Free Perfectly Matched by Heather Webber Page A

you smell a bit, too.”
    I knew he was right about that, also, but I wasn’t about to admit it. “To think you used to be one of my favorite people.”
    Laughing, he said, “I’m still one of your favorite people. Who’s your friend?” He motioned to the carrier.
    “Ebbie.” As I explained about Jeremy Cross, Raphael’s eyes grew bigger and bigger, and his smile wider and wider.
    “It’s not funny,” I said, having trouble keeping a straight face. The longer I had Ebbie, the more I was finding humor in this situation.
    He tried to school his features into some semblance of solemnity. “Of course not.” His lip curved. “You’ll tell me how Grendel handles this addition?”
    Grendel still hadn’t completely forgiven me for bringing a golden retriever into his life a few months ago, even though that had been temporary. “He’ll be okay. I mean, look at her.” I motioned to Ebbie. “She’s a bundle of cuteness.”
    “I’m sure he’ll appreciate that fact.” Raphael continued to smile.
    It wasn’t a reassuring smile, either.
    In truth, I was trying not to think about Grendel’s reaction. He was going to pitch a kitty hissy-fit. To keep from thinking about that, I changed the subject. “Is Maggie in the kitchen?”
    “Not today.” He rubbed his thumb over an imaginary spot on the countertop and wouldn’t look me in the eye.
    “Where is she?” I pried. I’m a good prier. Partly from all the investigating I did for a living, and partly because I was extremely nosy.
    Pink tinted his olive-toned cheeks. “Shopping.”
    I used a straw to stir my drink. Ice cubes clunked against the side of the glass. “Oh? What kind of shopping?”
    Rubbing the imaginary spot harder, he said, “Things.”
    I stopped stirring and stared at him. “What things?”
    His eyes met mine, and I saw the pure happiness in their depths. “A wedding dress.”
    I squealed. And not caring that the whole restaurant was staring, I leaned over the counter and flung my arms around him. “You finally asked her to marry you!”
    Almost shyly, he nodded.
    Tears welled in my eyes.
    “Uva,” he said. “No tears.”
    “But they’re happy tears.” He’d been a widower for so long now. I couldn’t be happier for him.
    “Have you set a date yet?”
    “Before playoff season.”
    Swiping at my eyes, I laughed. Raphael was a diehard member of Red Sox Nation, while Maggie was a Yankees fan. It just went to show that opposites can attract. “Smart move.”
    “Yes, though we might have to live apart during that time.”
    “Or not watch the games.”
    His face scrunched in horror. “To say such a thing!”
    I rolled my eyes and sucked down my iced tea.
    “More?” he asked, motioning to the glass.
    “Please.”
    While he was gone, I checked my cell phone. Still nothing from Sean. His silence was unsettling.
    I tucked my phone away and checked on Ebbie. She was sitting contentedly, staring out her mesh window. “We’ll get you out of there soon,” I promised.
    As soon as I talked to Sean, I would catch the ferry back to Hingham , where my car was parked in the shipyard. It was a short drive home from there.
    Looking at my phone, I felt a pang. Not only because Sean hadn’t checked in, but because I was missing him. We’d grown so close that it was strange to have no contact over several hours.
    I thought about Raphael’s big news, and felt a pang about that, too. One that had nothing to do with Raphael and everything to do with me.
    Thanks to Cupid’s Curse, marriages in my family didn’t work out. Plain and simple.
    Legend stated that it was Cupid who’d gifted my ancestors with the ability to read auras. With it, however, came a curse. Valentines were not able to see our own auras, or the auras of other Valentines.
    That boiled down meant that we couldn’t match ourselves .
    Not a single Valentine relationship had ever worked out. Couples either split up and lived separate lives (like my parents) or they simply