Jake stared at the painting, watching her move the pen toward the paper. The paper others were using for the bidding to write their table number on, and some even put a phone number. “Maybe you need this in your bedroom? I had several canvases done.”
He wasn't entirely sure what to say to that. He knew for sure he didn't want the artwork.
“Excuse me.” He turned on his heels and marched to the bar. He was going to need a drink if this was how the entire event was going to go.
He ordered a rum on the rocks and turned to find Gerri walking toward him. He softly smiled and relaxed. He could handle Gerri. He'd known her for a while, and she was anything but a pain in the ass.
“Well, what are you doing over here? Brooding over the event?”
He took in her short hair and sarcastic smile. Jake clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes. He wasn't in the mood.
She crossed her arms, staring at him. After a moment, she sighed, “What's wrong? Cat got your tongue tonight? You're normally one to argue with me.”
He sighed deeply. “No. I've just had a rough week. Before I got here, my father and I were arguing again.”
She tilted her head, raising an eyebrow. “What about this time?”
He could only shrug. What wasn't it about? Everything he did was viewed as wrong, even the nicest of things. He could rescue a puppy, and his dad would say he stole it.
“I tried to impress him by buying a historic symphony hall that was going to be demolished. I figured my father would be pleased. I could redo the inside and bring it back to its former glory, but he was yelling at me before I could even get those words out.”
He stirred his drink, still hearing his father's voice. It was like a ringing in his ear he couldn't get rid of. It drove him nuts.
“My father accused me of buying a perfectly wonderful piece of history to turn it into a strip club. He told me it was wrong to do that to something so beautiful and that he would rather see it destroyed than being danced in for dirty money.”
Jake clenched his jaw, staring at nothing. He didn't expect Gerri to have anything to say. She wasn't one to gently coddle him. It was what he liked about her, that she was blunt and upfront about everything.
“Are you going to let your daddy issues get in the way of romance? I've watched you avoid the woman the entire night, and that's just a personal stab at me.”
He couldn't help but laugh, almost snorting as he shook his head. He knew Gerri was a matchmaker, but it wasn't anything he'd ever consider. It seemed like going to a psychic and expecting your reading to be correct about your entire life.
“Of course not.” He shook his head, taking another swig of his drink. “None of these girls interest me, is all. I wouldn't go as far as to say it gets in my way of love.”
She raised a brow before she looked over the crowd. “All right, then, what are you looking for in a woman? Big ass? Large tits? A wonderful fit body?”
“Don't be so disgusting.” He waved a hand at her. “I'm not looking at a woman for what's on the outside. I am a gentleman, after all.”
“Okay.” She gave him a smile. “Then what is it you are looking for?”
This stumped him. He'd never thought about what he wanted in a woman. He knew he wanted her to be kind and honest. He wanted someone that enjoyed his company but nothing further than that.
He just figured he'd stumble upon her at one point, and he would know. But now that he thought about it, he realized just how stupid that sounded. That wasn't how it happened.
“I guess I just thought I'd find her over time. You know love at first sight.”
Gerri's eyes went up, and she chuckled. “Oh, darling, if it was that easy, I would be able to retire on a nice beach by now with a butler to aid in my every need. Why don't you allow me to offer my service? You'd be surprised at how quick I am.”
Jake didn't know. He'd known Gerri a while and never thought about the idea. He didn't think that was romantic. Having someone find someone for you wasn't the way he wanted to start his love story. It was almost like admitting he was incompetent.
“I wouldn't want to put your service to waste.” He took the last of this drink before he turned and made another order. “I'll find someone.”
“In five years? Ten?” She took a step closer, placing her hand on the bar and grabbing his attention. “Do you really want to throw time away waiting when I'm offering you a service that could find you someone soon?”
He sighed. “I don't know, Gerri. That just doesn't seem right.”
“Darling, trust me. I've been doing this long enough. I have a gift, if you want to call it that. I have a hundred percent success rate, and I can't tell you just how amazing that is.”
He laughed as the bartender handed him his drink. He turned to her. “And you want to take me on? I don't want to ruin your success rate, Gerri. I'd hate to be the person to break your perfect record.” He shook his head. “The perfect woman doesn't exist for me anyway.”