Valentine's Wishes (9 page)

“All of it will work out fine. The blonde girl is seeing her male tonight. She’s skipping about the kitchen like a butterfly on a glory day. I’ve given her a bit of the glow, she’ll be irresistible. The rest they’ll do on their own. I swear it.”

“Thank you.” She sniffed with a gulp. His gaze sparkled at her. “But what can we do about the other two girls?” she asked, and tears rose hot again.

“Let’s sit down and watch and find out some more first.” He sat down, and she joined him, glad to have his arm about her, but the security of him beside her, did nothing to ease her remorse.

Lucy bounced in from the kitchen. “I’m seeing James tonight. He’s all apologetic and thinks it was all his fault. He said sorry so many times!”

“Luce, great news. I’m so pleased for you. What time are you meeting him?” Keri rose from the sofa and gave her a hug.

“He’s coming to pick me up at seven.”

“Well.” Keri glanced at her watch. “You’ve only got three hours, so go put your flowers in water, and after you’d best start getting ready,” Keri teased.

“Don’t you think I won’t.” Lucy went back into the kitchen with a sunbeam smile.

“Yer’ve made her more beautiful than ever,” Poppy whispered.

“No, my sweet, ’tis her own doing that, and there’s nothing more lovely than ye are.” Cedar pulled her onto his lap.

“I don’t feel very lovely right now,” she murmured.

“Yer will do when it’s all put right. Where’s the other one?”

“Upstairs, phoning.”

“Shame we can’t get up there.”

“I know.” She laid her head on his shoulder itching to find out about Bal’s phone call upstairs.

The chimes rang from the hall.

“I’ll get the door,” Keri called.

“I’m going to follow her,” Poppy whispered.

“No, yer not, yer wait here with me,” Cedar said.

“But—” She got no further because he covered her mouth with his and embraced her tight. The desire to be elsewhere vanished as his tongue teased between her lips. Her body softened so she sagged against him.

“Are you sure you left it here? We’ve tidied up all morning and not found it.”

The hint of panic in Keri’s voice interrupted their kiss.

“It’s him.”

“Which him?” Cedar asked with a grin.

“The one Keri liked, or I thought would really like, probably fall in love with. His name’s Jez, he’s a real special mortal, you can feel it. There, see what I mean? I’d know his glow anywhere.”

Cedar nodded, and she angled her head so she could hear the mortals better.

“Actually, the wallet’s not mine, it’s Surjan’s. I got a call from him first thing, he was in a right flap about it, but he’s at his parents’ today. He had to go over early, so he couldn’t call round himself,” Jez explained as he followed Keri into the sitting room.

“I haven’t checked the garden except for the deck. If it’s not in here or the kitchen, maybe it might be in the garden? Could he have dropped it there?”

“I thought you might know where he’d been better than me.”

Poppy bit her lip at the tone of Jez’s statement. Poor Keri, the girl became scarlet faced.
Make a wish. Do it now.

Cedar smiled with a smug kind of smile, as if to say don’t worry, but she couldn’t help but be worried.

“Hmm, perhaps. Things all got a little fuddled last night,” Keri eventually said.

“Too right they did, and to be honest I don’t envy Surjan telling his parents he dumped his perspective bride.”

“Oh.” Keri breathed out fast.

“Cedar, do something. I think she’s going to hit him.” Poppy grasped his hand.

“No, she’s not.” Cedar shook his head.

“Maybe we could go check in the garden for it?” Jez asked.

“Yes, sure.” Keri yanked the sliding patio door back and strode out onto the deck.

Poppy hurried to the other end of the sofa to peek and listen. Cedar stood behind her with his arm about her waist. “I think ye should put this one right, yer’ll feel much better about the whole thing if yer do.”

“I can’t, I’ll mess it all up again.” She craned her head to watch the mortals.

“I’m sure if yer careful ’twill all be fine. Go on, while their close together now.”

“I can’t do it,” she whimpered.

The chill of the afternoon air cool on her hot face, Keri stood on the deck.
Is there any way this man might somehow understand the muddle of last night?

“Over by the apple tree, maybe we should start there? I know he stood over there for some time before we left,” Jez said, and she stared over at the furthest part of the garden.

Yes, that’s where me and Surjan ended up, kissing like teens in the shadows.
The heat in her cheeks roared back, and her stomach churned full of butterflies.

In an effort to hide her embarrassment, Keri walked down the steps from the deck, and scanned over the turf. “What color is it?” she called and turned back toward Jez. His dark hair lifted in the breeze, and she drank the image of him in.

“Black leather, it’s a standard sort of wallet. Surjan often puts it in the back pocket of his jeans. He’s a bit of a twit sometimes.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels with a smile.

She peered over the lawn.
No sign of the wallet.
By the apple tree, guilt nibbled at her while she searched down amongst the shrubs. “No, not here I’m afraid.” A huge sigh escaped her. “Something else which got lost last night,” she murmured.

“What do you mean?”

Jez stood right behind her, and she startled at his words. “I mean things all got a bit confused last night. You know Lucy is with James, don’t you?”
If he seems upset at the news, I might lose it right now.

“Yes, I think I knew. I’ve no idea why she decided to dance all night with me, or why I asked her.”

He sounded mystified.
Thank heaven he doesn’t sound heartbroken Lucy is interested in someone else.
“Yes, as I said things got a bit muddled. Can I ask you something, Jez?”

“Sure.”

Taking a step back, she straightened her shoulders and lifted her head to meet his gaze. She searched his gray eyes for the answer she wanted. “Do you think there might be any possibility of something between Surjan and Bal, or is it out of the question now?”

He smiled, and she noticed the crinkles at the corners of his eyes.

“I don’t know the answer. He says he liked her, though how he knows when he spent the entire evening with you, I don’t know.”

“Oh, don’t say so. I never meant it to happen. I don’t know how it did.”

“Well, perhaps if they can meet up again fairly soon, who knows. So you’re not interested in Surjan then?”

She gulped. The way his gaze held hers was rather like being put under one of the microscopes he’d said he worked with. They’d gotten as far as his work in their conversation last night before things went crazy. “No, he’s a nice enough guy but…” She turned away. “His family had set things up for him and Bal, and I feel really bad about what happened, though in truth Surjan and I…I mean we only danced a lot…” She glanced back. “That was mostly it.”

“A bit like me and Lucy then,” he said and grinned.

“Yes, I suppose so.”

“Okay, let’s check the rest of the shrubs and see if his wallet turns up.” He bent to part the thick stems of white flowering rhododendrons.

“Jez, thanks,” she murmured.

“What for?” He sounded puzzled.

“For not being judgmental about the whole thing, I’m grateful. We all feel bad enough as it is. Bal is very upset about what happened. You can tell Surjan I said so, if you want to,” she tried to explain.

“Fine, I’ll call him. At least he didn’t lose his cell phone.” He walked with her around the perimeter of the garden.

“Oh, here it is.” She bent down and picked up the damp wallet from in between two evergreen shrubs.

“Great, well done. I’ll call him now and tell him to stop panicking.” He pulled his phone from his jacket pocket. She moved away to give him some privacy to talk, and so she could admire the way his jeans fit his rear
. For someone who sits down all day staring into a microscope, he has a very cute ass
. She turned her eyes to the shrubs and gave herself a mental smack on the wrist.
Isn’t it bad enough what happened last night? I don’t want him catching me admiring all his attractions, especially when I’ve no chance of getting my hands on any of them.

A few moments later, he joined her by the steps onto the deck. “Surjan’s going to come round and collect the wallet, as soon as his parents have finished hanging him out to dry.” He gave her a grin.

“That bad, hey?”

“Well, from the sound of it, he’s not going to be exactly number one in the popularity list. Right now, I think in his parents view, he probably ranks with a flying ant invasion.”

“Maybe he can spend some time with Bal when he picks up the wallet?” she murmured.

“Yes, I suggested it to him. He should at least apologize to the poor girl. Will you be all right if he does?” His expression surprised her, genuine concern and a warmth she’d never seen in anyone’s eyes.

“Yes, Jez, I’ll be fine. It’s nice of you to ask. Last night should never have happened and I want to forget it. Well, most of it.”

“I see, same here I suppose. She’s a nice girl Lucy, but she can’t dance you know.” His smile widened, and Keri couldn’t help but laugh. “I thought you could dance pretty well,” he said. “A pity we didn’t get the chance.”

She peered into his eyes and found a smile. Their difficult conversation took on new meaning. “Would you like to go out somewhere and find out if we dance well together?” she asked and held her breath.

“I’d love to, there’s a little place down by the waterfront, new, a kind of music club, not long opened. Jazz music and they do a decent bar meal as well. Would you like to give it a try?”

“When?” The butterflies had become bats that swooped and dived where her stomach should be.

“Tonight?” The way his smile revealed a dimple made her smile in return.

“Yes, I’d really like to.”

“Fine, tell you what, why don’t we give Bal a shout? She can hang onto Surjan’s wallet and give it to him when he gets here. The wallet will give them something to talk about, and then you could come with me down to the waterfront. We could go take a walk along the marina and check out the boats, and then get something to eat at the club. And I promise we’ll dance to the best jazz band for miles.”

“Okay. I’ll go and change out of these jeans.” She hurried inside and bounded up the stairs. “Bal, if you’ve finished on the phone go downstairs, Jez is there.”

* * * *

“Poppy, please try for me, I want yer to be able to do this,” Cedar asked again. “When she comes down here, yer let the wish for her go. Yer can do it and I think she’d like that wish.”

“Hold my hand while I try?”

“With pleasure my sweet, but yer don’t need me to. Come on, last night was an accident wasn’t it? Yer a fairy from hundreds of generations of fairies, this is what yer meant to do, grant wishes.” He hugged her to him.

“I know but…”

“No buts about it. Get ready for when Keri comes back down those stairs. Yer send her some of the glimmer and she’ll do the rest herself, yer wait and see.”

She watched Jez as he stood gazing out at the garden. He felt as good today as he had yesterday when he arrived, and she grew more certain here stood someone very special, a male who Keri might love with all her wide and generous heart.

“Hello, Jez,” Bal said as she came into the room.

“Hello, are you okay today?” he asked.

“Yes, I’ve been speaking with my mother.”

“Ah, Surjan is at his parent’s house today,” Jez said.

“Oh, dear.” Bal gave a little sigh.

“Don’t worry about it. Surjan left his wallet here last night. Keri’s just found it in the garden. He’s going to call round for it later this evening.”

“Oh,” Bal said.

“Yes, so would you give it to him for me? I’m taking Keri down to the waterfront and then to a jazz place, otherwise I’d do it myself.” He held out the wallet to Bal.

Poppy gave a little sigh at the wave of tenderness which wisped about the room as Jez smiled at Bal. “Oh, Cedar, isn’t he a lovely thoughtful mortal,” she murmured. Cedar glanced up toward the ceiling before he nodded.

“But if you and Keri aren’t here, it means I’ll have to talk to Surjan,” Bal said and her eyes hazed with the shimmer of tears.

“Don’t you want to? He’s a nice guy, and you must know there isn’t anything between him and Keri. I think he might have been a bit stressed out about meeting you yesterday, not quite his usual self,” Jez said.

“I know how he felt.” Bal accepted the wallet and put it on the shelf.

“I bet you do. If you’ll excuse me suggesting it, I think when he comes to pick his wallet up, you should have a talk, just the two of you, a conversation about the whole arranged thing? Your family and his need never know. I think that might free you both up to be able to talk.”

Bal gave him a slow nod. “All right, I think I will.”

“Ah, Keri, there you are. Nice dress. Ready?” He clasped hold of Keri’s hand.

“Now, Poppy.” Cedar squeezed her fingers tight, and she let the wish fly. Relief flooded over her as it landed squarely on Keri and Jez. The instant gleam told the wish had worked, and Keri’s smile dazzled.

“I’m ready. See you and Lucy in a while,” Keri called as she and Jez left hand-in-hand.

“Two down and one to go,” Poppy said.

“Do you feel better about things now?” Cedar asked, holding her to him.

“A bit, but this last one is going to be hard to do.” She reached up to kiss him. His lips met hers soft and smooth, and a huge sigh of satisfaction escaped her. She did feel better, and even the prospect of sorting her last mortal’s problems out didn’t seem to be quite so daunting.

“Shall we go out for a while, back to the nest or into the garden?” Cedar murmured in her ear.

“Are yer getting claustrophobic in here?” she said with a grin as she enjoyed the way his muscles moved under her palms

“No, ’tis not too bad. We’ve got some time and I thought yer might like to take a bit of a break and fly in the garden with me for a while.”