The Matchmakers

by Jennifer Colgan

  Chapter Fifteen

  On Wednesday, Nick dragged himself up the steps to his apartment, bone weary from a grueling day. The sound of feminine laughter greeted him at the door, and he proceeded cautiously inside. Two brunettes looked up from the couch amid piles of magazines and newspapers. Across the room, a computer sat on a small desk. Next to it, a printer slithered out page after brightly-printed page into a wire basket. `Tink ´ `Hi, Nick! Guess what, Farley okayed the party. Hayden’s helping me prepare the fliers. You can give them out at work tomorrow.´ `Uh«´ `Hi, Nick.´ Farley’s younger waitress waved to him, and he waved back. `We’ll clean up in a second,Ćallie said as she began gathering up the magazines and newspapers that littered much of the living room. `It’s going to be great. We picked the Saturday before Halloween, so that doesn’t give us a lot of time to prepare.´ `Callie told me you helped her come up with the idea,´ Hayden said, rising from the couch. Together, the two women, both dressed in their bar uniforms, flitted around straightening up the room. If he hadn’t known better, Nick would have thought Callie had cloned herself. `I’ll see you at work!Ćallie said, hugging Hayden. The waitress waved to Nick again and let herself out the front door, a stack of magazines balanced in her arms. `Isn’t it great? You said Farley would love the idea.´ `I didn’t say µTurn my living room into a printing press’.´ `Oh, come on. It’s a very quiet printer.´ `Which came from where?´ Nick eyed the set up, which, though compact, had to have cost more than a week’s salary. Callie gave him the look he’d come to expect when he questioned her unusual abilities. `As soon as we’ve got two hundred fliers, I’ll make it all disappear.´ Nick sighed and plopped on the couch. `As long as you’re making things out of thin air, how about that big TV and a porterhouse steak? I’m starving.´ `No wish-granting, remember?śhe said as she made the pile of newspapers vanish from the coffee table. Nick put his feet up, and she gave him the look again. `Aw. It wasn’t a wish, just a humble request.´ `Come on. I’ll make you dinner before I leave for the bar. How was work?´ Nick hauled himself off the couch and followed Callie into the kitchen. `It’s like the site is cursed or something.´ `What do you mean?´ Her muffled question reached him as she rummaged through the fridge and the cabinets and pulled out an eclectic assortment of ingredients. While Nick settled back in his chair, she started preparing something in a collection of bowls. Within minutes, the kitchen smelled wonderful, and Nick’s stomach growled in anticipation. `Anything that could go wrong today did. A shipment of precut pipes came in, all the wrong size. The cement we poured yesterday cracked and had to be broken up and done over. The forklift broke down twice. John’s on the warpath over some missing permits«´ `How’s Teresa?´ `Teresa?´ `In the office.´ `I don’t know. That smells good. What is it? I didn’t stop in the office all day.´ `Do you think John will come to the party?´ Nick laughed. `I think the last thing John has time for is a party. The whole project could be delayed if we don’t get a roof up before the cold weather hits. He’s talking about adding weekend shifts.´ `Well, you like to work,śhe said. Ingredients sizzled in the frying pan, and Nick’s mouth watered with more than hunger as he watched her work. Something about the scene in his kitchen felt so right, so normal. Watching Callie chop vegetables while he arranged the dishes she’d set on the table made him feel like he’d come home. He thought of his parents again, and the comfortable evenings he’d spent as a boy listening to his mother and father talk quietly in the kitchen while he did his homework. After a while, the conversation stopped, though, and the cozy house fell silent in the evenings when his father returned from work. He shook off the memories and sighed. `I like to work, but I don’t like doing the same job over because of faulty materials and broken down machinery.´ `Well, accidents happen. I’m sure everything will work out like it’s supposed to.´ Nick contemplated Callie’s words and wondered how everything would work out, and if she would have anything to do with it. A few minutes later, when she placed a sizzling omelet on his plate, he forgot his suspicions. She was a good faerie, after all, certainly one who could cook. He dug into the food as she set a glass of cold lemonade next to his plate.

  `Thank you,´ he said between bites. Her smile eased his mind a bit. `I have to go to work. I’ll see you later.´ `Aren’t you going to eat?´ `Hayden and I had sandwiches a little while ago.´ `Why don’t you stay while I Śhe popped out before he finished his sentence, leaving Nick bewildered once again and the apartment seeming dull and empty without her. `I’m in love!´ Hayden whispered when she met Callie at the front door of Farley’s. The younger girl giggled and pushed Callie back outside, closing the door behind her. `I just met the man of my dreams!´ `Who?Ćallie’s hidden wings fluttered. She couldn’t take credit for this. She hadn’t introduced Hayden to anyone. From what she’d learned that afternoon, Hayden’s occasional boyfriend, Matt, who worked at the electronics shop on Willow Street, inspired little more than tepid lust now and then. `He’s inside, behind the bar.´ Hayden fairly swooned. Her cheeks colored. `I’ve never seen anyone so gorgeous in my life! He’s like a movie star!´ `Farley?Ćallie had to wonder if some other less reputable Fae might be at work here. Hayden gasped at Callie’s suggestion then laughed uproariously. `Oh, Callie! Of course not. His name is Andrew. He’s Farley’s brother!´ `A brother? Ooh«´ Hayden clutched Callie’s arm as she reached for the door. `You have to help me.´ `Help you do what?´ `Not act like an idiot around him.´ Hayden jumped up and down, giggling. `Can you help me write my personal ad for the party so that he’ll pick me? Please, Callie! You have to help!´ `What about Matt?´ `Matt Schmatt. He’s a dork. I want Andrew. I need Andrew.Ćallie hid her disappointment with a smile. This was infatuation, not true love at all. Even if Callie helped Hayden land a date with Farley’s brother, the pairing would never count toward her three-couple quota. Nevertheless, she couldn’t refuse. `Let me see this magnificent man, and we’ll work out a plan.´ Hayden led Callie into the bar, her pace dignified, her smile only slightly loopy. Behind the bar, Ted Farley stood with a younger man. Callie couldn’t help but stare at him. Hayden had not been exaggerating. Andrew Farley looked nothing like his brown-haired, bushy-eyebrowed brother. He had deep-set espresso-dark eyes and curly black hair. A half-day’s growth of stubble shaded his lower jaw lending definition to a strong chin and a full, sensuous lower lip. His quick smile drew a barely audible moan from Hayden. `Hello, ladies,Ándrew said. `You must be Callie.Ćallie nodded and extended her hand to him over the bar. `And you must be?´ `Call me Andy. Ted asked me to help with this Halloween Party.´ `That’s great. You’re a bartender?Ćallie tried to read Andrew. His intense gaze spoke volumes about his personality. Ted’s adored younger brother traded on his exceptional good looks and had grown bored with the predictable reactions of most women. Though Hayden’s thinly disguised adoration amused him, he wanted a woman who saw past his model physique and sexy smirk and liked him for who he was inside. `Actually, I’m a chef. I’m in my last semester at the Culinary Arts College, and I need some practical credits. I need experience cooking for a large crowd. Plus, I thought this might be a good way to get a catering business off the ground.´ `You’re perfect. I mean, that’s wonderful.Ćallie indulged in a giggle. `Great food will bring in a lot of customers.´ `We’re working on the menu now,´ Farley said. The pride in his voice made Callie smile. `Then I’m going to teach Andy about tending bar. Be gentle with him, girls. He’s a virgin.´ Behind Callie, Hayden made a sound halfway between a squawk and a gasp. Andrew blushed and elbowed his older brother. `He means I don’t drink, so I don’t know much about this business.´ `I don’t, either,Ćallie said with a wink. `But I’m sure Hayden can guide you through. Tonight should be an easy start.´ `Well, any help you ladies can give me would be appreciated.´ Farley beamed, and Andrew shook his head. `Don’t let that µaw, shucks’ attitude fool you. He’s smart as a rocket scientist. He’ll be teaching us a thing or two in no time.´ `I know I’ve got a lot to learn.´ Hayden’s innocent smile at Andrew’s remark hid nothing. Callie grabbed her c
o-worker’s arm and hustled her off to the back room, shouting over her shoulder. `Nice to meet you, Andrew!Ín the back, Hayden braced her hands on the pool table and moaned. `Oh my God! He must think I’m a total airhead.´ Callie thumped Hayden between the shoulder blades. `Breathe, sweetie, breathe. He’s everything you said, isn’t he?´ Hayden nodded, swallowing hard. `I can’t go back out there. I’ll faint. I feel lightheaded and a little nauseous. That means I’m in love, right?Ćallie laughed. She wished. `It means you didn’t eat dinner. You have to go out there and act normal. He thinks you’re sweet, but men like to do the chasing. If you come on strong, Andrew seems like the type who will back off. Let him come to you.´ `You’re right. I should play hard to get but not too hard. What should I do? Callie, help me.Ćallie sighed. `Don’t worry. I’ll help you. Right now, we’d better get to work.´ The evening progressed with Hayden stealing wilting glances at Andrew and Callie watching the door. The incident with Skip played in her mind, and she hated herself for feeling vulnerable. He would not hurt her again, but most of his anger had been directed at Nick. Callie feared Nick’s desire to stay in Bayerville and put down roots would fold in the face of an angry conflict with Miranda’s estranged husband. Nick wouldn’t run from trouble, but he still might walk away from aggravation. She tried to ignore the feeling of relief when Nick arrived at the end of her shift to escort her home. Her wings fluttered involuntarily when she caught his sidelong glance at Andrew. `Who’s that?´ he asked when Callie met him by the door. Andrew had just finished stacking clean glasses under his brother’s watchful eye. `That’s Andrew, Farley’s brother. Hayden is in love with him,Ćallie whispered in Nick’s ear and winked at Hayden. `Love? That’s good, right?´ `No. It’s not true love.Ćallie lowered her voice and leaned in close to Nick, noting that he smelled like soap and fresh aftershave. `It’s just a crush, but who could blame her?´ Jealousy tinged Nick’s sharp glance. `That guy?´ `Oh, come on, Nick. Even you think he’s gorgeous.´ `I do not. I don’t like men.´ Nick shook his head. `I hate men. I mean, men are okay, but they’re not«I don’t like men. Tink«you drive me crazy.Ćallie laughed. `Come say hello.Śhe tugged Nick over to the bar, and Andrew greeted them with his thousand-watt smile. `Who’s your friend, Callie?´ `This is Nick. Nick, this is Andrew. He’s going to help tend bar and cater the party.´ The men shook hands over the bar, a brief battle of wills evident in the strength of their grip.

  Farley joined his brother. `Hey, Nick. I see you’ve met my little brother. He got the brains in the family, and I got the looks.Ćallie giggled, and Farley raised an eyebrow. `Sorry, boss. It’s just so obvious that poor Andrew is the homely brother.´ `I normally wear a sack over my head, but since it’s so dark in here«Ándrew’s quip drew a bird-like titter from Hayden as she wandered by, dreamy-eyed, her empty tray dangling from limp fingers. `Where are you from, Andy?´ Nick asked. `Upstate. I have an apartment off campus at CAC, but I’m staying with Ted for a while now to work.´ `Welcome to Bayerville.´ `Thank you.´ `Can I take her home?´ Nick asked the elder Farley, who nodded. `Let’s walk Hayden out, too.´ `That’s okay.´ Hayden waved off Callie’s suggestion. `I have to clean up in the back. Andrew, will you give me a hand?´ `Sure. It was nice meeting you, Nick.Ándrew followed Hayden into the back room, and Callie rolled her eyes as she and Nick bid Farley good night and headed for the door. `I hate to see her get her heart broken,śhe said as they crossed the parking lot. `Yeah. The guy looks like a player.´ `What? Andrew? No. It’s not that. He is looking for true love, but Hayden’s not. It’ll never work out between them.´ `Tink, the only thing Andy was looking for in there was a way to see through your t-shirt. He never took his eyes off your«chest.Ćallie gasped. Nick’s jealousy hung around him like a cloud. This emotion was real, not the playful possessiveness he’d felt when she danced with Catfish. `That’s not true! Andrew is not interested in me.´ Nick pinned her with a dark look that drew a blush to her cheeks in the cool night air. He paused before opening the passenger door of his truck. `Callie. You may know true love, but I know a horn dog when I see one. Hell, I’ve been a horn dog for most of my life.´ `Well, true.´ `Trust me. Mr. Chiseled Jaw and Bedroom Eyes in there was drooling for you.´ He leaned close, a faint smile tempering his sober tone. `And I don’t like it.´ `You have nothing to worry about, Nick. I’ve already told you, I’m not here to pick up a man. Any man.´ Nick held her gaze for a moment, a challenge in his eyes. His lips hovered close to hers for a second and took her breath away, then he pulled back and opened the car door. He left Callie practically panting and rounded the back end of the truck. They climbed in without another word and rode home in silence. At three AM, Nick lay in bed, his gaze fixed on the reflection of his glowing alarm clock in the mirror. He hadn’t closed his eyes yet, and something told him he wouldn’t any time soon. Beyond the wall that separated the bedroom from the living room, Callie lay on the couch, warm and safe under his old Mets blanket. He flexed his hands to stretch his tired muscles, fluffed the pillow under his head and rolled onto his stomach. His arousal prevented him from getting comfortable that way, though, and a few minutes later, he rolled back.