“You’re welcome whenever you’d like to come,” he said.
“I didn’t send you pics of my new place yet, but trust me when I say, you could stay with me and not see me for days,” Zuri said. “So, come.”
“I do have some vacation time coming, but I don’t want to leave the kids.”
“You have children? Bring them. Ever After is a great place for kids,” Phillip said.
“There’s a lot of them, and they aren’t mine.” Zeva cocked her head to the side. “Correction, they’re kind of mine. I work for St. Marigold’s Orphanage.”
“Bring them, too. I’m sure we could find something for them to do. The godmothers would get a kick out of them.” He looked at Zuri. “It would also give them something to do besides bother us.”
“Bother you?” Zeva asked.
“Matchmaking,” Zuri replied.
“Oh, the worst of the worst.” Zeva snorted. “But if you’re serious, I will have those kids out there in a heartbeat.”
“We should probably wait until the wedding fury has died down just a bit. The castle is mostly booked, but we could work something out for the fall, maybe?” Phillip said.
“When are you coming?” Zuri asked. “I need my sister.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll be there soon for a long weekend. Anyway, I’ll call you back later. Love you, wombmate!” Zeva hung up before Zuri could argue.
“I didn’t know you’re a twin.”
“Zeva is amazing. I am so lucky to have her as a sister.”
“She seems like it.”
“It was kind of you to offer to help her with the kids.”
“Not at all. I love kids. Mostly.” He grinned again.
He found himself doing that a lot with Zuri, smiling.
“Do you want them?”
Her question stopped him short and he put his hot chocolate down. “I haven’t really thought about it. It didn’t seem like finding someone to love me was even an option, so I hadn’t considered having children.”
Zuri’s wide dark eyes filled with some soft emotion and he immediately regretted his words.
“I didn’t mean it like . . . that sounded pathetic.”
“It’s not pathetic. We all have our crosses to bear.”
“There are bigger problems in the world than if someone gives me the time of day.”
“Touch, relationships, and emotional validation are all part of the hierarchy of needs. Zeva has a PsyD, and she’ll tell you the same. So it’s not wrong to feel things associated with those needs not being met.”
“It just feels petulant when you’re telling me about these kids who don’t have families to focus on my own little problems. I’ve got a family. I’ve got a roof. I’ve got food. My needs are met.”
She put her chocolate on the table and turned to look at him, her hands resting on his. “Are they?”
He felt he could trust her. He could be honest with her. “No.”
“Me either. Not for a long time.”
The moment seemed frozen in time, the heat that flared between them growing to an ever bigger blaze.
He took her hands in his. “So what are you suggesting we do about it?”
“It’s the tritest thing ever to trite. I hate even saying it, but I know it’s what I need. I think it’s what you need, too.”
“Say it. Whatever it is. Unless it’s a punch to the face.”
“Contact. Connection.” She seemed to be holding her breath, waiting for his reply.
“Come here,” he said, realizing what she wanted.
She wanted to be held. She wanted to be told it was all going to be okay. She wanted to feel protected.
He knew that, because those were the things he wanted, too. He wanted to feel like he mattered. Phillip hadn’t had that in a long time.
She allowed him to pull her close, and she rested her head on his chest, her arms around his waist. She smelled so good. He couldn’t quite place the scent, but it was soft, feminine, and what he imagined heaven smelled like.
He drew his hand up and down her back in a gentle, soothing motion.
Phillip was thinking about how nice it was when he heard her sniff.
“Zuri?”
“I haven’t had this in a long time.”
“Me either,” he confessed.
She felt so good pressed against him, and not just because she was a three-alarm fire in that sweater.
“Jonquil told me I needed to grieve, and I didn’t feel anything for so long. Not even when I heard his voice today. He called me. We talked. I felt nothing. Now, I’m here with this hot guy holding me, and I wanna cry about it.” She sniffed again.
“It’s okay. Didn’t you just tell me to feel what I need to feel? Same goes, princess.”
Staying green didn’t seem like such a big deal if it meant he could have this when he was a man.
The logical part of his brain told him he needed to reverse that train right back into the station because he just met her. Just because they were both lonely wasn’t an excuse to imagine whatever was happening between them had some kind of future.
He was cursed.
She was brokenhearted.
These were not the ingredients for happiness.
“Tell me something good. What made you decide to turn the castle into a B and B?”
“It was the godmothers’ idea. Our little town was dying, and they decided we could be a premier wedding destination. We’re lucky it worked.”
“What did you do before that?”
What did he do before that? Besides feel sorry for himself? Not much, if he was honest. “Eh, well. I was still deciding on my path. Did you always want to be a wedding planner?”
“From the time I was a little girl. I designed weddings in my Barbie mansion, and I catered them, too. We drove my mama nuts with the cupcake wedding cake, and I made steaks for all the guests by slicing hot dogs as thin as I could get them. With my mama’s razor, of course.” She laughed. “Oh, she put up with so much.”
“Are you close to your parents?”
“I was close with my mother. My father, not so much. He wasn’t distant, or a bad father. He just worked a lot. He died in a plane crash when we were ten, and my mother passed a few years ago. So it’s just Zeva and me. Are you close with your parents?”
“I was. Yes. They’ve passed, too. A long time ago.” He missed them more than he could say.
“You’re alone in the world?”
The way she said it made it sound so sad. It wasn’t. He’d had his parents for a long time. If Ever After had been enchanted sooner, he’d still have them.
“No, I’m not alone in the world. I’ve got the godmothers, and the rest of the town. We’re all very close, and no matter what happens, we take care of one another. I’ve also got my best friend, Hunter. He’s kind of like a brother to me. More, even.”
“I don’t think I’ve met him yet. What does he do in Ever After? Everyone is so like their job. What’s his?”
“A beast of all trades, you might say.” He continued stroking her back gently. “He’s not usually around in the daytime. He’s got a bit of a . . . skin condition. The people here are used to him, but he’s not sure how all the tourists are going to feel, so he keeps to the dungeons.”
“Dungeons? Of course the castle has dungeons. I’d love to meet him. I can promise, I’m not going to be a jerk about a skin condition.”
“It’s severe.”
“Consider me warned. If he doesn’t want to meet anyone new yet, I understand. When he does, I hope I’ll get to meet him.”
He wondered if he could trust her with that. She said she understood, but once she saw him . . .
“It occurs to me that we’re in the same predicament, here. We don’t know how to trust each other.”
“I think we’re doing great.”
“I don’t.”
“Why’s that?” She tilted her head up to look at him.
Her eyes were wide, and her pupils dilated
. Her lips looked dewy and soft, and he knew she’d taste like the drinking chocolate.
“All I can think about is kissing you. That’s not very trustworthy, is it?”
“Maybe I’m not trustworthy, either, because all I can think about is wishing you’d kiss me.”
He bent his head, and just as their lips were about to brush, Phillip felt the familiar tightness in his skin that signified his transformation.
He looked out the windows to see the sky was streaked with fingers of lavender and gold. Dawn approached. Phillip hadn’t realized how much time had passed. Or maybe it was his curse kicking things into high gear. It couldn’t let him be happy. Not for a single moment.
“I can’t. I want to, but I can’t.” He launched himself from the couch and scrambled toward the door. “Shit!”
“Phillip? What’s wrong?”
“I—” A horrible sound like a ribbit welled up in his throat. He tried to choke it back, but his mouth opened and . . . the only word for it was blorped. He blorped, and it was like a ribbit mashed up with a burp from hell.
Oh God, it tasted garlicky, like dragonfly wings.
Zuri stepped back from him. “What the hell was that? Are you okay?”
He shook his head, and his cheeks billowed out, and he did the only thing he could.
He ran.
Phillip could’ve sworn he heard Zuri’s say, “Figures. I find a man I want to kiss and I make him sick.”
Chapter 8
Spread out in the boardroom at Fairy Godmothers, Inc., Zuri refused to think about the night previous.
What had she been thinking anyway, to decide it was a good idea to get mixed up with a man? Especially Phillip Charming?
Wait, hadn’t she just told herself she wasn’t going to think of it?
Yet, there it was, twirling around in her mind like a jump rope from hell, and she couldn’t stop with her mental double Dutch.
She tried to center herself and think about the meeting with Anna Petrovsky and Jordan Markhoff. Zuri was irritated they expected FGI to be able to deliver a wedding in three weeks, but she supposed for what they were paying, most anything should be possible.
She cleared her throat and then took a sip of her coffee, hoping to clear away the slight scratch in the back of her throat.
One might even say she had a frog in her throat.
Zuri tried not to snort out loud. She needed a cookie.
Petty appeared, an answer to her prayer. “Almost forgot the chocolate chip breakfast cookies.”
“Breakfast cookies? Isn’t that any cookie you eat for breakfast?” Zuri asked.
“Yes, definitely. But these actually have more protein. Gwen was worried we weren’t feeding you well. Too much sugar.” Petty winked.
“Calories don’t count in Ever After, am I right?” She bit into the cookie and immediately felt fortified.
Petty turned to look over her shoulder at her own hip and wiggled it. “I don’t know about that, but I’m fine with what I’m packing.”
Zuri couldn’t help the full-bodied cackle that erupted from her. “You should be.” She ate another bite. “While we wait for the Markhoff people, tell me why you and your sisters never got married.”
A wistful look crossed Petty’s face. “None of us ever met the one, I suppose.”
“That’s the saddest thing I’ve ever heard.”
“Is it? Because you were just saying that—”
“Oh, hush.” She sipped her coffee. “You’re not allowed to use my own arguments against me yet.”
Petty cackled. “At least you admit it.”
“No, but really. Tell me. Wasn’t there ever someone?”
“Don’t worry about us, dearie. We’ve had our adventures. Some of us continue to have adventures.” She shared a conspiratorial wink. “We have so much love to share with our charges, our families. With each other. It will happen when it’s right.”
“Hmm. Will it? Is that why you keep trying to push me together with Phillip? Or why you keep trying to set Gwen up?”
Petty pointed her finger and opened her mouth to speak but then closed it. She nodded knowingly.
“See what I did, there?” Zuri snickered.
Jonquil and Bluebonnet popped their heads in.
“Did I just see Petunia Blossom with nothing to say?” Jonquil trilled.
“She got me.” Petty shrugged.
“Wonders never cease. You’ll have to tell me how you did it.” Bluebonnet suddenly perked. “After we speak with the wedding party! They’re here!”
“Are you going to glitter-bomb them like you did me?” Zuri asked.
“I hadn’t thought of it. We should, though.” Petty scrambled to the door.
“No, you shouldn’t!” Zuri called after her.
Of course, the godmothers did it anyway.
When the bride and groom walked in, they were covered in glitter. The bride was rubbing her hands over her face, and her features had screwed up in disdain.
“It got in my mouth.” She kept swiping at her mouth, but then she paused. “Why does it taste like peach cobbler?”
“Edible glitter, my loves. Isn’t it wonderful?” Bluebonnet beamed at them.
Zuri watched the godmothers work their magic on the couple and transform them into edible-glitter aficionados. The godmothers made a general fuss over the couple and got them settled in with champagne, chocolate-covered strawberries, and a plate of cookies, wedding cake cupcakes, and other treats.
“We’re so pleased you’ve chosen FGI to plan your special day.” Bluebonnet went on to introduce herself, her sisters, and Zuri.
Zuri took the opportunity to clear her throat again and take another sip of coffee. Bluebonnet refilled her cup.
“So tell me about your dream wedding,” Zuri said.
The bride smiled softly and took Jordan’s hand. “I want it to be a fairy tale, because that’s what we have. I want our guests to experience our fairy tale, if that makes sense.”
Zuri nodded. “It makes total sense that you want your loved ones to feel your Happily Ever After along with you. We can do that for you.”
Zuri coughed again. “Excuse me. Sorry about that. I think a bit of cookie went down the wrong way.” She took another drink. “Why don’t you tell me your love story.”
The happy couple looked at each other.
“You tell it,” they said in unison, and then laughed.
“Okay,” he said. “I’ll tell it.” Jordan kissed the back of her hand. “We met at an art show. As soon as I saw her, I knew she was the one.” He looked up at Zuri. “As soon as that thought entered my head, I decided I’d been listening to too many of my sister’s stories.”
“And I thought he was handsome, but . . .” Anna laughed.
“He was friends with a couple douchebags, so I mean, you know, you are who you hang with.”
They laughed again.
“She lost her shoe. The heel broke, and she was so frustrated, she just took them both off and headed to the cab. I grabbed her shoes and followed her, and the cabbie said he wouldn’t take her barefooted.”
“Really? That’s unusual,” Zuri said.
“I know, right? But I think it was some kind of magic that he did, because I offered her a ride home, and instead of taking her home, we went for coffee and talked all night.”
“That cherry pie was the worst thing I’ve ever tasted, but I didn’t want the night to be over,” Anna added.
“The coffee was basically motor oil poured over char, but I’ll love that taste forever.”
They looked over at each other, both wearing big smiles.
“And our first kiss tasted like plastic cherry pie and motor oil,” Anna said.
They brushed their lips together in a light kiss that Zuri knew would’ve turned spicy had they been alone.
Zuri couldn’t help but sigh. She also noticed the godmothers looking particularly pleased with themselves.
“We couldn’t be happier for you,” Pett
y said.
“It’s funny how sometimes fate meddles in just the right way to get you to where you’re supposed to be,” Bluebonnet replied.
“I mean, what if that cabbie had been like every other driver out there and hadn’t refused? You two might not have crossed paths again,” Jonquil said.
“We would’ve found each other, eventually. I’m just glad it was sooner rather than later.” Anna was still gazing into her love’s eyes.
“More time with my best friend,” Jordan said.
The godmothers sighed in unison.
Zuri sighed right along with them. This was just what she needed. She needed to see a true and honest love in the wild. Not in a book, not in a movie, but real people who’d decided they wanted to take this adventure together.
Just from looking at them, and the way they spoke, Zuri could almost swear that she could see a golden thread between them that bound their hearts together. Silly nonsense, she admitted to herself, but what better place for silly nonsense than a place like Ever After?
Zuri wanted to believe. She needed to believe.
Here was her proof, just when she needed it most.
Zuri was determined to give them their dream. No matter if it took a hundred long nights, she’d make it happen.
She squirmed in her chair as her legs started to itch. She would definitely not be wearing this brand of pantyhose ever again.
“Your story is beautiful, and I am so lucky to be part of it. We’re going to make this happen for you. Your dream wedding in three weeks. It’s a challenge, but I love a challenge. We have a fairy-tale package that includes the ceremony and the reception at the castle. Most brides choose to have the ceremony outdoors and when we tour the castle later today, I can show you the various spaces. We have the pumpkin-style Cinderella carriage, and if you like, our dressmaker, Rosebud, she can get you glass slippers.”
Anna’s face lit up. “Real glass slippers? Wouldn’t they be . . . delicate?”
“Not at all. In fact, I have an idea for your special day. I was thinking, instead of walking down the aisle, you could reenact the scene where the bride loses her slipper, and when your Prince Charming comes to the rescue, he gives you not only your slipper but also your ring. Then you could say your vows.”
Men Are Frogs Page 9