Stupid Cupid

by Liz Hunter, Aka Mennen, Phyllis Campbell

  He rubbed a hand over his face and through his hair.

  “Vince, it really is true. I do have powers, that you can’t explain with science or … or rational thought.”

  “What kind of powers?” He pulled himself up and swung his legs over the side of the bed, twisting to look at her.

  His withdrawal hurt more than she wanted to admit. “Moving inanimate objects.” His confusion showed in his face. She glanced around the room to find a tennis racket in its cover, leaning against the corner of the wall. “Look at that racket over there.” She focused and made a short sweeping motion with her hand. It fell with a tiny thud and lay on the floor.

  “Damn! How did you do that?”

  “With my mind.”

  “Shit! I can’t believe it!”

  She understood his skepticism, she really did. But it still hurt. Leena scrambled off the bed then wished she had located her clothes first. He must have brought her into the bedroom sometime during the night. She dove under the sheets again as he pulled on a pair of jeans. Of course he would leave the waist unbuttoned, making him look sexy as hell.

  “Are my clothes in the other room?”

  “I’ll get them.”

  He came back in seconds and handed her the white shirt and linen pants she wore yesterday. Ignoring the lack of underwear she dressed in a hurry, her movements awkward under the covers.

  Once fully clothed she stood and faced him. He seemed like a man lost, his gaze searching hers, for what she didn’t know.

  “We have to talk about this. It’s just not possible.”

  She willed herself to be gentle and not snap at him. Explaining herself was something she had never had to do before.

  Because you kept everyone at least a city block away from you.

  Ignoring her inner voice, she said. “It is possible. It’s just not something you thought was possible. Or even knew could happen. We’re all afraid of the unknown to some extent.”

  “Should I be afraid of you?”

  “God, no. I don’t hurt people, least of all you.” She stopped, afraid she’d said too much.

  “Okay.” He paced to the small window then turned back to her. Pitch black outside. It must be well into the night but she didn’t want to distract herself by looking for a clock. “Let’s see if I’ve got this. You are a witch. As is your sister. According to her this is something you’re born with, like a genetic birth defect or something.”

  Despite the fact that she had often cursed her heritage, all of a sudden she didn’t like his choice of words.

  “It’s not a disease. It’s a part of me, of us.” He raised a brow. Wanting to smack it, she hastened to add, “Carly and myself. So I haven’t used my powers in three years. It was mainly because I didn’t want Carly to think that was her way out. I wanted her to make the right choices, get an education so she would be financially secure. Then, if she chose to be a witch also, I wouldn’t have stopped her.”

  Now, how to explain life with her mother? How she flitted from one man to the next, thinking her minor powers would win her favors. Or, the constant lack of money, of making do; trying to raise Carly to be a good human being with choices Leena herself never had. Not that she resented Carly or having to take care of her. But the regrets still milled about at the back of her mind.

  A wave of tiredness crashed over her. Maybe the middle of the night wasn’t the best time to have this discussion.

  “Can you show me how you did that? Moved the racket?”

  “I’m not sure I can actually show you. But you can watch me if you like.” Maybe if he understood this better.

  Shelving the thought that she was clutching at straws, she moved to stand in front of the racket. She concentrated and made a small movement with her hand. The racket slid a couple of feet along the floor.

  “That’s amazing.”

  She shrugged. She didn’t exactly want a prize here.

  He stalked back and forth by the window. “What else can you do?”

  Might as well get it all out. “If I concentrate really hard, I can put a suggestion into your mind. That doesn’t mean you’d do it. You’d have to want to do it. I can’t force you to.”

  “Show me,” he replied, his strained voice evidence of his tension.

  Leena looked at the face that had become so dear in so short a time. His lips went to work as he chewed on the inside of his cheek. She’d seen him do that when he was worried or tense. Remembering the feel of his mouth on hers, she thought, I want to kiss her. She focused all her energies at sending that thought winging into his mind.

  A moment later his eyes widened. “I’ve just had a very strong urge to kiss you.”

  She nodded satisfied. Then she noticed the dawning disgust in his eyes.

  “So that explains why I have the hots for you.”

  Seven

  Vince cursed when his foot hit a dip in the pavement and he stumbled. Slowing his pace, he swiped the sweat from his forehead but kept jogging. But he couldn’t seem to outrun the look in Leena’s eyes when he accused her of manipulating his desires. Of course he hadn’t meant it to come out quite like that. Ha! How many men said that at least once in their lifetimes?

  The knowledge that the woman he had just been to bed with, the woman he had been anticipating having even better sex with, could move inanimate objects with her fricking mind would throw anyone off kilter. He ran past her house, then his and around the block again.

  Last night she walked out of his bedroom without any argument. The only thing she’d said in a strained, low tone was I would never do that to you.

  Well, yeah. He wanted to believe that. But what other explanation could there be for this explosive attraction between them? Granted he had good sexual relationships in the past. But this … this was special. Even when he wasn’t with her, he thought about her a hundred times a day. A flash of something red would remind him about the way the highlights in her hair glinted in the sun. Her lilting voice outside his office never failed to draw a smile, even though he hid it. Her light step in the hallway outside his room made his heart skip a beat in anticipation. This had to be unnatural.

  He slowed to a walk and trudged back to his apartment, using the outside entrance to avoid seeing anyone. Not that Leena had been around. All day Saturday she’d been missing in action. Convenient—so he couldn’t even apologize. She wasn’t home when he fell asleep, neither was Carly. And this morning when he woke there was no one around except the cats. Today they chose to watch him unwaveringly as he ate his cereal and drank coffee.

  A quick shower later he prowled the increasingly claustrophobic living room. Deciding he would get no work done in this mood he called Eric and agreed to join him for a game of tennis.

  He met Eric at the courts and they played drills for about a half-hour before taking a break.

  “So what’s the matter with you?” Eric asked, taking a swig of water.

  “Me? Nothing,” Vince answered. “Why?”

  “For one, you haven’t noticed the blonde bombshell who’s been eyeing you.”

  “What? Where?” He followed the jerk of Eric’s head with is eyes. Hmmm. Pretty. Bombshell? He thought not. Now if she’d been a brunette…

  Thankful that Eric interrupted his thoughts he paid attention. “See? That’s what I’m talking about. You have no interest.”

  He shrugged.

  “And you look like you lost Lassie at the last stop light or something.”

  He did? Well, he hadn’t slept at all. “Didn’t get much sleep.”

  “It’s more than that. Hell I’ve known you since you were five.”

  “Leave it, Eric.”

  “Oh, so there’s something to leave? Who is it? Gotta be a woman.”

  “Why? Could be work.”

  “Nope, this isn’t work. You’ve got that look. Hell, I’ve seen it on my brothers. So who is it?” Eric leaned back against the wood bench and settled down to listen.

  Vince eyed his best friend with irr
itation. Eric wouldn’t let it alone. Probably the cop in him. “It’s a long, bizarre story.”

  “You got somewhere to be?”

  “Hell, no.”

  They ended up at a bar a few blocks away, skipping their regular haunt Millie’s, where they knew too many people. Between beers he told Eric the whole story, leaving out the details about the sex. That information was his alone to savor.

  “And that’s it. Haven’t seen her since.”

  Eric whistled. “Man, that’s some story.”

  “Hell, yeah,” he agreed, drawing lines on the condensation on his glass. It reminded him of how Leena had traced lines on his chest with her fingers and he hastily abandoned the project.

  “So what’re you gonna do?”

  “Hell, man. I don’t know. I don’t even know what I want.”

  “How ‘bout the sister. She good for information?”

  “Yeah. But that won’t help. I can’t ask her if her older sister forced me … manipulated me to have sex with her.”

  “She forced you?” Interest peaked in Eric’s eyes.

  “Oh, can it. Not like that.”

  “So what’s your problem exactly? Pretty woman. Great assistant according to you. Wants to make love to you. I’m assuming the sex was good, too?”

  “Great,” answered Vince absently. He winced as Eric let out a shout of laughter.

  “Figured as much. Oh, man.” Eric wiped his eyes, looked at Vince and lost it again.

  “Glad I can entertain you,” bit out Vince.

  “Man, I’m sorry. It’s just … it ain’t like you. Falling for a witch. That’s rich. Hey, that was poetry.” Eric shook his head, laughing.

  Vince glared at him, murder in his eyes. If Leena were here, he’d ask her to make something fall on his friend’s head.

  “Okay, okay. I’m done.” Eric chuckled and swiped at his lids.

  “Thanks. I was getting ready to brain you.”

  “Yeah, I thought your patience might not last much longer.”

  They swigged beer and stared at the TV. The game really didn’t register with Vince. What the hell came next?

  “Hey, didn’t you say something about a neighbor?” asked Eric finally.

  “Huh? What neighbor? Oh, yeah. Her sister Carly said their neighbor helped … call back the spells or something like that.”

  “Go talk to her.”

  “Who? The neighbor? ‘Course not. I can’t just barge into someone’s house asking about their witch neighbors.”

  “But, if what they’re saying is true, and I’m not saying it is, then this woman is a witch, too. Maybe she can explain what’s going on.”

  “I don’t know.” What if asking questions got Leena into some sort of trouble?

  “Just think about it.”

  “I will.” Vince drained his beer and stood. “I gotta get back. Long day tomorrow.

  “Need a ride back?”

  “I’m good.”

  “Let me know how it goes. If you need this woman investigated or anything, I’ll call someone in her precinct.”

  “Let’s wait on that. See you later.” Vince raised a hand in farewell. He drove back to the house, nursing his throbbing head.

  Leena put down the phone and took a deep breath. She wrapped her arms around herself to hold off the chill taking over.

  “You okay?” Gina asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “Honey, you don’t look okay. Here, finish your tea.”

  Leena took a grateful sip of the hot liquid, then a couple more. Slowly the warmth crept through her frame. And with it came the conviction that she made the right decision.

  “Better.” She never would have guessed Gina would become such a good friend in so short a time. She’d been there, like a solid frame, helping Leena choose a realtor, calling on her large family for help.

  Gina’s cousins Pete and Kat, and Kat’s husband, Jake were all coming to help her get the yard cleaned up and little things done around the house. And perhaps the best thing of all, Gina and Kat had offered her a job in their salon. They needed someone to man the front desk. Besides, with Kat going on maternity leave soon, Gina would need help with the overall running of the place. The money wasn’t as good as the job with Vince, but without the house mortgage they would manage fine.

  The phone call had been to Phyllis. Leena spent half the night Saturday and a good part of Sunday tying up loose ends at the ad firm. She knew they had that big presentation coming up. So she did as much as she could to help him and Phyllis prepare. Beyond this, it was really up to Vince and the others to get their ad shots done and their graphics cleaned up. She told Phyllis she had to leave for family reasons. Phyllis had been surprised and a little irritable, but not unkind.

  But she really couldn’t face Vince day after day. Bad enough she might have to run into him at home. If they found a buyer, she would have to find a way to work with him to cut short his lease. She could cross that bridge when she had to. Right now, she didn’t want to think about Vince. The pain and hurt she kept at bay threatened to overwhelm her.

  She finished her tea and caught Gina’s sympathetic gaze.

  “I’d better go. I have a lot to do around the house before I start working for you.”

  “With me, with us. Remember I’m expecting some of your jewelry for a Halloween show.”

  “I haven’t forgotten.” Gina and Kat sold jewelry and pottery from local artists in their salon. What a bonus that was for her. Maybe her luck had finally turned. Except in love. “I’ll see you on Tuesday.”

  “Take care ‘til then. The guys will be by tomorrow afternoon. Pete is off tomorrow and Jake is between consulting jobs.”

  “Thanks. See you soon.” She stepped toward the door.

  Gina added softly. “And if you need me to talk to him, just say the word.”

  She stopped, facing Gina. The warm sympathy in her gaze brought the sting of tears to Leena’s eyes. She ran back to give Gina a hug.

  “Thank you, Gina. For everything. I’ll be okay. Really I will.”

  By ten the next night she really had begun to believe she’d be okay. The realtor called saying she had an interested buyer. Gina’s family showed up en masse, and the guys promised they would be back tomorrow to fix the crown molding in the dining room and the fireplace mantel. She left a note for Vince telling him about the repair work. She hadn’t seen him yet. And that was fine with her.

  There were times when she wanted to find him and sock the living daylights out of him for thinking her capable of such a horrible thing. Other times, she simply missed him so much she wanted to curl up in a corner and cry.

  But she kept chugging on.

  Like the little engine that could.

  Eight

  Vince folded his clean laundry, giving his jeans a morose look. Friday afternoon and here he was washing clothes. Well, he had nothing better to do.

  Their presentation to the car client had gone so well, he had the day off. Phyllis should be signing off on the deal today. If only he could find Leena to share the good news with her, tell her how much her preliminary work had helped him.

  But no, Ms. Leena with the witchy powers had done a disappearing act. He never could find her at home. Now Carly he had run into a few times, excitedly talking about selling their home and Gina’s family helping them fix the place … and Leena’s new job.

  Vince tried to act nonchalant but he itched to know more. But he wouldn’t stoop to get information from her sister. Why had she made herself so scarce? Surely they could talk this out? Maybe he was wrong about this thing between them stemming from her manipulation. God knows, he still wanted her, even not having seen her for at least a week.

  The memory of the hurt in her eyes and her strangely still figure stayed burned in his mind. If nothing else, he wanted a chance to apologize for being so rude. Mostly he wanted to see her, make sure she was okay, that these decisions were really the right ones for her.

  A thud startled him. Someo
ne laughed and called out something. Boy, those guys had been over every day fixing up the place. She deserved the help and he was glad her friends were doing this. But a little part of him couldn’t help wishing he could have shared in the work.

  Oh hell, staying in here only made the feelings of loneliness and regret worse. He might as well go to his house and do some work. Maybe sweating it out would help him sleep better tonight. Or sleep at all.

  He pulled on a shirt over his tee and slipped his cell phone into his pocket. Taking the back entrance so as not to run into any of Leena’s helpers, he turned a corner into the backyard and stopped short. Two strange men and Gina were grouped around the small table. Another woman he didn’t know sat on the porch, a drink in hand.

  He nodded to them. “Hi, you must be Vince,” said Gina. “I was hoping I’d get to meet you.”

  She was? “Hi. I’m guessing you’re Gina.”

  She waved. “Vince, meet my cousin, Pete, and Jake … my cousin-in-law. That’s Kat another cousin, on the porch.”

  Vince shook hands with the men and raised a hand in greeting to the attractive, long-haired lady.

  “Getting a lot of work done here.”

  “Yeah. Place sure needed it,” Pete said.

  “Amen to that,” Jake added. “Hey, Vince, grab a beer. The cooler’s on the porch. I know it’s early but we’re on vacation today.”

  “In Jake-speech that means no kids,” joked Kat from her chair.

  They seemed a friendly bunch. And just maybe Leena would join them.

  “Sure thanks. Leena around?” he asked in what he hoped was a casual tone.

  “She’ll be back later,” Gina replied. “Well, Vince help yourself. Pete and I will be right back.”

  Vince walked to the porch. The woman named Kat opened the cooler. “Beer?” she asked and handed him one when he nodded.

  He couldn’t help grinning back at her. Up close he saw she was pregnant. He twisted the cap and drank.

  “So, hear you’re renting the place,” Jake commented, coming up the steps to join them.

  “Yes. Just until my house is done.”

  “Oh, are you building something?” Kat asked.