The Matchmakers
Page 4
When Nick’s pickup turned off Montgomery Lane and trundled over the unpaved curb into the controlled chaos of the Burns & Wright Construction site, Callie popped herself out of the passenger seat with unbridled relief. All the way across town from his apartment, Nick had been having an imaginary conversation with her one she longed to participate in, but couldn’t. Invisibility put a big damper on social situations. Besides, Nick had told her to get lost, so as far as he was concerned, she had done just that. Though she usually enjoyed spying on humans, she found listening to him argue with himself about her a tad disconcerting.
`Matchmaker«´ He’d grumbled the word under his breath like a curse at each stoplight. `Are you for real, Tinkerbell? Give me a break. Can you just picture me playing matchmaker?´ No, she’d thought with a skeptical glance. She certainly couldn’t, and that made her feel just that much more hopeless. Freya never assigned impossible tasks. As the Goddess of Love, she could never be cruel that way, but it didn’t mean Callie couldn’t fail. Not only did Nick Garrett not believe in love, he didn’t even believe in Callie, and that was going to be her biggest hurdle. He went on and on to the empty air about her mental status and his own. She crossed her invisible arms over her invisible chest and clamped her invisible lips shut over a number of scathing replies. `I should have just called the cops. The girl needs help. Why didn’t I just call the cops? Because she’s hot? Hot girls can be crazy, too. Lord knows , hot girls can be crazy. You’d think I’d have learned that by now.´ And who’s the one talking to himself? she’d asked silently. At least the ride was over now. She popped out of the truck and waited while Nick shut off the engine and climbed out. He scanned the busy construction site, shielding his eyes from the bright October sunlight. After a moment, he headed off across the dusty lot to where a group of men in hard hats were arguing over what appeared to be a badly dented metal pipe. Callie considered following him, but invisible didn’t mean invincible, even in the Fae realm. A trip across a construction site full of rolling cement mixers and beam-laden forklifts wasn’t her idea of a stroll in the park. She decided to take the safer route and nose around as far away from the actual work as possible.
Future Home of MedPro-Medical and Dental Arts Center,proclaimed the mud-splattered sign on the temporary trailer that housed the offices of Burns & Wright Construction. Callie picked her way across a mountain range of tire ruts, keeping her eyes on Nick who’d joined the discussion over the pipe. A tall man in a dark blue work shirt and matching Dockers seemed to be nodding intently while Nick spoke. After a moment, the man pulled a cell phone from his back pocket and dialed a number. While he barked into the phone, he shook Nick’s hand. Callie turned her attention back to the trailer. A set of plywood steps led to a dented screen door on which hung a cardboard sign. A word bubble over a cartoon drawing of an angry looking wet cat read, `The Complaint Department is CLOSED.Á chirpy female voice reached Callie through the dusty screen. `Burns and Wright. How may I help you?´ Callie made a quick check yep, still invisible. The woman couldn’t be talking to her. Out of curiosity, Callie popped inside. In surprising contrast to the loud, muddy construction site, the trailer office seemed like an oasis of calm. Colorful photographs in plastic frames covered the spotless white walls, and well-tended houseplants sat atop a long row of sleek black filing cabinets. Easy listening tunes played from a small radio perched on a wooden shelf, and the warm, heady scent of fresh coffee filled the room. A pretty brunette sat behind a metal desk opposite the door, a cordless phone clenched between her shoulder and her right ear. Her eyes scanned her computer screen while she nodded into the phone. `Okay. Yes. Sure. Will do,śhe said between bobbing her head and clicking her mouse. `I’ll set up his file right now. Can he stop in now to fill out a W-2?Ćallie leaned over the secretary’s shoulder and watched her type the name NICHOLAS GARRETT into the form on her screen. So Nick had fulfilled his promise. He’d gotten a job. While that knowledge impressed Callie and gave her a modicum of hope that perhaps his wild nature could be tamed long enough to complete their task, she found the secretary herself even more interesting. The nameplate on the desk read Teresa Fiora. Next to it sat a collection of tiny picture frames that one would expect to hold snapshots of a spouse and children. Callie peered at the frames, tilting one just a fraction of an inch for a better view while Teresa concentrated on her computer screen. Each frame held a picture of a cat. All the same cat, as far as Callie could tell, a fat orange tabby with luminous green eyes. In every picture, one oversized incisor peeked out beneath long white whiskers and a triangular pink nose. Callie’s Fae instincts told her Teresa’s story. Single white female with a nurturing heart. She’d rescued this shabby stray from a dumpster a year ago, and he’d become her pride and joy, her family. What Teresa needed was a real family one that of course included her beloved cat along with a loving husband and a passel of active children. The need was stamped all over her face as bright and clear as the fresh coat of lipstick she hastily applied only seconds before Nick appeared at the trailer door. Callie stood back and watched. Nick shouldered through the door, accidentally dislodging the cat cartoon from the screen, and Teresa’s warm smile widened. Callie nudged the cardboard sign out of his way as he bent over to retrieve it. `Sorry about that.´ Nick swiped the sign off the floor and made a half-hearted attempt to re-hang it. Teresa waved him off. `Don’t worry about it. I should take it down anyway. I only put it up to annoy John.´ John Burns. Callie’s Fae senses pinged when Teresa uttered her boss’s name. A mild blush colored the secretary’s cheeks as Nick strolled over to her desk, the fallen sign in hand. `Yesterday was a day from hell. It seemed like everybody needed to vent about something, and I got tired of hearing it, so I put up the sign.Śhe laughed, though she seemed a little embarrassed as she took the sign from Nick. She jammed it into a lower drawer and grabbed a pen. `So you’re going to be working for us?´ Nick nodded. Reluctance rolled off him in palpable waves. Callie’s Fae instincts told her a regular job with regular hours and regular pay hadn’t been part of his existence in longer than he could remember.
Drifter , Freya had said. He has no roots, or none that he will acknowledge. He refuses to belong anywhere. A steady job would change that, temporarily at least. `John offered me a position a few months ago after I did some work for his brother-in-law. I’m between projects now, and I thought I’d see if the offer was still good.´ `That’s great, Nick.´ Teresa handed him a form along with the pen. `Fill this out so I can set up your payroll file. Are you starting today?´ `Monday.´ Nick dropped the pen, then bent to retrieve it with a weary sigh. Callie kept a close eye on him. His charming half smile and soft laugh made her curious. Was he flirting with Teresa? Ugh. Figured. It was his nature after all. He can’t help it, Callie reminded herself. He’s wired that way . The phone rang again, and Teresa scooped up the receiver. `Burns and Wright, how may I help you? Yes, he’s here now. We’re almost done, John. Okay.Śhe grabbed the pen Nick had placed on the desk and poised it over a scrap pad. `Would you like me to order your usual for lunch? Turkey club, no mayo on whole wheat. How could I not know? You have it four times a week. Okay. Okay, bye.Śhe gave an exasperated sigh as she hung up, and Callie noted the blush rising higher in her cheeks. She smiled, secure in the knowledge that Nick’s flirting meant nothing to Teresa. It was clearly John who caused this flustered reaction in the secretary. `He wants you to see him before you leave,śhe said when Nick handed her the completed tax form. `Sure, thanks.´ `I’ll see you Monday, Nick!´ Teresa waved, and Nick headed for the door. `Have a wonderful weekend.Ćallie lingered in the trailer long after Nick left. She hovered by Teresa, watching the woman work and taking mental notes. With Nick working here, Callie might have the opportunity to meet Teresa and find out more about her relationship with John. When he entered the trailer at half past one to collect his lunch from the cardboard box that a fresh-faced teenager from the local deli had just delivered, Callie swooped in. She became completely absorbed in the conversation between John and his secr
etary, utterly determined to find a way to help Teresa get her man. `No mayo, right?´ John asked as he peeled back the waxed-paper wrapping of his sandwich. Teresa squinted. `No mayo. They didn’t screw it up, did they?´ `Nah,´ John said through a man-sized bite. `It’s fine.´ He took two lumbering steps toward the trailer door, then stopped and turned back indecisively. Teresa sat at her desk, her own half-finished tuna on whole wheat resting next to the pictures of the cat, which Callie had nicknamed Fang.
`All Nick’s paperwork done?´ Teresa barely glanced up. `All set. He starts on Monday, right?´ `Right.´ John lingered, chewing his sandwich. Teresa seemed to be working hard at ignoring him. Only a Fae would have noticed the color in her cheeks and the catch in her breath when John favored her with a brief smile. Callie liked him already. With his dark hair and gruff manner, he represented a challenge. Here was a man who didn’t quite know what to do with a woman. Well, aside from the obvious. It appeared to Callie that John Burns had a shy side, which in this case seemed to be hindered even further by the fact that Teresa worked for him. There was definitely potential here. Callie just needed to figure out how to exploit it. `Don’t forget to send out those payroll forms to the bank. They need them by the end of next week,´ he said in a careful tone. Teresa’s lithe fingers paused over her keyboard. `They’re going out in today’s mail.´ `Good. Did we get that fax from Imperial Pipe? I need to know the ´ `It’s in your box.´ `Did you fill out a new purchase order for the ´ `Ornamental cabbage? Faxed a copy yesterday, mailed the original this morning.´ `Good.´ John hovered for a moment longer, and Callie considered locking the screen door on him. Why wasn’t it obvious to Teresa that he was inventing questions just so he could hang around? This is good, Callie thought. I just need to get them away from this office. She had a goal. Now she just needed to figure out how to reach it, with or without Nick’s help.
Chapter Six
`Smoke and mirrors,´ Ted Farley said as he filled Nick’s glass with two fingers of Johnny Walker. `It’s got to be some kind of trick.´ Nick contemplated the amber liquid as he brought the glass to his lips. `I didn’t see any smoke«or mirrors. She was there, and then she was gone.´ Farley gave a skeptical snort and swiped his hand towel over the polished bar. `I’ll be right back.´ He sauntered down to the far end to take an order from Diane. While he was gone, Nick leaned back on his stool and soaked up the atmosphere. At eight PM on Friday night, the bar had just started to fill up. Bayerville’s townies were filing in, taking their usual tables along the outer wall of the main room. An older, harder crowd hovered around the bar, the ones that had been here since six. Some had already passed the stage of noticing what was going on around them, and others were looking for trouble, which Farley would make sure they didn’t find at his place. It didn’t bother Nick that Farley’s regulars accepted him as one of their own. He preferred that to being viewed as an outsider. Of course, that attitude was just another reminder that he’d been in town too long. He wasn’t an outsider anymore. Someone put Charlie Daniels on the jukebox, and a few of the younger couples took to the sawdust-strewn space at the center of the room to dance. Nick watched, sipping his drink, until Farley returned. `So she broke into your bedroom, got naked and ´ `She didn’t break in. That’s the weird part. Everything was locked. I don’t know how she got in either time. And she was wearing one of my shirts.´ `And nothin’ else?´ Farley looked hopeful. The creases around his clear blue eyes flattened out, and his brows headed for his hairline. `As far as I could tell.´ Nick hated to admit he’d been wondering all day. Even while he’d been at John Burns’s construction site, he hadn’t been able to shake the vision of Callie’s curvy form draped in his favorite blue flannel. The image came back to him now, and he drained his glass to clear his head. `So why didn’t you call the police?´ Farley waved to another of his regular customers then leaned one elbow on the bar and settled in. At six-foot four, with the physique of a grizzly bear, he had to hunker down to look anyone in the eye. When he did, it meant he was genuinely interested in the conversation. `I don’t know. I should have. She’s wandering around town all unbalanced and probably a little schitzo. As a good citizen I should turn her in.´ `Phone’s over there. I’ll refund your quarter.´ Farley winked, and Nick shrugged. `You think they’ll believe me if I tell them some girl has been appearing and disappearing in my apartment? You don’t even believe it.´ `I believe everything I hear, Nick. It comes with the job. What I don’t believe is that you let a naked girl leave your apartment without even asking for her phone number.´ Nick set his empty glass in front of Farley. At least he’d emptied it himself this time. `It’s 1-800-I’m-Psycho. And it’s not like I let her leave, she just wasn’t there anymore.´ `And now she’s mad at you?´ Farley refilled Nick’s glass and pushed a bowl of salted peanuts across the bar. `I guess. I haven’t seen her all day, so whatever revenge she’s cooking up has kept her busy this long.´ Before Farley could comment, Diane sidled up to Nick and gave him a nudge. Her ponytail bobbed as she nodded her head to the beat of the next song. `I go on break in fifteen, Nick. Wanna dance?´ `Leave the man alone, Di. He’s already got one stalker.´ Farley gave the woman a stern look.
She gasped and clutched her ample chest theatrically then cooed sympathy at Nick. `A stalker? No kidding. Just one? I’m surprised you don’t have a whole harem following you around, sweetie.Śhe winked one of her baby blues at him, tossed her hair again and snapped her gum. Nick had to give her credit; she had all the moves down, and she knew how to drum up her tips. `Some dame showed up naked in his apartment this morning and stole one of his shirts,´ Farley said. At this rate Nick wouldn’t need to tell the police anything. They’d find out all the details from the town rumor mill. ` Completely naked?´ Diane cocked her head to one side and balanced her tray on her hip. `Well, no«I’m not sure.´ Farley clucked and shook his head. `I bet she’d been hiding under your bed all night. I read that happened to some actor in Hollywood last month. You know, that guy who’s in all those Navy SEAL movies? Some nut broke into his mansion and hid under his bed until he fell asleep with his girlfriend. Then she crawled out, pulled the girlfriend out of bed and locked her in a closet. She chased the guy around his house with a pair of scissors for an hour before his bodyguards showed up, all because she wanted a lock of his hair.´ Nick sighed. `Thanks, Farley. I feel a lot better now. I’m going to file a report and then I’m going to go home and lock up all my scissors. Honestly, though, I think she’s harmless, but the next guy she picks up might not be as nice about ´ `Hi, Nick!Ćallie slid onto the stool next to him. She smiled and snapped a piece of apple green gum just like Diane’s. She wore one of Farley’s waitress uniforms complete with a narrow, white, three-pocket apron cinched around her hips, slim black pants and a skin tight pink t-shirt emblazoned with the logo, `I do it at Farley’s. Where do you do it?´ TEXAS LINE DANCING. `Oh, man, speak of the devil.´ Both Farley and Diane gave Nick curious looks. `She’s here?´ Diane leaned close. She smelled like lavender and mint, and her ponytail brushed Nick’s cheek as she looked around the crowded bar. `Where?´ `Right here.´ Nick nodded to the stool, and Calliope twirled around once and clapped her hands. `They can’t see me.´ ` Where?´ Farley asked. `That one over by the jukebox?´ He pointed to a tiny redhead whose glum expression was lit eerily by the glow from inside the Wurlitzer. `No, right here .´ `Who?´ Diane inched closer, and Nick watched her scan the room, her gaze skipping over the faerie sitting only inches away. `Come on. Are you guys in on it or something?´ That couldn’t be. Nick didn’t know these people well enough for them to play an elaborate practical joke on him.
`In on what?´ Farley looked a little concerned now. Callie waved her hand right in front of his face, and he didn’t blink. `Go away,´ Nick said under his breath. `This isn’t funny.´ `It’s hilarious, Nick. And it’s going to get even funnier unless you agree to help me.Ćallie waggled her fingers over Diane’s shoulder and gave the waitress a skeptical inspection. `Shouldn’t she be taking drink orders rather than trying to climb
into your lap?´ `Get lost.´ Nick’s fierce whisper elicited an annoyed scowl from Diane who whirled away in a huff. She disappeared into the crowd on the dance floor, her tray held high and her hips swaying. Farley shrugged. `This girl obviously has you on edge. You’d better call the police before you start cracking up.´ `I’m sorry.´ Nick turned to Farley but kept Callie in view out of the corner of his eye. `I guess this lunatic has me a little rattled.´ `Sure. Who needs a psycho bitch on your tail? I understand.´ Farley nodded. He looked right through Callie and started setting up beer glasses on the bar. `I’ll be back in a minute,´ Nick said. `I’m just going to get some air.´ He downed the second drink and slid off the stool, then leaned close to Callie. The faint scent of roses battled with the memory of Diane’s lavender perfume and won. `Outside. Now .Śhe hopped off the barstool at his command, but before she fell into step behind him, she tipped his empty scotch glass over and nudged it into a roll that sent it crashing at Farley’s feet. The bartender looked up in shock. `Take it easy, Nick. Those glasses are brand new.´ `Sorry, Ted. I’ll pay for it.´ Nick rubbed his tired eyes and stalked outside into the chilly, moonlit parking lot with mayhem on his mind. Callie followed Nick across the parking lot of Farley’s Bar to a shadowy spot behind his parked truck. On the way, she morphed her outfit from the waitress garb to a sassy little black dress. She shivered when the wind picked up her flouncy skirt, but the look in Nick’s eyes when he turned around and saw her new attire was worth any discomfort. `How’d you do that?´ His gaze traveled up from her strappy pumps to her cascading updo. `Pop,śhe said. `Would you like a matching outfit?´ `No ´ Before Nick could complete his protest, she had done away with his tan work shirt and faded denims and replaced them with a sleek black t-shirt and skinny jeans. Steel toed alligator boots and a belt with a fist-sized buckle came next, and she capped it all off with a black cattleman’s hat. Except for his sandy blond hair and those piercing blue eyes, he looked like Clint Black. Callie took his arm and did a quick two-step. `Don’t we look cute?´ Nick didn’t comment on his new duds, and Callie pouted, mimicking Miranda. `Is this how you’re going to play it or do you really have my friends in on your little psycho experiment?´ `Friends? When was the last time you had a real friend, Nick? Sure, a lot of people like you. You’re charming and very handsome, especially dressed like this.Śhe tipped his hat back, and the combined effect of his new black outfit and equally dark expression made her a little light-headed. `But how close are you really to those people in there?´ `Are you a faerie or a shrink?´ `I’ll be whatever you need me to be to convince you that this is all for real.´ Nick gave her a long look that made her feel tingly. How could a human do that? She broke eye contact after a second and stared at the gravel beneath her shoes. `All right, so you can be invisible sometimes.´ `Any time I want.Śhe glanced up. `Like today at the construction site.´ His eyebrows bunched together, and his mouth formed a hard line. `You were there?´ Nick looked around the parking lot like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. `The whole time. I saw John Burns’s secretary flirting with you, just like Diane, the waitress.´ `Teresa?´ `She put on a fresh coat of lipstick when she heard you were on your way to her office. Don’t worry though. She really likes John, but he ignores her most of the time, and he’s her boss so she doesn’t think it will work out anyway. They’re a perfect couple for us to start on. Maybe if you pretend to be interested in her, John will get jealous and ask her out.´ `What are you talking about? How do you know all this?´ `I’ve been doing this for centuries. I can read signals.Ánd the ones she was reading now from Nick told her he was on the edge of an outburst. He didn’t believe her, didn’t trust her, but he couldn’t quite figure out what to do about her. All that showed in his narrow gaze, his wide stance and the way he kept shaking his head. `If you’re so good at this, what do you need me for?Śhe sighed and leaned against the cold body of his truck. The chill intensified her shivering, but she ignored it. `I keep asking myself that same question. But this was Freya’s decision. I didn’t choose you, but I’m stuck with you, and I have to make the best of it. We can do this. I know we can.´ `You followed me to work.´ Why was he still stuck on that? `Yes. And I’m pleasantly surprised that you asked John for a job. That means you’re planning to stick around for a while.´ `No, it doesn’t.´ He crossed his arms over his chest and stared down at her. `It means the money is good, and the work is steady.´ `You never cared about steady work before. Now you’re thinking about the future. You like this town, don’t you? You like the people in it. Here’s a chance to help some of them. You can make their lives better.´ `By playing matchmaker?Śhe nodded. Was she finally getting through? His shoulders had relaxed a bit, and the squint lines above his eyebrows had flattened out. `Just three couples. That’s all we need. It might even be fun.´ `And how do you propose we do this? I’m going to hit on women until the men they like get jealous enough to do something about it? I’d prefer not to get punched in the eye again, if you don’t mind.´ `I won’t let you get hurt. I promise.Śhe reached up and touched his eyebrow. He hadn’t even asked her if she was the one who repaired Skip’s damage so quickly. He flinched again as her cool fingers traced his jaw where Miranda’s slap had left a faint swelling. He grabbed her wrist and brought her hand down. `I don’t think we should be interfering with other people’s love lives.´ `Interfering with other people’s love lives. Like Miranda and Skip? I don’t think theirs is true love, by the way. They have nothing in common.´ `How do you know?´ `I just know. It was the way she talked about him yesterday. She doesn’t really love him, and she never did. I don’t think she loves you, either. She just thinks she does. Maybe we could find someone for her, the kind of man she really wants. I could arrange to run into her again, maybe become her friend.´ Nick moaned. `No. That would be a very bad idea. I can’t believe I’m standing here discussing this with you. I don’t know you. I don’t know what your real deal is, and I don’t really want to become a yentl.´ `It’s yenta , Yiddish for matchmaker. Yentl was a movie with Barbra Streisand.´ `Whatever. I don’t want to be one. Relationships are too much trouble. I can’t be responsible for some poor guy getting his life ruined because I matched him up with the µgirl of his dreams’.´ He made those air quotes with his fingers, then turned and walked away. Callie followed. `That’s the point. True love won’t mess up someone’s life, it will improve it. You don’t want to lose your own chance at love, Nick. Trust me, you can’t live that way.´ He turned back, jammed his hands in his back pockets and pinned her with another hard look. `Stop following me. Stop showing up in my apartment. And give me my shirt back.Ćallie’s hopeful smile faded. She’d sensed him starting to come around and then bam, like hitting a brick wall, his defenses came up again. `What do you have against love?´ `I don’t believe in it. But hey, if that’s what it takes to get rid of you, fine. We’ll hook up three couples. Let’s start tonight. There’s a bar full of people in there, I bet we can stir up some true love before last call.Ćallie crossed her arms, too. `You’re humoring me.´ `It’s better than calling the police on you.Śhe looked over his shoulder at the red brick building that housed Farley’s. People were streaming in and out of the doors, and the music coming from inside had gotten louder over the last few minutes. Freya had always told her love could be found anywhere. There had to be at least one potential love match inside, and that was a start. `All right. We’ll give it a try.´ `On one condition.´ He held up one finger, pointed at her. `Everyone can see you.Śhe grinned. `I got to you already, huh? I figured it would take a lot longer to break you.´ `You didn’t break me. I just don’t need any more aggravation. Oh, and change me back to my own clothes.´ `Why? You look so good in these.´ He glowered. She sighed. `All right.´ The tan shirt and faded jeans he’d been wearing didn’t flatter his lanky build as much as the black ensemble, but he didn’t look bad. He didn’t realize she’d left him the hat until they reached the door of the bar. There he yanked it off his head and tossed it into a planter full of rhododendrons before stalking inside. C
allie rubbed her hands together to ward off the chill and followed him into the bar.