he had texted her that he needed to change their arrangements and asked her to meet him at a small airport outside San Francisco. As the owner of Professional Matchmaking, Whitney had made concessions for clients on more than one occasion, but this was the first time she’d been asked to meet one at an airport at dusk.
Tanner had said something had come up and that he couldn’t join her at her office. He would appreciate her meeting him at the airport. If she hadn’t been familiar with his status in the community she wouldn’t have considered such a plan. She wasn’t acquainted with the small airport but had agreed to do as he’d requested.
Having the Dr. Tanner Locke’s name on her client list would be good for business. Even though it was unethical to publicize his name, she could say that an eminent doctor in the city had used her services. Who knew? He might even send her referrals. Either of those would make it worth her drive to meet him.
As the “big man on campus” when they’d been at Berkeley, all the girls had had a crush on Tanner, including herself. But she hadn’t been his style. He had been into thin, blonde, preppy sorority girls while she had been the heavy, dark-haired, mousy nobody. At least she already knew his type.
In the past couple of years she’d seen Tanner’s name in the news a few times. He was an up-and-coming surgeon in the heart transplant field. So why did someone as good-looking and eligible as Tanner need her help in finding a mate?
Whitney chuckled drily. For the same reasons her other clients did. They didn’t have the time or energy to weed out the unsuitable. She handled the nitty-gritty work of finding people with similar backgrounds so they only connected with the people most appropriate for them. It was a one-and-done process.
She rolled through the gate of the airfield minutes before she was due to meet Tanner. Would he recognize her? Why should he? She’d just been one of those people who had been a filler in a couple of his classes. Plus she’d changed a great deal since then. At least on the outside. She’d lost fifty pounds. She’d long outgrown having a crush on Tanner. Heavens, she didn’t even really know him.
Pulling into a parking spot in the lot next to a red single-story, cement-block building, she turned off the engine. A gleaming white jet sat on the tarmac in front of the terminal. There were a couple of men working around it. Was Tanner going somewhere? Probably off to Hawaii for the weekend.
Normally Whitney liked to have her initial interview in a neutral and laid-back place. A local café, the park. Out of the client’s high-pressure work world so that they were more relaxed, less distracted. She found that even though people’s favorite subject was themselves, when it came to their personal life they weren’t as forthcoming. Men tended toward telling about half of what she needed to know. The more successful her client was, the more insecure or demanding or both they were about their choices for mates.
At the sound of an ambulance siren, she glanced into the rearview mirror. The noise abruptly ended as the vehicle rolled through the gate at a normal speed and continued until the ambulance stopped close to the plane. A group of people dressed in green scrubs exited the back.
What was going on?
One of the men in the party broke away from the group and started toward her. That must be Tanner. It had been years since she’d seen him. He’d changed as well. His shoulders had broadened and his face had lost its youthfulness, having matured into sharper angles. He was still an extremely handsome man. Maybe even more so now.
With a wide stride that spoke of a person who controlled his realm and was confident to do so, he approached her. She stepped out of the car, closed the door and waited.
“Whitney?”
He didn’t recognize her. Was she relieved or disappointed? She extended her hand when he was within arm’s reach.
“Whitney Thomason.”
Tanner took her hand and pulled her to him, giving her a hug.
What was he doing?
Her face was pressed into the curve of his shoulder. He smelled not of hospital antiseptic but of clean, warm male. Whitney was so surprised her hands fluttered at his waist. What was going on? She was released almost as quickly as he had grabbed her.
Tanner glanced over his shoulder. “Please just go along with me. First names only. No titles.”
She looked beyond him to see the others in his party watching them. He made their meeting sound like a covert operation. She took a small step away from him. “Okay. I’m Whitney.”
“I’m Tanner. I would prefer we keep my request between the two of us.” His dark brown eyes beseeched her.
“I understand. I assure you I am discreet.” Most professionals she worked with wanted their interactions with her to remain low-key. Either they didn’t want others to know they needed help in their personal life or were just embarrassed they couldn’t find someone on their own. Whatever it was, she respected their desires. But no one had gone to the extent that Tanner was to keep his secret.
So why was he meeting her in front of his colleagues? “Then why here?” She nodded her head toward the group at the plane.
“I didn’t know I was going to have to go after a heart and I wanted you to get started on this right away.”
“After a heart?” Her voice rose.
“I’m a heart transplant surgeon. I’m in the process of retrieving a heart.”
“Oh.” He made it sound like that was commonplace. For him it might be, but for her it was a little unnerving.
He looked over his shoulder as the jet engines roared to life. “So what do you need from me?”
And he wants to do this right now, right here?
“It usually takes an hour or so for me to get enough information from a client to form a good idea of the type of woman they are best suited to.”
Tanner glanced back to where the others were loading the plane. “I don’t have an hour. I have a patient who needs a new heart.”
“Then I suggest we postpone this meeting.” Whitney reached for her car door handle.
“I’d like to get the process started. I’m up for a promotion and the board is breathing down my neck to settle down. I’ve got to do something right away about finding a wife. But with my caseload I don’t know when I’ll be able to sit down and talk anytime soon.” His voice held a note of desperation that she was confident didn’t appear often. “What I’m looking for is someone who takes care of herself, is good in social situations, wants to be a mother and would be supportive of my career.”
Really? That’s all he wanted? He hadn’t said anything about love. This would be a tough order to fill. “Those are pretty broad requirements. I like to know my clients well enough that I don’t waste their or their potential partner’s time.”
“Hey, Tanner,” the last man getting on the plane called. “We gotta go. This heart won’t wait on us.”
Tanner looked back to her. “I’ve got a patient that’s been waiting for months for this heart. I have to see that he gets it. Look, I’ve heard you’re the best in town. Do your thing. I’m sure you can find someone for me. Here’s my contact information.”
