Scrooged Over: Paranormal Dating Agency Read online

  Scrooged Over

  Paranormal Dating Agency

  Milly Taiden

  Contents

  Scrooged Over

  About the Book

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Also by Milly Taiden

  Also by Milly Taiden

  Also by Milly Taiden

  Also by Milly Taiden

  Also by Milly Taiden

  Also by Milly Taiden

  Also by Milly Taiden

  Also by Milly Taiden

  Also by Milly Taiden

  Also by Milly Taiden

  Also by Milly Taiden

  Also by Milly Taiden

  Scrooged Over

  Paranormal Dating Agency

  NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR

  MILLY TAIDEN

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are fictitious or have been used fictitiously, and are not to be construed as real in any way. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales, or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  Published By

  Latin Goddess Press

  Winter Springs, FL 32708

  http://millytaiden.com

  Scrooged Over

  Copyright © 2020 by Milly Taiden

  Edited by: Tina Winograd

  Cover: Willsin Rowe

  All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  Property of Milly Taiden

  November 2020

  Created with Vellum

  About the Book

  Priscilla Bryant thought being matched by the famous Gerri Wilder would make her romantic dreams come true. She's wrong. So wrong. The shifter she's been matched with is a complete jerk and no matter how handsome he is, she never wants to see his face again. Talk about being scrooged over.

  Lake Walker knows that sexy Priscilla is his mate the moment he sees her. He can't wait to get the curvy goddess naked. What he doesn't understand is why she hates his guts. That's not supposed to happen with your perfect mate. She's a handful, but he's ready to fight for the woman he knows is his.

  It's not every day Gerri Wilder's told she made a mistake. Okay, more like never. But it seems someone’s trying their damndest to not only keep them apart but doesn't mind if one dies along the way. This is one time seeing is not believing. Will Lake and Priscilla get wrapped up in danger or can Gerri put a bow on this relationship before it’s too late?

  Prologue

  Gerri Wilder was the woman. Priscilla never thought that someone as famous as that woman would be willing to help little old her with her love life. And god, did she ever need help. At thirty, she wasn’t a spring chicken, and her biological clock screamed for her to get her ass in gear and start a family already.

  She wanted a family of her own, but finding a baby daddy/Mr. Right was damn near impossible. Maya had found her mate through Ms. Wilder and so had a million other couples. Okay, not a million, but it sure felt like it. Every other person she met was talking about Gerri’s uncanny ability to find people their perfect match. Priscilla knew all about the PDA’s success rate. She was giddy with happiness thinking she would finally meet the man meant for her. It made her want to break out in song and dance to think she’d be married and pregnant by that time the following year.

  Sitting at the fancy restaurant table, she started to become self-conscious. Was her hair okay, or was were her curls sticking out? Was her lipstick good, or did she have two red front teeth? She licked her front teeth at that thought.

  God, she hated this. She shouldn’t have gotten there so early. But hell, she’d been dressed and had hair done hours ago. At least, by being early, she could scope out the place and maybe relax until her date arrived. No, she wasn’t eager to get her groove on. She just really couldn’t believe that the right man for her was moments from walking in.

  A tall man marched up to the hostess station and spoke with the lady there. Damn, he was definitely hot. Dark loose curls reached down to his collar, and his five o’clock shadow set her skin to tingling, wanting to see how it felt against her. Down girl. She needed to calm her hormones down before her date arrived.

  Oh, God. What if-? What if he was…she really hoped this was her man. She already liked him.

  The hostess nodded and led him from the front of the restaurant toward her table. Priscilla could barely keep from bouncing in her seat. She’d name her first child after Gerri to thank her for such a gorgeous man.

  The hostess gestured to her table, and Lake Walker’s eyes landed on her. The love she expected to see was actually…

  Shock.

  In fact, he stopped mid-step. She couldn’t read his expression. Was he wowed by her or disgusted? Why was he so hard to read?

  Maybe the love wasn’t always instantaneous like it had been with Maya and her mate, Noah. That must be it. He was supposedly her soul mate. She frowned. Gerri didn’t make mistakes, did she?

  He sat across the table from her, grabbing his water glass and sipping. What was wrong with him? Or was it her?

  She cleared her throat. “Hi. I’m Priscilla Bryant.” She reached out her hand.

  “Oh, right. Sorry. L-Lake Walker.” He shook her hand with a quick touch and go. He picked up his menu and hid behind it. At least, it seemed like he did.

  “So, Lake,” she said, trying to stop the trembling in her voice, “how do you know Gerri?”

  Without lowering the menu, he replied, “she’s a friend of my parents.”

  “She really knows a lot of people.” Priscilla lifted her glass of water and swallowed a mouthful. This wasn’t what she had planned. She couldn’t imagine it would be this hard to speak to her supposed soul mate. “Lake is an interesting name. How did your parents come up with that?”

  He finally put his menu down. “It’s dumb, really. My parents met at a lake on the Savannah when they were visiting Africa. So they named m…me…” he coughed, “I mean, me after that so they would never forget where they began.”

  “That sounds so romantic,” Priscilla replied with a smile. But the truth was she was feeling rather cold inside. Why was he so detached?

  His brow raised and a flash of annoyance flamed in his eyes. “Are you serious? Meeting at a mud watering hole in the middle of nowhere?”

  Crash and burn. Or more like crash and atomic explosion. She kept her smile though it was hard. “I’m a romantic at heart. I guess even the strangest things sound sweet to me.”

  His eyes were icy and unresponsive. “I guess so.”

  Thank god the waiter came to the table for the drink order.

  “I’ll have a water with lemon,” she answered.

  “I’ll have a martini,” he said in a harsh dull voice. “Wait. Make that a double.”

  The waiter nodded and headed off.

  “A double,” Priscilla commented with a nervous giggle. “You must’ve had a rough day.” />
  “And it hasn’t ended yet,” he mumbled, a bitter edge in his voice.

  Was that a jab at her? Anger swirled in her chest. Her supposed mate was an asshole. Who would’ve thought? She guessed even assholes deserved love. Maybe.

  “So what do you do for a living?” He asked, his gaze everywhere but on her face.

  “I’m a graphic artist,” she replied. “You?”

  “Doesn’t matter,” he said, his voice pure ice.

  “What looks good to you?” she asked, trying to make conversation one last time. “I’m thinking the manicotti with a Caesar salad. I hear their sauce is to die for.”

  His eyes roamed what he could see of her body. “You’re a little…big,” he said, his tone coolly disapproving. “Maybe you should stick to the wedge salad. Only. You could stand to lose some of those extra pounds.”

  What? She sucked in a breath to give him a piece of her mind but stopped. Her anger was swallowed by heartbreak. What was the use? It was obvious he didn’t care that he hurt her feelings. She pushed her chair back and grabbed her purse. “Would you please excuse me for a moment?” She walked calmly from the table toward the ladies’ room. She wouldn’t break down in front of everyone.

  When coming to the entrance, she glanced out the glass doors.

  A few minutes later, she stopped at a light several blocks down from the restaurant on her way home, rain covering the windshield.

  How could Gerri have been so wrong?

  Chapter One

  “It’s the most wonderful time of the year…” Gerri sang along to the commercial while watching the snow fall and sipping hot chocolate in her comfiest snowman pajama set. Okay, so maybe she was overdoing it a little, but she loved the holidays. All holidays.

  Still, the end of the year held a special place in her heart. Gerri knew that this year’s party had to be bigger than ever. She had invited all of the couples she’d matched along with a bunch of prospective clients. She smiled at the formal invitations she’d mailed out several days before and had even a digital version sent to the couples off-planet.

  She fancied the heavy white card stock the invitation was made on with a drawing of the mansion where she held her event every year. It was beautiful, and the sparkles of snow falling added the bling touch she loved.

  She was particularly excited to see Priscilla Bryant and Lake Walker, one of her latest matches. Though she hadn’t heard from the couple since she’d set up their first date, she knew they were absolutely perfect for each other. And she was never wrong.

  So far, everyone had replied that they would make an effort to attend. She hadn’t seen some of her favorite couples in too long and was excited to get a chance to catch up with all of them. It was going to be a truly long night.

  An email came in from Priscilla.

  Dear Ms. Wilder,

  Thank you so much for inviting me to your holiday party, but I’m afraid I won’t be able to attend. You see, it would be too strange seeing Lake after the way things turned out. I don’t know how you could have thought he was the right man for me, to be totally honest with you. He was definitely not what I expected, and I’m disappointed, but I don’t blame you. You can’t make miracles happen, right?

  Anyway, thanks so much for the invitation and I hope your party’s a blast.

  Priscilla Bryant

  Gerri stared at the email wide-eyed, her jaw hanging open. What the hell was this? How could she say Lake wasn’t right for her. Gerri knew with certainty that Priscilla and Lake were mates, and nothing and nobody could change that. She frowned and continued to stare at her screen. What the hell happened?

  Gerri picked up the phone and dialed Priscilla.

  “Hi, Ms. Wilder,” she said, her soft voice light and bright. “I hope you’re not angry because of the party thing.”

  “Actually, I was hoping you would attend.”

  “Well, I uh…”

  “Oh, Lake’s not coming,” Gerri lied without batting a lash. Whatever happened between them needed resolving, and it wouldn’t happen if they didn’t see each other. Gerri didn’t enjoy meddling. Okay, maybe a little, but it was clear she’d need to work on those two to figure out what happened the first time they met.

  “Well,” Priscilla hesitated.

  “Please, Priscilla, join us. I’d love to see you again, and I know you’ll have a great time.” Gerri perked up in her seat. “Maya and Noah will be there.”

  Maya Zara and Gerri’s godson, Noah Wright, had mated several years back and had a beautiful family together. It was Maya who had recommended Gerri to Priscilla, an old school friend.

  “Oh, well, in that case, I’ll be there.” Priscilla laughed. “Boy, you sure know how to play dirty. I haven’t seen Maya in months. This will be so fun. Do you know if the kids will be there?”

  “They will. I like to do one side of the mansion for the children along with staff to watch over them and the other side for the adults to have fun. This year’s theme in the kid’s side is gingerbread houses and candy land and the adult side is winter wonderland themed like the invitation.”

  “Wow. You certainly think of everything,” Priscilla said.

  “I try. Now that it’s settled, I can’t wait to see you at the party.”

  “I’m actually looking forward to it. Thanks for calling, Ms. Wilder. See you soon.”

  Gerri ended the call and frowned again. Something wasn’t right about those two, and she was going to find out what. Matchmaking was in her blood. If only they knew just how good she was at it. For them, not to work out wasn’t just wrong; it was impossible.

  She dialed Lake Walker’s office.

  “Lush Lingerie, Mr. Walker’s office. Manny speaking,” said a soft male voice on the phone.

  “Hi, Manny, this is Gerri Wilder for Mr. Walker.”

  There was a loud gasp. “Gerri Wilder? The Gerri Wilder? Matchmaker to the shifter stars?”

  Gerri laughed at the awe in his voice. “I don’t know about all that, but this is Gerri Wilder the Matchmaker.”

  “Goodness, Ms. Wilder. What an honor. I am so excited to meet you, even though it’s on the phone,” Manny gushed. “Are you calling to set up Mr. Lyle Walker?” he asked with a gasp. “Oh, my god. That is going to be epic. He needs a good woman in his life.” He lowered his voice. “He keeps dating these hangry models that totally need a sandwich. I hope you set him up with a real woman for once.”

  Gerri frowned. “No, Manny. I’m actually calling for Lake. Is he available?”

  “Oh! That Mr. Walker,” Manny’s feminine laugh tinkled over the line. “He’s always here. The man never dates or goes anywhere. In fact, he probably needs a good woman more than his brother.”

  Gerri laughed. It was Lake she was interested in, seeing as he was the one she matched with Priscilla. But now that she knew Lyle was single again, maybe she’d keep on the lookout for his mate.

  “You know, Manny, I’m having a holiday party for my clients. I’d love for you to join us,” she said, enjoying the man’s enthusiastic personality.

  “Me? For real? Gerri Wilder wants me to go to her party?” He screamed a high, excited pitch. “I’m going to have a heart attack at twenty-nine. Oh, god. What will I wear? It’s hard for a girl to wear something cute on a regular, but when she gets invited to the bash of the year? I’m going to need to go shopping ASAP.”

  Gerri continued to laugh at his excitement. “While you figure out what to wear, let me speak to Lake, please.”

  “Oh, my. Of course, Ms. Wilder. I’m sorry for keeping you. But before you go, how will I know where to go?”

  “I’ll send you an invite, Manny. Don’t you worry.”

  “Thank you so much!” he gushed. “Hold one-second while I transfer you.”

  Gerri sat back at her desk and found Manny in the contact list for Lush Lingerie. She went ahead and emailed him the electronic version of her invitation, along with a password to RSVP. She was excited to meet him in person. He sounded like a fun guy.<
br />
  “Hello?” The professional but serious tone on the line made her smile.

  “Lake Walker,” Gerri said. “You could sound a little more excited to speak to me.”

  “Ms. Wilder,” he said with a sigh. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your call during one of our busiest times of the year?”

  “Oh, don’t give me that. You’re always busy.”

  “My model quit, and our holiday campaign is behind schedule. Tell me why the world’s most notorious matchmaker wants to talk to me again.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I am also a family friend, Lake. Not just a matchmaker.”

  He sighed. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I’m just under a lot of pressure.”

  “I’m calling to see if you got my invitation for my holiday bash.”

  There was a moment of silence and then papers shuffling. “It’s possible. There’s a mountain of papers on my desk, and I haven’t checked my mail in a few days.”

  “Well, I’m hoping you’ll join us. Your lovely mother’s coming, and she doesn’t want to ask you, but she would like you to accompany her if you’re not otherwise engaged.”

  “You’re not trying to set me up again, are you?”

  She frowned. “With your mother?”

  Another sigh. “No. Okay, I’ll be there. Mom shouldn’t have to forgo the event just because she doesn’t have an escort.”