Page 4 of Cupid
“Can I let you in on a secret?” I stood to the side and waved her toward me so the group could keep walking without her leading it.
“Um, okay…” She wasn’t sure if she should trust me or not, but I had a way of making people feel at ease. Whether they understood why or not, they tended to believe me.
“I was just gonna say that the tour is even better from the back, because when you get to the milk and cookie station, they generally run out right before the last of the group comes, which means you get a fresh batch of warm cookies.” I waggled my eyebrows. “Trust me, they’re worth the wait.”
She chuckled and nodded tiredly. “Yeah, okay. I could use a fresh cookie right about now. Should I go to the back of the line?”
As the other woman with a child passed by, I stepped in right behind her with my new friend.
The mom glanced at me and then at the woman beside me before she smiled. “Hi there. Are you just joining us?”
“No. I was just saying how being at the back is the best place for warm cookies.” I winked at my friend and then patted my belly. “We wanted to join you back here.”
“Okay.” The mom adjusted the squirmy child in her arms. “A cookie sounds great. I’m starving.”
“I’m Arrow, by the way.” I held my hand out to the woman with a child.
She smiled and shook it. “I’m Emily, and this little elf is Andrew.” She glanced at my friend and gave a shy smile.
The other lady finally seemed to realize what was happening right in front of her. As we waited for her to speak, she cleared her throat. “Hi, I’m Nancy. I was at the front of the line when Arrow suggested I come back here.”
Emily tried to be sneaky in checking her out, but she didn’t quite succeed. “I’m glad you did.”
Nancy suddenly had more life to her than I had seen yet. “Me too.”
Wow, that was easy. Usually it took a little bit more time to find an in, but warm cookies were hard for anyone to resist. “Well, you two have fun on the tour. I’ve got to head out.”
Nancy smiled at me. “We will.”
Emily winked at me over Nancy’s shoulder and mouthed, “Thank you.”
All in a day’s work. At least, one of my days.
THREE
JUDE
My phone rang right as I hobbled out of the taxi. I tried not to be annoyed when I saw Orion‘s face, but he had the worst timing ever. “Hey.”
“Hey, Cuz. How’s it going?”
“Um, I’ve been better.” Angling for my keys, I dropped my phone and left it on the ground while I unlocked the front door. “Hold on a sec. I dropped the phone.”
“Well, pick it up.” Despite the distance, I heard him clear as day. Apparently, he was still the loud-mouth he’d always been.
“I’m one-handed at the moment.” Once I wrangled the door open, I reached for my phone then went inside, kicking it closed behind me.
“Well, put your dick away, dude. It’s inappropriate to talk to your cousin while you’re yanking it.”
“I wish.” In fact, I was gonna regret not having use of my right hand for the next four to six weeks. “But sadly no. I fell off a ladder, and now I’ve got a hairline fracture in my right radius.”
“Seriously? Shit, are you okay? Why were you on a ladder?”
The questions flooded at me as I plopped down on my sofa, ready for the day to end. “It’s a long story, but I was finally taking down the Christmas lights. Then I fell and tried to catch myself, which was a bad idea. Anyway, what do you need?”
“Well, I’ve got good news for you. Something that’s totally gonna brighten your whole week.”
I rolled my eyes. “I can’t wait to hear it.”
