The Matchmakers (13 page)

 
`Nick?´ `Sorry I woke you. I couldn’t
sleep.´ `What’s wrong?´ `I’m restless. I thought I’d watch TV for a
while.Śhe smiled and stretched. `No big screen.´ He laughed. `Not even for
a little while?´ `Nope.´ `Then I’ll have to watch the one I’ve got. Why don’t
you go sleep in the bed? It’s all right. It’s yours tonight. I’ll stay out
here.Śhe bit her lower lip as she sat up, obviously gauging his sincerity.
Finally she rose, shedding the blanket. Tonight she wore white, a flowing satin
top that left her legs bare. He wondered, if he reached for her, would she
disappear? `All right. Just for tonight.Śhe yawned and slipped into the
bedroom. He listened to the creak of the old bedsprings as she lay down, and
his heart thudded. He’d gotten her into his bed. Now all he had to do was
figure out a way to get her to invite him to join her there.

Chapter Sixteen

 
         
`Hey,
Garrett! Your girlfriend is here.´ When John called his name, Nick looked up
from the delicate task of reloading a nail gun. He glanced across the bustling
construction site to where Callie, in her blinding pink coat, stood on the
steps of the office trailer with an armful of fliers. Teresa had joined her,
and it looked as though the two women were sharing a private joke. `She’s not
my ´ Nick’s protest died. Not his girlfriend. She lived with him. Cooked for
him and slept in his bed. He’d made excuses each night for almost a week now so
she’d trade him for the couch, and his back had begun to protest. He still hadn’t
brought himself to suggest they share the bed, and he’d begun to wonder where
all this gentlemanly patience had come from. `I’ll be right back,´ he told John
and strode across the busy site. Callie and Teresa waved when he approached. `What
are you doing here?´ `I came to see if anyone needed help with their personal
ads during lunch.Ćallie juggled the stack of papers in her hand and pulled
out a sheet. `Here’s mine. SWF seeks broad-shouldered man of mystery for lazy
Sunday drives and breakfast in bed.´ Teresa laughed. `Broad-shouldered man of
mystery? Where can I get one of those?´ `I’m sure we can find you one
also.Ćallie handed the secretary a blank sheet. `Today’s not really a good
day. Most of us are skipping lunch to get caught up on things.´ Nick hated to send
Callie away, but the atmosphere around the site was tense. More accidents and
setbacks had left John in a bearish mood. Teresa sighed. `Nick’s right. It’s
been lousy around here this week. All John does is glare at everyone and shout
into his cell phone. Why don’t you leave some of the fliers? I’ll make sure the
guys who want to go to the party get their copies filled out.Ćallie
covered her disappointment with a smile. `Okay. How about if I call you later,
Teresa? Maybe you could let me know how many of the guys plan to come. Andrew
needs to know how much food to make.´ `Okay. I’ll definitely be there, and my
girlfriend from Philadelphia is coming with me. She thought it sounded like a
blast.´ `It will be! Be sure to tell everyone if they can’t come up with
costumes, they can wear their hard hats and tool belts. The ladies love a man
who knows how to handle his tools.Ćallie winked, and Teresa giggled. Nick
just rolled his eyes. Costumes, too? This party was already more trouble than
it was worth. `Bye, Nick.Ćallie waved as Teresa took the stack of fliers
and went back into her office. He waited until Teresa had shut the trailer door
against the escalating construction noise and reached for Callie’s hand. `I’ll
see you at home,´ he said, squeezing her fingers. `I wish you could stay a
while, but it’s just not a good day.´ `That’s all right. I’ve got to go help
Hayden and Andrew make the decorations.´ Nick bristled at the mention of Farley’s
brother. Andrew had even offered to drive Callie home the other night. It
bothered Nick that Andrew was so obviously trying to move in on Callie when
everyone knew she lived with Nick. The reality of their relationship aside, he
felt the need to make sure the younger Farley understood Callie was off limits.
`Be careful walking across the lot. We had a sinkhole open up this morning by
the curb.Ćallie nodded. `I will. Bye.´ He watched her leave, knowing she’d
pop safely back to Farley’s as soon as she was out of sight of the construction
crew. That knowledge did nothing to lessen his concern, though, and he wondered
why. As a three hundred-thirty year old, wasn’t she capable of watching out for
herself? `He hasn’t filled out an ad yet,´ Hayden whispered to Callie
mid-shift. `He says he might not write one.Ćallie glanced up at the
subject of Hayden’s unrest. Andrew stood behind the bar, a line of shot glasses
arrayed before him. Half a dozen women clustered around him, smiling and vying
for his attention. Hayden looked pale. `It’s not like he needs to or
anything,śhe said. `But how can I pick him if he’s not one of the
pickings?´ `Don’t worry. I’ll see if I can talk him into it. Ted’s written at
least six for himself and he can’t decide which one to use.´ Hayden slid a
sidelong glance toward the elder Farley. `I helped Diane write hers already.
What if he doesn’t bite?´ `We’ll make sure he does. Hey, are you feeling all
right?´ Hayden swiped a hand across her waxen features and forced a brittle
smile. `I’m just really tired.´ `Why don’t you go home? The night’s almost
over. I can handle the rest of the shift.´ `No! I want Andrew to walk me out
again like he did last night. He was so sweet. He even opened my car door for
me.´ Hayden’s eyes once again took on a dreamy glaze, and Callie sighed.
One-sided love made her wings ache, but she could do nothing about it. This
match just wasn’t meant to be. `Well, if you won’t go home, then take a break
and rest, all right? You don’t want to get sick and miss the party.´ Hayden
nodded and left Callie contemplating Andrew. The more she observed him, the
more she realized Nick had a point. Her Fae instincts told her he was looking
for true love but wasn’t above sampling the smorgasbord constantly offered to
him. He’d already tucked half a dozen cocktail napkins into the front pocket of
his jeans, each bearing the phone number of an interested female. Maybe Andrew
had taken lessons from Nick. `I need a Sloe Gin Fizz and a Red Baron,śhe
said, happy to interrupt Andrew’s harem shots. `What’s in a Red Baron?´ he
whispered with an innocent shrug. `Rumple Minze and Cinnamon Schnapps,´ Farley
piped up. `I’ll get it. You take care of the gin.´ While Callie waited for the
drinks and Andrew’s gaggle of admirers dissipated, she trained her intuitive gaze
on him. `I hear you don’t want to play our personals game tomorrow night.´ `Ah,
I’ll be too busy with the food.´ `I’m sure there are plenty of ladies who won’t
mind waiting for you.Ás he poured club soda and gin in a glass, Andrew leaned
on the bar and smiled. `Does that include you?Ćallie ignored the innuendo
in his tone. `It might just include the girl of your dreams. Why not give it a shot?Ándrew
laughed. `Hayden says you’re good at writing those ads. Why don’t you fill one
in for me?´ `Hmm, how about«µif you can stand the heat, come into my kitchen
and we’ll cook up something hot’?´ Andrew broke into a wide grin. `You
are
good. All right. I’m in.´ `I knew I
could convince you.Ćallie took the drinks that Andrew and Farley set on
her tray and walked away, well aware of Andrew’s gaze following her through the
crowd. She felt sneaky, and for the first time in her long life, she didn’t
like it. She forced herself to remember that if her plans worked, in just over
forty-eight hours, she and Nick might have matched their three couples and be
done with Freya’s punishment well before the night of the Oak Moon in December.
Then she could return home and go back to enjoying her sneakiness. `You’re not
wearing
that
.Ćallie’s
pronouncement came with the prompt disappearance of Nick’s jeans, work shirt,
tool belt and freshly polished hard hat. He looked down at his underwear, which
was all that remained of his `costume´, and gaped. `Hey!´ `I told everyone you’d
be wearing something sexy and mysterious.Ćallie paced around his
half-naked form, hands on her hips. `You’re not wearing your work clothes.´ `But
you told the guys on the crew they could dress like that. Why can’t I?´ `I told
them that because it’s been my experience that a horn dog without access to a
decent costume shop will do one of two things when invited to a masquerade. He
will dress as a caveman or Cupid. Hayden and I do not want to spend the evening
serving drinks to Neanderthals and hairy men in diapers.´ `You prefer boxer
shorts?´ Nick silently thanked the heavens he hadn’t opted for bikini briefs
today. Callie gave him a wicked grin. `On you? No.´ He was about to suggest she
strip down to her own skivvies and they go to the party as underwear models
when she yelled, `Aha!Á split second later, he stood before his bedroom mirror
in a razor sharp black tuxedo and a high collared cape. A form-fitting white
mask covered half his face and a blood-red rose decorated his lapel. `Phantom
of the Opera.Ćallie glowed with satisfaction, and Nick had to admit he
looked pretty good. He hadn’t worn a tux since his senior prom, and while he
didn’t miss the tight cummerbund and dorky bow tie, this outfit made him look
exactly like the man in Callie’s personal ad, and he liked that. `Not bad,
Tink.´ `Not bad? You’re hot! You’ll have to beat the women off with a stick.´ Nick
straightened his collar. `I can deal with that. Now what about you?´ `Voila!Ín
the blink of an eye, she stood before him in the very outfit she’d just forbade
him to wear.

 
Her curls spilled from under a yellow
hard hat, and a heavy tool belt slanted across her jean-clad hips. `Hey! That’s
not fair.´ `Just kidding.´ Before Nick could tell her she looked adorable, she
changed again, into a faerie. A diaphanous dress of green gauze floated around
her, the jagged hem swirling around her knees. A garland of ivy and small pink
flowers wove through her hair, and a set of gossamer green wings sprouted from
her back. Nick stopped breathing and stared. `They’re not real,śhe
whispered. Nick regained his voice when she showed him the thin elastic straps
that held her fake wings in place on her mostly bare back. `Real or not, you
look beautiful.Śhe dropped her head, blushing, and gave him a demure grin.
`Thank you. So do you.´ Nick offered her his arm, battling the instinct to
sweep his cape around her and spirit her away to a secret lair where she would
belong only to him forever. The Phantom of legend couldn’t be blamed for wanting
his lady love all to himself if she looked half as delicious as Callie did
tonight. `I just hope this works,śhe murmured as they headed for the door.

           
`I don’t see how it can’t,´
Nick said as he led her outside into the chill autumn evening.
I’m half
in love
 
already.
Nick and Callie arrived at Farley’s to find the bar
transformed into an autumn wonderland. Callie’s pumpkin sat in the center of
the bar surrounded by orange votive candles and sprays of brilliant foliage and
fall berries. Every table bore an orange, red or gold tablecloth and a glowing
red hurricane lamp. Streamers full of autumn leaves dangled overhead billowing
in the air currents caused by a small ceiling-mounted fan behind the bar. Costumed
patrons packed the main room. Everyone wore masks, including Andrew, whose
caveman outfit made him an instant hit with every female guest. Farley himself
wore full Dracula regalia and a black mask. His false fangs gave him a lisp,
though, and not long after their arrival Callie saw him stick the plastic teeth
into the back of the cash drawer. Hayden glowed in pink taffeta as a fairy tale
princess, and Callie recognized Teresa Fiora immediately as a cat girl dressed
in an orange striped body suit and mask, complete with tiger’s ears and a long
tail. John Burns still hadn’t shown up by the time the guests had made their
first assault on the overflowing buffet table in the back room.

 
Diane slipped in mid-evening,
dressed as a gypsy, her blond hair hidden under a long black wig and her face
concealed by an elaborate jeweled mask. Hayden helped her find a table far from
the bar where Farley would be less likely to notice her. Callie left Nick at a
table near the jukebox and helped Hayden set up for reading the personal ads.
Her real wings fluttered restlessly as each guest handed in their form and
received a number. With nearly sixty people in attendance, she hoped at least
three of the thirty couples they’d pair up tonight would be able to find true
love. Hayden shuffled all the papers, then handed the first ad to Callie, who
read it to the anxious crowd. `If you like breakfast in bed and cozy winter
nights by the lake, I’m the man for you. Just call out my number,
forty-two.Áfter a buzz of conversation, a woman in a vixen red devil outfit
raised her hand. `I’ll take forty-two!´ `Here I am, sweetheart!Á man dressed as
a monk waved to his new partner, and they paired off, laughing at the irony of
their mismatched costumes. Callie read the next ad, which united Raggedy Ann
and a chimney sweep. The next brought Catfish, dressed as a sailor, together
with a petite red head in a scarecrow outfit. Callie beamed when she recognized
the woman as the lonely heart in the white sweater she’d seen on her very first
visit to Farley’s. She and Catfish looked like a perfect pair. By the time
Callie had read half the ads, the room was filled with happy couples. `I’m on
the prowl for the perfect mate. I’m a night owl in search of a date. If you’re
interested, call number thirty-eight.´ `I didn’t know we had so many aspiring
poets out there!Ćallie laughed, glad that so many people had gotten into
the spirit of the evening and were having fun. `I’ll take thirty-eight!Ándrew
said, and several of the remaining single women moaned. Hayden’s bright smile
faded when Teresa jumped up from her table near the center of the room. Callie’s
jaw dropped when the secretary, transformed by her revealing cat suit and mask,
sashayed toward the bar under Andrew’s appreciative gaze. `What happened?´
Hayden whimpered in Callie’s ear. `I don’t know. That wasn’t supposed to
be,Ćallie replied, wishing she could use the magick of her real wings to
ease the pain of Hayden’s bruised feelings. She didn’t see John anywhere, and
apparently Teresa didn’t miss him all that much. She seemed thrilled to have
snagged Andrew in his faux fur tunic complete with plastic dinosaur femur club
and a tooth necklace. With a sigh, Callie picked up the next ad, which she
recognized as Diane’s. She concentrated all her thoughts on Farley, wishing she
had the power to force him to choose the perfect woman. `If you’ve looked for
love in all the wrong places, and you’re tired of a sea of unfamiliar faces,
call lucky number seven for a one-way trip to heaven.´ `Lucky seven? That’s my
number!´ Farley grabbed the paper from her hand and Callie sighed with relief.
Whatever powers Freya had let her command had worked. The sultry gypsy walked
up to the bar, and Farley winked at his prize. With their masks still in place,
though, he had no idea he’d chosen his runaway waitress for his date. Later,
Hayden managed a sulky smile when a masked fireman chose her number. The rest
of the matching went smoothly, and once everyone had paired off, Catfish and
his new lady friend took to the dance floor and began organizing a reel. Before
Andrew dialed up the music on the jukebox, Farley tapped on a glass to get
everyone’s attention. `I know it’s early, but now that you’re all paired up,
you can take off your masks if you want to. Don’t forget to stop by the buffet
table for dessert.´ The music started and couples coalesced on the dance floor.
Callie slipped away from the festivities and found Hayden in the back room
where Andrew had set up the evening’s second feast. The heartbroken princess
held a chocolate truffle in each hand. `Your date is waiting by the
bar,Ćallie said with a hopeful smile. `Why don’t you go say hello?´ `I don’t
want to go out there.´ Misery clouded Hayden’s dark eyes. `It’s only for one
night. You’ll see Andrew at work next week, and he’ll probably have forgotten
all about Cat Girl.´ Hayden stuffed a truffle into her mouth and handed the
other to Callie. `It’s easy for you to talk. You have Nick.´ `I don’t
have
Nick.Á dark cape swept over her
shoulders, and Callie’s protest ended in a surprised squeal. Nick pulled her
against him, settling his hands on her hips. `Why are you hiding back here? Let’s
dance.´ His breath warmed her ear, and her heart skipped a beat. `We have a
minor crisis. I’ll be right out.Ćallie turned in Nick’s arms and gave him
a pointed look. He glanced over her shoulder at Hayden and nodded. `Go with
Nick, Callie. I don’t want to be a wet blanket.Ćallie steered Nick out of
the back room, then turned back to Hayden. `Then don’t be. Go out there and
have a good time. Show Andrew what you’re all about. And give me another
truffle.Ćallie stuffed another ball of rich chocolate into her mouth and
offered a third to Hayden. `Have some chocolate for courage first. These are
wonderful!´ `Everything Andrew makes is wonderful. He’s wonderful. He’s perfect
for me,´ Hayden said, licking her fingers. Callie gave Hayden a stern look. `Stop
wallowing. You look stunning tonight. Fireman man might be even more perfect
for you than Andrew, but you’ll never know until you go out there and meet
him.´ `Ugh. All right. I’m going.´ Fortified with one more truffle, Hayden left
the room. Callie stole two more of the decadent sweets from the table and
reveled in the flavor. She hadn’t enjoyed anything so much in decades.