Chapter 8
Eva
A knock on my door surprised me. It was late, and I’d already closed the office. Through the frosted glass door, I saw Sam standing there. Why didn’t he just call?
I unlocked the door and pulled it open. “What are you doing here?”
“I know it’s kind of late and this is out of the blue, but I just… I have feelings for you, Eva. And with that, I don’t want you to see anyone else.”
What? He had feelings for me? Before I could even respond, Sam stepped closer and grabbed the side of my face, and he pressed his lips against mine. As he kissed me, I went along with it.
Heat bloomed in my chest, spreading like wildfire through my veins. I didn’t want these feelings to control me, but I couldn’t fight them—didn’t want to fight them. I wanted this more than I’d ever wanted anything. My restraint crumbled, and I kissed him back.
We made our way to the main section of the office and sat on a couch. Sam pulled off his shirt, and I kissed his neck as I touched his bare chest. He grabbed the hem of my shirt and pulled it off as well. As he kissed my supple skin, with one quick movement, my bra was on the ground. He took his mouth from my lips to my chest to the nipple and sucked.
I was eager to see as he took his soft hand and maneuvered it down to my loose-fitting shorts. This felt amazing.
A knocking noise woke me. I rubbed my eyes and looked from side to side. Wow, that had been an intense dream.
I looked at my phone sitting on my bedside table. It was before eight. Who in the world would wake me up? I mean, even the gardeners knew not to wake me up on a Saturday with their lawnmower or weed whacker.
Then on cue, the knocking continued at the door. I scurried to the front and pulled it open.
It was none other than Grandma Alice. She stood tall with her golden waves and her luminous skin that seemed to glow from within, like moonlight on water. To the mere mortal, she was ageless looking at early thirties when in reality, she was centuries older. “Whoa, girl. Did you get some or what?” she asked, examining my body from head to toe.
I turned to face the mirror hanging on the beige wall next to the front door, which I called my last-chance mirror. I had ruffled hair, a flushed face, and a shirt half on, half off. In retrospect, I should have checked before answering the door. I ?was a hot mess. Emphasis on the mess. Good thing it was only her.
“No, sorry. You just interrupted me in a deep sleep,” I said, rubbing my eyes one last time to fully wake up.
“Uh-huh. That’s what they all say.” She smirked. “Well, aren’t you going to invite me in?”
I stepped aside and gave her space to enter. We moved into the kitchen so I could brew some coffee.
“So, you might wonder why I’m here so early on a Saturday.”
“Yeah, that was the least of my worries.”
“Well, I’ve got some not-so-great news to share, and it is going to affect your life, my life, your dad’s… and so you should know sooner than later because time is ticking.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked as I put two scoops of coffee grounds into the filter and patted it down.
“Well, as you know, we have the matchmaking power, the love ability.”
I stared at Grandma Alice. Of course I knew this. Why was she bringing it up?
“Well, there’s a little stipulation where when one of us retires, the next in line must take over, which we know is you. But with that, you need to have found your soul mate to harness the full ability.”
“What?” As the espresso was brewing, I pulled out a stool under the island to sit next to Grandma Alice.
“Yeah, so you have a week to find your soul mate. Or we’re going to lose our ability for love and matchmaking. The whole shebang.”
I stared. What in the world was she talking about? I just couldn’t comprehend. “So you’re saying if I don’t find my soul mate in a week, we will become just normal people?”
“Well, that is why I’m here. To ask questions and start finding your love match.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me, right? Like, so you’re saying when Dad became Cupid, you had to find your match?”
“Well, you see, it’s a little different for me, as well as your dad. We’re not demigods. It gets a little fuzzy, as your mom is mortal. That’s why there are always these little stipulations.”
Great. This was just what I needed. Okay, so now I had to play matchmaker on myself while trying to take over the business, keep it afloat.
I leaned my head in my hand, resting it on the granite island. What else could go wrong?