Free Second Chances by Claude Dancourt Page B

finger at her and repeated, “Right. Try something else, Maya.”
    “Oh fine! She needs a date for the Yule Ball because I’ll go with Arthur, and I thought that if you like each other…”
    Tristan choked on his beverage, his cheeks growing a deep pink. “I beg your pardon?”
    Maya gave him her best kitty-cat pout.
    “Maya…”
    “Oh, please Tristan…You’ve been pining over Ines for too long now. You deserve a little fun. Isobel is nice and attractive and she’s…”
    Her mention of his former girlfriend shadowed his face instantly and she regretted bringing up the name. Tristan groaned. “I don’t have a choice, I suppose.”
    She beamed and leaned over to kiss his cheek. “I’m sure you’ll like her.”
    Tristan interrupted her at once. “I warn you, Maya. This is not an invitation for you to try to pair me up, and make sure your “date” stays away from me. Is that clear?”
    “Crystal!”
    She danced out of the kitchen and the young man sighed heavily, vaguely suspicious about the trouble she was leading him into. He equally worried about the reasons that had pushed Maya to play matchmaker. In his experience, she did that only when her loving heart was content. He drained the rest of his coffee. Spending the day watching Arthur Pendleton was probably a good thing.
    ***
    “Oh, my, these are fantastic!”
    Isobel tugged Maya toward the next shop to admire the home-made knitted pieces. Maya smiled in apology at her cousin as her nose, pink with cold, disappeared behind layers of forest green wool. The cloth was incredibly soft on her skin and she rubbed the fabric against her cheek while Isobel chose another one and giggled. The bright yellow piece made its way back on the rack. The blonde woman wrapped a fuchsia scarf around her, then a cornflower blue one and a grey, admiring herself in the small mirror nearby.
    Tristan observed them from afar for a minute before he started moving slowly toward them. Isobel radiated energy and charm and her bright smile was contagious. His cousin tended to be reserved with strangers, but the blonde had overcome her shyness without Maya even knowing it. His stare found a pair of intelligent grey eyes, and Isobel’s smile widened, before it turned slightly mischievous. Her gaze fixed on him and sparkled.
    “Tristan, come here.”
    The young man obeyed, praying she didn’t make him try on the pink scarf, or the yellow one. Isobel took off the dark grey scarf from herself to enfold it around his neck. The wool was already printed with her scent, some light touch of orchids and amaranth wood. The instant desire to discover more surprised him and he accepted it heartily, while she played with the scarf. She had to tiptoe to arrange it and maybe she leaned on him a little more than strictly required. Tristan wondered if she tasted of plums and roses, as sweet as she looked. Maya had been right. Isobel was attractive; very very attractive…
    The raven-haired woman grinned behind her bundle of wool: Isobel had Tristan under her charm, and he seemed more than happy to go under…Maya tried to untangle the scarf Isobel had tied around her neck, twisting her arms to reach the knot behind her head. A gloved hand brushed the tap of her neck and she flinched as cold air rushed under the now loose scarf.
    “You should buy it; the color suits you.”
    Arthur made no move toward her and Maya stayed disconcerted for a second. Suspicion kicked in and warmed her cheeks lightly despite the icy wind. He wanted her to kiss him first, and not the other way around. Surely his attitude was custom-made to enrage Tristan.
    Sadist.
    She folded the scarf scrupulously, refusing to enter his game, before she challenged him, one brow quirked up.
    “Aren’t you forgetting something, Arthur?”
    He grinned and Maya didn’t know what to make of his smile, a tease or real good humor.
    “Of course.”
    Ha!
    “Where are my manners? Good morning Isobel.”
    He brushed the blonde’s cheek swiftly