“Your dates went well then?”
She blew out a breath. “I so wanted to tell you they were great, but they were a total disaster.” She stretched out her wings and gave her feathers a flutter. “How about you?”
“Mine went from bad to worse. For a start, the mermaid looked nothing like her profile picture. How is that possible?”
“She probably photo-edited it; used filters and such.”
“Do I even want to know what that means?”
She shook her head and laughed. “Doesn’t matter. What happened?”
“The crazy fish wanted me to marry her, then she tried to seduce me with her siren’s song.”
Evie choked on her brandy. “She didn’t?”
“If it hadn’t been for a kind fellow who worked at the bowling alley, I’d have been a goner.”
She clasped her hand over her mouth. The corners of her eyes crinkled. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s not funny. Wait until you hear the rest.”
“There’s more?” Her shoulders shook with silent laughter.
“I thought after the mermaid disaster, a banshee would be easy.” He touched his ears, recalling the ringing that lasted a whole day. “Wrong. She nearly deafened me with her wailing. I thought she’d burst my eardrums at one point.”
Evie finally let out her laugh, a tinkling sound that carried in the gentle breeze. “I know I shouldn’t laugh, Caleb, sorry, but you’ve made my dates sound mild in comparison.”
“I love your laugh, Evie.” Where did that come from? He gulped his brandy. “Your turn.”
“Remember the good-looking Fae?”
Yeah, how could he forget?
“He turned out to be a vain, sex-crazy loser. He didn’t look up from my chest once, and then he said I was begging for it because I wore a tight dress.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“I know. I went on the date hoping to get to know him better, and I certainly didn’t have sex on my mind.” She looked at the city below and shrugged. “Although… I suppose it would have been a bonus since I haven’t seen any action in ages.”
Caleb nearly choked on his brandy this time. She’d never been so frank about her sex life, or lack of it, apparently.
“But that doesn’t mean I’m going to jump into bed with the first guy who shows me any attention,” she continued. “Been there and got the T-shirt. I mistook love for lust in my past life, but no more meaningless sex for me. I want something different for my immortal life. I want a connection, someone who sees me for who I really am and not as a quick lay. Do you know what I mean?”
He didn’t, but he was trying to process her honest confession. He knew she’d had a rough upbringing, but she’d never given him much detail on how hard it had been for her or what she’d endured. His heart swelled with pride that she could go through tough times and not end up bitter, twisted and angry. “Not all guys are losers. There are still plenty of good ones in the world.”
“Well, I wish they would come and find me.”
“I’m sure you’ll find someone one day. You have an immortal lifetime, after all.”
Raphael and Ophelia’s words came to mind. He cared for Evie a lot, and he was honoured she’d confided in him, but that didn’t mean he’d fallen for her… did it?
He focused. “What about your other dates? The vampire and the half-dragon?”
“Don’t even get me started on those two catastrophes. I need more brandy.”
Caleb filled her chipped mug halfway. “You have me intrigued. Tell me.”
“The vamp had mummy issues.”
“He had what?”
“I got chauffeur-driven to his house, or should I say mansion. He’d laid on this impressive spread of food while he sat there drinking blood from a gold goblet. And then, of all things, his mother joined us. You should have seen it, Caleb. Mummy darling, as he called her, fussed around him and dabbed his mouth with a napkin. I thought she was going to change his nappy at one point.” She sipped more brandy.
A hilarious yet disturbing image of a vampire in a nappy came to mind.
“And the half-dragon,” she continued. “He used his flaming breath to burn his food to a crisp—I suppose he thought it would impress me, but it didn’t. Do you remember that awful chocolate cake I made once?”
“You mean the one you cremated?”
“That’s the one. His steak looked worse than that, and then he chewed his blackened food with his mouth open.”
Caleb threw his head back and laughed. “You always did hate people who chew with their mouths open.” He raised his glass. “I propose we drink to awful dates.”
She tapped her mug against his glass. “To disastrous dates and lucky escapes.”
They drank the amber liquid as they gazed over the city, strikingly silhouetted against the gold and orange sky.
After a few minutes, Caleb spoke. “Do you have any more dates lined up?”
“One more, a warlock. I wasn’t going to bother, but it’s all arranged now. What about you?”
“Same, one more. You remember the angel from the first time we used the dating agency?”
She nodded.
“I didn’t think she was interested, but she messaged me after the banshee incident, and I thought another angel might be a better match.”
“Good for you. You never know. These two might turn out to be normal.”
“I hope so.”
“I’ll drink to that.”
They clinked their mug and glass again.
“One thing I wanted to ask,” Evie said. “Did you get a gift before each date?”
He suppressed a smile, feigning innocence. “What sort of gifts?”
“I got flowers before my date with the Fae, then vampire teeth sweets, which made me laugh, and a cute dragon soft toy arrived before I went out with the half-dragon. I thought Love Bites sent them, but the delivery guy knew nothing about an agency, then—”
Caleb grinned. “So you liked them then?”
Her pretty mouth made an O shape. “It was you? Why would you send me gifts?”
“That’s the kind of guy I am,” he joked. “I thought it might be a bit of fun, that’s all.”
Evie grinned back at him, a warm, fuzzy feeling in her belly. She never imagined for one minute that Caleb had sent the gifts, but she was glad he did. She nudged his shoulder. “You’re an absolute angel, you know that?”
He laughed. “Takes one to know one.”
“You’re very thoughtful, too. Not bad for an old guy.” Evie pecked his cheek, lingering a fraction longer than she should to breathe in his hypnotic scent; fresh air, soap and masculinity. She pulled back. “Thanks.”
If he noticed, he was his usual diplomatic self and didn’t mention it. “Hey, less of the old, thank you.”
“More brandy?”
“Silly question.” He held out his glass while she topped it up.
Before he could take a sip, Caleb scrambled backwards, spilling a drop of his brandy. He let out what could have passed as a girly scream.
“What’s up?” She pressed her lips together to stop her smile.
“There’s a spider.”
“Where?”
“There.” He pointed to the metal railing.
She imagined it must be a huge one by his overreaction, but it wasn’t. She picked up the fingernail-sized creature. “What, this little thing?”
Caleb backed further away. His wings pressed against the brick wall next to her window. “It’s not little.”
“Seriously? Caleb Pearce is scared of spiders?” She let the spider crawl over her hand.
He tugged at his shirt collar. His gaze never left the spider. “I’m not scared… it’s, well… they move so fast.”
“It’s nothing to be ashamed of,” she told him, doing her best to keep a straight face. “Lots of people don’t like spiders, but Sidney Spider here won’t hurt you.”
“You named it?”
“Yeah, I name
all the creatures I find in my flat. Wait until you meet Dora the Dormouse and Robbie the Rat.” Her laughter fought to break free.
The colour drained from his handsome face. “You have a rat? You really should tidy up once in a while.”
He often passed comments on her untidy flat—he even helped her tidy sometimes, being the total neat freak he was—but the mess never bothered her.
It was no good. She couldn’t hold back any longer. A weird, snorty laugh escaped from her mouth. “I’m kidding.”
He still eyed the spider, sitting happily in the middle of her palm. “Oh, good. You had me there for a minute.”
“Relax, Caleb. I don’t have a rat or a mouse, but they’re the names I make up for the stories I tell the kids at the hospital.”
“You do? How lovely, Evie, but I won’t relax until you put that thing down.”
Caleb shifted out of the way while she placed the spider on the wall. “Bye, Sidney Spider,” she said as it scuttled towards the fire escape stairs leading to the rooftop.
He watched the creature until it disappeared, only then taking a sip of his brandy. “I’ve meant to ask, did you manage to find another job yet?”
“No, but it means I’ve been able to help out more at the children’s hospital. I know it’s not paid, but I love it.”
“How is Lucy? And the other kids?”
“They’re okay, but Lucy had a bit of a setback this week. She’s doing well, so the ward sister says, but I’m worried about her.”
“Lucy will be fine. I know she will.”
“How can you say that with such certainty? She has cancer, the poor girl.”
Chapter Six
Evie’s stomach hollowed every time she thought of how much Lucy had suffered.
Caleb fixed her with an intense gaze. “Evie, I think you’re ready for the next stage of your training.”
“I am?”
“Yes. Watch this,” he told her.
The air surrounding them hummed with unseen energy. Noise from the city below quietened.
A soft white glow radiated from Caleb’s skin, giving him an ethereal appearance. Her breath caught in her throat.
Without another word, he took her mug and placed it on the grating and did the same with his glass tumbler. His hand hovered above her heart. “May I?”
She nodded.
Caleb laid his palm on the centre of her chest.
She held her breath, ignoring how close his hand was to her breasts, how her skin tingled with anticipation.
His hand warmed, then the glow intensified into his palm. He held it there for several seconds, steady, firm yet gentle. Warmth and hope poured into her heart.
Caleb’s touch was angelic and magical… and kind of erotic too. Her lips parted. Is that normal?
His barely audible gasp suggested he’d sensed something else too. She dismissed the idea as her imagination running away with her.
“Don’t be frightened,” he told her.
She wasn’t, more like buzzing with energy, as though every one of her nerve endings zinged with magic.
“Are you giving my wings their golden feathers?”
His face broke into a kind smile, and her heart melted. “No, not yet, but it won’t be long now.”
“What did you do? I feel… I don’t know…” she searched for the right word, “empowered.” And aroused.
“The next time you see Lucy, look into her soul. You’ll see she’s going to live a long and happy life.”
“You can do that?”
“Yes, and so can you now. It’s part of your angel training. Next step, your gold wingtips.”
“Wow,” she uttered. “That’s incredible.” You’re incredible.
“Don’t look so awestruck. We angels can see the bad things too. It’s a cross we must bear, but you’re more than capable of handling it.”
“Wow,” she repeated.
“Would you like to fly with me?”
“I would, but I think I might have had too much brandy.” An image of a clumsy emu came to mind again.
“So have I, but look at that stunning sunset. It would be a shame to waste it.”
“I’ve never taken off from somewhere this small before.”
“You’ll be fine.” Caleb stretched out his wings. “I’ll catch you if you get into trouble.”
“The sunset does look amazing.” Evie got up and climbed onto the railing, extending her wings behind her.
Caleb stood and stepped back to give her more room.
At the moment of her launch, Evie’s boot slipped on the wobbly iron bars. Her wingtips brushed the wall, knocking her off balance. It seemed her take-offs needed work too.
Evie plunged towards the street below, frantically flapping her wings to control her descending spiral.
In a flash, Caleb swooped past, then came up underneath her. He grabbed her hand and steadied her until she regained control of her wings.
“It’s okay, I’ve got this now,” she told him. With a downward thrust, she soared into the sky.
Caleb followed and flew by her side.
She glanced at him and grinned. Flying, she could do—it was the before and after that let her down. One day, she’d be as graceful as Caleb. Evie purposely flapped her left wing hard and fast, disrupting his airflow.
He dropped a good ten feet before recovering. “Hey, that’s cheating.”
“Catch me if you can!” she yelled, swooping into a lone wispy cloud and out the other side.
In less than three seconds, he caught up with her. “You want a race, rookie. You’ve got it.”
Evie laughed as they raced together, first her in the lead and then him.
She gulped air into her lungs, revelling in the feel of the breeze ruffling through her feathers, the warmth of the setting sun on her face.
Wind thundered in her ears the faster and higher she soared, her white, iridescent wings moving in time with Caleb’s gold-tipped ones.
Keeping the sun to their right, they flew south over the city and into the countryside. The sky was a kaleidoscope of colours, from watermelon and peach to burnt orange and mauve as they reached the coast, the bright yellow sun sinking majestically into the horizon.
Caleb landed with his usual grace on the soft sand.
Evie hesitated. She and sand were not a good combination. She flapped her wings and hovered above the isolated beach.
“Come on, land. You can do it.”
“Do you want me to look like that clumsy emu again?”
“It’s almost dark, but I’ll turn around if you want me to.”
To her relief, he did, and she plonked to the ground with all the grace of an elephant at a tea party. She brushed the sand off her jeans and shook out her wings. “Okay, you can turn around now.”
By the grin on his face, he’d peeked. “I think I know where your problem is.”
So he did look. She pulled a face.
“Try again, up there this time.” He pointed to a sand dune not far behind them. “The slight slope will help you, so you don’t come down too fast.”
Willing to give anything a go, she headed for the dune.
All through the night, with the moon casting its silvery light on the shoreline, Evie practised her take-offs and landings under the instruction of the ever-patient Caleb.
Exhausted, she flopped on the cool sand in front of the dune.
Caleb sat beside her and wrapped his wing around her. “I do believe you’ve finally got it, Evie.”
She rested her head on his shoulder and gazed at the moon. “About time,” she said with a yawn. Caleb’s soft feathers protected her from the chilly night air. “I guess we should head home now.”
“No, you’re too tired. Sleep for a while.”
She didn’t need any further persuasion and nuzzled into his warmth.
Evie stirred with the squawk of a seagull. The sand was cold and damp beneath her. In the half-light, a mist hung ominously over the sea as she spooned with Caleb, him
behind her. With his silky wings wrapped around her, keeping her warm, she drifted back to sleep.
Someone shook her shoulder. “Wake up, sleepy, it’s gone nine.”
She came around, blinking in the bright sunlight. “What? It was dawn a second ago.” Evie sat up, raking her fingers through her hair. “Nine? I promised Lucy I’d visit her again today.”
“You were snoring.”
She faced him. How did he manage to look so unruffled and perfect even after sleeping on the sand? “I was not.”
He chuckled, and she fake-punched him.
Evie leapt up and brushed at her clothes. She was sure she had sand in her knickers too. “Thanks for everything last night, Caleb.”
“I’m glad I could help.” He stood too. “Do you feel strong enough for the flight home?”
She circled her shoulders and spread her wings. “Absolutely. Let’s see if I can remember what you taught me.”
Concentrating, she flapped her wings slowly until she felt the air beneath them, then lifted off the ground.
Caleb grinned. “Perfect.” He joined her in the air.
“Come on then, I’ll race you home. I’ve got a date with a warlock later.”
“And I’ve got a date with an angel.”
“If I forget to say it later, good luck with this one.”
“You too, Evie,” he replied with a puzzling tinge of sadness to his tone.
Chapter Seven
Evie slumped on her sofa in her PJs. Two-thirds of a bottle of cheap red wine sat on the coffee table in front of her.
In true Bridget Jones style, All By Myself played on repeat in the background. She couldn’t be any more of a stereotypical, sad, lonely spinster if she tried.
She texted Caleb, barely able to focus through her alcohol-infused brain. Can you come over?
Sorry, I’m on a date, came the response.
His date with the angel; she’d forgotten. She hoped it was going better than hers with the sleazeball warlock. He’d seemed so nice and normal at first. His poor wife’s face came to mind, crying her eyes out at her husband’s betrayal.
Evie put her phone down and reached for the bottle. Caleb’s gift of a miniature witch’s hat sat next to the wine—another reminder of her mistake as if she needed one. She threw the hat across the room.
Dating an Angel Page 4