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His team was angry? They were complaining? Tim straightened, glancing at the still-closed door as if he could somehow see his research team. Fury rose up in his chest at his staff’s apparent disloyalty. “They are complaining?”
“Never!” Matteo replied emphatically, his hand slicing through the air with a dramatic flair that only a Spaniard could convey. “They are in awe of you and your intelligence. Hell, every budding scientist fights to get onto one of your research teams. You run one of the leading laboratories in the world.” He paused, letting his words sink in. “However, over the past few months, you have become a serious grouch, using my wife’s term.” He grumbled that last part, as if it were beneath his Spanish dignity to use such a term. But he continued. “The members of your team work very hard for you. And your short temper is…slowing down progress on your research. No one is complaining outside of the building, and they never would. Their loyalty is absolute. But there are…grumbles.”
Tim opened his mouth, prepared to defend himself. But when he noticed the raised eyebrow on Matteo, he closed it again. Sighing, frustration in every movement, Tim stood up and stomped to the enormous window, thinking about his attitude lately.
He had been an ass. He’d been snapping at everyone lately and he knew it. Sometimes, his temper flared for errors and sometimes he lashed out for no apparent reason. He always apologized, but…his temper was riding the edge of his control and he knew it.
“Plus, you’re spending all of your waking hours here at the lab,” Bailey continued. “You don’t go to parties anymore. Because of your research, you’re worth several billion dollars, Tim, and you don’t seem happy. You don’t attend social functions, not even the meetings set up among your other scientific groups. You hide here in the lab for twenty hours a day.”
“Not true,” he growled, leaning back in his chair. When Bailey gave him a challenging look, he said, “I ran in the Philadelphia marathon last week,” he replied, feeling a little smug. “And last month, I ran in the Harrisburg Marathon.”
Bailey waved her hand in the air dismissively. “Those are wonderful accomplishments and,” she rubbed her round belly affectionately, “it’s on my bucket list of things to do at some point.” She sighed and shifted in her chair. “However, besides training for marathons and working out, tell me one social endeavor you have participated in over the past week.” She waited and Tim tried to come up with something. “A lunch, perhaps?” Bailey offered.
Tim knew that he hadn’t even gone out for lunch lately, preferring to have something delivered to his desk.
Sighing, he leaned back again. “Okay, so I’ve been a bit of a hermit lately. Why do you care?” he demanded.
Bailey’s expression softened. “Because we love you, Tim,” she replied easily. “Something changed in your life and we can see you’re not happy.”
He sighed, once again giving himself points for not rolling his eyes. Bailey was one of those annoyingly happy people and it had only gotten worse since she’d married Matteo. “And you think that Raven Markley will make me happy?” Now, why did that question make so much damn sense? It was a ridiculous notion!
Matteo stepped in at that point. “We are hoping that Ms. Markley could find someone who might make you happy,” he explained. “She was brilliant at helping Zahir find Mandy.”
Tim snorted. “Mandy was already in Sidrina to investigate future candidates for the position of Zahir’s wife. Admit it – we were all shocked when Mandy actually became his wife. Markley didn’t do anything exceptional to make that romance happen. All of the ingredients were already there.”
Matteo and Bailey shared another glance and he barely restrained himself from squirming under their intent gazes.
“Are you denying that Raven was the one who realized that Zahir should be looking at Mandy as his potential life-mate?” Bailey asked in a deceptively pleasant voice. “From what I heard, Zahir was attracted to Mandy, and vice versa, but the two weren’t heading in the right direction for marriage to happen. It was Raven who figured out that the sparks flying all over the palace were because of their mutual attraction. She’s the one that got the two of them together.”
Tim didn’t snort this time, but it was a close call. “It was pure luck,” he said with a dismissive wave of his hand.
Matteo leaned forward. “Raven also helped figure out who was leaking information on Zahir’s security team. She figured out the agency head was cheating his people. That was a pretty important piece of the puzzle, don’t you think?” Before Tim could respond, Matteo continued. “Plus, she’s matched up more than twenty other couples, all of whom rave about her skills.”
Tim shook his head, neither agreeing nor denying the woman’s expertise. “She claims to be a scientist, but I don’t agree. She’s a glorified match maker.”
“There’s nothing glorified about the title of ‘matchmaker’ my friend,” Bailey argued and nodded at her husband. Immediately, Matteo stood up, and took her hands, pulling her out of the chair.
Tim watched with deep longing. Damn, he was intensely jealous of his friends! It took him a couple more seconds, but he had his expression hidden by the time Bailey was safely on her feet.
He couldn’t deny that he wanted a wife, someone special to come home to at night. Someone who gave him a reason to leave the lab. Someone who would give a damn if he ate or slept or…or anything. Right now, he had no one in his life. Matteo and Bailey were right. Everyone around him was pairing up. Zahir and Mandy were at the TBC club last week, making the rounds. Levi and Sean used to be great friends to beat at the pool table, but they were too busy with their wives and children now. As partners in the club ownership, Levi and Sean still accomplished their responsibilities, but their hearts were no longer in it. Even Matteo had fallen in love several months ago when he’d acknowledged his long-time love for Bailey. The three of them used to show up at the galas and social events as a team. Now, he was the odd man out.
Okay, fine. He was miserable. But bringing Raven Markley into his life definitely wasn’t the solution. Anyone but her! Hell, he’d rather attempt to find someone through the dating sites than see Raven again. And that was saying a lot!
“You have a meeting with her tomorrow morning at nine o’clock to discuss it,” Bailey called out as she waddled to the door. “You don’t have to talk to her, but she’s going to search her database of women who are looking for a husband. Why don’t you give her your requirements and let her work her magic? She’s more than proven that she’s excellent at finding a match, even for stubborn, obnoxious men like you!”
Matteo put his hand to the small of Bailey’s back, guiding her out. But he paused at the doorway. “What’s the harm in letting her try?” he asked. “Raven Markley has a guarantee. If she can’t find the perfect spouse for you, then we get our money back.”
Tim held back on his derisive snort this time. Still tapping his pen against his thigh, he asked, “How much did you pay her?”
Bailey shook her head. “None of your business, my friend. Nine o’clock!” she yelled out. “I’ve given the information to your assistant and she added the appointment on your calendar.”
And then they were gone. Leaving Tim alone. Again.
He stared at the empty doorway, wondering what the hell he was going to do. Raven Markley. He would see her tomorrow morning.
Standing up, he wasn’t sure if the sensation deep in his chest was anger or…excitement at seeing the beautiful woman again.
Hell!
