. “You didn’t.”

  Her attention moved behind him. “I think I left my phone here.”

  “Um.” He spotted the cell beside the building. He picked it up and handed it to her. “Here you go.”

  She wiped sand from the screen and clutched the phone to her chest. “I can’t believe I left it. I always have my phone with me.” She swiped her finger across the screen. “I need it to call the guy at the dating site. I think I have his number in here somewhere.”

  The air rushed out of his lungs. “You’re going to call him now?” he asked, trying to hide the dread he felt. Would Dawson tell her that Sean was, in fact, the man she was supposed to go out with today? He hadn’t thought this through before sending the email. Molly would think Sean was a complete jerk, and maybe he was for not being upfront with her.

  She looked up from her phone. “Absolutely. He needs to know that the
loser stood me up. What kind of man does that? I flew all the way here, and then he doesn’t show.”

  She was right. He’d put her in a huge bind. “Molly.” The word was filled with remorse. He had to come clean. She deserved that.

  Molly held up a finger, the phone already to her ear. “Dawson. Hi. I’m so glad you answered.”

  Chapter Two

  “The perfect match you sent me turned out to be not-so-perfect. He stood me up.” Molly gripped the phone that she’d almost lost. What had she been thinking? She always had her phone with her, and if she was going to have any chance of getting promoted to relationship editor, she needed her phone to post the photos of her date. Her non-existent date. Molly took a deep breath. She couldn’t afford to freak out now.

  “Molly, what’s going on there?” Dawson asked. “I just got an email from the man you were supposed to be meeting.”

  She could handle this. This is what she did. She got things done. That’s how she’d become the youngest columnist in Gloss and Glitter history. She would get this issue sorted out in no time. “I was hoping you could tell me what’s going on. That’s why I called. I got here and then had to find out from someone else my date isn’t coming.”

  Sean stood off to the side, rearranging surfboards on the outdoor racks. She envied how cool and laid-back he was. He probably thought she was a neurotic mess. She’d like to say he wasn’t seeing her at her best right now, but her life had been in a consistent state of chaos lately thanks to the long hours she worked at the magazine and the stress of such a public breakup with a pro baseball player.

  Molly yearned to tell Elaine, the editor-in-chief, that she wasn’t going to do this silly story. Then, Molly could spend the rest of the day with Sean learning to surf. But who was she kidding? Molly worked long hours and gave everything she had to her career. “I’m sorry,” Dawson said. “I don’t know what happened.”