God, I sound desperate.
He pats his stomach, which is flat and perfect, and gives a little chuckle. “I’m trying to watch my figure.”
For some reason this embarrasses me, and I snort when I try to laugh. “Like you need to watch your figure.”
Colin shrugs. “Thanks, but really, one is fine.”
I try my best to hide my disappointment. I really don’t know if one cupcake will do the trick, but I can’t press the matter any further or he’ll know I’m up to something. I take out all but one cupcake and hand over the small, pink box. “Here ya go.”
“What’s this one called, anyway?”
Oh, God. My palms turn a little sweaty; my heart is racing. I can’t tell him the truth. Even if he doesn’t know about my powers, I certainly can’t tell him it’s called Fall for Me. “Um…dig…dirt…”
He looks at me alarmed. “Dig dirt?”
I force a laugh. “No, silly!” I’m trying to play this off and buy myself time simultaneously. Why won’t my brain work properly? I just need to come up with a name for a cupcake, for God’s sake! “Dig dirt!” I repeat, continuing my ridiculously fake laugh. “What a horrible name!”
Colin is just standing there, staring at me. Clearly he doesn’t find the situation nearly as hilarious as I pretend to.
“I just get confused,” I continue, “since they’re made with truffles. You know…like, the mushrooms.” This lie is getting deeper and deeper. I hope he doesn’t have a super advanced palate.
“Yes, I’m familiar.”
“And since mushrooms grow in dirt…”
“And have to be dug up?” Colin finishes for me, and something inside me lights up. He’s already finishing my sentences.
“Exactly,” I breathe.
He nods matter-of-factly. “Got it,” he says as he takes his apron off and hangs it on the hook. “Well, if there’s nothing else you need me for, I think I’m gonna split. I told Holly I’d bring her some ice cream.”
I know I shouldn’t be upset by this, but I am. Not necessarily that he’s bringing her ice cream, but that he seems so damn happy about bringing her ice cream and nursing her back to health after a trip to the dentist. But it’s only a matter of time before he’ll be bringing me ice cream, and I’m sure he’ll have that same glowing countenance about it too.
“Right,” I say. “Of course, you should definitely go. Teeth can get…really sore after a general check-up.”
He sets the cupcake box on the counter and then puts on his coat. I’m watching it like a hawk—I don’t trust him to remember it when he leaves.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Candy.” He heads for the door, leaving the box abandoned on the counter.
I rush for it and snatch it up. “Don’t forget your cupcake!”
“Of course.” He takes it from me and our fingers graze slightly. There’s a shot of electricity that goes right to my belly. I look up to see if he felt it too, but if he did, he’s keeping a poker face about it. As well he should…he’s still with my sister, after all.
“Well, thanks again,” I say, giving a coy smile that is so unlike me but that I just can’t help.
“No problem. See you tomorrow.”
~*~
I’m on pins and needles. It’s the next morning and I’m watching the door to the kitchen as if it holds the great mysteries of life. And it well may. Who knows what will happen when Colin walks through that door?
But it’s Holly who arrives first.
“Morning,” she says, but the usual perkiness isn’t in her tone.
“You okay?” I ask, half hoping she’ll say Colin was being weird last night, while I’m half feeling like a major back-stabbing bitch.
“My mouth is sore.” Oh, yeah. The dentist thing.
“I bet it was great having Colin there to take care of you. He mentioned he was going to bring you ice cream.”
Holly plops down on her stool and pulls out her supply boxes. “Yeah, it was good, except…” She scrunches up her nose. “He brought me butter pecan.”
My heartbeat speeds up just a little. Is it really possible? “But you hate butter pecan,” I say. Does she remember that it’s my favorite?
“I know. Weird, huh? He knows my favorite is fudge swirl. And what’s worse is I couldn’t have even eaten the butter pecan, anyway, with all those sticky praline things in it.” She shakes her head. “What was he thinking?”
He wasn’t. Of course, I can’t tell Holly that. She would kill me if she knew I put a spell on her boyfriend to make him fall in love with me instead.
“I can’t imagine,” I finally say. “But it’s the thought that counts, right?”
Holly smiles. “You’re right. I mean, when was the last time a guy took care of me at all?” She gets a wistful look about her and I know I’m about to get a speech about what a great guy Colin is. Like I need more convincing. “You know, Candy…I really think he might be the one.”
Okay, not exactly what I was expecting. Damn. How do I handle this? Do I giddily rush to her side, hug her and tell her I can’t wait to plan her bachelorette party? Or do I try to discourage her from this train of thought at all? Moral dilemmas aren’t really my thing.
“Morning, ladies!”
Saved by the fine man in blue jeans.
“Hi, Colin,” we both chirp.
And that’s when I realize I’ve been successful. Colin stops just inside the door. He looks from me to Holly then back to me…then back to Holly. Clearly, he’s confused, and I think I understand why.
Cerebrally, he knows Holly is his girlfriend. He knows he almost lives with her, knows he slept beside her last night and walked to work with her this morning. However, my cupcake has set him off kilter. He’s drawn to me; I can see it in his eyes. But he has to come to the realization on his own. He has to really fall for me—with his heart—enough to tell Holly they’re through.
I may be a backstabbing bitch, but I refuse to go behind my sister’s back. Yes, I know it makes no sense, but when has love ever made sense?
Holly seems oblivious to this private war inside of Colin as she goes about getting her station set up. Colin finally crosses the room and plants a kiss on her cheek.
“Listen, hon,” he says, his voice quiet. “I think I’m going to have to take a rain check on our date tonight.”
“Really? Why?” Holly looks up at him, her expression innocent as she pries.
Colin touches a finger to his temple and then runs his entire hand through his luxurious, dark hair. “I, um…”
Oh, great. He’s making up excuses without thinking them through. Did I make him dumb, too? I hold my breath, praying for him to come up with a plausible reason why he won’t be able to go out with Holly tonight.
“I’ve gotten a little behind on the books,” he finally says. “I’m going to use tonight to catch up. I hope that’s okay.”
Holly shrugs. “Sure, honey. Whatever you need. I’m still not feeling up to par anyway, so I’ll just call it an early night.”
God, she’s so accommodating. I don’t think I’ve ever been that cool in a relationship. Which is probably why none of my relationships have lasted more than two weeks.
“Great.” Colin pecks her on the cheek a little awkwardly, then heads for the door, but not before he turns to me with a lost look in his eyes. He wants to ask me a question…or ten. But it’s clearly not the right time, and since he’s not really in his right mind, I have to be the one to get him out of here.
“All righty, then!” I say. “See ya later, Colin!”
He takes the cue and leaves, at which point I breathe the greatest sigh of relief ever.
~*~
What have I done? It’s eleven o’clock at night and Colin is standing outside the basement window.
“Candy!” he whispers urgently for the eightieth time.
I’ve tried to pretend I’m sleeping for the last ten minutes, but it’s not working. He won’t go away. And I’m starting to get that sick feel
ing in my stomach—you know the one. Like when you’re watching Pet Sematary and you realize what a bad idea it was for the dad to bury the cat in that ancient burial ground.
I sit up to see his face pressed against the glass. Oh, my God. I collapse back to the pillows. Really, this can’t be happening.
“Candy, I see you!” he shout-whispers. “I know you’re awake—just open the door!”
There’s nothing for it now. I roll off the bed and pad to the door, thankful I decided to wear pajamas to bed tonight rather than my usual birthday suit. Colin runs to meet me, and then pushes past me inside. I shut the door and turn around slowly, only to find that Colin is practically right up against me, his eyes hungry.
“What’s happening to me?” he says quietly as he reaches out to touch me.
I back up slightly. I know I wanted this—I know this is my fault, and I should be jumping for joy that I actually accomplished my goal of making him fall in love with me…but it feels wrong. It feels fake. And knowing that makes me not want it so much anymore.
Being magical definitely has its drawbacks.
“I-I really don’t know, Colin,” I say as I take another step backward.
“I just want to be with you.” He inches toward me. “I want to be near you all the time.” He has a confused puppy dog expression on his perfect face, and I can’t help but feel sorry for him. “I think I love you, Candy.”
I swallow. I’ve waited so long to hear those words. I’ve stood by while jealousy ate at my heart as I watched him lavish his love on my sister. I know this is all fake, but hearing those words does something to me. It makes butterflies bat around in my stomach and makes me soften to him. It’s what I wanted. He’s what I want.
“You do?” I look up at him. He moves closer, but this time I don’t retreat. I let him caress my cheek, and I don’t even dare to breathe as he lowers his head and presses his lips to mine.
The kiss is everything I dreamed it would be. Tender yet firm. He clearly brushed his teeth recently, so there’s a clean, minty taste to him. His tongue is soft and arousing as it enters my mouth, and I match him stroke for stroke.
And then my conscience slaps me across the face and I pull back, out of the kiss and out of his reach. “You have to go,” I say, but the words feel as if they are being wrenched from my throat. I don’t want him to go. I want to explore this further—I want to see if I can make him truly fall in love with me. Without magic.
But I can’t do it until I know he’s broken things off with my sister.
He’s staring at me, dumbfounded. “Why?”
“Because you’re my sister’s boyfriend.” I put my hand on the door handle and start to open it.
“So?”
I turn on him, wide-eyed. “So?” I repeat. “So you have to break it off!”
He nods, as if this is the first time the idea has occurred to him. “Yeah, I suppose you’re right. God, I almost forgot about Holly.”
Good grief, what was in those cupcakes?
“Well, let’s talk once you’ve broken it off, okay?” I open the door and gesture reluctantly for him to leave.
“Okay.” He starts to go but stops right in front of me. His blue eyes pierce me, right through to my soul. I want to kiss him again; he wants to kiss me too. But neither of us makes a move. “Good night.”
I shut the door behind him and watch from the window as he disappears into the darkness. Once he’s out of sight, I turn around and lean against the door with a heavy sigh. I don’t think I’ve ever faced such a moral dilemma in my entire life. Part of me is pretty sure I did the wrong thing—that damned angel on my shoulder is telling me I should have learned to overcome my jealousy and move on to someone who was available. But the devil sitting on my other shoulder can’t stop thinking about that kiss, or about the way he looked at me with those clear, blue eyes.
What am I supposed to do about it now? What’s done is done, and with any luck I’ll have found the love of my life as a result. Maybe we’ll have a few growing pains to get through, but what relationship doesn’t start out a little rocky?
I push off from the door and head back to bed. Maybe tomorrow I’ll feel better about all of this. Surely, in the light of day, pursuing my dream of being with Colin will feel like the absolute right thing to do.
Fifteen
Okay, maybe I was wrong, on all counts. I don’t feel better. In fact, I feel worse, if that’s even possible. Holly’s been crying all night, that much is obvious. Her normally perfect blonde hair is greasy and matted against her face. If she was wearing any makeup, she cried it all off.
I feel like a bitch and a hypocrite as I ask, “You okay, Hol?”
Crap. I’ve opened up the floodgates again. Her bottom lip quivers as she looks at me.
“I don’t know what happened,” she cries, the tears making their way down her cheeks. “What’s wrong with me? I thought things were going so well…I thought he loved me.”
This prompts her to go from crying to full-out sobbing. I worry she’s going to cry into the moldable sugar, so I surreptitiously move the bin out of the way. I don’t want to appear insensitive, after all.
“I’m sure he did,” I say. “Maybe he’s just being stupid—men do that from time to time, you know?”
She vigorously shakes her head. “No, not Colin.”
“Well, what exactly did he say, anyway?” I pull up a stool and sit down across from her at the table.
Holly is fighting to get the words out as she says, “He told me there’s someone else.” More crying. “I mean, I didn’t even know he had time to meet someone else. He goes from here to his apartment and back, and I’m with him pretty much all the time!”
Oh, no. She’s mere minutes from figuring this one out. This is not good.
“Maybe it’s an online friend?” I suggest, the self-loathing growing stronger with every sob from my sister and every lie I tell.
Holly gasps. “Oh my God! That’s it.” She climbs down off the stool. “He has been spending a lot of time on his computer lately. I bet that skank who broke his heart is trying to get him back.”
“Skank?”
“Shelby, Shelly…I don’t know, but she ruined him, Candy. Ruined him!” She pulls her apron off and grabs her purse.
“Where are you going?” I’m slightly alarmed Holly is running out the door before the day has even begun. I know nothing about making sugar molds.
“I have to go see him. Well, I have to go see his computer. I bet they’ve been sending love letters to one another this whole time. Oh, I miss you. Oh, you’re the only man I’ve ever loved. Oh, I really messed up, please take me back. I’ll be damned if I let her sink her talons into Colin again.” Joan of Arc could have learned a thing or two from my sister.
“But what about the cupcakes?” I ask.
“They’ll have to go naked today. They’ll have to go naked.”
And with one last dramatic flourish, Holly disappears from the kitchen.
~*~
“Is she gone?”
Colin is peering around the door like a hopeful puppy, and I’m beginning to worry at my constant inclination to compare him to a puppy. It’s not terribly attractive on a grown man.
“Um, yeah,” I say.
He pushes through the door and crosses to where I’m slowly adding egg whites to a meringue frosting. He says nothing—just stands in front of me, waiting. For what, I’m not entirely certain.
“Big day today, huh?” I finally say, desperate to break the awkward silence. Although, I’m pretty sure I’m the only one who finds it awkward.
“Who cares?” He inches slightly closer. “When can we be together?”
The million dollar question. “I don’t know, Colin.” I turn to face him. His eyes are big and pleading. His body language and tone of voice are desperate. What have I done to him? “My sister is pretty upset. She thinks it’s your ex, and she’s headed to your place now to go through all your emails and Facebook statuses.”
“I know she won’t!” I yell, backing away. I have to make myself busy or I’ll go insane just standing there so close to him. “But she’ll find out about us eventually.”
“So?”
“So?” I’m incensed. Didn’t we have a similar conversation last night? Why do I have to spell everything out for him? “Look, Colin, this is a bad idea.” And it’s not even real! God, I feel like such an idiot. What was I thinking?
“Just give me a chance.” He’s pleading with me now, and I pray he won’t drop to his knees and beg. “That kiss last night…was amazing.”
It was, wasn’t it? Damn it, this isn’t good. We’re going to have to come clean to Holly, and who knows what the repercussions will be. God, I need to talk to my mom.
Mom! That’s it! Why didn’t I think of it sooner? I’m sure it’ll cost them a fortune to talk to me from the outer reaches of the planet, but it’s an emergency.
“Let’s not do anything rash, okay? Holly needs time to heal before she hears her ex left her for her sister.”
A wide smile spreads across Colin’s face. “Does that mean you’re going to give me a chance?”
I take a deep breath. “Yes, Colin, of course. I-I’ve liked you for a long time.” This, along with Madame Antoinette’s prediction, are justification enough, aren’t they?
“Really?”
“Ever since seventh grade,” I admit with a little shrug, though deep down the guilt is churning in my gut.
“But I was such a dork back then.”
“You still are,” I tease. “Now get out of here before Holly comes back. We’ll work this out, okay? We just have to be patient.”
~*~
It takes me a good half hour to track down my mom that night, but I finally reach her. Relief settles over me as her voice comes over the line.
“Candy, what’s wrong? You didn’t burn down the bakery, did you?”
“God, Mom, no! But thanks for the vote of confidence.”
“Well, it is you, Candy, and Ricardo told me you were frantic. I just assumed…”
“I wasn’t frantic,” I say, indignant. “It’s just…I need your advice.”
The Matchbaker (A Romantic Comedy) Page 16
