Free An Unlikely Match (The Match Series - Book #1) by Barbara Dunlop Page B

weekend,” he allowed without elaborating.
    “Morgan?” There was a warning in her tone.
    “What?”
    “Where are you staying ?”
    “I’m not staying anywhere. I’m not going to the reunion.” The last thing in the world he wan ted to do on a Saturday night was hang out with a huge crowd of people who’d shunned and taunted him for four long years.
    She scooted along the tile bench toward him. “But you have to go to the reunion.”
    “No. In fact, I don’t.”
    “Correct me if I’m wrong on this, Morgan. But you were a bit of a nerd in high school.”
    So nice of her to bring that up.
    “Your point?” he asked between clenched teeth.
    “My point is that now’s the time to show them.”
    “Show them what?” The water ripples smoothed out, and he couldn’t drag his gaze from the swell of her breasts beneath her bikini top.
    “That you’ve got a big-time job. That you turned out great. This is your chance to show them.”
    “You’re making an assumption that I care about their opinion.” He didn’t. It had all happened ten long years ago. And, really, it hadn’t been all that bad. And they were nothing to him anyway.
    “You’re human. So, on some level, you care.”
    “I don’t.”
    “Yes, you do.”
    “No, I don’t. But if I did, even if I did, I’m exactly the same person I was back then. I haven’t changed. I didn’t get better.”
    She drew back, eyeing him up and down. “What are you talking about? You’re fantastic. You’re hot. All those girls who wouldn’t go to the prom with you in high school are going to be drooling over you now.”
    He laughed at that. “You pegged me as a science nerd in about thirty seconds.”
    “Well, yeah, but that’s just...” She seemed to stumble over her words. She gestured along his body, to his glasses, his hair. “ You’re only...it’s only the veneer.”
    “ It’s not the veneer, Amelia. It’s who I am.”
    Her eyes took on a speculative gleam. “Well, we’ll change that.”
    “I don’t want to change that.”
    She waved off his protest. “I don’t mean the real you. I mean the veneer. The real you isn’t at all what you project.”
    “You don’t know the real me.”
    “I know you need a new haircut. You need a new wardrobe. And have you ever thought about getting contacts?”
    “ I don’t like contacts.” He knew his tone sounded peevish, but he didn’t care. She was affirming everything he’d feared she thought of him, and he was discovering he didn’t like hearing the truth.
    “ Nobody likes contacts,” she countered. “But you get used to them.”
    “Do you wear contacts?”
    “No. But I would. If I needed them. Maybe I’ll need them someday. Who knows? And if I do, I’ll get them. But you need them now.”
    He watched her in fascination. “Exactly how long can you talk without taking a breath?”
    “I can talk as long as it takes to make you give in.”
    “What am I giving in to?”
    “Going to your reunion. Tossing it all back in their faces. You need this, Morgan. Everybody needs something like this. I’ll help you get ready. You’ll be triumphant, an off-the-charts success. Trust me, everyone will be totally impressed.”
    He glanced at his watch. “That was twenty-four seconds.”
    “You know how I know they’ll be impressed?” This time, she stopped and waited.
    “How?” he dutifully inquired.
    “Because I’m them. I picked on the nerds in high school. I know what the cool kids look for. I know what they admire.”
    He had to admit she had a point. It was obvious she’d had a perky cheerleader personality her entire life. High school would have been a breeze for her. She might think she knew what it was like for the other half, but she really had no idea.
    “I’ll think about it,” he agreed in order to end the conversation.
    She reached for his wrist, turning it so that his watch faced her. “You have two hours.”
    “You’re setting conditions?” He struggled to ignore the feel