The Matchmakers (20 page)

 
`The reason I called is I wanted to
fill you in on the latest and ask you a favor.´ `You know I’ll do what I can,
John.´ John nodded. `I know. That’s why you’re one of the ones I called.´ `What’s
going on?´ `A couple of things. A detective working for the police department
caught up with Skip in California. It looks like he got a big payoff to arrange
the vandalism at the site.´ News of Skip’s guilt didn’t surprise Nick. He made
a mental note to thank Miranda for the tip. `Does that mean the project is back
on?´ John chuckled ruefully. `No. However, the owners are selling the lot. I
guess legally it makes sense. They can collect more settlement money from Skip’s
client if the project never gets completed.´ `That’s too bad. What are you
going to do now?´ `I’m going to buy the property. It’s a big investment, and it
means a lot of work ahead. I want to take the framework we have here and finish
the building with a few modifications. I can’t turn it into a medical building
because of the lawsuit, but I can sell it as a regular office building, and I’m
going to need a crew. I’m offering jobs to my best men, and you and Marty are
at the top of the list.´ Nick turned to survey the site. Having sat abandoned
for several weeks, the place was a mess. `I know it’s a gamble, a big one,´
John went on. `But I think I can make it work with the right people around me.
I know you’re working on the mall project, and I won’t be ready to start here
until the New Year, but when I am, I’d like you on board as one of my foremen.´
Nick glanced from Marty to John. They looked as hopeful as two kids at
Christmas. Roots, he thought. This was the first step in a direction he’d never
intended to take. The mall project would likely lead to work further upstate, a
chance to relocate again and start over somewhere else. Moving every few
months, following the work and never being tied to one place was the life he’d planned
to lead. John’s offer meant having a home base and remaining in Bayerville for
the time being. It meant becoming more attached to this place and the people in
it. As if reading Nick’s mind, John said, `The job’s yours if you want it. It’s
a solid nine months to a year of work. Do you think you’ll want to stick around
that long?´ Nick thought of Callie and the three weeks left until the night of
the Oak Moon. Would he want to stay in Bayerville if she left? Would this place
feel like home without her? Probably not. But he had three weeks in which to
convince her to stay. He shook John’s hand. `I think I’ll be around for a
while.´ `So there’s not going to be a wedding?´ Nick asked when Callie finished
explaining what had happened with Hayden and Matt. They stood in the parking
lot of Farley’s, shivering in their party clothes as snowflakes drifted down
from the iron gray clouds. `Not today. Matt wouldn’t take back the ring,
though. He wants Hayden to think about things for a month or two. I think he
may really love her.´ `And she doesn’t love him.´ `She says she’s not sure. I
wish I could tell.´ Nick jammed his hands in his pockets and shrugged. He could
tell. He’d had an inkling each time he’d seen Hayden in the last few weeks, but
he’d also sensed her reluctance to talk about it. She felt she was doing the
right thing, and as much as Nick might have disagreed with a marriage of
convenience, he certainly didn’t feel qualified to counsel a
twenty-two-year-old on what to do with her life. `Either way, they’re better
off not rushing into something they’ll regret later on. I kind of feel sorry
for the kid, though.Ćallie linked her arm through Nick’s. `Which one?´ `Matt.
He seems like a standup guy.´ `I wish we could help somehow.´ Before Nick could
comment, Andrew stuck his head out the door. `Are you two coming in out of the cold?
There’s an awful lot of food in here, and we need to start eating it.´ `No
truffles, I hope.´ Nick tugged on Callie’s fingers and grinned as they headed
across the snowy gravel. `Not this time, but there’s red wine in the chicken
cacciatore, so be forewarned.´ They joined Andrew inside where the wedding
feast had been set despite the absence of the bride and groom. The two dozen
reception guests seemed undeterred by the lack of a ceremony and managed to
have a good time anyway. Halfway through the evening, Andrew ducked out and
returned a short time later with Hayden in hand. She looked contrite and a
little uncertain when she apologized to those assembled. A rousing cheer buoyed
her spirits and before the evening ended, she was dancing with Andrew and
laughing at Farley’s impression of a drunken chipmunk. During a lull in the
festivities, Nick pulled Callie into the back room. `I want to show you the new
lock I put on the storeroom,´ he said with a sly grin. She set down her club
soda and followed. `Come in here so I can show you the safety latch.´ `I’ve
already seen it. Andrew showed me how it works,śhe replied with a
skeptical tilt of her head. Nick frowned. He didn’t like the thought of Callie
locked in the tiny, dimly lit storeroom with Andrew. `I’m sure my demonstration
will be better than his.´ He pulled her into the little room and shut the door.
The lock clicked and for the briefest instant, her eyes filled with panic
before he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. `It’s all right.
See?´ He hit the safety latch, and the door popped open a hairsbreadth. `I
still feel terrible that you got hurt.´ He put one hand on her waist, where a
small bandage under the soft layers of her lavender party dress now covered her
healing cut. She shivered. `It’s cold in here.´ `I know.´ Nick bent his head
toward her, and before he captured her lips with his, he whispered against the
soft skin beneath her ear, `Let me warm you up.Śhe leaned into his
embrace, opened to let him in and enveloped him in warmth even as her body
trembled. He spread his hand against her back, imagining he felt the cadence of
her racing heartbeat against his chest. Drenched in her sweetness and lost in
his own swirling thoughts, Nick didn’t recognize it at first. The ping of
awareness on his senses startled him, made him question if he’d pulled a
muscle. He broke the kiss and looked into her eyes, liquid green and
heavy-lidded. He’d dazzled her. `Love,´ he said. She blinked. `What?´ `True
love.´ `Where?´ `Somewhere. Nearby. That’s what it has to be.Á knock on the
storeroom door startled them both. Catfish peered in, smile lines crinkling the
corners of his eyes. `Sorry to break in. Come hear the announcement they’re
makin’.Ćallie and Nick exchanged a glance. `You’re good,śhe said. `It
was Catfish you sensed. He’s in love with Ria.´ `No. It’s something else. Let’s
go see what’s going on.Óut in the front room, Farley and Diane stood at the
center of the remaining crowd. Farley held a small glass, on which he tapped
the edge of a butter knife. The crystal chime brought everyone to attention.

           
`Before the party breaks
up and everyone goes home, I just wanted to thank you all for coming today. I know
the day didn’t turn out exactly as we might have expected, but I believe
everything happens for a reason. Even though a wedding didn’t take place today,
I’d still like to think of this as a very special occasion.Á questioning murmur
went through the crowd. Callie turned to Nick who smiled and shrugged. Farley
put his arm around Diane and squeezed her close to him. His former waitress
beamed. `For those of you who haven’t heard the rumors, I’ve been considering
the idea of turning the bar into a restaurant a place where everyone can come
and have a good meal and some pleasant company. Now that my brother has agreed
to help me with that, it’s time to get the ball rolling. The grand opening will
be held two weeks from today, and you’re all invited as my special
guests.Ápplause drowned out the conversation for a moment, and Farley had to
tap the glass again. When the crowd quieted, he smiled down at Diane. `There’s
a little more. Not only is Andrew going to be my partner and my head chef in
this new business, but someone else who’s very important to me has agreed to
take the plunge with me. Diane is going to be the new manager of Farley’s Bar
and Grill and«´ The second round of applause stopped abruptly as Farley went
down on bended knee before Diane. Her eyes lit, and her mouth dropped. Apparently
this part of the announcement was as much a surprise to her as everyone else. Callie
squeezed Nick’s hand. Hayden gasped and wiped away fresh tears, and Catfish
launched into a quick rendition of the wedding march on his ever-present
harmonica. `Diane Martin, will you be my manager«and my wife?´ `Hot damn!Ándrew
whispered in the expectant hush that fell over the room. Diane gaped for a
moment, then burst into tears. She threw her arms around Farley’s neck, and he scooped
her up and twirled her around as she sobbed, `Yes, yes, yes!Ćallie’s heart
soared. This had to be true love. Even a human could tell. She applauded and
squealed with delight when Catfish went through the crowd, do-si-doing with all
the ladies. Nick nodded his approval and stepped back to allow Catfish room to
dance with Callie. As he twirled her into his wiry arms, Callie’s gaze fell on
Hayden and Andrew who stood at the edge of the circle of guests, their fingers
laced together. While the group surged around Diane and Farley offering their congratulations,
the two remained, an island unto themselves, seemingly lost in each other’s
company.

           
It was well after midnight
when Nick and Callie stumbled through the door of his apartment, shivering and
laughing. He brushed snowflakes from her hair as she closed the door and rubbed
his hands over hers to warm them after he helped her take off her coat. `Winter’s
here,´ he said, blowing warm air over her fingers. `I’ll tell you a secret. I’m
getting used to it. The snow is pretty, and it seems to make everyone cheerful.´
Nick laughed. `That’ll change in a few weeks when the weather gets icy.´ He
hung up their coats in the small closet behind the door. `I miss your pink
coat. You looked cute in it.´ `I miss it, too. It was warmer than this one.´ `Tomorrow
we’ll buy you something warmer. You’re going to need it.Ín the pale light
coming in from the front window, her expression was wistful. `Nick«´ `Don’t.
Let’s not talk about it tonight.´ `Tonight may be all we have. Catfish and Ria,
Diane and Farley, Hayden and Andrew«maybe even John and Teresa. I think we’ve
made our quota.´ Nick crossed the room, pulled off his suit jacket and loosened
his tie. He flipped on the nearest light, bathing the room in a cozy yellow
glow. `So what happens now? You just pop out of existence and that’s that?´ `Meri
should come for me. And Freya will have to give me my wings back, first.´ Nick
waited, counting off seconds of awkward silence. `When?´ `I don’t know. Any
time.´ `So I’m supposed to just wait for you to disappear?Śhe shrugged and
bit her lower lip. `You can come back, can’t you? You can visit. Just pop back
in any time you want, right?´ `No. I won’t be allowed to come back.´ `Not even
for a visit?’ `I’m sorry.´ Nick paced back and forth. `Don’t be sorry. Don’t go.
Can’t you tell them you aren’t ready to leave yet?´ Finally he took Callie in
his arms. `Maybe you could stay just a little longer. Tonight we could«´ He
took her chin in his fingers and locked eyes with her. `I want you with me
tonight.´ `Nick, I can’t. It wouldn’t be fair to either of us.´ `How? Even if
it’s goodbye, I want to remember you with me. I want to remember us together.´ `But
you won’t.Ćallie broke out of his embrace. She shook her head. `Do you
think I could forget you? You’ve been here for how long now? Just a few weeks,
but it feels like forever. I can’t remember what it was like without you. I won’t
forget you, even when you’re gone.´ `Yes, you will. Freya will make you forget.
It’s the only way to keep the Fae safe. Those who have seen us as we are aren’t
allowed to remember.´ Nick set his jaw, clamped it shut on the words as anger
and frustration battled within him. `I won’t forget you. Don’t let Freya take
that away from me.´ `I can’t stop her.´ `Will you forget me?´ `Never.´ He
caught her in his arms again and kissed her. She sank into him, held him
desperately for a moment. Then she took his face in her hands and pulled back. `I’m
sorry, Nick. I can’t. If I made love to you tonight, I couldn’t bear to leave
you.´ `Then don’t. I’m asking you to stay with me. I don’t care if you’re human
or Fae or whatever. If you live forever, why can’t you spend a little more of
that time with me?´ `Because I can’t.Ćallie’s voice broke, and she sank to
the couch. `I don’t want to miss you forever. I don’t want to hurt like that
forever. I’ve never loved a human before ´ `You love me?Śhe looked
stricken, as though she hadn’t meant to say it. She nodded. All he had to do
was say the words. He felt it. It burned him up inside, tangled his gut and made
him sweat and worry and fantasize about a future he could never have. He loved
her. But the words wouldn’t come. If he said it, he’d lose her. What he felt
would begin to fade the moment the words left his lips. `Please stay.Śhe
shook her head, tears spilling down her cheeks. `I can’t.´ Nick nodded, and his
eyes went cold. He picked up his jacket and tie and left the room. Callie
cringed when the bedroom door slammed shut. Her heart twisted into a knot. She
wanted more than anything to put her arms around Nick and let him carry her to
his bed. She longed for any moment that he touched her, even though she knew
they had no future. In three hundred-thirty years, she’d never pined for
anyone, human or Fae. She’d loved and played and needed, but she’d never ached
so badly in the absence of another. She missed him even now when he was only in
the next room, and she wondered if the musical winds and flowery meadows of the
Fae realm would be enough to soothe her grief when she could no longer be with
him. She curled on the couch and waited for Meri, counting each minute as it ticked
by on the clock across the room. She was still counting when the sun came up.

Chapter Twenty-five