Free Cupid's Mistake by Chantilly White Page A

Princess."
    "Huh," Allison said, pointing first to Mia, then
herself. "Pot, kettle."
    "Regardless, you can hardly blame him for the
observation."
    "It wasn't the observation so much as the way he said
it." Still, she subsided grumpily, rubbing at an invisible spot on the
black knee of her jeans.
    Mia's hand covered hers in a soothing pat.
"Continue."
    When Allison got to the part about Ben losing first his
parents, then his wife and child—stories she'd heard several times from
Sally over the years—Mia's eyes filled with tears.
    "Poor man," she murmured.
    Nodding, Allison studied her hands, twisted around the
teacup. How to explain the rest? The chaotic emotions, the feeling that he was
The One? It sounded so ridiculous, even in her own head, she couldn't possibly
say it out loud.
    "That pretty much sums it up," Allison said
finally, winding down. She sipped her tea and brooded over the delicate cup.
    "Did you talk to DeeDee about him?"
    "I called her on the way here. She said she liked him
when he came in. Like, really liked him." Allison rubbed a finger over the
ache in her temple. "Since he struck her as too serious for my usual type,
and she approved of that, she sent his profile. She's been trying to wean me
away from the playboys. She's always lecturing."
    "Good," Mia said, surprising Allison.
    "Why?"
    Shifting, Mia ducked her head, a clear sign she'd said
something she wished she hadn't. "I just. . . You sell yourself short with
all those boy toys, Alli. I know, I know, you're having fun and blah
blah," she said, waving away any objections Allison might make. "A
couple months ago, I might have believed you. But I know you, and all that
playing around has been taking a toll on you lately."
    Allison dropped her gaze. A few months ago, she'd surprised
the then anti-love Mia by admitting she—the ultimate party girl—did
indeed believe in forever, she just hadn't found it yet. Wasn't ready for it
yet, she reminded herself, even with Ben's image staring her in the face.
    But Mia had always scoffed along with her over her family's
soul-mate superstition, never realizing Allison harbored some deeply buried
hopes and beliefs on that score.
    She hadn't realized Mia—or Dee, for that
matter—had picked up on her occasional loneliness. Her shield must be
thinning.
    "That's what DeeDee said," she admitted. "No
ulterior motives, other than wanting me to find Mr. Right instead of Mr. Right
Enough For Now. At least, none she's copping to, but I believed her."
    Needing to move, Allison set the tea down and jumped to her
feet, striding the narrow confines of the room in her stockings, her arms
wrapped around herself. Nervous tension rode her shoulders up to her ears and
knotted the muscles lining her spine.
    Mia drew her knees up and rested her hands on them, watching
Allison pace, holding her silence.
    This shouldn't be such a big deal. He was an appealing,
healthy, single man. She was attracted to him. It didn't have to be anything
more than that. But. . .
    "I'm sorry," Mia said finally, breaking into her
thoughts, "but I don't really understand why you're so upset. You worked
out the misunderstanding, which was a lot of nothing, really. He likes you, you
like him. What's the problem?"
    "That's just it!" Allison said, pulling on the
length of her hair in frustration. "We've known each other basically an
hour, but there's already all this angst and emotion going on,
it's—"
    "Early."
    "I know," Allison said, wanting to pull her own
hair out by the roots. "But. . ." Breaking off with a sigh, she
stared out the window for a moment, not really seeing the rippling waves, the
palm trees and burnt-sugar sand. Ben's face swam before her eyes instead, and
something deep inside clutched.
    "I've never seen you this way over a guy, let alone one
you just met."
    Facing Mia, Allison laced her fingers together, took a deep
breath, and said, "I had. . . The Feeling."
    Her friend tilted her head, her long dark hair falling to
the side as she