He shrugged. “It’s not a bad ruse. But what are you going to do when they want to order a copy?”
I nearly choked on my coffee. I hadn’t thought about that. “Photoshop, and a little bit of magic?”
“That could work, and actually your story fits well for my purposes.” He tipped his mug in my direction. “Good work, Frost.”
“What are you doing here?” I asked. My eyes narrowed with suspicion. “Is this about my trial period? I’m doing great. Right on schedule for a miracle. You can let the agency know there’s no need for check-ins.”
Simon shook his head and drained his coffee. “It’s true the agency is often nervous about first-timers, but this isn’t about that. I’m here to work a case.” He pulled his phone from his suit pocket and scrolled until he found what he was looking for. Turning the device, he displayed a close-up photo of a smiling young woman wearing a white chef’s coat.
“Wait. You’re here for Becky Santos? There must be a mixup. She’s part of my case.”
Simon frowned and checked his phone. “There’s no mistake. Becky Santos is my target. The case file says it’s always been her dream to win one of those prime-time holiday bake-offs and open up a fancy pastry shop in the city. So I’m here to make that happen, and it’s a tight deadline. It just came across my desk. Usually, I have more lead time. I've had to pull quite a few magical strings back home to make things happen.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose and hobbled back to the window seat. This was a disaster! Becky couldn’t leave town now. It would ruin my plan and effectively my case. Not that I wanted to stand in the way of anyone’s dreams, but I couldn’t start over. How was I supposed to make Jack fall in love at Christmastime with a complete stranger? I might be a miracle worker, but I wasn’t bold enough to think I could pull off a love-at-first-sight match on my first try. Those were saved for level three agents at least!
Besides, case files were never wrong. The information was rock solid, based on a mystical formula that was way above my pay grade. If I couldn’t make it work, that was my failure, not the agency’s.
What was I going to do? Disappointment stabbed me behind the ribcage.
“I’m going to lose the promotion, aren’t I?”And the cute office right next to Simon. And his respect. Plus, I’m going to be stuck doing Agatha’s menial tasks forever.Seriously, at this point, I was a candidate for a miracle. Why weren’t they sending someone out for me?
Simon cocked his head and gave me a quizzical look. “It’s far more dire than that, I’m afraid.”
“What do you mean?”
“The agency guarantee isn’t just a saying, it’s contractual. There are consequences if we don’t complete our missions or if we break the rules. Frankly, I’m surprised you were allowed to work a matchmaking case before you were a full agent. They look easy on paper, but matters of the heart are complicated, and the punishment is severe if you fail.”
Unease tickled the back of my neck. “What kind of punishment?”
Simon sighed. “Didn’t you read the handbook?”
“I skimmed it,” I said defensively. “The thing is over three hundred pages long, and it’s all technical jargon. Not that it makes any difference. I don’t have time for that now.”
Simon smoothed a hand down the front of his tie and picked a piece of phantom lint from his sleeve. Why wasn’t he coming up with ideas? Wasn’t he going to help me? I knew for a fact he’d solved matchmaking cases before. He always bragged about them at the office. There had to be a solution.
I twisted my hands together as an idea formed. “What if we could still do both cases? There are two weeks left. Give me a few days. A week, tops. The rules don’t say Jack can’t follow Becky to the city. I mean that’s like a huge grand gesture in romantic movies. I would literally swoon if someone did that for me.”
“What about the farm? Don’t you have to save it or something?”
My headache was back in full force, and my ankle had started to throb. “I don’t have all the answers yet. I just need more time. Please, Simon. This promotion means everything to me.”And my romantic future according to Madame Destiny depends on it.
“All right,” Simon hedged. “We can see where you take this. But be careful or you’re going to end up on the wrong side of a miracle. I’ve seen it happen, and it’s dark.”
“Thank you.” I slumped in relief. I wasn't out of the woods, but at least I still had a fighting chance.
“I guess I’d better go into town and buy a camera. You know, accounting hates surprise expenses.” Simon collected his empty coffee cup and walked to the door. I exhaled a deep breath as he left and stared out the picture window. In the distance, I spotted Jack, carrying his trusty saw while he headed for the rows of trees alongside a few hired hands. The crew’s boots sank deep into the fresh snow, but they plowed forward, on their way to cut our tree.
A soft smile formed on my lips when I remembered the look on Jack's face after I pointed it out. Complete awe. The mark of someone who hadn't thought a miracle was possible. It was heartwarming, and all the proof I needed that Jack deserved to heal and find love.
With Becky.I silenced the invisible elf on my shoulder who snickered and pointed out the obvious: I'd come closer to kissing Jack than she had, and the memory of our almost kiss was hotter than three years of interactions with Simon. But what did invisible elves know, anyway? They weren't bound by a contract or counting on a promotion.
I shook my shoulders loose and shuffled away from the window. What I needed was more coffee and a viable plan. With Jack out in the field, I slipped into the kitchen to refill my mug.
“How's that ankle treating you this morning, dear? Did you enjoy the medicinal tea?” Grandma Jean bustled in from outside, shoving the side door closed behind her. She scraped her boots of snow and tossed her gloves onto the counter.
I reached for an extra mug and poured two cups of coffee. “It’s a little sore, but already feeling better. And your tea was delicious. It really helped.”
Grandma Jean sipped her coffee and gave me a sly smile over the rim. “Your photographer is handsome. I had a lovely chat with him this morning about camera lenses. Funny how he knew so little.”
