Page 53 of Incurably Cupid

“Why?”

I glared at him. “Because he deserves a soulmate, Leo!”

Leo sighed and said quietly, “I don’t think he wants a soulmate, Ind.”

I nodded like my head was a broken bobblehead. “That’s why I asked him to do this. I had to push so he can see what he’d really be missing out on if he chooses me.”

“Oh, Ind,” Leo said sadly, just as there was a knock at the door.

“I’ll see you tonight,” I whispered. “Good luck cracking through those files.”

Leo scoffed. “Just... take care, okay?”

I nodded, put on a pleasant expression, and opened the door. I almost slammed it in Mesmer’s face in self-preservation when I saw how jaw-dropping he looked. Instead, I sagged against it, letting it support me.

Where was a candy dish when you needed one?

Mesmer was in dress pants and a button-down, but his shirt was untucked and open at the throat, his sleeves rolled up just enough to reveal his forearms.

I swallowed.

“You look nice, Mesmer.”

He glanced at my clothes—the same ones from earlier since I wasn’t a participant. “Did you need more time to change?”

I shook my head, tapped my back pocket to ensure I had my debit card and room key, then closed the door. “Nope. I’m just going like this.”

He nodded and lowered himself into Lance’s seat. “Just another day or so, and you’ll be able to walk around a bit more,” I said, grasping for a topic, any topic.

He smiled gently at me. “Yes, and I owe my care to you, Leo, and Lance. Thank you, Indie.”

“You’re welcome; it’s been... nice having you around.”

Completely inadequate words, but they would have to do.

In the taxi,I was quiet. The closer we got to the pub, the more I wanted to take Mesmer’s hand and run, but I had to remind myself that I was doing this so he had a choice. And I just hoped like crazy that his soulmate showed up tonight. She should. This would probably be one of the biggest singles' night events that this town had seen in a long while.

When we pulled up to the pub, there was a long line of cars, as the vehicles were being parked by valets for this event, but instead of waiting, we got out and helped Lance out of the back since we didn’t have a car to park.

Once inside, we made our way to my mum and dad, who were sitting with Felix and Yvette.

“It looks great,” I told Felix, choosing a seat close to my parents. “You did a fantastic job with the lighting and atmosphere.” He’d brought in tablecloths, linen napkins, and Moroccan-looking lanterns that cast soft prismatic light around the large open space. Soft acoustic guitar music played in the background.

Felix nodded, and I discreetly noticed that he and Yvette were holding hands. My cupid powers picked up on their new connection, but for once, it didn’t bother me.

Huh. Maybe I was mellowing out.

Dieter was helping behind the bar, and I didn’t see Astrid anywhere. I turned to Mum. “Is he okay behind the bar?”

She turned to watch him for a second and smiled. “He hasn’t had an accident yet.”

I shook my head, unable to believe the change in him. He didn’t exactly look cool and calm, but he also wasn’t dropping anything or spilling drink pitchers on anyone either.

“I guess you got to the root of the problem, then.”

Dad took a bite of his chef’s salad. It looked like he’d bought it elsewhere because I knew Felix didn’t serve salads here. I felt a little guilty. They’d taken on these four paranormals—dropping everything. They were still young and healthy cupids, but they had to have been incredibly busy over the last day or so and probably hadn’t had many opportunities to eat.

“You guys want to eat with me tonight?" I asked. "I need to stay here, but we can find a table out of the way or something.”

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