Free A Match Made by Cupid (Harlequin Special Edition) by Tracy Madison Page B

had a problem with.”
    “You’re an interesting woman, Mel.”
    “In what way?” she asked, genuinely curious.
    He blinked. “In every way.”
    “Oh.” What was she supposed to say to that? “Interesting good or interesting bad?”
    “Good, Mel.” His voice thickened and lowered. “Very, very good.”
    “Oh,” she said again, still at a loss for words. “Thank you. I think you’re…interesting, too.” Before he could quiz her on what she meant by that, she said, “Is there anything else you wanted to go over?”
    “We were talking about Grady and Olivia,” Jace reminded her, stubborn man that he was.
    Melanie expelled a sigh. “I’d rather keep this entirely impartial.”
    “Why not meet them before deciding?” he pushed. “Something informal, like lunch?”
    “And if I don’t change my mind?”
    “I’ll stop badgering you, but the bet sticks.” Finishing off his coffee, he crumpled the cup in his hand. “They’re a special couple. I can promise that they’ll be celebrating Valentine’s Day because they love each other, because they choose to be together.”
    “Okay, okay.” She decided this battle wasn’t worth fighting at the moment. “I’ll meet them and then decide, but I doubt doing so will change anything.”
    “Good enough.” Jace glanced at his watch. “Crap, it’s getting late. I have to take off soon, but there is one more idea I’d like to run by you.”
    Take off? Disappointment clouded around her before settling in her stomach like a lead weight. Where was he going? More to the point, why did she care? “Shoot,” she said.
    “We should publicize the bet, make it a part of the article. In addition, we could approach the feature with a ‘he-said, she-said’ mentality.”
    “Meaning?”
    “We state up front that we have a bet going and what’s at stake.” Jace’s brow furrowed as he talked. “If you win, they’ll all see the damn Snuggie photo anyway. And if I win…” He trailed off and glanced away, apparently having second thoughts about completing his sentence.
    “It will just play into your womanizing reputation, is that it? If anything, that will help your columns get more attention.” She scowled and fought to keep her temper in check. “What then, Jace? Supposing a miracle happens and you somehow manage to win, will you use our date as fodder for your column?”
    “I…hadn’t really thought about that,” he said carefully.
    “Okay. Think about it now.”
    “No, Mel. I wouldn’t ‘use our date as fodder’ unless that was something you’d already agreed to.” The furrows in his brow deepened. “You continually assume I’m out to deceive you, in one way or another. Why?”
    She let out a breath. If she was going to get through the next several weeks, she needed to relax. “I don’t know,” she admitted in a soft voice. “But come on, Jace, you write a dating column that is…fairly free with the details of your dates, so why wouldn’t I wonder?”
    “Maybe because we’re coworkers? Maybe, just maybe, you could give me the benefit of the doubt for once.” His eyes darkened, grew steely. “I sure as hell don’t need to be sneaky about using a date for my column. Any date.”
    “Right,” she fired back. “The women you date probably love having what they wear, what they say, every move they make dissected in your damn column for public consumption. Hell, they probably beg you for dates. They probably cut the column out of the paper and show it off to their friends and neighbors before framing it and hanging it on their wall.”
    “Some of them, maybe,” Jace said quietly. “Others prefer to stay out of the limelight. Regardless, have you ever seen an actual name printed in my ‘damn column’? You haven’t, because I keep that information private. I respect women, Mel.” He swore under his breath. “Stop expecting the worst from me.”
    She stared at him for a minute, letting his words filter through her temper. He was