Tamed by You (4 page)

He was so close her womanly parts began to get excited in a way they hadn't in years—not even with Jeremy, who was dubbed the hottest man in the world. She looked up into Tony's eyes, trying not to notice how close his lips were or how much she wanted to kiss them. "I'm not hiding. I'm taking a break."

"Whatever you need to tell yourself, darling." He looked down her body and back up. Then, as if he found her wanting, he took his coffee and left without another word.

But she heard the echo of his voice saying she didn't like her life.

The worst part: He was right. And she had no idea what to do about it.

Chapter Four

Every Tuesday, Valentine had a standing date with her two closest friends, Marley and Nicole, at the local cafe Grounds for Thought. Telling her mom she had a potential client to meet beforehand, she left early. She had a call to make.

Her dad answered on the second ring. "Hello, pumpkin. How are you?"

"That's how you're greeting me?" she asked incredulously. "Like nothing's wrong?"

"What could possibly be wrong?"

"I don't know," she said, matching his offhand voice. "Maybe that Mom showed up on my doorstep this morning without any notice, looking like she'd been hit by a bus?"

"Your mother is fine, sweetie," her dad said in a falsely cheerful voice. "She's just going through a phase."

"Dad, she wasn't wearing
earrings
. When has that ever happened? She doesn't leave the bedroom without earrings, much less go in public."

"Okay, it's a little worse than we're admitting, but she's going to be fine."

Valentine shook her head. "I hate that word."

"She's just upset about Aphrodite passing away."

"Grandma died over a year ago."

"The doctor said that grief hits in stages, sometimes much later than the passing."

Valentine stopped abruptly. "Mom's been to a doctor? Why didn't anyone tell me?"

"It's nothing dire. She was just having heart pains
—
"

"
Heart pains?
"

Her dad sighed. "The doctor thinks that she's imagining the pain. He thinks it's a psychosomatic reaction to her mother's heart attack, despite the incidents."

"Mother's had
incidents
and no one's told me?" She was going to kill her sister.

"We didn't want to worry you."

"Did he run tests or anything?"

"That's the thing. Your mother wouldn't let him." Her father's tone lifted with saccharine hope. "The doctor thinks she should be okay."

"She
should
be?" Valentine repeated incredulously. "Why won't Mom take the test?"

"You know your mother. She thinks Fate will decide when she's going to go, and she's not messing with Fate."

"And the doctor was okay with this?"

"What can he do? You know how stubborn Venus is. He said she just needs a change of scenery and a purpose to keep her busy."

"And I was the logical purpose."

"You don't mind, do you?" Her dad sighed. "That was a stupid question. I know Venus is probably driving you crazy already, but this could save her, Valentine. We were concerned she'd psych herself into a heart attack. You've seen her. She's falling apart. The doctor is worried her heart will give out if she doesn't reverse out of this funk she's fallen into."

Valentine sighed as she crossed the street. "You guys just should have told me."

"I know. I'm sorry." He added in a tone she'd never heard from him, "I love her, Valentine. I can't imagine being without her."

Her heart melted, and she blinked away tears. "I'll take care of her, Dad. I promise."

"Good." He said with what sounded like feigned optimism, "She's going to be
—
"

"Fine," Valentine said with him. She nodded. She'd make sure of it. "I'll take good care of her, Dad. I love you," she said as she entered Grounds for Thought.

Marley and Nicole were already there, sitting in their usual spot in the window.
She hurried over to them,
putting her phone away
. "I know I'm late
, but I have a family emergency, which is more of an emergency than I realized, and
—"

"Valentine," Nicole
interrupted
.

"Yes?"

"Breathe."

"I can't. My mother's here
, and her heart is going to explode
." She dropped her bag on the floor and plopped onto the chair.

"You look like you need a drink.
"
Marley stood up.
"
A double?"

"Yes, please." S
h
e paused. "With a dollop of cream and some sugar."

"I know." Marley patted her shoulder and went to the counter to order the espresso.

"You're such a wussy coffee drinker." Nicole held up her cup. "Real women take it straight up."

"I'm not even going to touch that statement."

Marley came back with
the
double espresso
,
and
Valentine
downed half of it in one gulp.

"That bad, huh?" Marley asked.

"Worse. My mom's visiting." She dropped her head on the table and banged it
twice
.

"That's so great," Nicole said with her usual bright cheeriness. She was one of the most upbeat people on this planet. If she didn't sell lingerie, she'd be working in Disneyland. "
I
wish
my mom came to visit
."

Valentine and Marley just stared at her.

Nicole shrugged. "Don't look at me like that. Maybe
I'm
the one who has a normal relationship with my parents. Maybe you guys are the dysfunctional
ones
."

"I'm not debating that
.
"
Shaking her head,
Marley
stretched in her seat
. "I'd lose."

"
And
I
know
I'm screwed up."
Remembering the way her mom laid down the law that morning drove Valentine to have another shot of her bitter drink. "I actually contemplated pushing my mom out the window this morning."

"Defenestration is an art." Marley patted her back. "Let me know if you need information on it. I researched it once."

"I'm a bad daughter for even thinking it." Valentine frowned in thought. "Although I didn't have all the information on the situation, so I can't really be blamed for my murderous thoughts."

"And you didn't act on the impulse," Marley pointed out. "I know how much restraint that took."

"I still don't get it," Nicole said. "
So your mom spends the weekend with you and then goes on her merry way
?
This is San Francisco. There are so many touristy things to do that you should be able to keep her occupied
the entire time."

"I
n public,
if
you're worried about murdering her and having an alibi
," Marley added.

Nicole pushed Marley, who just grinned.

"I don't need to murder her, because she may die on her own
.
" Valentine
dropped her head on the table and banged it a couple more times.

"
Stop that.
" Marley hauled her up by her collar.
"
You lose brain cells every time you knock your head. I can see them committing har
a-
kiri with each bonk.
"

"
What do you mean, she
may die
?
" Nicole asked.

"Her heart might explode; at least that's what the doctor thinks."

"Does she have a condition?" Marley asked with a concerned frown.

"She never has, but apparently she's been going off the deep end lately. She arrived looking"
—
frightful, actually
—
"unlike herself. My dad's afraid she's having a breakdown, so he and the doctor encouraged her to come visit me. They think it'll help her get over her depression if she has a project."

"And you're it." Marley winced in sympathy. "Ouch."

"
She
's here to fix my life." Just the thought of what that entailed made the espresso in her stomach churn.

"Is your life broken?" Marley asked gently.

"Yes, according to her." Valentine turned to Nicole. "By the way, you're one of my new clients. Welcome aboard."

"You sound like the Love Boat."

She shrugged. "There are worse things to be associated with."

"As excited as I am to explore these uncharted territories with you, I have one problem with this idea."

"I know, but I'm willing to ignore the fact that you have a boyfriend if you are." Valentine snapped her fingers. "Better yet, we'll match you with him. It'll be win-win for everyone. I'd use Marley, too, but I already matched her to Brian."

"And it was inspired." Marley beamed, glowing the way a young woman in love was supposed to.

"Tell me again why I'm becoming your client?" Nicole said.

"I have to find ten new clients and make a new match to prove I'm worthy, and to give my mom something to do so she doesn't will herself into a heart attack." It all hit her right then, and she slumped in her seat, overwhelmed.

"How long do you have?"

"That doesn't matter, because before I achieve any of those goals my mother will die."

Marley patted her arm. "You'll get it all done quickly.
You rock as a matchmaker. Look at me and Brian.
"

"
That's the thing. I suck at matchmaking.
"
Groaning, she tipped
forward to hit her head
again.

Marley caught her with a palm to the forehead. "You don't suck. You're
brilliant
."

"My sister Isabella is
brilliant
. I suck. I can't match
anyone
to save
a
life." She
worried her grandmother's pearls
. "Which is what it's come down to."

"So why isn't your
sister
the matchmaker?" Nicole said.

"Because they think s
he was born two minutes after me
."

"
I don't understand
," Marley said.

"
For the past five hundred years, the firstborn girl in my family has been a matchmaker. We're the ones who are given the love-inspired name. It's tradition.
N
ot only is it tradition, but all the matchmakers are
good
. They have a sixth sense where love is concerned.
"

"It's like you're mutants," Marley exclaimed.

They looked at her.

"Born with powers beyond that of a human's.
" She waved her hands.
"Just t
rust me. You're a mutant."

"
Except Isabella is the mutant,
" Valentine said,
"
because she has the powers and I don't.
"

Nicole frowned. "
So why are you the matchmaker?
"

"
Because I'm the firstborn
, or so they say. There was a mix-up at the hospital and no one could tell us apart. My mom was the one who declared I was first. So
I got the name and the duties.
" Drooping, she stared at her coffee cup.

Nicole touched her hand. "If you hate it so much, w
hy don't you just
come clean? T
ell your mom
your sister is the love mastermind. You can do something else."

Marley snorted.
"
You're kidding, right?
It's not that simple."

Valentine nodded in agreement. "Especially with my mom teetering on the edge of an emotional breakdown. Disrupting her equilibrium even more will kill her, don't you think?"

Marley nodded. "Might as well pick out a coffin."

"That's what I thought. So I'm
it. I'm the one.
I have to do this or it
'll kill her. There's never been a matchmaking dud in our family.
"

"Until
you
," Marley pointed out.

She gave her so-called friend a baleful look.
"
Thanks for the harsh perspective.
"

Marley grinned. "
What are friends for? So are you saying that Brian and I were a fluke?
"

"My sister
suggested
hooking you two up.
I told her about you and how you like comic books and she reminded me that Brian liked comics, too. It just worked out.
"

"
It really did. I'll have to send her a thank-you card.
"

"
Wait
." Nicole held her hand up.
"Let's recap the situation. Y
our mom
is having a mental breakdown, and so her heart doesn't explode you're going to continue to pretend to be something you aren't
b
y doing something you are no good at doing."

"
Right.
"

Nicole nodded. "
You're
totally
screwed.
"

Valentine
whimpered.

Marley leaned forward.
"
All this time, you've been keeping
your mom
in the dark about your lack of talents by using your sister as a cover?
"

"
Isabella and I have been covering for each other all our lives.
" She shrugged helplessly.
"
She sucked at science and math in school, so on test days, we'd switch classes.
S
he
still
helps me out. Plus she's a stay-at-home mom with a four-year-old and a two-year-old, so
her schedule is flexible enough to be available when I need her
.
"

"
She married young
," Marley commented.

"
The women in my family tend to find their matches young.
"

"
Except you.
"

"
It's like the cobbler's son not having shoes
," she said automatically.