Finding Mr. Purrfect

by Codi Gary

Genres: Women's Fiction; Contemporary Romance; Romantic Comedy

Synopsis

A laugh-out-loud, fake-dating romance with plenty of cats, coffee, and charm - perfect for fans of Lyssa Kay Adams and Jasmine Guillory​.

Frenemies + Fake Dating = Falling for the wrong person…for all the right reasons
 
Charity Simmons may have great taste in friends, felines, and fruit tarts, but if there’s one thing the baker and co-owner of Meow and Furever Cat Café knows, it’s that she has horrible taste in men. Case in point: Will Schwartz. He may be the best friend of her best friend’s boyfriend, but after their one night together, Charity is positive Will’s nothing but a womanizing charmer—despite his nice-guy persona and adorable, crooked smile. So why then did she pick him to pretend date to get her parents off her back about being single?

Will Schwartz may give relationships a hard pass, but he’s not about to say no to fake dating Charity. She’s brilliant, hilarious, and best of all, she’ll put an end to his mother’s interrogations about his love life. And maybe, after all this time giving him the cold shoulder, Charity will finally warm up to him.  But it’s not long before Will and Charity realize they got much more than they bargained for--and they’re freaking out. What if what they have isn't make believe but the real, forever kind of love?

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Print pages: 400

Sample

These deliciously delectable squares come six to a plate and can easily be shared with friends.

CHARITY SIMMONS REMOVED HER gloves and tossed them into the nearest trash can, surveying the trays of square cookies she’d been prepping all morning. When she’d decided to take a vacation to Mexico for the holidays, Charity pictured days of lounging by the resort pool or even the beach, being served fruity drinks while reading several of the paperbacks she’d brought along. She’d done that every afternoon during her stay—after getting up early and making her way over to the large industrial kitchen to help prepare breakfast pastries and sweet treats for the resort guests.

It was ironic that a baker from the US would go on vacation to relax and recharge, only to offer herself up as tribute like Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games when she overheard hotel staff talking about losing their pastry chef the day after Christmas. She’d been by the pool at the time, trying to focus on a psychological thriller, and her ears perked up at the mention of baking. Thanks to three years of Spanish in high school and a year in Spain after college, Charity was proficient enough to catch the gist of the rapid-fire conversation between the manager and her assistant. She’d stood up and approached them, offering her assistance during her stay or until they managed to find a replacement. It had taken some convincing, but the manager accepted her help. She hadn’t slept in late a single day, but that was what naps were for.

Besides, relaxing wasn’t exactly Charity’s MO. She liked staying busy, and being in the kitchen gave her an excuse to avoid other people, especially men. Maybe it was the tragic state of her love life or that she would be thirty-three in a month, but hanging out and partying all night with a bunch of strangers didn’t sound at all appealing. This trip was supposed to be Charity and her best friend, Kara Ingalls, following the love of Kara’s life to Mexico so she could profess her love for him. Instead, Kara and said love, Ben, decided not to go to Mexico, and they headed for Boston to spend the holidays with his family, leaving Charity alone on vacation.

Well, technically not alone. There was Schwartz.

Of course, he was a viable option to hang with. Ben’s best friend was in the same boat as her, ditched at the last minute in pursuit of true love and familial reconnection, but while she’d found something productive to do during her vacation, she’d caught glimpses of him swaggering around the resort, and usually not alone. There was something about his Clark Kent vibe that drew the women to him like bees to a flower. He did smell good, and he was funny to boot, but she had no interest in playing third or fourth wheel as he reeled in women left and right.

Not that Charity was interested in Will. Any man using his wiles on unsuspecting females and breaking hearts all over the place didn’t sit well with her, especially given her dating history. He was just her type.

When they’d first met, Will had been flirtatious and charming, two characteristics she’d recognized as red flags when it came to men. It had taken her about fifteen years to see it, but from her first date at sixteen, Charity had an annoying habit of being attracted to womanizing, cheating, stealing, lying bums, and even when she thought they might be different, they always proved her wrong. And while many women might say they had the worst taste in men, it was really true in Charity’s case. Even if the company may have eased her loneliness a bit, the last thing she needed to do was hang with a man Charity knew was bad news.

“Charity, these look delicious!” Loretta Guzman gushed, coming around the table from the lobby’s entrance to the kitchen. Her dark hair was pulled back from her face, and her wide smile spread warmth throughout Charity’s chest. She loved when people appreciated her work.

“Thank you. The staff can dip one half in chocolate and use the edible sprinkles and glitter for the New Year’s Eve party tonight. I make them at home for my café, but I imprint them with a cat’s paw.” Just the mention of her beloved cat café, Meow and Furever, sent a shot of longing to the pit of her stomach. She was ready to be home with her cat, Robin Hood, and Kara.

“I cannot tell you enough how appreciative we are of you helping out. Not many guests would have given up hours of their time.” Loretta linked her arm with Charity’s. “And to truly show our appreciation, we have a surprise for you.”

Charity started protesting even as Loretta steered her toward the door. “Oh, you don’t have to do anything! You already comped my room when you really didn’t have to.”

“Nonsense. It’s because you gave up your time without asking for anything in return that we wanted to do this for you.” Loretta took a pathway to the right, her arm still linked with Charity’s. “I wanted your last two nights with us to be truly special. Although I’m glad we were able to hire another pastry chef, I will miss you, and I know the staff feels the same way.”

Charity could never get enough words of affirmation and beamed at Loretta’s praise. “I’ll miss you all, too. Especially working in your kitchen. You’ve given me so many ideas to improve Meow and Furever’s setup and create more productivity for the catering side of things.”

“I’m happy we’ve given you inspiration for your business.”

Although she and Kara had plans to expand Meow and Furever’s bakery to include a full catering service, they’d only managed to raise enough to complete the renovations on the low-cost veterinary clinic Kara would run. They’d almost lost their beloved cat café before Christmas because they didn’t have enough money coming in to keep them afloat. Thanks to Ben and Will’s marketing skills, they’d pulled off an amazing fundraising event, bringing in enough money to finish the low-cost clinic Kara wanted. Charity could be patient about building a bigger kitchen, but it didn’t hurt to get ideas on how best to set it up and what equipment was essential. Especially if Charity was chosen as a contestant for Bake That, the number one reality show on television. She’d sent in her audition tape and sample recipes in November, and she should hear within a week or two about whether she was chosen. It was both nerve-racking and exhilarating.

They passed through a gorgeous garden with fragrant flowers and a bubbling fountain that fed into a deep koi pond. The orange-and-white fish wiggled through the water, drawing closer to the edge as if waiting for them to toss food to them.

“I haven’t been on this side of the resort.”

“It’s usually kept private for our guests staying in our bungalow suites.” They broke through the gorgeous greenery, and Charity spotted a line of stilt houses backed up against the stone wall of the resort. Each door was painted a brilliant color, and Charity glanced at Loretta when they stopped in front of number four.

“What are we doing here?” Charity asked.

“This will be your home for the next two nights,” Loretta said, holding out a key. “I’ve arranged for someone to help you carry your bags over as soon as you are done packing up your room.”

“I—this is too much. I’m fine in my room!”

“It isn’t too much. This one had a last-minute cancellation, so no one is booked to stay here until you leave. Please, accept this gesture from your friends at the Grand Mar Resort.”

Charity took the key from Loretta, stunned. “I still think this is too much, but my mother always told me it was rude to refuse a gift given graciously.”

“Your mother is a wise woman,” Loretta said with a smile. “Feel free to inspect your new accommodations, and a staff member will be waiting for your call when you’re ready to move.” With a nod, Loretta spun on her sensible flats and headed back toward the garden and the way they’d come.

Charity gripped the key in one hand and the wooden banister in the other, climbing the stairs. As she drew closer to the canary-yellow door, she noted the front balcony of the bungalow wrapped all the way around to the back. Instead of heading inside, she followed the wood planks around to find that it overlooked the resort’s private beach. Waves crashed against the sand while people sunbathed and played in the water, the view something out of a ’60s beach movie. She turned her back to the scene and retrieved her phone from her pocket, snapping a selfie to text Kara.

Wish you were here.

Charity’s phone rang instantaneously, and she answered the video call laughing. “Well, hi!”

Kara smiled at her on-screen, Charity’s tabby cat, Robin Hood, on her lap. “Hey! How is Mexico? It looks beautiful, but you’re still coming home, right?”

“I am. I was thinking today how I can’t wait to be back. Plus, I miss that big guy. Hi, baby.”

Robin Hood got so close to the camera that all she saw was his nose, and then it went dark, the loud rumble of muffled purring coming out of her phone speaker. Suddenly, Robin Hood disappeared, and Kara’s face came back into view. “Wow, you miss this food-thieving tyrant and not me?”

“Of course, I miss you.” Charity settled into one of the yellow deck chairs and asked, “What’s going on there?”

“Your mom called me,” Kara said.

Charity tensed. “What did you say?”

“That I hadn’t had a chance to talk to you.”

“I thought you’d tell me something good, like we got a giant, anonymous donation that would pay for a new kitchen.”

“Sorry, babes.”

Charity released a long, heavy breath. “It’s going to be bad, isn’t it?”

Kara smiled ruefully. “It won’t do any good to worry about it now, will it? You’ve already missed the holidays with your family, and you have two more nights in paradise. Might as well enjoy them.”

Charity knew her bestie was holding back on the extent of her conversation with her mother and could only imagine the tirade Kara had been forced to listen to, but she didn’t press her further.

“I want to hear about Boston,” Charity said, in an attempt to distract herself, but Kara shook her head on-screen.

“When you get back, we’ll have fun catching up. I just wanted to show you proof of life, but Ben is waiting on me. I can’t wait for you to get back.”

Charity laughed. “So, I can crash all your dates?”

“Absolutely. This is your home.”

“I think Ben might have something to say about that, but I love you for it.”

“Love you. Safe travels.”

She stared out at the waves as they crashed onto the beach, her mind drifting. Instead of canceling the trip when Kara had gone to Boston, Charity decided being alone for the holidays would be more fun than enduring awkward dinners where her parents constantly criticized her, compared her to her older siblings, and attempted to play matchmaker with men they thought were appropriate for her to date. While some of them were nice enough guys, she’d taken on the role as family rebel long ago and wasn’t about to conform now.

Had she handled everything with her parents like a child, instead of the adult she was? Perhaps; but if she really thought about her life, she’d been doing the same thing with everyone. Avoiding confrontation. Running away from her problems. She needed to grow up, but not today. Or tomorrow. Charity planned to enjoy Mexico before she headed back to reality and all the crap she was going to get from her parents and siblings.

Her phone beeped, and she checked the notification, wincing when she saw it was a text from her sister, Billie.

You need to call Mom and Dad. They are freaking out. None of us have heard from you since Christmas.

Charity stared at the message for several seconds, debating on how to respond, before she finally took a breath and typed.

I left them a voice mail telling them I was going out of town. They called Kara to interrogate her. I’m constantly posting on social media, and I’ll be back the day after tomorrow. So why, exactly, are they freaking out?

Her sister responded instantaneously.

Because you’re not talking to them, and they are worried about your mental state.

“Oh, for the love of—” Charity said aloud, tapping the call button. She’d take the international call rate to tell her sister her mental health was just fine.

Billie answered after the first ring. “Hi.”

“A bit dramatic, don’t you think?”

“Is it? You skip out on the holidays with your family with just a voice mail and no other communication.”

“Excuse me for wanting to enjoy my vacation.”

“Charity, being an adult means owning your decisions and dealing with the fallout.”

Charity clenched her jaw, thinking it was easy for her perfect, married sister to tell Charity to take her medicine. Their dad worshiped Billie, raved about her, whereas he introduced Charity to people as, “Still figuring things out.”

“I’ll deal with the fallout when I’m back in town, but until then, I’m going to enjoy the sunshine and the New Year’s Eve party I’m hitting tonight.”

“Charity?”

Charity froze when her mother’s voice registered, and Charity planned to murder her sister and make it look like a painful accident when she returned.

“Hey, Mom. How’s it going?”

“Better if my daughter hadn’t taken off to another country in order to avoid spending the holidays with her family.”

She counted slowly in her head. “Like I said in my voice mail, it wasn’t about you—”

“That is a little hard to believe given the circumstances and that you called your sister, but you can’t return one of my or your father’s calls?”

Charity gritted her teeth, knowing her mother wasn’t wrong, but could she really blame Charity for not wanting a bunch of grief heaped on her?

“I’m sorry, Mom. Kara asked me to go with her, but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit the thought of spending the holidays being set up on awkward blind dates by my parents factored into my decision to go.”

“I don’t think wanting to see you happy with a stable, successful man is something to run away from.”

“I’m not running. I’m on vacation.”

“Alone! Kara went to Boston instead of going with you, and you still went.”

“Yeah, I did.”

“Is that all you have to say?” her mother snapped.

“At the moment, yes. If you want to hash this out when I get back, fine, but I’ve got to go, Mom. This call is going to cost me a fortune.”

Her mother’s voice softened, twisting the knife of guilt in her chest. “Be safe, sweetheart. I love you.”

“I will. I love you, too.”

“Sorry, Sis!” Billie hollered.

Charity pressed the end button before she said something to her sister she’d regret. Her stomach knotted with anxiety as she processed the conversation. Her entire childhood, she’d known the score. Her older brother, Anton, was the golden boy with a bright future, following in their father’s footsteps. Her sister was an up-and-coming political genius and never stepped a toe out of line.

Charity came along as a surprise and ultimate disappointment in their picture-perfect family.

She climbed out of the chair and went around the front to open the bungalow. While reality was just a plane ride away, Charity wasn’t ready to go back there yet. The last eight days had been like living a fantasy life, without any stress or financial obligations.

When she unlocked the door and stepped inside, all the anxiety of what waited for her melted away as she took in the open suite with a soft-looking king-sized bed. To the left was a cloudy glass partisan that she slipped through to find a luxurious bathroom with a deep soaking tub.

Oh, yeah. Reality could definitely wait.

These melt-in-your-mouth cookies pair well with an oat-milk latte and a chubby cat on your lap.

WILL SCHWARTZ STEPPED OFF the elevator, his flip-flops slapping against the short carpet in the hotel hallway as he sucked down the fruity cocktail he’d made during mixology class. He’d booked this vacation with Ben thinking they would drink and have fun and bond, but he didn’t begrudge his friend going to see his family at Christmastime.

It had been a busy week of poolside lounging and flirting with gorgeous women, which should sound fun, but it was exhausting. He hated having to put himself out there constantly just so he wouldn’t have to be standing around like a friendless loser. While he adapted over the years and acquired the skill to engage people in conversation, it was a learned behavior and not his natural personality.

When Will was an awkward gawky teen, he’d preferred playing Dungeons and Dragons with a few friends to hitting the latest party with a bunch of people who loved to torment him. By the time he was a senior, Will learned that the only way to survive was to make people like him. He changed his personality, his clothes, and he’d put all his favorite things into the dark recesses of his closet. Nowadays, people didn’t hide their nerd side quite the way they used to, and he was glad for it. Unfortunately, many still tended to gravitate toward big personalities that were always-on, and being in marketing meant he always had to be on, too.

Which was why he’d been seriously considering leaving his job at Kilburn Marketing and starting his own graphic design firm. While he loved working with Ben and creating art for clients, Will hated the marketing side. The schmoozing. The presentations.

Unfortunately, he didn’t know how to tell his boss that after ten years, and he didn’t want to think about it now. This was his first vacation in over a year, and even without his wingman Ben, he hadn’t wasted a minute of it.

And yet he couldn’t wait to get back to reality.

Staying in this tropical paradise all alone just made him realize how lonely he was. Granted, he wasn’t looking for marriage, but it would be nice to have somebody to go out with on a Friday night. A date to take to a friend’s wedding or even just enjoy a quiet night at home with, snuggling, eating bad snacks, and watching a movie.

Unfortunately, every woman Will had gone out with expected an engagement ring, and that was just something he wasn’t willing to give. Not because he wasn’t capable of commitment. He’d had a few lengthy relationships over the years, but he didn’t think a signed contract and a piece of jewelry more expensive than his house payment was necessary to stay true to one person.

Will opened the door to his hotel room with his key and, once he pushed it open, stepped over the threshold and closed it behind him. The room was cool and smelled like fresh linens and ocean, thanks in part to the open window on his fourth-floor balcony. He kicked off his flip-flops and pulled his shirt off, fully intending to hop in the shower. He had plans to go to the New Year’s Eve party tonight, alone once again, because hooking up with a stranger on vacation might sound fun but it wasn’t his style.

He stepped out onto the balcony and took in his view of the pool and the edge of the garden. A couple strolled through the greenery hand in hand until the man suddenly dropped to one knee in front of the woman. Her hands flew up, covering her face and most likely muffling her cry of joy based on the emphatic “yes” she screamed. Several nearby onlookers clapped and cheered as the couple embraced, kissing without a care in the world.

If Will was the killer of dreams, he could bump into that guy later and show him a financial spreadsheet of all the ways that one romantic gesture would impact his life for however long the marriage lasted. That every decision was now tied to another person, and he no longer had any independence or real choices. His fate was sealed, good or bad.

Will’s stomach roiled in panic at the thought. Why couldn’t a relationship be two people with completely different names and separate bank accounts choosing to be faithful to each other without having every aspect of their lives tied together?

The two girls he’d been hanging with by the pool briefly were flirting with a couple of beefed-up men with military cuts. While they’d seemed like nice twenty-two-year-old women, he wasn’t what they were looking for. Will figured that out within ten minutes when they’d propositioned him to a little adventure, and he’d politely declined.

A familiar form caught his eye, coming out of the garden, and Will recognized Charity practically skipping past the pool area toward the front of the hotel. While he’d seen her around the resort a few times, she’d seemed absent from all the late-night events. Otherwise, he would have noticed her, along with every other man. She was too gorgeous to miss.

From the moment he’d met Charity, Will recognized what an amazing, passionate woman she was. He’d experienced an intense, instant chemistry with her, and briefly, he’d thought maybe there was something between them. Since about mid-December, however, Charity had been chilly, and he didn’t understand what had triggered her aversion to him. He’d thought they were at least acquaintances, if not friends, but she’d avoided him since they’d boarded the plane to Mexico.

Charity’s cold one-eighty still stung. One minute they were laughing about their friends’ obvious attraction to each other and the next, he barely got a hello. He’d tried to give her back the same energy, but it was hard because he genuinely liked Charity, and with their mutual friends in a relationship, they saw a lot of each other. If nothing else, Will wanted to discover whatever he’d done to offend her and bury the hatchet. Maybe he could catch her later and buy her a drink.

Will pushed off the railing, stripping his way to the shower. Vacations were supposed to be about lessening stress and drama, not seeking it out, but sometimes, you had to take the bull by the horns and get it over with.

He finished showering and returned to pull clean boxers from the dresser in his room. Will thought about taking a nap before the party, but he was too wired to sleep. He threw on the board shorts and a fresh T-shirt before picking up his phone from the bedside table where he’d left it charging this morning. Since international calls were so expensive, it didn’t make sense to keep it with him. Although, he should video call his mom to wish her a happy New Year’s Eve.

Will pressed the video call button and sat on the bed, waiting for her to pick up.

His mom’s smiling face filled the screen. “Hi, honey! How is your vacation?”

“Hey, Mom. It’s busy. I just got back from a mixology class. I can now make a pretty mean Moscow mule.”

“Sounds fancy. I think I’ll stick with my mimosas.”

Will laughed. Since both his sister and Will had moved out, they got together every Sunday for brunch and mimosas. They’d sit around for hours, talking about their week. When his. . .