Free It's Just Love by Kate Richards

her to pull her chair out while the maître d’ stood by.
Gage pushed her chair in and leaned down to smooth her hair before heading
around to his seat. Focused on the crimson fireball of the sun hovering over
the water, the incongruity of the situation struck her. Why was he touching her
so much? And why was she letting him?
    She shrugged the concern away. She needed to get out more.
She should consider dating. The few men in her circle were either taken or too
interested in being the god to whatever incarnation of the goddess—circle
member willing to sleep with them—they could get. Maybe she’d meet someone on
the beach. Right.
    Since Sid’s passing, she hadn’t found anyone she wanted to
date. But as her mother reminded her, she was too young to give up pleasures
not yet discovered. And Pagans couldn’t become nuns.
    “Nice sunset.”
    She snapped back to awareness of her dinner companion. “Yes,
very pretty.” The reds and oranges of flames spread out along the horizon.
“Gorgeous, in fact. I live near the beach.”
    “I know.”
    Her cheeks heated. Of course he did. He’d picked her up
there.
    He bent close, and she leaned across the table, drawn to
him. “There they are.”
    “What?” She startled and jerked upright. “Who?” Following
his line of vision, Coral saw their quarry enter. Charlie and Elise. The
reason we’re here. Of course. “A cameraman?”
    “Sure,” Gage said. “You didn’t think the show would lay out
all the money for their adventures without taping it, did you?”
    “I guess I didn’t think at all.” They watched the couple
follow the maître d’ to a table several feet from away. They were close enough
that, if she listened carefully, she could overhear some of their conversation
over the subtle clatter of plates and the chatter of other diners. “Why aren’t
they getting to sit by the window like us?”
    “While we will no doubt be filmed a little, the reflections
on the glass make more work for the camera guy.” He winked. “So I guess we got
the romantic seat.”
    “Yeah, lucky us,” she murmured.
    She lifted the menu from the table and studied the
offerings. Butterflies in her stomach made food sound unappealing, but she had
to eat something. A waiter approached and took their drink orders. Gage’s
request for Glenlivet on the rocks didn’t surprise her, but judging by his
raised brows, her decision to have the same didn’t meet his expectations.
    “A scotch drinker?” He accepted his glass and held it toward
her.
    Coral lifted hers as well, clinking against his and smiling.
“On occasion.” She took a sip and savored the smooth bite. “Now, shouldn’t we
be paying attention to the loving couple over there?”
    “If that’s what you want to call them. She looks bored and
he’s nervous enough to jump out of his skin.”
    “I’m not sure how this test is supposed to work. They are
two people thrown together. Even if compatibility isn’t a factor, why would
they fall in love?”
    He snorted. “I talked to the interns after the show and they
said when they interviewed them, each thought the other was ‘cute’ or some such
nonsense. So they were attracted to each other to start with.”
    That would have been good to know. “So we’re dealing with
two people who have nothing in common, who I am not allowed to give a love
spell to…but who wanted to meet?”
    “That’s about it,” he said. “I’d say they don’t have a
chance in a thousand.”
    She became more interested in the pair. Her fingers itched
to concoct a love potion or a charm. “There are so many lonely people in the
world. All they need to do is connect with the right person and they can be so
much happier.” She studied the pair; they were looking at anything in the room
but each other.
    “On that we can agree.” He nodded, but his expression was
serious, calculating, and she speculated their reasoning differed.
    “I think that’s a first,” she said.
    He frowned. “I