Authors: Melissa Hosack
Stupid Cupid (3 page)
Her eyes narrowed. “Just because you’re an amazing cook that
doesn’t make you any less mental.” She sighed. “But I’ll humor you.” Taking
another bite of pancake, she savored the flavor before saying, “Cupid likes to
play God.”
“
You
,” Valen
corrected. “You can say
you
. I’m the
one pissing you off.”
“Fine.
You
like to play God.”
“I like to make people happy.” Valen climbed to his feet,
made his way over to the fridge, and pulled out the orange juice carton.
Pinching the spout, he opened it and took a long swig.
“Well,
I’m
not
happy,” she confessed, her voice thick with unexpected emotion.
“I could make you happy.” Valen’s statement hung in the air.
They stared at each other for a moment in silence. Finally, he sighed and sank
back down into his seat. “Listen, you’ve just not met your soul mate yet.
That’s no reason to be unhappy. It will happen. You just need to be patient.
He’s out there, and when the two of you finally cross paths, I’ll be the first
person to let you know.”
agitation. “I don’t believe in that crap. Good relationships come from hard
work, not a higher power.”
Valen set the orange juice container in the center of the
table between them. “You should believe. I do.”
“You also drink from
the carton.”
It was Valen’s turn to roll his eyes. “I’ll prove it to
you.” Wiggling his eyebrows at her, he added, “You’re coming to work with me
today.”
Her response was a snort. “What do you plan to do, throw on
some leather and dart about rooftops?”
“I’m Cupid not the Green Arrow,” he said dryly.
“Speaking of which, why does Cupid live in some dinky town
in
Shouldn’t you be living in a romantic city like
“I happen to like
The springs here are beautiful.”
“The springs here are beautiful,”
playing on her lips. “Does this mean
place on earth?”
“Sure felt like it this morning,” he said with a snicker.
Her brows rose and she couldn’t stop her soft chuckle in
response. “You’re terrible.” Lifting the orange juice carton, she took a
delicate sip, smacked her lips in pleasure, and said, “So I’m going to work
with you today.”
“Looks like.”
Chapter
Three
Two hours later,
La’ Monte
. After making a quick trip home, she was wearing her
nicest sundress and a pair of wedge sandals. The warm spring sun shone down on
her, heating her shoulders as she observed the other patrons and the
pedestrians strolling past on the street.
Across from her and looking dazzling in a suit and tie,
Valen was explaining the ins and outs of his so-called job. “It’s easier to
find people near their soul mates at restaurants. Many are already dating. I
just use my magic to give them that little extra push to break the defensive
walls down.” He paused thoughtfully. “You know, it’s nice having someone with
me instead of being the weird guy who always eats alone.”
unable to help herself. “Trust me. When women see you alone, they are ecstatic.
They aren’t thinking you’re weird.”
One expressive blond eyebrow rose at her comment. “Just
because you find me irresistible doesn’t mean the rest of women are gaga over
me.”
She gave him a dark look. “You do remember I’m only here
because I dislike you so much that fate decided to magically bring us together
to have it out?”
He waved this off. Then he continued with his explanation.
“Unlike what you seem to think, I don’t force anyone to do anything they don’t
wish. In fact, there are some soul mates who never even end up together. They
get off on such a wrong foot before I happen upon them that they hate one
another. They dislike each other so much they can’t see past it. They lose
their opportunity at true happiness. It’s sad.”
Due to the sincerity of his voice,
Realizing this, she sat up straight in her seat with a scowl, refusing to be
swayed. “You’re sad when you’re little schemes don’t work out. So you’re saying
you were happy when you tricked my boyfriend of four years into cheating on me
with a flight attendant?”
“I’m never happy to see someone get hurt.” Valen scooted his
chair until it rested next to hers, until their knees bumped. “Sometimes the
immediate pain of a breakup is better than wasting your life being with the
wrong person.” He then took her hands in his and offered her a look of
sympathy. “He wasn’t your soul mate.”
She looked away from him, her heart feeling thick with the
emotions racing through her. She’d never really seen it that way. All she’d
seen it as was another man telling her she wasn’t good enough for him.
“You might have loved him at the time, but there is someone
out there better for you, someone who will make you forget all about him. That
person will love you like you’ve never known love before. Somewhere out there
is someone perfect for you. It wasn’t him.”
She didn’t know if she just wanted to believe him or if it was
true, but
finally whispered. A laugh bubbled unexpectedly from her throat at finally
being able to admit that. “He hated how absentminded I was. In his eyes,
everything had a place and there should be no varying from his organization
whatsoever.” She smirked at Valen. “It used to drive him insane when I drank
from the carton.”
“I don’t mind when you drink from the carton. I think it’s
cute.”
“You’re also insane,” she pointed out. “We might have had a
happy, carton drinking future together if it hadn’t been for that.”
“I’m not insane,” he mumbled distractedly. His eyes searched
the restaurant and the street in front of it. “I’m about to prove it.” He
pointed to a couple standing on the sidewalk across the street from them. “See
those two over there? Soul mates. He’s had a thing for her since the second
grade, but he’s too shy to do anything about it. She would be willing to give
the relationship a try if she had any idea he was into her.”
the pair standing a polite distance apart. “How can you possibly know that?”
She saw no indication there might be anything even remotely romantic about
their feelings toward one another. As far as she knew, they might be siblings.
“It’s my job to know.” Valen tossed her a confident grin and
climbed to his feet. “Watch this.”
squeak of alarm as he lifted a large case from the ground and set it on the
table. “What are you doing?” She glanced nervously around at the other tables
to see if any of the nearby patrons were apprehensive at the obvious sight of a
weapon case. “It looks like you’re pulling out a gun!”
“Don’t say gun in a restaurant,
the latches on the side of the case and lifted the lid. “People only see what
they want to see. Look around. No one is even looking over here. Humans don’t
understand the supernatural, so they’ve learned to ignore it. It’s a defense
mechanism, I suppose.” He lifted a bow from the case and tested the string.
“Who should I shoot?”
“I don’t want you to shoot anyone!”
His response was a roll of his eyes. “You asked to follow me
to work. It’s my job to shoot people.”
alarm as he lifted a red arrow and put it into place.
“Which do I shoot?” he repeated.
Her head swam. She was about to be an
accessory to murder. “I…I…”
“Come on,
He lifted the bow to line up a shot. “Him or her?”
She glanced around for assistance, but everyone was still
busy with their meals. “Oh, you dang humans,” she accused.
“
“Him!” As soon as the word escaped her, she clamped a hand
over her mouth.
Before she could take her choice back, Valen let go of the
arrow. It soared through the air before imbedding in the man’s chest.
horror, waiting for the stranger to fall down dead, but the man didn’t even
stumble backwards.
Instead, he moved forward with determination. He suddenly
kissed the girl Valen claimed to be his soul mate.
The girl looked momentarily shocked, but then she threw her
arms around his neck and returned the kiss.
“I thought you were going to make me miss my window of
opportunity,” Valen accused as he lowered the bow.
stunned disbelief. “They…they kissed.”
“Of course they did,” he said. “That was the desired effect.
I was nudging them in the right direction. Cupid’s arrow gives a person the
confidence they need to go for what they want. Now you’ve seen that firsthand.”
couple as they smiled and laughed. When they linked arms and disappeared into a
nearby apartment building, she turned to Valen with an expression of awe. “You
made them fall in love. That was amazing!”
“I know.” He smiled. “Still don’t believe in soul mates?”
She hesitated. Instead of answering his question, she asked,
“How can you believe so whole-heartedly when you’re single yourself? Where’s
your
soul mate?”
Valen stayed silent for a moment, his expression unreadable.
Finally, he shook his head with a sigh. “It’s complicated. I can’t see my own
soul mate. That would be considered cheating. I only hold the ability to help
others.”
“That doesn’t seem fair.”
sympathy. “Forever alone with the ability to help others find love. Seems
cruel.”
He shrugged. “I just have to hope she finds me.”
“Romantic.”
He chuckled. “I’m Cupid. It kind of goes with the
territory.”
Her heart fluttered at his frank statement. Damn it! She was
starting to believe him. Even worse, she was starting to think of him as more
than just a pretty face and impressive abs. He was…sweet.
“Want to do another?” He held up his bow and waved it in
front of her, distracting her from her somber thoughts.
She smiled enthusiastically. “Do I ever!”
Chapter
Four
Lincoln and Valen sat outside the apartment building that
housed her tiny dwelling. His sporty car looked completely out of place in the
less than lavish surroundings of muddy grass, rusted porch railings, and
tromped upon flowers.
She’d never upgraded to a better apartment after college
because she’d been waiting until she had a family to settle into a home with
the white picket fence. Belatedly, she wished she would have found a more
suitable place on her own. Apparently, her prince was dragging his feet, and
she was way too old to still be living the college life. It was pathetic and
sad. “Um…” she said reluctantly. “Would you like to come in for a drink?”
“I’m parched. Sounds great.” Valen was out of the car and
walking up the sidewalk to the apartment complex before she could stop him.
She cursed under her breath and rushed out of the car. She
chased after him, her ankles wobbling as she tried to navigate the cracked and
uneven sidewalk in her girly shoes. “I’ll warn you, the place isn’t great.
I’ve…I’ve been meaning to—”
“
I’m not going in so I can inspect your place. I’m going in to extend my time
with you.”
She blushed and a pleased smile spread across her lips
before she could smother it. “Oh.” Shyly, she tucked a strand of blonde hair
behind her ear as he held the building’s door open for her. “Okay then.”
Lost in thought, she led him down the hallway with tattered
green carpeting and faded wallpaper to the apartment that belonged to her. Her
hands were shaking so badly she could barely get her key in the door.
Finally, the lock clicked, and she let the door swing open.
“Well, here we are.” As she stepped inside, she cast a sidelong glance at Valen
to gauge his reaction.