The Matchmakers by Jennifer Colgan Page A

his
instincts. Why then, when his instincts said to put as much distance between
himself and Callie as possible, did he find himself back at the motel feeling
lower than dirt for leaving her here? Just what did he think he owed this girl,
anyway? What if Carl had put her in room nine with the leaking toilet and the
faulty lock on the bathroom window? Carl always gave out-of-towners that room.
What if some drunk knocked on her door in the middle of the night? `Damn.´ He
kept up the litany of recriminations in his head as he approached Carl’s faded
linoleum counter. `How’s it going, Carl?´ `Pretty good. Quiet night.´ `Yeah«uh.
Did a girl come in here earlier? Pink coat, long brown hair?´ `Callie?´ `Yeah,
that’s her.´ `Yep. She said she was a friend of yours.´ Nick nodded. `Can you
tell me what room she’s in?´ `Normally I wouldn’t, her being a girl alone and
all. But for you, Nick, and since she said she knows you«Ćarl made a show
of checking the guest book, as if it might be hard to recall a number from one to
ten. `She’s in five.´ `Thanks.´ Nick left the office and crossed the parking
lot to room five. The thick privacy drapes blocked any light from the room, but
he heard the television through the door. At least he didn’t have to feel bad
about waking her up, on top of everything else he felt bad about. He knocked
and waited a full three seconds before he did it again. `Callie? It’s
me«Nick.Áfter a moment, the door opened a crack, and she peered out at him
through the links of the brass security chain. `Is it nine already?´ Her
impertinent tone should have irritated him. Instead he noticed immediately that
the smudge of grease was gone from her cheek. `Can I come in?´ `What for?´ `To
talk. I’m sorry I dumped you here.´ `It’s all right. I know you don’t feel
comfortable letting me stay with you. I understand. Besides, this place really
isn’t too bad, now that I’ve done some redecorating to make it more homey.´ Nick
laughed, but his amusement died when she unlatched the security chain and let
him inside. He looked around in stunned silence. When she said she’d
redecorated, she wasn’t kidding. Callie stepped back to allow Nick over the
threshold of her temporary home. The look on his face was priceless. Maybe now
he’d start to believe she was telling the truth. `Uh«´ His comment died
unspoken. His gaze bounced from the sectional sofa and forty-two-inch plasma
screen TV to the brushed chrome kitchenette and the landscaped, jungle-themed
Jacuzzi tub. She’d considered making it all go away before she let him inside,
but for one thing, she couldn’t bear to go back to looking at the dingy brown
carpeting and the mold-colored spreads that had covered the sagging twin beds
in room five. For another thing, if there existed the slightest chance her
banishment from the Faerie realm would end up being permanent, she wanted to
take full advantage of her Fae abilities while she still had them. `You’ve been
here thirty minutes,´ Nick managed after gaining control of his sagging jaw. `This
took me five.´ Just as Callie predicted, Nick’s gaze returned to the big screen
TV and lingered there. Men. `There’s a Die
Hard marathon on channel seventy-two. Can I get you some popcorn?śhe
asked, drumming her fingers on her hips. `I’m not seeing this.´ He shook his
head, but never took his eyes off the TV. `I’m not seeing this.´ `What exactly
is the barrier here, Nick? Why won’t you trust me?´ He finally tore his gaze
away from a battered and bloody Bruce Willis and gave her an incredulous look. `I’m
not one of those people.´ `What people?´ `The ones who believe in faeries and
leprechauns and little green men.Ćallie snagged the remote from the end
table she’d conjured and shut off the television. `I don’t know any little
green men, but I can arrange to fly in a leprechaun if that would help convince
you that I’m telling you the truth about everything.´ `Come on.´ `Say