The Cupid Reconciliation Genrenauts Episode Three

by Michael R. Underwood

  “There she is,” Mallery said, pointing out the window. “You can stop here, please.”

  Mallery paid the driver while Leah hopped out, bags in hand.

  Anna was walking down the street with a slice of pizza for dinner in classic New Yorker walk-and-eat fashion—slice folded into a V for ease of eating.

  Leah waved from across the street. “Anna!”

  Their Leading Lady had on casual wear, just enjoying a stroll. Her hair was wet. She must have been taking a shower or something, Leah thought.

  Anna crossed the street, jaywalking flagrantly through the congested traffic.

  “How are you doing?”

  Anna, still caught a bit by surprise, shrugged and said, “Living the glamorous life, as you can clearly tell. Sorry I missed your call. Just needed some downtime.”

  “Of course. We were thinking of going for pizza ourselves. Care to join us? I mean, if you want something a bit fancier. That looks great, though.”

  Anna shrugged and dumped the slice in the corner garbage can, which was not quite to the precarious refuse-mountain stage.

  Mallery joined the party by hugging Anna. “So good to run into you. What are the odds?”

  “That’s New York for you,” Anna said. “So, dinner?”

  “We were thinking of going to the place you recommended, Trio Mio or something?”

  “Pizzeria Trio,” Anna said, slightly less than enthusiastic, from her voice.

  Mallery snapped, “That’s the one. You were right,” she said to Leah.

  Leah gave a fake-gloating smile and turned. “You said it was on Seventh Avenue, yes?

  Just like that, they were off, Anna pulled once more into Mallery’s enthusiasm storm. Leah helped, but Mallery was gale force all on her own.

  “Drop back,” Mallery whispered through comms. Leah let the pair drift ahead and reported in.

  “We’ve got Anna. Three blocks out from the restaurant.”

  “Good,” King said. “Shirin, what’s our status?”

  “Some sparks flying here for sure. I can try to interrupt their flow, stifle conversation.”

  “Agreed,” said King, audible since Mallery had the volume turned up. “We can be there in ten minutes if you need extra actors.”

  “Not sure that will be enough. What’s Anna wearing?”

  “Comfy casual,” Leah said. “Not exactly the outfit for a big romantic gesture.”

  Ahead, Mallery told Anna, “You know, we should totally go shopping. I bet we’re the same size. I found some great stuff just this afternoon.”

  “She’s laying the groundwork for your plan,” Shirin said. “You just have to find a restroom to use.”

  Leah was so engrossed in the conversation, she nearly missed the turn onto Seventh Avenue.

  King hopped back in. “Once she’s in, you’ll need a plan to get the doctor out of the way.”

  Mallery dropped back to grab Leah and pull her forward. “You tell Anna about that time in Culver City with the rabbi. I forgot to call for reservations.”

  Which was a weird premise but far from the weirdest she’d been pitched in her improv days. Leah started making a story up to distract Anna while Mallery dropped back. Leah heard the team chatter continuing, which was incredibly distracting as she tried to BS on the move.

  “Leah’s plan means we’ll have Anna in the right outfit to make our move. Newbie can play the klutz, and I’ll agitate to get the doctor to reveal herself. King, I’ll want you in my ear as we go in case you have ideas of where to provoke her. Roman, good to backseat from your position?”

  “No problem,” Roman said. “I can be inside within a minute.”

  “King said, “Shirin’s already in place, so I think we’ll be fine as long as she doesn’t get made by the manager.”

  “Got it. I’ll get my earpiece in and leave my phone on in my pocket,” Mallery said. “Any questions?”

  Leah dove back into relating her story to Anna.

  I’ll take that as a yes, Mallery thought. You got this, newbie.

  ———

  The three women walked into the restaurant, Mallery in the lead. Leah nodded to Shirin as Anna froze for a second and then not-so-casually walked right back out again. Leah made a “one second” gesture and followed.

  “Is everything okay?” Leah asked as they clustered on the sidewalk.

  “It’s fine,” Anna said.

  “It’s clearly not,” Mallery said, her voice more supportive than critical. They had to handle this scene with absolute care. Leah’s instant makeover idea was solid, but this was still a Hail Mary move. Forceful, and honestly, they were doing it without a lot of set-up. Shirin’s help would make it possible, but chances were, the Doc wouldn’t step aside without a fight.

  Anna pointed. “Theo’s there. He’s sitting at a table with some gorgeous woman.” In any normal world or situation, Anna would be totally right to GTFO. They’d been fanning the flames, building the tension, and done everything they could to make this a big-finale scene. Anna wavered at the edges, flickering, the jagged edge of her broken story flaring up.

  Leah tried to peek in the window, playing along. “Oh, damn. Should we go somewhere else?”

  Mallery cut Leah off, building the scene’s energy. “No, we should eat here.” The affirmation built the scene, got the blood going.

  Leah was getting a hang of the tag-team dynamic, switching back and forth between the role of foil and supportive friend, controlling the conversation and heading off doubts even before Anna could express them.

  Leah said, “This is your favorite restaurant. Plus, what better chance to talk to Theo and sort things out?”

  Anna was losing her nerve. “While he’s on a date with someone else? And while I look like this? Plus, when I tried to call him, the number was blocked.”

  Mallery countered. “You don’t know it’s a date, do you?”

  Anna was certain, playing into their move. “He’s wearing a vest. He doesn’t like wearing vests to work. Also, I saw her neckline. It’s a date.”

  “All the more reason to go in there,” Mallery said. “You’ve got to fight for love.”

  “Do I?”

  “You do, you do.” Leah said, aligning herself with Mallery to reinforce the argument.

  “I’m going to need some wine first. I’m dressed like crap.”

  Leah put on an “I have the best idea” look. “Well, we just happen to have gone shopping. And Susan here is basically your size, so we can go and do a quick-change while she holds down the fort!”

  Mallery clapped in genuine appreciation of Leah’s hustle, while also playing along. “Perfect! I’ll check out the bar and make sure we have a table.” She leaned in to whisper instructions to Leah, covering it with a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll be your smokescreen cover you for the change. Don’t let Theo or the Doc see you.”

  The women stood, and Mallery whispered more instructions. “When we go over, you’ll spill something on the Doctor. We may need to interrupt more to drive the doc over the edge.”

  Then Mallery adjusted her dress, cracked her back, and thought to herself: You own this room.

  She strode toward the bar, activating Bombshell Mode to draw as many eyes as possible while Anna and Leah scurried off to the restroom.

  ———

  Leah watched Mallery charge off.

  “Is she always like this?” Anna asked.

  Leah caught this moment on the front end. She gave a happy sigh. “Yep.”

  Leah offered her hand back to Anna, the other holding the shopping bags. “Let’s go get your boy back.”

  And so they went.

  Chapter Eight

  The Hail Mary

  Shirin got them a table with a clear view of Theo and the doctor’s table.

  Mallery left the group, walking over to “check out their bar,” aka “scope out the pair for herself.”

  Yep, Anna’s quick-read was dead-on. The Doc was going all in.

  Which is
why it was good that Mallery was still the interdimensional champion at the five-minute makeover, even without help from the genre world. Anna now wore a show-stopping silver dress and a basic everyday makeup look, her hair snazzed up with the simplest of quick braids.

  Mallery caught Anna’s attention. “Remember to breathe, dear.”

  Shirin approached and filled their water glasses. Mallery gave a silent prayer of thanks that it was about as hard to fake your way into being a waiter in the Rom-Com region as it was in the Heist region of Crime World—which is to say, not very. She and Leah could catch snippets of Theo and the doc’s conversation through the earpieces.

  “Can we get some wine, please?” Anna asked.

  Shirin nodded.

  “Hold on, Anna,” Leah said. “They’re still on their entrée; you’ve got time.”

  “But they’ve seen us.”

  Mallery poured her smile on thicker. “That’s fine. Let her sweat.”

  Anna peeked over her shoulder. “I don’t think she’s sweating.”

  Leah took a sip of her water. “Not yet, but soon.”

  They kept watching, Anna sipping and sipping, finishing her first glass of wine before their bread was gone.

  Mallery peeled the crust from the last piece of bread, eating it one bite at a time. “Do you know what you’re going to say?”

  “You can try it out on us,” Leah added.

  “I can’t overthink it. I’ll freak myself out. I just need to go over there and start.”

  “Do you want us to go over with you?” Leah asked. “We can be your excuse to say hello.”

  “That. That might be good. At least you can keep me from running for the door.”

  “I don’t know; I think you’re in better shape than either of us, Ms. Always En Pointe,” Mallery said.

  That got a chuckle from Anna. “They’re finishing up. We should go now.”

  ———

  Leah, Mallery, and Anna slid out of the booth. Anna took a breath, then walked across the restaurant, weaving through tables and past servers toward Theo and the doctor’s table. The doctor clocked them first and adjusted herself in the seat, her face unreadable.

  At least this is unlikely to end in gunplay, Leah realized. No one was going to die here, since this world didn’t have shootouts. The stakes here were no less powerful. If they failed, thousands, maybe millions of relationships on Earth would crumble and people around the world would give up on finding love. Then, they’d all get fired. Good to not forget that part.

  Anna started friendly. “Glad to see you out and about!”

  Theo’s response was hard to read. He eased his way to his feet, setting the napkin on his place setting. Desire, hurt, and uncertainty passed over his face in turn. “Still coming along, but it beats a hospital bed.”

  The doctor coughed, poker face intact. Not subtle, are we?, she thought.

  Theo gestured to his companion, “Anna, this is my friend, Doctor Thorsson.”

  The doctor stood, offering a hand. “Ms. Grace.”

  Anna met the doctor’s hand and shook it. “Yes,” we spoke on the phone when I called about Theo.”

  The doctor faked confusion well. “I’m sorry, I don’t recall.”

  Here we go, Leah thought. Would Anna insist, breaking social niceties, or let the lie stand?”

  “Like I said on the phone, I appreciate everything you’ve done for him. Doctor, Theo, this is Susan and Toni, some friends of mine visiting the city.”

  Nice, Leah thought. Roll the correction into a compliment—a perfect riposte.

  Theo’s look of confusion deepened. That was an opening if she’d ever seen one.

  The doctor gave them a territorial smile, keeping Leah and Mallery at bay. “Charmed.”

  “We’ve heard so much about you, Theo.” Mallery-as-Susan cut through the doctor’s stare and went straight in to hug Theo. She watched his leg as he shifted in surprise, keeping pressure off. Subtlety in everything even as she was brash.

  Leaving her to play the understated counterpart to round out the experience. Leah offered a hand to shake once Mallery had released Theo.

  “What brings you two here?” Mallery asked, gesturing to the restaurant. They’d drawn some attention already and would probably get more before all was said and done.

  The doctor’s gaze could have pierced Kevlar. Not that anyone in the situation could easily say, “We’re clearly on a date, and you’re intruding.”

  No one had any weapons, but this was turning out to be no less a combat than the shootout in Western World. Every look, every word was as calculated as the swing of a sword or pull of a trigger.

  Theo filled the tense silence. “I wanted to thank Dr. Thorsson for everything she’s done, and she suggested dinner here, since I mentioned it when I was in traction.”

  “I’d heard about the restaurant since I started as a resident, and this was a perfect chance to celebrate.” The doctor wrapped an arm around Theo’s, staking her claim physically as well as verbally.

  This kind of jockeying for relationship position was infinitely easier to parse up close when you weren’t the one in the middle of it—hormones and anxiety giving you tunnel vision and making your tongue feel like dried leather and ash.

  “Of course,” Anna said. “Theo and I came here all the time. In fact, this was where Theo proposed to me.”

  SHOTS FIRED. SHOTS FIRED, Leah thought.

  The Doctor tensed. “Oh, really. I hadn’t heard.”

  “Theo, could we talk for a minute, just the two of us?” Anna asked.

  Yes. Go, go! Leah thought.

  The Doctor didn’t let go. “Anything you want to say, you can say to me.”

  “Now, dear, I think that’s Theo’s decision, isn’t it?” Mallery asked, all smiles and Georgia charm.

  All eyes were on Theo. “Of course,” he said. “Do you want to step outside?”

  “No need, darling. The doctor is welcome to join us at our table while you talk here,” Mallery said.

  Leah raised with her slightly overfull glass. “We’ve got wine.”

  The doctor doubled down. “Theo, this is really…”

  Shirin walked by, giving Leah the opening for the pick. Leah shifted her weight left to right, bumping Shirin’s tray. She recoiled from the bump, guiding her hand and glass to slosh forward and out of her glass.

  Right onto the doctor’s dress. Bull’s-eye.

  Leah dropped her glass, spilling more wine on both the doctor’s and her shoes. “Ohmigod, I’m so sorry.”

  Shirin disappeared as quickly as she’d come, her job complete.

  “Oh, dear. Honey, let’s get you two cleaned up.” Mallery and Leah double-teamed the doctor with apologies and aggressive helpfulness, making for the restroom, leaving Theo and Anna on their own.

  Okay, hon. We cleared the way. Now it’s all up to you, Leah thought.

  ———

  Shirin went to make a gesture of cleaning herself off. Mostly, she kept one eye and both ears on the lovers, finally alone together again.

  Anna led off, but her confidence was waning. She broke eye contact and looked at the table, down at his leg. “I tried to visit, but your date said you didn’t want to see me.”

  “She what? She said that you didn’t come. That they called you and you didn’t answer.”

  “Not at first. I was out of town, then all the flights back were delayed and then cancelled. I spent seventy-two hours in an airport trying to get back to you.” Anna looked up, searched for eye contact. “You put a big ball in my court when I really didn’t want anything else big and amazing and scary to think about.”

  Theo wrung his hands but met Anna’s eyes. “I thought it was the best time, that now that everything was coming together for you…”

  “I know. It was just…”

  A moment. “It was too much at once,” Theo said. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I just knew how excited you were to make a change, to have a path that gave yo
u freedom and security. And I thought I could be part of that.”

  “It wasn’t about you or about the ring. I had to process things one at a time.” She took a breath. “I’m taking the partnership.”

  Anna pulled a box out of her purse and knelt. The diamond caught the light from the candelabra overhead, glittering bright for the whole room to see.

  “That’s not all I want. Will you be my partner, Theo Long? Do you think we can still do this? Because I really hope the answer is yes.” Tears welled in Anna’s eyes, her voice shaking but not breaking. “And I can’t promise that I won’t need to be random, I can’t promise I’ll be tidy, but I do promise that I will love you every day.”

  A hundred thoughts must have gone through Theo’s head in that moment, doubt and hope, self-conscious uncertainty and love.

  But in the end, love won out.

  Theo took the ring and Anna’s hand, helping her back to her feet as he steadied himself on the chair.

  “Of course. Of course I will.”

  Shirin coughed into her collar, then said, “We have reconciliation. Time to clean up,” transmitting to the team. Then she smiled and started planning her exfiltration.

  ———

  Dr. Thorsson waved them off of her when they got to the bathroom. Mallery positioned herself by the door, making a big gesture out of dabbing Leah’s shirt, the two women blocking the doctor from being able to get out.

  “You utter, complete klutz!” the Doctor said, dabbing furiously at her shirt and leggings.

  “I’m so sorry,” Leah said.

  “It was an accident, Doc. No need to raise your voice. My poor Toni’s out a pair of shoes that are at least as expensive as that top.”

  Dr. Thorsson adjusted herself, looking in the mirror. “It’s not about the shirt.”

  “Oh, what, the boy?” Mallery asked. “Honey, you’ve already lost. These two would already be engaged if it weren’t for that wild driver. Your Florence Nightingale act was never going to work.”

  “It wasn’t an act,” the doctor said. “He’s the first decent guy to cross my path in years. He needs structure, support.”