Free The Perfect Match by Kristan Higgins Page B

in or the old bag will start to suspect something.”
Unexpectedly, she gave Honor a quick hug. “I’m glad we talked. I mean, yeah,
things’ll be weird for a while, but we’re still best friends, right? And hell’s
bells, girl, I have a wedding to plan!”
    “Oh, I love weddings,” Mrs. Jenkins said, adjusting her hearing
aid.
    “Come by the salon, and I’ll shape up your bangs,” Dana said.
“See you soon!”
    And, because she didn’t know what else to say, and really,
really wanted to get out of there, Honor left.

CHAPTER FOUR
    H AVING TWO GLASSES of whiskey probably wasn’t the most brilliant idea before a fix-up, Tom thought. But he wasn’t driving. And also, though he hated to point out the obvious, even to himself, it was too late. One could not undrink whiskey, unless one vomited, which Tom was not going to do.
    “Off to meet the future Mrs. Barlow,” he told his reflection. “Excited, mate?”
    This did not have a good feeling to it. First of all, the whole criminal aspect of the night cast a bit of a pall, didn’t it? And secondly, his great-aunt was fixing him up. He still had a tiny shred of pride left after Melissa, but this would probably kill it. But for whatever reason, when Candace had called, clucking in excitement, he’d said he’d love to meet her pen pal’s granddaughter.
    He walked the three blocks to the town green. There was another thing. If he did manage to stay in this godforsaken town, he’d have to stay in this godforsaken town, and bloody hell! The weather! Made England look like paradise, and that was saying a lot.
    But Charlie was here. Not that the boy wanted Tom around. Yesterday, Tom had gone the tried and true route and attempted to bribe his way into Charlie’s affection with an iPhone. When Tom tried to show him a few of the new features, the boy went limp with disgust, rolled his eyes and then stared straight ahead, arms crossed, silently counting the seconds till Tom left.
    So marrying just to stay here...it felt a bit like buying a house on Isle of the Damned. Not that he’d actually do it. But for some reason, here he was, trudging through the slush to meet some middle-aged woman Aunt Candy had said could keep her mouth shut. Someone who was desperate enough to consider marrying a stranger. Someone whose “clock is ticking.” Fantastic. He could only imagine what she looked like. Dame Judi Dench came to mind. Talented, sure. Did he want to bang Dame Judi Dench? No, he did not.
    Then again, he hadn’t done so well on his own, had he? Melissa, though quite the looker, hadn’t turned out to be such a prize.
    The warmth of the pub was welcome. At least the little town had this, a little tavern at which to drown one’s sorrows.
    “Hello, Colleen,” he said, because yeah, befriending the bartender was never a bad idea.
    “Hallo, Tom,” she said in a fair imitation of his accent. “Bass ale tonight?”
    “I’ll have a whiskey, love,” he said.
    “Not your first, I’m guessing.”
    “You’re astute and beautiful. A bit terrifying.”
    “You driving?”
    “No, miss.” He smiled. She cocked an eyebrow and poured him his drink.
    “I’m meeting Honor Holland,” he said. “Do you know her?”
    “I know everyone,” Colleen answered. “I’ll send her over when she gets here.”
    Tom made his way to a booth at the back of the bar where they could talk about illegal matters privately. There was a uniformed policeman there, but he was occupied with a pretty redhead, so the fact that Tom was perhaps a bit drunk already might go unnoticed. And let’s not forget. He was also planning to commit a crime.
    He took a sip of whiskey and tried to relax. Yesterday after Candace called, he’d looked up green card fraud on dear old Google. Not encouraging. Jail time. Whopping fines. Deportation with no possibility of ever living in the States again.
    He could go back to England. Visit Charlie once or twice a year. And then—Tom could see it already—the