| x |
| x |
 |
| CALL ME CUPID Chapter One “Rise and shine.” The muffled greeting, followed by a cheery knock that sounded more like the tapping of a secret password, was just enough to bring AJ Hanson fully awake. Still groggy, she rolled over and lifted her face off the pillow long enough to glance at the tableside alarm clock and see that it was way too early to get up. Even if it was the day before her wedding. “Amanda Jean, you drag yourself out of bed right now.” She grinned at the sound of her mother’s I’m still the boss of you tone. Talk about making a girl feel like sixteen again and desperate to sleep in until at least noon. Throwing the covers off, she padded barefoot across the hotel room’s plush beige carpet. Her hand barely tightened over the knob before her mother threw it open and bustled right past AJ in her usual whirlwind of boundless energy. There were countless days growing up where it felt like AJ spent more time chasing after her mother than it being the other way around. Today looked to be no exception. “There is way too much to be done today to spend it daydreaming in bed, young lady. You’re getting married tomorrow.” Her mother grinned, then planted a quick kiss on AJ’s cheek before grabbing her hand and twirling her around. It was easy to get caught up in her mother’s overwhelming—and sometimes smothering—passion for life, and AJ smiled right through her yawn. Setting AJ into a spin before turning around, her mother knocked a pink carnation-filled vase right off the small table. It might have survived the landing, if the armoire hadn’t been in the way. They both cringed at the resounding crash of breaking glass. Water splashed over the rim, leaking through the chunk now missing from the vase and onto the carpet. “Oh, darn,” her mother said, then dashed into the bathroom, returning a moment later with a towel to soak up the mess. AJ retrieved the broken pieces and tossed what was left of the vase in the trash. Her mother brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “At least it wasn’t a mirror.” She fished through her pockets. “Where’s my list?” AJ stretched her arms over her head, and moved into the bathroom. Considering it was the day before her wedding, she was remarkably calm. No jittery nerves, or stress over what had yet to be done. And there was plenty that hadn’t been accomplished yesterday or the day before. She gave herself the customary morning assessment, pleased there were no bags lingering under the green eyes she inherited from her mother. She snagged a clip from the top of the vanity and pulled back her shoulder length black hair, still happy she’d cut inches off a couple weeks ago. After washing her face quickly, she poked her head out to see her mother digging through the bags she hadn’t bothered to unpack when they checked in yesterday. “You hardly brought anything with you.” AJ rolled her eyes. “I brought plenty. We’re only here for another night.” Her mother tsked, withdrawing the small jewelry box AJ had hastily packed since she never bothered to decide on accessories days before she wore them. Unlike her mother. How the woman could be so carefree yet still be so meticulous was something AJ had given up trying to wrap her brain around years ago. AJ was neither overly carefree or meticulous, but fell happily in the middle. Just the way Kirk liked her. AJ grinned. She was getting married tomorrow. She and Kirk were so well-suited. They just made sense together. And they hardly ever fought, even after being together for almost two years now. With much in common and sharing similar tastes in everything from food and entertainment, to decorating and pet peeves, it was natural that their friendship deepened into something more. They both often joked that they would never have to worry about arguing over foolish things, like who was the last to remember putting the toilet paper back on the roll, since they both did it without forgetting to begin with. Considering Kirk’s attention to detail, it had surprised her he was leaving the last minute things to her, insisting he had to look after some personal business. He’d be back in time for the rehearsal dinner tonight and she could fill him in on anything important. With her mother at the helm, AJ anticipated few surprises and knew the wedding would go off without a hitch. She hadn’t wanted such an elaborate affair, one of the few things she and Kirk hadn’t agreed on, but she let him talk her into the garden wedding. Once she’d dreamed of a quiet ceremony with only a handful of friends and family, and a groom who would look just as handsome in khaki’s and bare feet… “Hold this a second.” Her mother thrust the jewelry box out, already rooting through the bag again, and letting go before AJ got a good grip on the box. It slipped right through her fingers, dumping the contents on the floor. “For heaven’s sake, I’ve got butter fingers today.” Her mother laughed, and they both bent to pick everything up. AJ paused, her fingers closing around a locket that had been carefully tucked away in the bottom of the box. Out of sight. Habit had her flipping open the small hinge. Her heart kicked against her ribs as she studied the tiny picture inside. “I remember the day he gave you that,” her mother said. “I think you cried.” AJ nodded. She had. But then again, she’d cried more than once over Cooper, especially at the end of their rocky relationship. She closed the locket and held it in her palm as a familiar ache settled deep in her chest before she pushed it back. Not today. Not any day. And how many times had she told herself that before? “I can’t wait to see him. It’s been too long.” AJ continued to stare at the locket, her mother’s words taking a few extra seconds to penetrate. “What? When will you be seeing Cooper again?” Her mother arched a brow. “Tomorrow. At the wedding. Don’t tell me you forgot he was coming?” AJ gaped. “You said you invited him. You never said he was actually coming.” Her heart continued to pick up speed. It had been months since they’d last crossed paths and she could still remember the heat from Cooper’s gaze had nearly incinerated her on the spot. “You should have told me,” AJ continued. Her mother paused, her brows furrowed a little too perceptively for comfort. “You said you understood that he and your father were still pretty close and that it was okay to invite him. You said you were still friends.” “I think I said we were civil. Not friends exactly. And I didn’t think he would actually come.” Her mother shrugged and finished cleaning up the jewelry, tucking everything neatly away once more. AJ moved from the floor to the edge of the bed, vaguely aware she still held the locket in her hand. Her mother sat next to her. “You’re not okay with this, are you?” Of course she was. She had to be. If she wasn’t, that might mean she still wasn’t over him. And she was so over Cooper McLain. “I’m just thinking of everything we still have to do today is all.” Her mother studied AJ carefully with that suspicious mother look every woman with children mastered from the point of conception. To prove she was perfectly unruffled by the latest development, AJ stood up and strode for the bathroom. “Let me grab a quick shower and we can get started.” She closed the door and faced herself in the mirror. “You are over him. Way, way over him,” she reminded herself, then laid the locket down on the vanity and made herself forget all about Cooper. Pick up Call Me Cupid in eBook! or Print! |