www.Cupid Page 6

  Allison sat up. “Sure. This was nice, Preston.”

  He walked to the door and looked back at her. “I’ll never forget it.”

  After he was gone, Allison went back to her desk and sat down. Away from his warmth, her body trembled as the chill air hit her. He’d left so abruptly. Didn’t he want to try to get back together with her? It had seemed like it for a little bit, but now, she wasn’t sure. She stared at the doorway, silently willing him to come back. When the elevator bell dinged, she knew he’d left her.

  Staring out the door into the darkened office, she wondered if she had just let him get away.

  ****

  The keys clinked against the glass bowl as Allison pitched them in there the same as every other night. Tonight, though, the sound irritated her. It was all Preston’s fault, sitting with her, holding her, making her reconsider getting back together with him. She was tired and cranky and the dirt and dust covering her was beginning to itch.

  Leaning against the door, she looked around her apartment. It was cozy and comfortable, just like her office. Fresh flowers on the coffee table filled the room with sweet fragrance, just like at work. The low light gave the living room an inviting glow as it sparkled in the glass of the pictures of nature scenes on the walls. She frowned, realizing Preston had never seen her home.

  Thinking of him pulled her gaze to the five by seven inch picture sitting next to her key bowl. It was her and Preston at an art festival when they were in college. She picked up the frame and stared at it.

  “I tell you we should try again, and you say maybe.” She sat the picture back in its place and stomped further into the living room. “What is wrong with me? It’s been too much time.” She sighed. “And now I’m talking to myself.”

  Tossing her purse on the couch and dropping her coat on the floor, she walked straight to the bedroom and the bathroom beyond. Time to wash everything off, from the remnants of the road rally, to the memory of Preston’s touch. Then, possibly ice cream before bed.

  She grinned. She didn’t lose all of her bad behaviors from college. Ice cream was the cure-all for everything that made you unhappy.

  ****

  Preston walked into his apartment and slammed the door shut before dropping on the couch. He and Allie had a nice interlude in her office and when she suggested they consider getting back together, he’d run. He wanted her back more than anything, but didn’t want her to lose everything she worked so hard for because she was associated with him.

  He went to the kitchen and put a couple of slices of pizza in the microwave. His front door opened and Will walked in. “Let me guess. Leftover pizza again?”

  “Yep. I didn’t feel like going anywhere or making anything tonight.”

  Will sat on the couch and propped his feet on the coffee table. “You’re home later than you said you’d be. What happened?”

  Preston handed his friend a beer before opening his own. “I ran into Allie before I left the building. We talked.”

  “What’d she say?”

  What did she say? That was the question, wasn’t it? “She wants to try getting back together.”

  Will coughed and sat straight up. “What?”

  “She wants to give what we had another chance.”

  “And what did you say?”

  He snorted. “I said maybe.”

  “Are you kidding me?” Will said. “All you do is talk about trying again with her. When she gives you the chance, you say maybe. What is wrong with you, pal?”

  Preston shook his head. “I don’t know. What if we do get back together? How can we be certain Cupid won’t hold her back because of me?”

  “That has to be the lamest reason I’ve ever heard. Are you afraid of her?”

  “I’m afraid of hurting her,” Preston said quietly. “We’ve grown apart. I don’t think it would work.”

  Will picked up the television remote and clicked it. “And people said you were one of the best agents at Cupid Corporation. I don’t see how with that attitude. What channel is the game on?”

  Preston told him and sat back. Will made some good points. Had he lost his last chance with Allie? If he went back and told her his true feelings, would she still want him? A knock on his door interrupted his thoughts.

  He opened it to see a beautiful woman of indeterminate age standing there. Her back was straight, and her lips curved into a slight smile. The way she looked at him made him feel like she knew him, but he’d never seen her before. At least, he didn’t think he did.

  “Mr. Carlyle, I’m Aphrodite.”

  “Come in,” he said, gesturing and opening the door wider. “This is an honor, ma’am.”

  Aphrodite glided into his apartment and turned. She laid her clutch bag on the coffee table and just watched the two men.

  Will turned in his seat, jumping to his feet when he saw her. “Should I go?”

  Aphrodite smiled. “No. Please, both of you, be seated. We have a lot to talk about, Preston, and I think your friend might be able to help us with your problem of the heart.”

  “I don’t think so. I’ve lost my chance with the only woman I’ve ever really loved.”

  Aphrodite sat down, crossing her ankles and leaned forward. “I doubt that very much.”

  “How do you know?”

  She laughed, the musical sound filling the apartment and making the two men smile. “How could I not know? It’s my job, don’t forget.”

  “Right. So what do I do?”

  “Allison still loves you, Preston. She holds you in high regard. She has gotten so caught up in her career that she has forgotten the fundamental elements of relationships.” She pointed a long, delicate finger at him. “And you have lost your sense of self trying to show your bosses how so many rules hinder the job.”

  “True. So, how do you propose we fix this?”

  She stood and began to pace. “Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day. You must use what is special about this day to your advantage. What does Allison like? How would she like to celebrate?”

  Preston walked to his desk and opened his laptop. “I got a pretty good idea. Let’s look at some things and maybe I can get her back with the right gift.”

  The three of them looked through different things and smiled simultaneously at one picture in particular.

  “This will be the perfect one,” Preston said.

  Aphrodite nodded. “I agree.”

  Will had his cell phone out. “I’ll get the whole office in on it. She’ll never see it coming.”

  Chapter Nine

  Valentine’s Day arrived with its usual chaos, phones ringing off the hook, agents running around, grabbing assignment sheets, deliveries going back and forth between floors, and Cupid dropping in on every department to make sure things ran smoothly.

  Allison hurried into her office to get the next invoice for Flowers and Poetry and stopped when Aphrodite turned and smiled. “Hello, Allison.”

  “Aphrodite, I wasn’t expecting to see you today. Isn’t your company busy like this also?”

  She nodded. “I wanted to see what happened around here on the holiday and yes, everything at my company looks exactly the same.”

  Allison grabbed the invoices and gave them to Sarah. “Do you think the other holidays are like this when their day comes around?”

  “I know they are. I take the opportunity to visit the other holidays when I can. We’re all part of the same world, and like it or not, we all depend on each other to keep things in balance. One bad holiday can set off a chain of events that could be catastrophic.”

  Allison stopped. “I never thought of that, but you’re right. We often hear humans saying they hope this holiday was better than that one. I guess I never gave it much thought.”

  “The Holiday Security Agency is sending over a few agents to discuss what Cupid and I will need them to do during the merger.”

  “The HSA? Are there problems? I thought we had handled all the details with them already. Has something come up I
should know about? Do you want me to call Cupid?”

  Aphrodite laid her hand on Allison’s shoulder. “Relax. There are no problems I am aware of but it never hurts to have a little extra security.”

  “Cupid insisted, didn’t he?”

  “You know him almost as well as I do,” Aphrodite said. “After he explained why, I thought it was a good idea. Have you heard from the agent that left?”

  Allison nodded. “He turned in his resignation.”

  “I see.” Aphrodite turned back to the window. “Have you had a chance to call him to talk it?”

  Allison sat down. “Every time I call, it goes straight to his voicemail. I don’t think he wants to talk to me. We had a chance to talk about things, but I don’t think he wants to get back together. I asked him and he didn’t seem all that interested.”

  “I was watching you two when you first met. I’d had such high hopes for you. You two could have set the world on fire. What happened?”

  “I got this job and did very well. When I got promoted, I couldn’t be the person I was before. I had an executive position and had to prove I could handle it and everything that went with it. Preston was always so straight-laced in school. He wanted to be a security agent. Then, when I came here, he came with me. I guess he thought working for Cupid would be easy and he slid a little. He wasn’t the person he was before. He became rebellious, more reckless, and didn’t show the job the respect it demands.”

  “He grew and changed with the world,” Aphrodite said quietly. “You were the one who left yourself behind. You let corporate machinations change you into someone you weren’t.”

  Allison stood next to Aphrodite and stared at the cars in the parking lot. “And now it’s too late. I’ve lost him.”

  ****

  Today was Valentine’s Day. Preston sat in the briefing room with other new agents, all of them filling out paperwork claiming they were now employed by the Holiday Security Agency. As soon as the background checks came back, they’d be cleared to start training. Preston finished the last document and closed the folder.

  He thought about Allie. The office would be in complete chaos right now. Agents would be frazzled and running into each other, the noise level would be off the charts, and Allie would be in the middle of all of it. Her eyes would be bright and she’d be loving every second of it.

  That was what she lived for—the pressure and hard work being a department head entailed. He’d watched her every year as she pulled order from the chaos going on around her. Everyone came to her for answers, paperwork, anything they needed and she’d always delivered. The more he thought about it, the more apparent it was she’d outgrown him. Or maybe the right word would be out-matured him. He frowned. He hated both words.

  An agent came in to collect their folders before leading them to another room to complete another phase in becoming an agent for the HSA. They had a few minutes before another agent came in to tell them what they would be doing next.

  His cell phone buzzed with an unknown number. He pressed the button to answer it. “Hello?”

  “This is Aphrodite. I’d like to speak with you more about our plan when you have a minute.”

  Preston nodded at an agent who brought in a pitcher with droplets rolling down the metal sides and some glasses. A filled glass was placed in front of him and he smiled his thanks. “Sure. I’m in a meeting but I can call you when I go to lunch.”

  “That sounds perfect. I’ll talk to you then.”

  ****

  The sun had set, and Allison sighed with relief, glad the day was over. The whole holiday went smoothly. On her way to Cupid’s, she passed through her department, thanking everyone for their hard work. The conference room on the ground floor had been set up with refreshments for the office party. It would begin as soon as all the agents came back from their assignments.

  Allison finished typing the summary for her department, and put together the agents’ reports. She brushed a stray hair off her forehead and walked quickly to Cupid’s office. The other department heads were there, waiting for their turn to go in and report to Cupid.

  When Allison was called, she walked in and found him staring out the window for a moment before saying quietly, “Close the door, Allison.”

  He held his hand out for the report, and she gave him the department summary, waiting while he looked it over.

  “You did well this year, Allison. Once again, Romance and Proposals was the top department in the company.”

  “Thank you, sir. It was a team effort, and we all worked hard to make our section shine.”

  He sat back. “About Preston Carlyle. He was the only black mark against you for the past year.”

  “I know, sir, but since he’s resigned, I foresee no problems in the future.”

  Cupid nodded. “This does, however, affect your raise for this year. I’ll let you know tomorrow morning what the result will be. That’s all.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Allison left his office and headed back to her own, pausing to chat with colleagues along the way. Each person seemed to be greatly amused by something. Word of her raise, or lack of one, couldn’t have spread that fast, could it? Cupid had just told her about it.

  Sarah stopped her. “Allison, are you going to the party tonight?”

  “Probably. We got the top spot, again. It’d be rude of me not to make an appearance.”

  “Great. I have someone I want you to meet.”

  Allison looked at Sarah closely. “Have you met someone?”

  “Yes, I have. His name is Will, and he told me he’s been wanting to talk to me for a long time now. I just went up to him and introduced myself, and we hit it off.”

  “Isn’t he Preston’s friend?”

  Sarah nodded. “Yes, but he’s nothing like Preston. Have you met Will informally?”

  “No, but I do know him. He’s a good guy.”

  “When are you coming down to the party?”

  “I have some things to drop off in my office then I’ll be down,” Allison said. “I believe Aphrodite is coming also. I’d like to be there to introduce her to more of the staff.”

  Sarah headed to the elevators. “See you downstairs.”

  Allison walked to her office and frowned. She was certain she’d left her blinds open, but they were closed. She pushed on her door, entered, and her mouth gaped in surprise. Inside, a jungle of balloons and flowers filled the room. The scent of roses hit her and she inhaled deeply. She pushed strings out of her way and walked toward her desk. A huge heart hung on her window. Be My Valentine.

  A large pink bear wearing a red bow sat in her desk chair, a heart shaped box on the desk in front of it. Allison turned in a slow circle, gazing at the balloons in her office. Someone had gone to a lot of trouble and expense to do this for her.

  “Do you like it?”

  Allison spun around. Preston leaned against the doorframe, his arms crossed as he watched her. “I love it. How did you do all this?”

  Preston smiled. “I had a little help.”

  There was a sparkle from the corner and Aphrodite appeared. “I kind of had a hand in this.”

  “I don’t understand,” Allison said.

  Preston walked over to her and pulled her into his arms. “I did this all for you. I went on the company’s website to find out how to show someone you care, and this was the suggestion. Aphrodite helped me tweak it a little.”

  Allison finally smiled. “And you want me to be your Valentine?”

  Preston nodded. “Ever since I first met you. I love you, Allison McCall.”

  She twined her arms around his neck. “I love you, too, Preston Carlyle. And call me Allie.”

  As their lips met, the office erupted in applause. They turned and looked out, laughing when Will shouted, “It’s about time.”

  Allison snuggled closer to Preston, holding him tight. This was how love should always feel for everyone and, all the rules ever written, be damned.

  A word from th
e author…

  I graduated from Mercy High in Baltimore, MD in 1981 and got married to an Air Force man in 1982. We have two amazing boys who have grown into amazing young men. We spent sixteen years in southern New Jersey, four of them at McGuire AFB and the rest in Hammonton. We currently live in Memphis, TN where science fiction, wrestling, and hockey take up what time the cat doesn’t.

  Thank you for purchasing

  this publication of The Wild Rose Press, Inc.