Daddy’s Little Matchmaker (A Little Match #1)

Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

Tessica Alvarez clicked her mouse to print the page she’d been working on and then closed the accounting software. She stood up, stretched, and picked up her purse and coat. Pulling the paper off the printer, she stepped out of the office to find Paul, the club’s owner. It was too early for the club to be open, so the hallway was well lit, and the click of her sensible pumps echoed in the silence. In the main room, she found Paul and his business partner, Tucker, setting up for the usual Friday night BDSM party at their club, Connections.

The men set down the massage table they were carrying.

Paul smiled at her. “All done?”

She nodded and handed him the sheet she’d printed. “All balanced for the fiscal month.”

“Great.” Paul glanced at the paper and nodded. “See you next Thursday for Littles’ night?”

“I wouldn’t miss it.” Littles’ night was the only time her inner Mommy was truly happy. And once or twice a year, when she couldn’t ignore it any longer, she would discretely ask Paul for a private playdate to let her inner Little come out.

Tucker moved to her side. “I’ll walk you to your car.”

“Thanks.” She knew there was no point in arguing or saying it wasn’t necessary. She’d tried that a few times over the past five years, and it never worked. In her opinion, both Paul and Tucker were overly protective. But there were worse things for a man to be.

She fell in step beside Tucker and asked, “Did you have a good Christmas?”

“I did. How about you?”

Tessica smiled. “Both of my sons came over for dinner, and Aiden brought his new girlfriend. They chipped in together and got me a new KitchenAid.” When Tucker’s eyebrows furrowed, she added, “It’s a fancy mixer. I make a lot of cookies. It was really nice of them.”

“I do love your cookies.” He opened the back door for her.

Tessica slipped her winter coat over her blouse and frowned at the pouring rain. Her car was parked about twenty feet away, facing them in the back parking lot. “I can see my car. You can watch me from here and stay dry.”

“Okay,” he agreed. “See you next week.”

She flipped up her hood and made a dash past the dumpster against the club’s back wall, and across the lot to her car. She got in as quickly as possible, shut and locked the door, and waved to Tucker.

He waved back and closed the door.

She took off her hood, put her purse on the passenger seat and turned on the car so she could get the heater going. It was almost noon and she didn’t have to be at her secondary job until one-thirty. But her secondary job wasn’t just a job, it was a calling. Her work at the no-kill animal shelter was more fulfilling than her work as an accountant, even though her accounting business was twice as profitable.

Her phone pinged as a new text came in from Fiona, her boss at the animal shelter.

I made extra if you’d like to have lunch with me.

Tessica smiled and responded that she’d love to, because Fiona Doyle wasn’t just her boss. Fiona was also her best friend’s mother, and someone she’d known since high school. Tessica had been off work for the past week, so lunch would be the perfect time to catch up. She wanted to hear all the gossip from Fiona’s Christmas travels. Her three adult children, five adult grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren were scattered across the western half of the U.S. She made a point to visit them all during the last two weeks of December.

Tessica glanced out the windshield at the pouring rain and noticed little ice chunks in the mix. “Great,” she muttered. The constant rain was the only thing she didn’t like about living in Beaverton. According to the weather forecast, it wasn’t supposed to get cold enough to freeze, but hail wasn’t much fun to drive around in.

She put her phone away and turned on her headlights. Two beady eyes glowed back at her from under the dumpster. Tessica gasped and then took a closer look. The eyes blinked and turned away. An orange tabby cat slunk further under the dumpster.

She glared at the rain and then scowled at the roof of her car. “Really? I’m on my way to the shelter when I see a stray in the business district? If that’s not a sign, I don’t know what is.” She shook her head and muttered, “Thanks a lot. I really wanted to get soaked and possibly scratched today.”

Turning off the engine, she put the keys in her pocket, flipped up the hood on her coat, and got out of the car. She walked over to the dumpster and squatted down to look underneath. The big orange cat blinked at her from the other side. It was dirty and scruffy, and the tip of one ear was missing.

“Here kitty, kitty,” she called, holding out a hand. The cat blinked and didn’t move. “You look like you’ve lived quite the life there, buddy. Probably seen the bad side of humanity, but maybe the good side, too?”

It still didn’t move. She grunted, stood up, walked to the other side of the dumpster, and squatted down again. The cat stared back from the side she’d just been on. “Sneaky little guy, aren’t you?”

“It’s okay,” she coaxed. “Come here, and I’ll take you someplace warm and dry, with all the food you can eat.”

The cat didn’t move. Sighing, she stood up and looked at the club door. She knew for a fact that Paul and Tucker would be more than happy to help her catch the cat. They’d probably even be irritated and lecture her if she didn’t ask for their help. But seeing more people around might make the cat run away before they could catch him.

Tessica came to a decision and trudged through the rain back to her car. She opened the passenger side, dug through her purse, and found the peanut butter granola bar she kept as an emergency snack. She tore open the package with her teeth on her way back to the dumpster. No longer concerned with keeping her skirt clean, she knelt on the pavement beside the dumpster. Breaking off a small chunk of granola, she put the rest in her pocket, and leaned down to set the chunk on the ground under the dumpster.

“Hey there, big guy. At least I assume you’re a guy since you’re orange. I wish I had some beef jerky, but all I have is this crappy granola. I promise if you come see me, I’ll get you some meat.”

The cat sniffed the air, and cautiously moved closer. When he got close enough to sniff the granola, she tentatively put her hand next to the bit of food. “That’s it,” she cooed. “I’m a friend.”

The cat licked at the granola a couple of times before biting it.

“You must be pretty hungry if you’re willing to eat granola.” She put her fingers right next to its face.

To her relief, the cat gently nuzzled into her hand, instead of trying to run away. She reached up and ran her fingers down the top of its head. The cat moved closer to her and butted its head against her hand.

“Okay, buddy, remember this is for your own good, and don’t hate me.” She grabbed the fur at the back of its neck with one hand, slipped her other hand under its rump, and scooped the cat up into her arms. When it didn’t immediately flail, growl, or try to escape her grasp, she sent up a silent prayer of thanks.

“Good boy.” She stood up, and quickly carried the cat to her car. It was awkward to open the door while holding the cat, but she managed. It was even more awkward to sit in the driver’s seat with the cat between herself and the steering wheel, but she did it without hurting either of them. She closed the door behind them and only then let go of the cat’s scruff.

She expected the cat to claw at the windows and doors, or worse, claw at her. But it simply jumped onto the passenger seat, and then to the floor in front. She got a good look at his back end, confirming her suspicion that it was a male.

He hunched down, turned his ears back, and glared at her.

“Let’s hope that means you’ve been in a car before.” She started the engine again, and when the cat didn’t freak out, she moved forward a few feet. He didn’t appear to be panicked, just irritated. “Here goes nothing,” she muttered, and pulled out of the parking lot.

Twenty minutes later, the rain had slowed to a drizzle. Tessica parked in front of Fiona’s house. A sign on the porch that read Fur-ever Friends was the only indication of a business being run in the home. Tessica smiled down at the cat. “Thanks for being a good passenger.”

He turned his ears back.

“You stay here while I get reinforcements.”

She exited the car as quickly as possible to prevent any escape attempts and took the cement walkway from the sidewalk to Fiona’s porch, and knocked on the Please Come In plaque as she opened the door.

“Hello?” she called when she didn’t see anyone at the front counter.

“Be right out,” Fiona called back.

The entire bottom floor of the house had been converted into the shelter, while the upper level had been converted into Fiona’s living space. Right inside the front door, there was a small lobby with just enough room for two chairs. Behind the counter was a large open area for people to interact with the pets they wanted to adopt. Cages for larger animals were on the back wall, while cages for the smaller animals were along the right wall. The left wall had a doorway to a bathroom, and another doorway that led to a hallway. In the hallway was a door to the veterinary exam room, a storage area, and the staircase going up to Fiona’s living space.

Fiona came out of the hallway, wiping her hands on a paper towel. She gave Tessica an initial smile that quickly morphed into a concerned frown when she took in Tessica’s appearance. “What happened?”

“I have a cat in my car.” She glanced down at the spot on her skirt that Fiona was focused on. “He was taking shelter under a dumpster when I found him.”

Fiona pushed open the wooden swinging half-door that separated the lobby from the rest of the room, and gestured for Tessica to come in. “I’ll get a cat carrier while you clean up and get warm.”

“Thanks.” Tessica walked in and headed to the back. She went to the bathroom, took off her coat, washed her hands, and ran her fingers through her damp hair. Then she took a wad of paper towels and blotted her wet and dirty skirt.

Once she was a bit more presentable, she went back out to the main area and saw Fiona walk through the front door holding a pet carrier with the cat inside.

“Why didn’t you didn’t wait for me?” Tessica scolded.

Fiona rolled her eyes. “I think I can handle one cat.” But then she winced as she lifted the carrier and set it on the counter.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Fiona rubbed her left arm and circled her shoulder a couple of times. “I’m just old, and I slept on my arm wrong. The cat was no trouble at all.”

“You should have waited. I could have gotten him.”

Fiona waved her hand in the air. “Nonsense.”

Tessica huffed and picked up the carrier. “Where do you want him?”

“Cage three. I’ll get a bit of food for him, see if he keeps it down, and leave him to get settled while we have lunch. Then I’ll examine him, and check for a chip.”

“Got it.”

Once the cat was settled, Fiona and Tessica went upstairs to Fiona’s living area. She’d had the house renovated almost twenty years ago, when her husband died. The top of the stairs opened into her living room. The kitchen and dining areas were to the left, and her bedroom and bathroom were to the right. Every once in a while, Tessica would get a twinge of nostalgia when she walked past the pictures of Fiona’s family in the living room.

Tessica followed Fiona to the kitchen table and sat. Fiona dished up some homemade potato soup for both of them.

“How was your Christmas week?” Tessica asked, then blew on her steaming soup.

“It was fantastic. I got to see all three kids, my grandkids, and my great-grandkids. And I didn’t have to go to Juneau this year to see Connor.”

“Wow!” Tessica was surprised that Fiona’s oldest had made an appearance. “He actually came to Beaverton?”

“For three whole days.”

“Shocking. I’ve always thought it was ironic that he almost never comes to visit when he’s a pilot.”

Fiona shook her head. “He rarely flies into Portland, it’s mostly from Juneau to Seattle and back. But I think he’s starting to realize how much he’s missed with his granddaughters getting older.”

“How old are your great-grandbabies now?”

“Bethany is ten, and Maggie is eight.”

“Damn, that makes me feel old.” Tessica shook her head.

Fiona chuckled. “It only gets worse. How was your Christmas?”

Tessica spent the next few minutes talking about her adult twin boys with a few snide comments thrown in about her ex and his new wife. By the time she was done, her soup was gone, and she realized that Fiona’s bowl was still full.

“The soup was fantastic. Aren’t you hungry?’

Fiona shook her head. “My stomach has been upset all day.”

“Do you think you’re coming down with something? The flu maybe?”

“I hope not. I don’t have time to be sick. Ready to go take a look at the cat?”

Tessica frowned. “Maybe you should lay down and rest for a while. I can take over for the afternoon.”

Fiona sighed. “If it will make you happy, I’ll take the afternoon off once we check him out.”

Surprised, and a little worried that Fiona had actually agreed to take an afternoon off, Tessica nodded. “That’s great.”

They went downstairs and looked through the cage at their newest guest.

“Want to name him?” Fiona asked.

Tessica shrugged.

“He looks like a Butch to me.”

“Butch?” Tessica laughed.

“Like an old gangster from the movies.”

“Sure. Why not?”

“Come on, Butch.” Fiona opened the cage. “Let’s get you checked out.” She reached in to pick up the cat, but gasped and froze.

“Fiona?”

The older woman put a hand over her chest before falling to the ground.

“Fiona!” Tessica quickly closed the cage and knelt next to her friend.

Fiona hissed in pain, squeezed her eyes shut, and held her chest.

“Oh my god! Hold on, I’ll call for help!” Tessica rushed over to the cordless telephone at the counter and dialed 911.

“911, what’s your emergency?”

Tessica walked back to Fiona’s side as the man on the other end spoke. “I think my friend just had a heart attack. She collapsed holding her chest, and she hasn’t been feeling good all day.”

“Okay, are you with her right now?”

“Yes.”

“Is she awake?”

Tessica put a hand on Fiona’s shoulder. “Fiona? Can you hear me?” Tessica shook Fiona’s shoulder gently before responding to the 911 agent. “She’s not.”

“Can you check to see if she has a pulse?”

Tessica reached a shaky hand out to Fiona’s neck. “I don’t think… wait, yes. Yes, she does, but… barely.”

The 911 agent rattled off their address, and stayed on the phone with Tessica while she waited for the ambulance.