Stealing Cupid's Bow (9 page)

“I run an elite matchmaking business with a very high and long-standing success rate.” His eyes twinkled at her.

“No! You can’t be serious,” she said in disbelief.

“I am completely serious.” He paused for a moment while the waiter served them wine.

“But you don’t believe in love,” she blurted.

He seemed amused by her outburst. “Well, it doesn’t really matter what I believe. It matters what the clients believe and want, right?”

“I guess.” She guessed he was right. It was a business after all. It just seemed like such an oxymoron. How could a man who was cynical about love help bring people together to find love? The vision of him with a bow and arrow rose up in her mind again. Had she imagined it? She could remember it as clearly as her bank pin number.

“I live in the hotel purely for convenience,” he said. “I’ve lived in a lot of other places, but I really like this hotel and the city is very convenient to my line of work. It’s very easy for clients to find flights here and there is plenty of entertainment for couples to explore.”

“You said ‘elite matchmaking.’ Do you mean wealthy clients?”

“Yes they are mostly wealthy clients. I’m particularly interested in their needs. Some find it necessary to find a partner discreetly since many of them are constantly in the public eye or doing their best to stay out of it. I also have some who find it more difficult to meet quality partners because they travel a lot. And then there are those who just have such a broad experience that it’s tough to find partners who can identify with them and complement them. Those are the fun ones.” He smiled as though he meant it.

She was skeptical. “Well then, so you do enjoy it?” She couldn’t imagine that he did.

“Yes, very much. I think people are interesting. Actually, I should say that I enjoy
ed
it. When I first started the company I did most of it myself, but I now have many employees who handle the actual matchmaking aspect of the business.”

Her fingers played with the stem of her wineglass. That sounded more like it. So he owned the business but didn’t really deal with putting people together. It’s not that she didn’t want to believe him, but the statements he’d made seemed to contradict each other.

“You don’t believe me?” he asked.

She shrugged delicately. “It’s difficult to believe, from what you said before, that you really enjoy matchmaking. It sounds more like you are doing it for the money,” she said.

“Not at all. The money is just a reflection of how well we do our job. As I said, I like the special cases. I’ve helped many men and women find a partner. Plus the fees help keep the workload down to a manageable level. Think of it that way.”

That part she could believe. He was a man, after all, and men liked to build things. She laughed. “I just think it’s funny. Here you are helping people find something you think is a waste of time.”

He laughed, too. “I guess you could say that. But I think people are interesting. It’s like finding two puzzle pieces that fit together.”

“Oh! Now I understand. When you say it that way it makes more sense.” His puzzle-piece analogy opened an interesting door to his nature. He was the sort of person who liked to problem-solve. He also had to be extremely intuitive to understand people in a way that he could have such success in his business. They were two qualities she liked right away. “I’ll make sure never to repeat what you told me on the plane then about it being better if love didn’t exist anymore. It wouldn’t be good for your reputation.”

His eyes lit up with mischief. “Touché. Say what you will though. No need to keep secrets on my account.”

“What’s your family like?” she said, changing the subject.

He seemed like he came from a big family but she didn’t know what made her think that. Maybe it was his easygoing nature in general. He had an air of friendliness about him that was contagious. She couldn’t imagine anyone not liking him.

“They’re a handful. Definitely a mischievous lot. I’m an only child but have lots of uncles, aunts, cousins, and so on.”

“What makes them a handful?”

They were interrupted briefly as the waiter came by and took their orders. Alexander resumed the conversation as if they hadn’t been interrupted. “Pranks are pretty common in my family. I used to get into a lot of trouble with my Uncle Bob. I’ll never forget the time he scared the wits out of my cousin, Flo.”

The look in his eyes was far away as he remembered. She could tell it was a good memory because his whole expression lightened with amusement. “What happened?”

“Uncle Bob has a fondness for wine. He got drunk one night and somehow got it into his head that he needed to make more. So he snuck into Flo’s beautiful, meticulous garden and picked a huge pile of grapes. But then he ended up passing out in the middle of the whole thing. So the next morning poor Flo went out to tend to her garden and stumbled on what she thought was some strange beast. She called me over right away.”

“Why did she think he was a beast?”

“Because my uncle had forgotten to put clothes on before leaving his house and then, after falling asleep in the pile of grapes, he flailed around in them during the night. When she found him he was one big purple lump with leaves and twigs in his hair and he was snoring like a bear. I don’t think she ever forgave him for that one.”

“No! The poor thing.” She laughed.

“Yes. That’s nothing compared to the time….”

He told her a couple more stories that made her laugh. She was sure he was exaggerating. No one’s family could get into that much mischief. It felt good to feel humor again. The crusty shell of tension fell away as she became warm and relaxed. She couldn’t remember ever being so entertained by a man. He was an excellent storyteller. He also seemed to truly want to get to know her. All through dinner she couldn’t take her eyes off him. Not only was he gorgeous, he was fun to talk to.

He admitted to a passion for electronics and flying. She confessed to a fondness for sweets and a good book. He asked her a great many questions about herself and she found her answers coming easily. He wanted to know more about why she had moved from Las Vegas and what interested her so she found herself talking about things she put aside since she had started dating Brad.

“When I moved I felt like I was finally joining the world,” she said. “Even though it’s Las Vegas, growing up here is like being raised in a small town.”

“Where you live now, is it as different as you expected?”

“Yes and no,” she admitted. “I’m still working in human resources at the same company I went there for. But I love the change of scenery and the new friends I’ve made.” She fiddled with the polished butter knife on the table.

“But it’s not what you really want.”

“Yes.” The word pulled slowly from her lips. She’d never acknowledged it out loud before.

“Now I’m really curious,” he said. “You have to tell me.”

She let out a breath, her eyes flicking away and then back to him. “I’ve always wanted to open an online business.” The material of her dress was thin, but she felt warm now.

“What kind?”

She’d never told anyone before. It was something that had been in her mind for a long time but just lurking in the background, never coming to the front. “I’ve always wanted to make leather dog collars and leashes. When we had a dog, I remember there never being enough good choices. I would love to make that and clothing for them.”

He didn’t laugh, as she expected. “So why don’t you?”

“Why don’t I?” He made it sound so simple. “There’s a lot to know about that sort of thing.”

He lifted one shoulder. “Best way to learn is by doing. You’d be great at it. I can tell. Passion can move mountains.”

Just like that the many layers of hesitation and what-ifs fell away from her. He said it so simply, his tone and belief in her making it fourfold more possible than she had ever believed it was before.

“Thanks.” Her mind was spinning with new possibility. She could do it. Nothing was holding her back except herself, she could see that now. It was amazing what a few positive words could do. But it was more than that. It was the pragmatic look in his eye. He had taken her seriously. All that had given a boost to her soul that made her side dream drift closer to reality.

In telling Alexander about herself, she discovered that she had let go of a lot of good things to make room for Brad and she wondered what good he had really brought into her life. He had seemed to become her whole world instead of adding to and expanding the world she had known. She realized that she’d had “Brad tunnel vision” for far too long and it seemed as though she was just coming out from a deep trance into the sunlight.

Alexander was that sunlight. He reminded her of who she was. And the way he looked at her made her feel as if she were the most interesting person he had ever met. She hoped that was true. She felt that way about him.

Maybe it was the wine giving her confidence, but she suddenly felt comfortable enough to ask him about the thoughts that had been nagging her. She just had to. As much as she liked him they had to be resolved.

“You know there’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you.” As soon as the words came out she almost wanted to take them back. Would it ruin the moment?

“Sure, you can ask me anything.” He reached forward to hold her hand on the white tablecloth.

She looked down at their intertwined fingers and hesitated. Would he think she was crazy? On this one she knew she wasn’t. It was his drivers who had been acting crazy. “The day we arrived at the airport your drivers accosted me as soon as I stepped out of the terminal. They seemed to think I was threatening someone from something I said during the flight.”

He remained silent, waiting.

“They thought I was threatening Cupid.” There was no denying it, as silly as it sounded. That was what they had questioned her about. Which made her wonder. Was there the slightest possibility that he was real? Because if there was, if such an outlandish thing could be true, then there might be help for her parents after all.

He lifted a brow.

Okay, so she hadn’t asked an actual question yet. She supposed that was what he was waiting for. Huffing inwardly to herself, she shoved away her feeling of discomfort and continued, “I know this sounds ridiculous, but I can’t ignore the fact that they stopped me for questioning. And they are your drivers, so…I have to ask you. What was that about? Is he real? Is Cupid real? Do you work for him? Did I really see you shoot an arrow at that woman by the fountain?”

His brow furrowed. “You saw me?”

“Yes. The couple was in front of a fountain when the man proposed. That’s when you…you know, let your arrows fly.” She felt like an idiot just saying it.

Astonishment filled his face.

She wanted to cringe at the words coming from her lips, at the sound of rising hope in her voice. She was almost afraid to hear the answer. Whether it was yes or no would mean so much. “You said I could ask you anything.”

He shot a glance at the tables neighboring theirs as if wishing for more privacy. “I did, didn’t I?” He leaned forward and rested both elbows on the table, bringing his other hand forward to stroke her palm. “Yes, that was me.”

She breathed a sigh of relief. At the time she’d thought she was losing her mind. “But then, right after that, the bow and arrows disappeared. I thought I was hallucinating. No one else reacted at all.”

“You weren’t.” His touch stirred feelings deep within. With every caress she could feel desire unfolding itself from her very core. “Are you sure you couldn’t see the equipment after that?”

She nodded.

“Interesting.”

“Why?”

“Because I was wearing them the whole time I spoke with you and your family and walked you to the restaurant.”

“You were?”

He nodded, sighed, and looked down at the table. One eyebrow furrowed the tiniest bit. “Cole and Donovan did kind of screw up the questioning, didn’t they?” He continued to play with her hand as he thought for a moment.

She hoped he never stopped playing with her hand. The hot coal of pleasure began to spread its way slowly throughout her body. How would it feel for him to run his hands along her hips? Or fist in her hair? Confusion was also running through her. How had she seen his equipment while he was shooting the people but not seen them when he was wearing them? The whole existence of such magic itself was causing a host of questions to come to her mind.

“So then Cupid…?”

Alexander’s eyes flicked back to her face. “Yes. He is real.” He said it in a quiet, serious statement with no evidence of humor or exaggeration.

She searched his face for any trace of falsehood and could find none. Still, doubt remained in her heart…along with the wild blossoming possibility.

But still, he did come from a family of pranksters. She waited for him to laugh but the seconds ticked by and he continued to look at her. “Seriously? You’re not joking?”

“I’m serious.” His expression didn’t waver.

She looked down at their hands and then back at him. Her lips parted to speak but she nothing came out.
No way
.

“What? That’s not the answer you wanted?”

“Yes. No. I mean, how in the world can I believe that? It’s just…it’s incredible.” It was more than that. Was he just playing along like it was some game? She was going to feel even more like an idiot if he was. But the wild, hopeful feeling wouldn’t leave her. She’d seen the arrow fly through the air with her own eyes and it had trailed a wake of magical possibilities behind it. Such a thing was inexplicable under the physical rules of the world she thought she knew.

“What would make you believe?”

She was sure he knew the answer to that. He looked like he knew what was coming next, but it didn’t stop her. “I want to meet him.”

“Okay. I’ll introduce you,” he said.

“You’ll introduce me? Just like that?” The longing inside begged for her to believe, but she had a practical side that was arguing with the incredulity of it.