Thunderrumbled, lightning flashed in the obsidian sky, and rain pelteddown, soaking his clothes in minutes, but he didn’t care.
Why wouldOphelia and Raphael even think he was in love with Evie?
He’d lost hischance with her the day she tried to kiss him. Back then, he’dhardly known her, but he’d let her down gently, explaining he had aduty to be the best teacher he could be. Sometimes, he wonderedwhat would have happened if he had given in to his desires thatday, but his commitment and duty had outweighed any feelings hemight or might not have for Evie.
In a strangeway, that was how they became friends, as well as teacher andstudent, so good had come out of the awkward incident in the end.He would not risk losing their friendship on the romanticised whimof two ancient angels who were trying to play Cupid.
Obviously, Eviehad moved on. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have agreed so eagerly to hissuggestion about the dating agency.
He breathed in,soaring higher into the night. Tomorrow was another day, and he hada date with a mermaid and a banshee to look forward to. Or not.
ChapterThree
Evie checkedher appearance in the mirror, smoothing her hands over the blackbodycon dress, which was a tad on the snug side over her roundedhips and ample breasts but still quite elegant for her since shewas more a jeans and tee kind of girl.
Black knee-highboots with laces the length of her shin, which took forever to tie,completed her look. They were her only boots, and she wasn’t surethey complimented the posh dress, but she’d never got on with thoseimpossible-to-walk-in stilettos some women wore. So the comfy bootswould have to do for her date with the gorgeous-looking Faetonight.
Evie wriggledher wings through the makeshift slits she’d cut in the back of thecharity shop dress. They wouldn’t show once she put her jacket on,and her feathers would cover them too.
She turnedaround, craned her neck and lifted her wings to look at her backview. Yep, the tight dress clung to every one of her curves, butshe was okay with that. She had to be—she was going to be on thecurvy side for all eternity, so she might as well get used to it.At least she wouldn’t get saggy tits, age spots, and greypubes.
Someone knockedon her door. Odd. No one ever knocked on her door. Suzy, herwaitress friend from three jobs ago, sometimes popped around, buther visits were getting less frequent, and Evie suspected shewouldn’t see her again. Evie didn’t blame her; Suzy worked all theshifts she could get to support her family. People were busy, nobig deal. Her only other friend was Caleb, but he would be gettingready for his date with the mermaid. She’d texted him earlier towish him luck, and he’d done the same.
She made herway to the front door, tripping over a bag of clothes she’d meantto take to the charity shop for weeks. “Hold on a sec!” she calledout.
“I haven’t gotall day, lady,” came a curt reply from the other side of thedoor.
Evie opened thedoor and gasped.
A guy stoodthere with a bouquet of flowers.
No one had everbought her flowers. She grabbed them, offered a quick thank you tothe surly guy, then shut the door and ran back into her lounge, herheart pounding.
She buried herface in the flowers and savoured their sweet scent.
Evie turned thebouquet around, searching for a card, and looked inside the bloomstoo, beautiful peonies, sweet peas, and ranunculi in soft pinks andcreams. No card. Odd again.
Maybe LoveBites dating agency sent them, or perhaps her Fae date… No, itcouldn’t be him. The agency wouldn’t have given out heraddress.
She shrugged.The flowers were lovely, whoever sent them.
Then sheremembered she didn’t have a vase to put them in.
Evie walkedinto the windowless kitchen that led from her lounge and searchedthe cupboards for a suitable substitute. A mug. Nope, too small. Amixing bowl, from the time when she made a chocolate cake for Calebdespite never having cooked in her life. The burnt offering endedup looking like a lump of blackened dog poo. Caleb had beendiplomatic, as always, but her cooking skills left a lot to bedesired.
She tried tobalance the flowers in the mixing bowl, but they were too tall, andthe bowl toppled over.
Next, she triedher one and only saucepan with the wobbly handle. Nope, no goodeither.
Short ofsticking them in the kitchen sink, which was piled high with dirtydishes, there was nowhere else to put them.
Oh well, if shecouldn’t enjoy the flowers, she knew a certain adorable little girlwho would.
She checked herwatch. An hour before her date. She could make it if shehurried.
Evie slippedinto her canvas khaki jacket and took the bus to the children’shospital. She could have flown there, of course, but she didn’twant to get all windswept before she went on her date later.
“Hello, Evie,”said the ward sister, looking up from a pile of papers on thecounter. “Two visits in one day?”
“Yeah, I can’tstay away from the place,” Evie replied. “I popped in to give theseflowers to Lucy, but I can leave them here as it’s a bit late?”
“Don’t be daft,Evie. I’m kidding.” Mary finished whatever she was doing with thepapers and skirted around the counter. “Your visits are like abreath of fresh air around here. The kids love you.”
Evie smiled.This was one job she couldn’t get fired from. “I love them too, butI’m only a volunteer.”
“No only aboutit. The kids look forward to your visit every day.” She gesturedfor Evie to follow her towards the children’s ward. “Lucy wasasleep when I looked in on her. She was poorly after you left thismorning.”
“Oh no, notagain.” The cute five year old had been through so much in hershort years. Evie didn’t have a favourite out of all the kids shevisited, but Lucy reminded her of the young girl she’d once savedfrom drowning, and she’d been naturally drawn to her. “Is sheokay?”
“The doc gaveher some different medication this morning, and it didn’t agreewith her. I told him, but you know what these doctors arelike.”
Evie didn’t,but she nodded politely.
“Lucy will
