The Matchmakers (10 page)

 
Diane ran a hand through her hair,
which hung loose from its usual neat ponytail. She looked tired and though Nick
would never have admitted it, a little older than he remembered. He’d never
noticed the tiny lines around her eyes or the weary set of her mouth. When she
spoke, she sounded resolved and a little bereft, as if she’d lost her lifeline
and had given up trying to get it back. `I had a flat tire last night, and
Farley fixed it for me.´ Despite himself, Nick laughed. `Well, the car’s still
in one piece. He couldn’t have done that bad a job.´ `He nearly killed himself.
The man doesn’t know a tire iron from a tree branch.´ `So how did this lead to
you quitting your job?´ Diane bowed her head and gave a deep sigh and a brief,
self-pitying laugh. Roarke gave his mistress a quizzical stare. When she looked
up, her eyes were bright. `Have you got a couple of hours?´ Nick looked around.
As long as Roarke kept his sharp little teeth away from Nick’s shins, he didn’t
mind staying. `Sure.´ `Come on in. I just made some iced tea.´ `Do you have a
ride home, Callie?´ Hayden asked at eleven thirty-four. Callie’s gaze hadn’t
left the door since eleven. She’d begun to wonder if Nick had forgotten about
her. Six hours with Diane might make a man forget a lot of things. `Oh, I’ll be
fine.Śhe handed Farley the receipts from her last round of drinks and
tucked some cocktail napkins into the front pocket of her apron. She’d made a
respectable amount in tips and was toying with the idea of offering to pay Nick
a little rent while their incarceration together lasted. She wondered if feeding
his denial by acting as human as possible would help in the long run. When the
whole ordeal was finally over, it might prove easier for him to forget
everything if he never truly believed in her to begin with. Though he’d seen
with his own eyes some of what Callie could do, deep down he hadn’t really
believed it. One of the reasons the Fae still survived to this day was that it was
easier for people not to believe, easy to dismiss the unexplainable. Hayden
brushed Callie’s arm. `You’re waiting for Nick, aren’t you?´ `Well, he said he’d
meet me.´ `Why don’t you give him a call? I’ll cover for you.´ Hayden winked
and motioned to the pay phone in the alcove beside the bar. `No. Things are too
busy. If he doesn’t come by, I’ll just take a bus home.´ Hayden’s blue eyes
widened. `The nearest bus stop is across the highway on Sycamore. You can’t walk
over there. If you can hang around until closing, I can drive you.´ Hayden’s
sweet idealism made Callie smile. She’d already considered Farley’s junior
waitress as a candidate for true love, but at barely twenty-two, she had far
too many things still to accomplish. She reminded Callie of Felicia and the
drawbacks of finding love, even true love, too soon. Hayden needed to discover
herself first, to hurt and heal, to love and lose before she’d be ready to meet
her match. Callie didn’t want to see someone else miss out on the life lessons
that made true love so much sweeter when it finally happened. She thanked
Hayden for her offer and forced her gaze off the door. If Nick didn’t show up
soon, she might just have to pop over to wherever he was and find out for
herself what he was up to. `Come dance with me, pretty lady.Ćatfish, the
fiddler, crooned an invitation to Callie when his worn out dance partner begged
off the next song. He loosened the tray from her hands and set it on the edge of
the bar. Then he tugged her toward the dance floor. Since ten o’clock, he’d
been playing harmonica and giving free dance lessons. Besides Callie and
Hayden, there wasn’t a woman left in the bar who hadn’t had a turn around the
floor. Callie hesitated only a second and let Catfish swing her into his
reed-thin arms.

           
For a man built like a
Muppet big head, big feet with a wiry body in between Catfish could dance. As
he twirled Callie around the floor, kicking up sawdust, he sang his own lyrics
to the jukebox song in perfect pitch. By Callie’s third circuit around the
floor, she’d forgotten about Nick. She allowed herself to delve into Catfish’s
psyche while he sang to her, and she made up her mind that she needed to find a
lady with an angel’s voice and the energy of a team of oxen to keep up with
Catfish and help him dull the ache of losing his young wife to cancer ten years
earlier. `Don’t look now,Ćatfish sang as Callie twirled around him,
stamping her feet to his rhythm. `But I think I see«a man who wishes he was
me!Ćallie laughed at his rhyme and clapped along, barely keeping time with
his complicated two-step. When she looked up, Nick stood by the bar. His
infamous half smile curved his lips as he watched her dance, but the intensity of
his gaze made her blush. He couldn’t be jealous of Catfish, could he? In fact,
why would Nick be jealous of anyone at all?
 
Chapter
Thirteen

 
         
`How’d
she do?´ Nick asked when Farley sauntered over to his corner of the bar. He
immediately recognized the same hangdog look on the bartender that Diane had
worn all evening. Now that Nick understood why, he couldn’t help wondering what
he could do to change it. `How’d who do what?´ `Callie. Her first night on the
job.´ `Beer?´ `No, thanks.´ Nick tried to tear his gaze away from his
houseguest. Catfish shot him a superior look as the couple passed by whirling
and high stepping to the energetic beat. `She did all right. Doesn’t know a
Tequila Sunrise from Sex on the Beach, but she’ll learn. Pretty girl. The
customers like her.´ `Yeah.´ Nick found himself agreeing. He wasn’t the only
man watching Callie and Catfish. Nick didn’t like the feral looks some of
Farley’s patrons had trained on her. `You treat her right, Nick,´ Farley said
as he turned to rearrange the last of the clean glasses behind the bar. Nick
caught his pointed gaze in the mirror. `What was that, Ted?´ `Just make sure
you know what you’ve got before you toss it away.´ Nick wanted to protest. He’d
just met Callie, after all if nearly running her over actually constituted an official
meeting. It took him a moment to realize Farley’s words really weren’t aimed at
him. The song ended, and Catfish released Callie with a chaste peck on the
cheek. His shaggy whiskers tickled, and she giggled as she floated across the
floor to the applause of Farley’s customers. `That was fun,śhe told Nick
when she reached the bar. `Good for business, too. I should pay Catfish. He
draws in the ladies like flies.´ Farley’s stage whisper drew a wink from
Catfish, who snatched up his harmonica from his stool and started to play
again. Callie contemplated Farley’s words. Hayden had told her the best tip
nights were Thursdays and Saturdays when Catfish showed up for line dancing and
swing lessons. If she’d really seen a spark of jealousy in Nick’s eyes during
her whirl around the dance floor with Catfish, what might happen to a whole
room full of couples during a romantic evening of dancing? `Are you ready to go
home?´ Nick asked. His fingers grazed her elbow, and the contact once again made
Callie’s hidden wings flutter. `Yes, I’m worn out!Śhe waved to Catfish as
she untied her apron. Nick watched in astonishment when she began counting out
the tips from her pockets. `Looks like you had a good night.´ `Not bad. How
about you?Ćallie hoped she sounded merely curious and not proprietary. `Interesting.
I’ll tell you about it on the way home.´ `Good night, Hayden!Ćallie waved
as she rounded the bar. `Farley, thank you for hiring me. I guess I’ll see you
on Monday?´ `Closed Mondays. I’ll see you Tuesday.´ Nick took Callie’s arm and
led her outside. `Flirting with Catfish, I see,´ he said once they’d reached the
parking lot. Callie shot him a sidelong glance and played along with his
teasing tone. `Well, he’s very charming, and he
never
steps on a girl’s toes.´ `I didn’t step on your toes when we
danced.´ `Actually, you did. I just didn’t mention it.´ Nick feigned shock. `Catfish’s
feet are a lot bigger than mine.´ `Yes. I noticed.´ `What’s that supposed to
mean?´ Nick turned sharply, tugging her close, and Callie caught her breath. She
shrugged, holding in her laughter. `Nothing. I’m told size doesn’t matter. It’s
how you use what you’ve got.Śhe held his cool gaze for a moment, then
burst into giggles. She could tell by Nick’s manner that he hadn’t taken
advantage of Diane, and relief made her giddy. A rough hand closed over her
wrist and yanked her around so hard she stumbled on the loose gravel. Her laughter
died, and Nick’s rakish grin faded. `Hey!Śhe yelped as her ankle turned
painfully before she had a chance to pop away to safety. She steadied herself
and looked up into the angry face of Mr. Jukebox. The moment his cold eyes met
hers, waves of his rage and frustration washed over her. For the briefest
instant the first time in her long Fae existence Callie was afraid. Lightning
fast, Nick put himself between Callie and her assailant. She pulled back from
the man’s vicious grasp, too stunned to disappear. He let go of her wrist, and
she fell. Human instinct took over, and she put her hands out to break her
fall. She hit the ground, and her palms skidded across the sharp rocks, pain
shooting up her forearms. A second later, Nick had grabbed a fistful of Mr.
Jukebox’s clean white shirt. `Hands off, Skip!´ Nick registered only faint
annoyance that apparently Miranda had lied to him again. Her estranged husband
was supposed to have left town, yet here he was, his pretty boy face twisted in
a caricature of superior amusement. Nick shook him, and Skip sneered, his fists
balled, ready for a repeat performance of the other night. `Hands off?
Interesting words coming from you, handyman. I didn’t think you knew what
µhands off’ meant.´ `It means you don’t touch a lady unless she asks you to. So
you apologize for putting your paws on her, and if you’re real lucky you’ll go
home without getting any blood on your pretty white shirt.´ `She was going to
give me her number. I guess you offered her a better incentive to go home with
you
tonight.´ `The only thing I offered
was to act like a gentleman.´ Nick twisted Skip’s collar a little tighter, and
he liked the feel of the starched material wrinkling in his grip. He also liked
that Skip looked a little nervous and a little purple around the edges. `Let
him go, Nick. I’m all right.Ćallie’s voice reached him through the
pounding of his own blood in his ears. He wanted to let go and go to her, but
now that he had Skip at arm’s length once again, he itched to return the punch
Skip had surprised him with the other night. `One shot, handyman. Go ahead and
take a crack at me, and I’ll own you and this lousy bar.´ `It’s
my
lousy bar, you imbecile,´ Farley’s
voice boomed from behind Skip, who turned a paler shade of plum. `And it looks
to me like you assaulted one of my employees.´ The barrel of Farley’s
twelve-gauge came to rest on Skip’s shoulder. `Do I have to make a citizen’s arrest?´
Nick dropped Skip, who sagged a little and rubbed his throat. `This isn’t over,
handyman. And your girlfriend owes me what she promised.Śkip shrugged his
shirt back in place and puffed out his chest. `We’ll finish it somewhere else.´
He strutted away, muttering under his breath. Farley lowered the shotgun but
kept his glower trained on Skip until his Mercedes SUV screeched out of the
parking lot. Nick dropped to his knees beside Callie who sat staring at her
hands. Dirty scrapes marred her palms, interspersed with thin streaks of blood.
He took her hands in his and brushed away the loose gravel that clung to her
delicate skin. `It’s okay. He’s gone.´ He put an arm around her waist and
helped her stand. `Come on inside and get cleaned up,´ Farley said with a final
glare at Skip’s receding taillights. Nick tried to guide Callie back toward the
bar, but she remained rooted to the spot, her expression distant. `I’m all
right. I’m fine. Nick, can we just go?´ The emotionless tone of her voice
worried him. She looked stunned, like a frightened deer, and Nick feared her
injuries might be worse than a few scrapes. `Don’t you worry about him. He won’t
dare come back here,´ Farley assured her. She nodded. `I just want to go.´ Nick
kept his arm around Callie and walked her to his truck. Her stiff posture and
slight limp added to his growing concern. He hadn’t known her long enough to be
sure this reaction was unlike her, but something told him Skip’s actions had
shaken her to the core. Once she’d settled in the passenger seat, he turned and
brushed a strand of hair from her cheek. `Don’t let Skip get to you. I won’t
let him hurt you.´ `I know. I’m fine, really.Śhe brightened, seeming to
shake off her sudden confusion. `Tell me what happened with Diane. I’ve been
wondering all night.´ Nick started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot
before answering. `It turns out, Farley did fix the tire.´ `I knew he would.´ `Well,
it took a while, and while he was working on it, they got to talking about
things.´ `Which is good.´ Though the perkiness had returned to her voice,
Callie kept her gaze straight ahead. Her hands lay palm up, limp and pale in
her lap. Nick wanted to touch her again and rub away the sting of scraped skin
and wounded pride, but he held himself in check. He kept both hands on the
wheel, his gaze on the road, and relayed the strange conversation he’d had that
evening with Diane. `Farley apparently told Diane he wants to get
married.Ćallie gasped. `That’s great! But I don’t understand ´ `He asked
Diane if she would help him write a personal ad.´ `I can’t believe
it.Ćallie moaned and hung her head. `What was he thinking?´ `Here’s what I
can’t believe. Diane didn’t tell me exactly how she felt about Farley. She made
it out like she’d been thinking of quitting her job for a while, but I knew
that wasn’t true.´ `Of course it’s not true. He broke her heart. She thinks
they might be perfect for each other, if only he’d wake up and realize it.´ Nick
nodded. `Exactly. But how did
I
know
that?Śhe finally turned to look at him, and the faintest smile played
around her lips. `You’re getting in touch with your inner faerie.´ Nick hit the
brake. `I am not.´ `You’re developing an instinct. Granted, my being here has
something to do with it. It’s like«have you ever hung out with someone who had
a pronounced accent British maybe or Southern? Ever notice how you pick up
their speech patterns for a while? It’s not intentional, and it goes away after
a while, but I think that’s what’s happening to you. You’re picking up some Fae
intuition from me. That’s good, Nick! That will help us a lot.´ `It’s not going
to last, right? I’ll go back to normal eventually?Śhe shrugged. `Sure.
When all this is over«and I’m gone.´ Her voice trailed off, and something
pinged against Nick’s heart. As much as she drove him a little crazy, he wasn’t
ready for her to be gone just yet. `So in the meantime, I’m turning psychic?´ `Not
psychic. Intuitive. Don’t you think it’s a useful skill? Being able to tell
what people are really feeling, getting flashes of insight into their thoughts,
can make you a better person and a more understanding friend.´ `I don’t like
it.´ `Why not?´ Her voice held a hint of amusement, and he did like that.