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Brooke: Thanks. I’ll get started ASAP. :)
A few minutes later, her phone buzzed with another text. Three photos of Nico appeared on her screen, each one more gorgeous than the next. Brooke set her phone down on the counter, and sighed. When she thought about Nico going out on dates with other women, her chest grew tight with jealousy. Who was she kidding? Things between her and Nico would never work out, for the same reasons none of her relationships lasted for more than a couple of months. Blowing out a frustrated breath, she spread out her pendulum grid board and her lunar calendar and got to work. By the end of the day, she’d found him three matches, all professional, attractive women.
After Brooke sent his information, including his photos, to all three women, they responded within the hour.No surprise.She stared at one of the photos of him at his restaurant and smiled. The image managed to capture the sexy glint in his eyes, but still didn’t do him justice. Now all she could do was sit back and allow fate to intervene.
Let the hunt begin.
Five days later,Brooke went around the shop with the candle snuffer, extinguishing every flame.From the moment she’dset Nico’s matches in motion, she’d been a walking disaster. Yesterday she’d knocked over an expensive copper bowl, and today she’d whacked a full tray of potions off the counter. She’d started a draft of her book at least a dozen times, but ended up staring at the screen, typing the same sentence over and over again. One of her clients called to report a nasty breakup, and all of her appointments seemed to blend together. She chalked it up to sleep deprivation.
Last night she woke up drenched in sweat and gripping the sheets, on the verge of an intense orgasm. Now the vestiges of her smoldering dream still clung to her and set her off-kilter throughout the day. Nico’s lips trailing over her skin…his fingers digging into her hips. A deep male voice whispered her name while he slid in and out of her. She knew the voice.
It belonged to Nico.
Now she wondered why in the world she agreed to fix him up with three other women when deep-down she wanted him for herself. The main reason—things with Nico would never work out. A two-hundred-year-old generational curse that had been passed on to her made sure of it. Images of him laughing and talking to his dates filtered through her head in rapid succession. Breathing in and out, she forced herself to release the white-hot streak of jealousy surging through her veins.
Being a hopeless romantic had always been her big flaw. Growing up, she needed an escape from her parents’ constant bickering, so she’d stay up late binge-watching rom-coms until her eyes bled.
Arabella walked up to the counter and clicked a button on the wall, turning the shop’s neon “open” sign to off. “Do you want to grab some dinner at Grand Vin? All the ladies are meeting there.”
“I’d love to, but I’m exhausted. All I want to do is head home and soak in a hot bath with a glass of wine.” She’d become friends with these fun, adventurous women through her cousin Gillian. Now they all shared the profits and the pitfalls of owning a small business.
“If you say so. You’ve been moping around here for days, and I sense it has nothing to do with Joe and everything to do with Nico.” Arabella gave her a sidelong glance. “Why not put us both out of our misery by giving him a call and seeing how his dates went?”
Setting the snuffer down, Brooke rested her hands on her hips.“Wow, am I that obvious?”
“Do you really want me to answer that question?” Arabella collected the empty potion bottles on the counter and placed them in the sink.
Being best friends with a psychic did have its downside, like never being able to keep a secret. “Why do you always have to be right?”
Arabella turned around and fluttered her lashes. “What can I say, it’s a gift.”
A smile tugged at Brooke’s lips. “Maybe I should wait until tomorrow to call. It’s after hours, but then again Nico doesn’t work nine-to-five. I usually touch base with my clients after a few days.” So why did Nico make her hesitate?
In Brooke’s experience, Aries men fell in love fast and dove into relationships headfirst. What if Nico told her he was smitten with one of the women she’d matched him up with? It would mean that she’d done her job well. She dug her phone out of her pocket and dialed his number.
“Brooke?” The deep timbre of Nico’s voice filled her ears and sent her heart thumping in her chest.
“Hey, Nico, I wanted to check in and find out how your dates went.” She held her breath, waiting for his reply.
“I’ve been meaning to call. You beat me to the chase. My last date just ended, and I was about to head out. I’m still at the W hotel,” he said over the noise in the background. “Why don’t you meet me for a drink, and I can give you a play by play?”
“A drink?”She hesitated for a moment. This is a business meeting,she reminded herself. Why did her voice sound so eager? The thought of seeing him again made her pulse skyrocket. She wanted him to find the love he deserved. She was being selfish. All three women were perfect for him, astrologically speaking anyway.
“I hope your boyfriend won’t mind.”
“My boyfriend? I don’t have a boyfriend.”
“Son of a bitch,” he muttered. “You’re kidding me, but Alex said—”
“We broke up recently. I haven’t spread the news.” Brooke didn’t want to read too much into Nico’s reaction, but she couldn’t ignore the pang in her chest.
“I could come pick you up and we could go somewhere else.”Why does this sound an awful lot like a date?
“No, it’s okay. I’ll grab an Uber and head over as soon as I’m finished here at the shop. See you soon.” Brooke’s heart fluttered with excitement. She glanced at Arabella. “I guess you heard everything.”
“Oh, I heard, and I could smell your pheromones from over here.” Arabella chuckled. “It sounds like Nico’s interested in more than your star savvy. Go. I’ll lock up.”
“Thanks, you’re the best.” Brooke reached for her purse off the counter. “I’ve got a feeling this night is about to get a whole lot more interesting.”
