She gave a shaky wave.
His smile grew. He excused himself from the couple and walked up to her. “Phoebe,” he whispered in awe. “You look gorgeous. But I’m surprised to see you here.”
She flushed, looking down at her gown. “Thanks. I hope you don’t mind. Cal sort of invited me.”
Cal. He’d been so sweet the other night at dinner with the way he’d listened to her go on and on about love. Unfortunately, she tended to babble, a fact that usually turned off men she went out with. But not Cal. He hadn’t seemed to mind at all. She could relax and be herself around him. He made her feel…confident. The way she felt whenever she was behind her camera.
She didn’t like the way they had left things that night at the restaurant. The look he’d given her when he’d asked if she was absolutely sure she wanted Adam was enough to make her doubt herself all week. Cal made it clear he didn’t approve of her and Adam being together, yet he still made this whole evening possible for her.
Her gaze swept the room. Cal had told her he’d be working tonight. She had to see him. Just to…to thank him.
“I don’t mind at all,” Adam said, snapping her attention back to him. “Looks like Cal beat me to the punch, though. I’m sorry I didn’t think to invite you myself.”
“Oh, Cal and I aren’t on a date or anything,” she rushed to explain. “I just like…fund-raisers.”
His brows rose. “You do?”
I like fund-raisers? Good grief. No wonder she was still single. That was not a statement to inspire love and/or kissing. Think, Phoebe, think!
“And…I—I like you,” she blurted.
“Really?” He tilted his head, a small smile hovering on his lips. “Well, I like you, too.”
Yes! I knew we were soul mates! “Great.”
There was an awkward pause. Okay, now what? Was it his move or hers? Should she say more? Ugh. This was going nowhere fast. And not a strand of mistletoe around to help her out. Why was this so hard? She never had a problem with conversation with Cal.
“Would you like to dance?” he asked.
She blinked and her heart lifted. Maybe she didn’t need mistletoe after all. Placing her hand in his, she smiled. “I’d like that.”
The band was playing “The Way You Look Tonight” as Adam led her to the dance floor. He slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her to him. He smelled nice—comforting. She hoped Cosmo was watching this. Everything was going to work out; she could feel it. This man was her destiny. She had found true love. But even as she resolved that fact in her mind, an odd feeling began to gnaw low in her belly.
No. She wouldn’t doubt. Cupid had told her Adam was her soul mate. Love—what she’d been searching for—was in her reach. Finally. They continued to sway to the music. She was just about to lay her head on his shoulder when she saw Cal.
He stood near the door, his arms folded, unsmiling, and a little thrill went through her. He wore a tuxedo, too, and looked completely elegant. For some reason the hostile glare he wore with it only made him appear sexier and kind of dangerous. Her heart shuddered from beating so fast. Why did her body have to betray her whenever she so much as even thought about him?
She watched as an attractive woman came up alongside him. Hopefully, just someone needing directions to the bathroom. Then the woman said something to Cal and his eyes softened as he turned to reply. The woman laughed, not a full-on belly laugh, but one of those dainty perfect feminine laughs—the kind Phoebe hadn’t had the good fortune of being blessed with—and then laid a hand on Cal’s arm.
Phoebe was suddenly aware that her jaw was aching from clenching her teeth so tightly.
She wasn’t paying attention to dancing anymore, so when Adam unexpectedly whirled her around, she tripped on her own feet. Adam caught her before she fell, but he stumbled back into a waiter carrying a tray of martinis. She righted herself and her breath caught when she looked up. Vodka splashed all over Adam’s arm and down the front of his suit jacket.
“I’m so sorry, Adam!” she cried. His jacket had to be soaked through, but he politely smiled and waved off her and the waiter’s apologies with the grace of the president of the United States.
“It’s fine,” he said. “Let me see if the hotel can take care of this.” Before she could protest, the waiter led him away and out of the ballroom.
Wonderful. More time wasted. It had to have been the hate gods who caused this. She was so close, too.
She rubbed her forehead, so engrossed in what to do next, she didn’t hear Cosmo sidle up next to her. “We’re screwed,” he told her.
She dropped her hand. “Not yet. I still—” When she turned to look at him, she gasped. “Hey, are you feeling okay?”
Cosmo pulled out a hankie and mopped his soaked forehead. He still wore his standard ill-fitted tux, but his complexion was gray and sweaty, as though he’d eaten a tray of bad oysters. He must have felt as awful as he looked because he wasn’t even smoking a cigar.
He bent slightly, holding his stomach. “They’re winning up there,” he croaked. “I can feel it. Love will be destroyed.”
“Don’t say that! There’s still time.” Isn’t there?
He shook his head sadly. “You tried, doll. We all appreciate what you did, too. But this war was bigger than we’d anticipated.”
Her heart dropped. No. She couldn’t let this happen. If love were eradicated, it was going to be all her fault. All because she was a screwup and had let Cal distract her. Tears sprang to her eyes and she turned away to go find Adam.
And ran right into Cal.
“Hey, where’s the fire?” he asked, taking hold of her arms to keep her steady. “I believe you promised me a dance.”
Cal looked even sexier up close. His gaze dropped to her mouth and she almost sighed. Gosh, she was weak. The fate of love hung in the balance, and here she was about to melt into a complete puddle. Oh, Cupid be damned, how she wanted to dance with Cal now. She really did. She’d love to bury her face in his chest and start this week all over again with no worries, no fate of humanity, no soul mate. But unfortunately, she and Cal weren’t meant to be.
And as soon as Adam kissed her she’d realize that.
“I—I can’t, Cal. Not now.”
“But they’re playing our song.”
She smiled a little at that. “We don’t have a song.”
“We could. In fact, it could be the one that’s playing now.”
She listened. The band was playing “When I Fall in Love.” She found herself looking up into his ocean-blue eyes, pretending for a small moment that it was true, that she and Cal were in love. She wanted it to be him. A rush of that wanting coursed through her, leaving her so weak that all she could do was feebly shake her head at him.
His eyes narrowed. “Is this because of Adam?”
“Yes. I need to go find him.”
“Before you do, I need to tell you—”
“No, please. I have to go.”
His lips thinned. “Is it so important you can’t wait to hear what I have to say?”
“I’m sorry, Cal. I really am.” More than you’ll ever know.
“You don’t belong with him.” His voice broke with huskiness.
Oh, gosh, so not what she was expecting to hear right now. She actually became dizzy, as if her head were filled with helium. She was confused and torn and when she thought of Cosmo counting on her to do the right thing, a little piece of her heart broke as she realized she had to turn Cal down.
She looked away and studied the buttons on Cal’s vest, which seemed the only safe place to park her gaze. “Please,” she begged. “Don’t tell me this now. I don’t have time to argue with you.”
“Then by all means, don’t let me stop you,” he said gruffly. He stepped back, his movement stiff and abrupt. “Adam is at the front desk, by the way.”
She couldn’t meet his eyes. She had hurt his feelings and still he was being kind by helping her. Hopefully, someday he’d understand.
�
�Thank you,” she whispered.
Heart in her throat, she ran out of the ballroom as fast as her three-inch heels would allow her. And sure enough, Adam was standing by the front desk adjusting the cuffs of his white starched shirt.
“Adam!” she called.
He looked up and—thank you, Roman gods—he actually smiled when he saw her. “Phoebe, what’s the matter?” he asked, as she rushed over to him.
“I…wanted…to…” She panted out each word, still trying to catch her breath. “I’m…sorry…about…the tux…”
“The jacket is fine. They told me I’d have it back as good as new before dinner starts. I was about to look for you so we could finish our dance.”
“Really? You’re not mad, then?”
“Don’t be silly. It’s not your fault,” he said, laying a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
“Oh, thank goodness. I wasn’t sure if you still wanted to be with me. I thought I ruined everything—along with your tux. After the coffee incident and now this, I was afraid— Well, I thought you’d—”
Adam cut off the rest of her babbling explanation by pressing his lips against hers.
Holy Mother of Luck! Adam was kissing her. Finally! And it felt so… It felt very…
Un-toe-curling.
In fact, the longer she kissed him, the more it felt rather brotherly. Oh, no.
She pulled back and stared at him.
“I’m sorry,” Adam said with a rueful smile. “You looked so adorable sputtering on and on about my jacket. I couldn’t resist. I hope you’re not mad.”
Mad? No. Confused? Ding ding ding! She wiggled her toes to make sure all the blood was flowing properly. Yep, still no curl. Nothing. Not even so much as a tingle on her lips.
“That was it?” she blurted.
Adam’s blond eyebrows slanted in a frown. “Excuse me?”
“Did you feel anything just then? I mean when you kissed me?”
He cocked his head. “I’m not sure I know what you mean.”
Exactly. And that was part of the problem. She had to find Cosmo. Fast.
“I have to go,” she told him. “Sorry.” She whirled around and headed back toward the ballroom. She hadn’t gone far before she spotted Cosmo by the restrooms, slumped up against the wall.
“Adam kissed me,” she told him.
There was no response.
She grabbed Cosmo’s lapel and shook him slightly to get him to look at her. “Did you hear me? I said Adam kissed me and nothing happened.”
He blinked up at her and it seemed to drain what energy he had left in him. “Impossible,” he whispered.
“No, it’s true. He kissed me right on the lips and I kissed him back and—” A sob caught in her throat. “I’m not sure what went wrong. I totally ruined everything, didn’t I? Love won’t survive and now I’m scared that you might not, either.”
“Take it easy, doll. Love wasn’t meant to be.”
Hot tears began to roll down her cheeks. She couldn’t get them to stop and so she just hung her head. “I’m sorry. You probably hate me. Cal hates me now, too.”
“Cal?”
She sniffled into his chest. “Yeah, he was so nice trying to help me, even though he said I wasn’t meant to be with Adam. And then I hurt his feelings by running off. I know I did.”
Cosmo slowly pushed off the wall but kept his hand out to brace himself. “Wait. His feelings? And how do you feel about Cal?”
Uh-oh. She gulped, withering like a student about to be reprimanded by a teacher. “I—I’m not sure.”
“Be honest, Phoebe. How do you feel about him?” His face was somber as he took her by the shoulders, sinking his fingers into her skin so hard she winced. “I need to know.”
“I—I do have feelings for him.” She paused to hiccup, letting her words settle in around them before she went further. “I think I might have…strong feelings for him. If that’s even possible.”
Cosmo’s eyes widened. “Holy Hades! That’s it. That’s why you were unaffected by Adam’s kiss. You found love on your own. Without our help.”
She blinked. “I did?”
“You have to tell Cal. We could still win if he kisses you—if he truly loves you back. There’s not much time.”
“But I—”
“Go!” he yelled and shoved her away from him.
Her heart hammered in her ears as she turned and stumbled blindly through the hotel. Dinner was being served in the ballroom, which made it easier to search the crowd. No sign of Cal, though. Couples stood mingling in the entryway. People coming and leaving the hotel passed her by. Maybe Cal finished work and went home. Maybe he even wanted to avoid her. Her eyes stung with fresh tears. Then, through the glass doors, she saw him outside talking to one of the bellhops. She took off in that direction.
Cal shrugged into his long wool coat and started walking away. Snow began to fall, a light dusting already covering the sidewalk.
“Cal, wait!” she called, her heels slipping on some ice.
He stopped and turned. She had to admit, he looked pretty miserable, but when he saw it was her, his frown grew even more pronounced. Her heart sank.
Reluctantly, he walked toward her. “Phoebe, what are you doing outside without a coat? You’re going to freeze.”
“I needed to talk to you,” she said, rubbing her arms up and down to ward off the cold. “There was no time.”
He rolled his eyes with a little shake of the head. “You and your time constraints again. Do you own stock in Timex or something?” He shrugged out of his jacket and slipped it around her, flipping the collar up and protectively wrapping her neck. “What’s so urgent?”
“Kiss me,” she demanded.
“What?”
“Kiss me.” She swallowed. “Um, please?”
He stared at her as if she’d lost her mind. Oh, she definitely had. She’d lost her mind, her dignity, and her chance at love all because she hadn’t trusted her instincts. Hadn’t trusted her heart. Maybe her trouble with finding love stemmed from seeking the kind of perfection she saw in the pictures she took and not in what she saw in real life. No wonder she was such a safe bet for the goddess of hate.
Well, she might not have had her camera, but she was seeing clearly for the first time ever. She saw that she loved Cal.
“I was wrong about Adam,” she told him. “I don’t love him.” She paused. “I was wrong not to trust my instincts, too.”
He stepped closer, his gaze searching. “Oh, what were your instincts telling you?”
“That I was in love with you.”
“Well,” he said, his lips curling into a heart-stopping smile, “it’s about time you finally decided to listen to them.”
Slowly, he slid his hands up her arms until he cupped her face. There was such tenderness and warmth in his hands, and when his lips finally brushed against hers, she thought she might swoon. She closed her eyes and melted, enjoying how his mouth moved against hers. Her arms slid around his waist, and he held her closer, as if there were nothing better to do in front of his hotel than stand out in the freezing snow and kiss her senseless.
She had to agree.
He eventually pulled back. Resting his forehead against hers, he smiled. “I’ve wanted to do that since the first time I saw you outside my condo talking to yourself.”
“Really?”
“Really. I love you, too. It was love at first sight for me.”
He loved her back! He truly did. She buried her face in his neck, reveling in how good he smelled and in the whole new sensation of actually being loved and in love. “And here I thought love at first sight didn’t exist.”
“You’re obviously getting your information from the wrong source.”
Yeah. She’d gotten a lot of information wrong. But it wasn’t Cupid’s fault, either. Her heart just had other plans. Not that it mattered now. She liked the way her outcome was shaping up, much better than Cosmo’s anyhow.
She blinked. Cosmo! She had to
find Cosmo and make sure he was okay. She pulled away, about to tell Cal to wait for her, when a taxi suddenly pulled up alongside them.
The door swung open. “You two lovebirds need a ride somewhere?”
She walked up and peered inside. Her heart lifted in relief. Cosmo sat at the helm, looking good—well, looking as good as Cosmo could look for an overweight, chain-smoking minor god. At least his complexion was back to its normal ruddiness. He waved through his cigar smoke enough for her to see him grin.
She grinned back. “No, thanks. I think we’ll manage on our own just fine.”
He popped the cigar back in his mouth and spoke around it. “I’m sure you will, doll. I’m sure you will.”
She bit her lip then, remembering Adam and how she’d snubbed him. “But maybe someone else could use a little of your help?”
“Way ahead of you,” he said with a wink. “Happy Valentine’s Day.”
“Happy Valentine’s Day,” she told him before she closed the door of the cab.
Cal came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her middle. “Let’s go back inside before I freeze to death. I can show you my office.”
“Is that some sort of hip version of asking me to come up and see your etchings?”
He grinned against her neck. “Whatever you want to see of mine is absolutely fine by me. Oh, by the way, I took your decorating advice,” he added, humor lacing his voice. “I hung up some fennel, too. Let’s pretend it’s mistletoe and see where it takes us.”
She laughed, whirling around. She kissed him then, full on the mouth, feeling love burst through her chest so strongly she almost lost her balance.
Pulling back, she smiled into his eyes. “Sounds like the perfect way to spend Valentine’s Day to me.”
Acknowledgments
Big thanks to my awesomesauce critique partners over at Passionate Critters—especially Bethanne, Cyn, Robin, and Nicola! (Your gushing comments kept me writing.)
To Melissa McClone, who told me about Entangled’s novella submission call in the first place. This is all your fault! (But I mean that in a good way.)
Hugs and kisses to my hubby, Jeff, who is always encouraging and whose eyes didn’t glaze over when I told him about this new story idea.
A Little Bit Cupid Page 5
