Page 15 of Incurably Cupid (Moonhaven Cove #5)

Chapter 15

Indie

“Love is kind.”

Cupid Inc. New Recruit Training Manual

T he taxi ride back to the hotel was quiet. Mesmer sat next to me while Lance was folded up in the trunk. The silence wasn’t uncomfortable, but it was thick with exhaustion—more so on Mesmer’s part than mine. As we passed streetlights, businesses, and homes, the flickering lights danced across his face, casting shadows over his heavy-lidded eyes.

“Don’t pass out on me yet, Sleeping Beauty,” I murmured, nudging his arm lightly. “There’s no way I can get you into your room if you fall asleep.”

He chuckled softly. “I’m not making any promises. It comes with the job—learning to sleep when and where you can.”

I could relate to that.

“What made you want to become a bodyguard?”

“It’s a family business. Both my dad and my grandad were bodyguards, and both served King Draven. When each of them retired, the next generation took their place.” He turned his head without lifting it off the seat back. “Draven is a good man, a good boss, and a good friend. That’s why it’s so difficult for me to hand over his security to someone else. I feel like I need to be there for him.”

Wow, a multi-generational protection detail. That could only happen with paranormals, and only among the longest-lived of us.

“I heard what he said in the hospital to you,” I said, twisting a bracelet around my wrist. “But I also saw something in person that no one else could see.”

He looked confused for a moment, until I saw the realization dawn in his gray eyes that I’m a cupid and can see bonds between people.

I nodded. “Yeah, when he said you’re a brother, he meant it, Mes. And that means he loves you too.” I smirked. “He also knows how hard-headed you can be. I mean, he had to send you to another realm to get you to take a break.” And then I laughed. “And you’re still investigating!”

Mesmer looked sheepish, then shrugged. “Bodyguard is not a job title you can just discard at the end of the day. It’s like your cupid powers—it’s always a part of us.”

Back at the hotel, they each pulled out their keycards and swiped them.

“Get some actual sleep, Mes,” I said, worried about the exhaustion under his eyes.

He turned, a small, tired smile on his lips. “I’ll try. You too.”

I gave him a mock salute and shut the door behind me, then leaned against it and closed my eyes.

I was in so much trouble.

I spent much of the next morning in my pajamas, flipping through TV channels without really settling on anything. A soft knock came at my door, and I opened it to find Mes and Lance. Mes looked significantly better than he had yesterday and last night. The dark circles under his eyes were fading, and his eyes were clearer.

“Hey,” he said with a faint smile. “Want some company? My TV is probably just as boring as yours. We might as well be bored together.”

I laughed and opened the door wider, so he and Lance could roll in. “Don’t ever go into sales. You’d be poorer than a church mouse.”

I helped Mesmer settle on my couch, and we scrolled through the TV channels until we found something we were both interested in and settled in to watch.

It was a show about house hunting on the island of Oahu. I had to admit, the island was beautiful. I’d been there several times in the course of my job and always loved spending time there.

“You ever travel, Mesmer?”

“Hmm?” He eyes kept drifting closed. He was clearly fighting sleep again.

“You ever travel?”

He nodded. “Yeah, all over the world. Mostly with Draven, but I’ve done some solo trips too. I actually really like this part of the world. It’s one of my favorite places to visit.”

It really was beautiful.

“Do you have a favorite destination?”

He thought for a moment. “I don’t think I do. I find something to love about almost everywhere and every culture.” He chuckled. “Especially the food. I love trying all the different cuisines.”

That checked out. I was the same. Paranormal metabolisms were a blessing. We could eat almost anything without consequence.

Shortly after, he started nodding off, and I covered him with the comforter from the unused bed. It was plush and warm.

He smiled sleepily at me. “Thanks, Indie,” he murmured.

I didn’t respond, since he was already asleep. I just stood there for a moment, staring at him, then shook my head and went to get ready for the day. When he woke up, we needed a quick lunch, some sunshine, and then dinner—in that order.

I was starving.

And I missed the sun like a pixie on a sugar-free diet misses soda.

We stopped at a little deli for lunch, ordering sandwiches on ciabatta bread, potato salad, and fruit cups with water. Then we took a taxi to the riverfront rental shop, where we rented a golf cart to take us along the winding river bike path. I was assured the path was wide enough, and I wouldn’t be running over any little old ladies trying to get their steps in.

I helped Mesmer get in the cart, handed him our sack of food, then glanced at Lance. “You want to roll with us or get stowed in the back?”

“I’d prefer to stretch my wheels, if you don’t mind.”

I patted his backrest. “No problem.”

Mesmer looked at me and said in a deadpan tone, “Our cart has blue flames painted on the sides.”

I laughed and turned the key. “Yeah, those are some big promises that it has to live up to.”

He dug through the bag; the smell of the food wafting from it made my stomach snarl in unhappiness. “You got two of the ham and cheddar, right?”

I nodded as I maneuvered the cart onto the bike path. “Yep. Just hand one over. I can eat and drive at the same time.”

He gave me a look, and I grinned and gave him a gimme motion. “Need. Food.”

He laughed at my antics and handed over one of my sandwiches. “You realize I may have to feed you your potato salad.” He pulled out his loaded ham, turkey, and bacon with provolone cheese, took a big bite, and sighed in bliss.

“I’m okay with that.”

“What if I accidentally poke you with the spork?” His sidelong glance was mischievous.

“They gave us a spork!”

“They gave us a spork.”

“The gall.”

He chuckled and glanced around us. The river path was wide, at least two golf carts wide, and people of all ages were using it. Some were riding bikes or rollerblading, others were in carts like us, many were walking or running the path, and some were just lounging by the river, soaking up the sunshine. It was still chilly outside, but the bright sun and lack of clouds made it feel warm and pleasant.

Everything here was really green, even during the cold months—a fact that all of my fellow bike path enthusiasts seemed to enjoy as much as we did.

“It’s a pretty place,” Mesmer said wistfully, finishing off his sandwich and digging into the bag for another.

We traveled the entire length of the path, several miles, at a leisurely pace, just enjoying being outside and basking in nature, then turned around and started back.

When we found a good spot to pull over and sit by the wide river, I did. I turned the golf cart off, and we sat in silence for a while.

It was a few minutes before I gathered the nerve to ask him something that had been weighing heavily on my mind.

“Mesmer?”

He turned, his expression soft but wary. As if he knew already what I was going to say. “Yes?”

“What if I can’t find her?” I clutched the golf cart key tightly in my fist, swallowed hard, and looked him in the eye. “Your soulmate.”

Emotions flickered in his eyes and across his face, then he smiled gently at me. “Then you don’t find her. I have a good life, Indie. It won’t destroy me not to have love be a part of it.”

“Would you... consider dating someone else, someone who isn’t a soulmate match for you?”

He stilled. The background noises faded around us. Then he smiled a small, pained smile, his gray eyes grave. “If you had asked me that question a month ago, I would have said no.”

“And now?”

He looked back toward the river. “And now?” He shook his head ruefully. “Nothing feels so black and white anymore.”

I unclenched my hand when the bite of the key started making my hand ache. “You know you can’t have children... with anyone except your mate,” I reminded him softly.

He nodded, but facing away from me, I couldn’t read his expression—whether it was pained or accepting. “I know.”

On the way home in the taxi, his simple ‘I know’ kept replaying in my head.

It had sounded... accepting.

But I wasn’t feeling anything close to acceptance.

Instead, I was overwhelmed—drowning in a sea of conflicting emotions. Frustration, because I felt like an inept cupid. Overwhelmed by the sudden responsibility of finding soulmates for not just one, but five paranormals. And a deep, gnawing mix of guilt and wonder.

Wonder because, against all odds, I was falling for the gargoyle sitting beside me, and because somehow, I knew —we had potential. I couldn’t explain how I knew; cupids weren’t supposed to see their own love matches clearly. But deep down, in some instinctual place, I just k new.

And then there was the guilt—the frustration of knowing that my feelings... and his... possibly reciprocated feelings—it all created a mess of tangled emotions.

If I found Mesmer his soulmate, I would lose him, and we would lose the possibility of us. If I didn’t find him his soulmate, I might always wonder, even years later, if he would have been happier with her.

“Hey, Mes.”

He turned toward me. He hadn't said much since we left the park. Normally, Mesmer wasn’t a big talker, so I wasn’t overly concerned. But the easy openness we’d shared before that conversation by the river felt like it had evaporated. I hoped it wasn’t gone forever—that maybe he just needed time to think things through.

“I know Felix and Yvette are dating now, so they’re good, but my mum and dad want to do a singles night at the Phoenix so Dieter and Astrid can meet and mingle a bit in a safe environment with my parents there to help them if things go sideways.”

I glanced at him, trying to gauge his reaction. “I think you should go as a single. There’s a chance your soulmate could be there. Felix has already put up flyers all over town, and they’ve announced it on the community website.”

His broad shoulders tensed, and his face went completely blank. “You think I should go?”

I could read nothing from his tone, which made me nervous. I fidgeted with my bracelet and nodded. “I do.”

He looked at me for a long time, then nodded. “Then I will go,” he said quietly, and turned toward the window.

Away from me.