The Fairy-Tale Matchmaker (19 page)

“I think you're right,” Cory said. “I met a former flower fairy recently who said that her guild hounded her, too. She told me that the guilds all stick together.”

“Well, I've never been a guild member and I never want to be!” said Selene. “It sounds as if they can be really nasty if you cross them.”

“Which flowers can I take?” Wanita asked, holding up her basket.

“Whichever ones you want,” said Cory.

“Can I have some, too?” asked Felice. “I'd like to put them by the entrance to our den.”

Cory laughed, happy to have fewer plants to move. “Be my guest. Would you like some as well?” she asked the genie.

“I'm tempted, but I really shouldn't,” he replied, tugging the iguana back with its leash. “Boris would eat them and get sick to his stomach.”

“This is very kind of you,” Wanita said as she filled
her basket. “And I've made a habit of rewarding kindness. Is there anything I can do for you in return?”

“Not really,” said Cory. “But I'll let you know if I think of something.”

After her neighbors had taken some of the plants, Cory transplanted the rest to the sunny side of the house. It took her most of the day, with only a short break for lunch. Noodles waddled around the yard, nibbling grass and starting a hole by the garden shed. He seemed to enjoy spending the day outdoors, but Cory's knees and back hurt by the time she was finished.

That night Cory left early for the Shady Nook with her uncle Micah, who wanted to hear the band play. Cheeble, Olot, and Chancy were there when they arrived and had already unloaded Cory's drums from Olot's cart. She was checking her drums, making sure everything was the way she wanted it, when she saw Marjorie come in and take a seat by the stage. A few minutes later Olot introduced the band and Cory became lost in the music.

They started with “Morning Mist,” earning even bigger applause than when they'd played it at Sprats'. The clapping had scarcely died down when they began to play “Rebirth,” a song that carried the audience from autumn through spring. “Owl Goes A-Hunting” brought the night sounds of the forest into the restaurant, ending
with the squeak of a captured mouse. More than one person jumped in his seat, as startled as the mouse, then laughed at his own reaction. “Storm-Chased Maid” brought the audience to their feet and some of them began dancing. After playing “Shooting Stars,” the band finally took a break.

“Perky, come with me,” Cory said, gesturing to the elf before he could leave the stage. “There's someone I want you to meet.”

Perky's eyes lit up when he saw Marjorie. She welcomed him to her table, and Cory excused herself, thinking that she might find Johnny Blue. He wasn't there, however, and she was surprised by how disappointed she felt. She'd been so certain he'd come to hear Zephyr as he had when they'd played at Sprats'.

Cory was headed into the back room to get a drink of juice when she bumped into Daisy. They went in together and got their juice before taking seats in an out-of-the-way corner. “How are things with you and Peterby?” Cory asked before taking a sip. “Has he freed any unicorns lately?”

Daisy shrugged. “Probably. He's in the Blue Forest now. Yesterday he heard that Prince Rupert had a unicorn in his menagerie, so he went to free it. When we started dating, I didn't know he was going to be gone most of the time.”

“If he's freeing unicorns …,” said Cory.

“I know, I know. He has to go where the unicorns are held, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. That's all right. I already have a new boyfriend. He works for one of the guilds, so he spends most of his time in town.”

“What does he do?” Cory asked.

“Security,” said Daisy.

Olot appeared in the doorway and waved to them. “Come along, ladies. Our break is over.”

Cory and Daisy drained their drinks and hurried after him. “We'll talk later,” Daisy said as they approached the bandstand.

When everyone had returned to the stage, they played more of their older songs, starting with “The Last Flight of Silver Streak.” Cory had a long solo in “Thunder's Clap” with Cheeble stepping in now and then to wave a big sheet of metal, creating the rumble of thunder. People got up and danced during most of the last set, so the band ended with a slow song, “Dusk in the Meadow,” inviting more couples to dance.

Cory felt exhilarated when they finished playing. The audience had loved their music, Zephyr had played their very best, and she had enjoyed herself tremendously. She was so excited that she wanted to talk to someone about it, and noticed that Perky was talking to Marjorie, and Daisy was talking to Micah, Olot, and Chancy. Before
she could join them, however, she had to take care of her drums.

She had just finished covering her drums when a waitress who had been talking to someone near the stage turned suddenly and bumped into her. A glass of raspberry juice fell over on her tray, dumping its contents on Cory.

“I'm so sorry!” the waitress cried.

“It's all right,” said Cory, examining the damp spot on her shirt. “Just tell me how to get to the washing up room so I can clean this off.” Cory left and was back only a few minutes later, but when she looked for her friends, the only ones left were Olot and Chancy.

“Where did everyone go?” she asked Chancy.

“They left just a minute ago,” said Chancy. “We thought you'd already gone.”

Feeling let down, Cory left the Shady Nook and turned toward home. She was too excited to fly straight there, so she decided to walk, hoping she might run into her friends on the way. Although it was after midnight, the streets were still bustling with people enjoying the cool night air. Cory was passing Sprats' restaurant when she noticed a sign on the door announcing that Johnny Blue was appearing there solo that night.

That's why he didn't come to hear us
, she thought, feeling oddly relieved. There was no one at the door to seat
her, so she slipped inside and stood near the back of the room. Johnny was perched on a stool in the middle of the stage, playing a song that was so beautiful she was entranced within moments. When he finished playing, the restaurant was completely silent until suddenly the applause began and everyone was on their feet. Johnny looked up and grinned. “Thank you,” was all he said before leaving the stage.

Johnny was on his way to the office in the back of the restaurant when Cory started toward him. When he stopped to speak with someone, she hurried to get closer and was at arm's length when he finally noticed her.

“Cory! What are you doing here? I thought Zephyr was playing at the Shady Nook tonight.”

“We were, I mean, we did,” she told him. “We finished just a little while ago.”

“In that case, why don't you join me for a late supper? Unless you aren't hungry.”

“I'm hungry, all right,” said Cory. “I haven't had much to eat today.”

Many of the restaurants' patrons had left when Johnny finished playing, so they didn't have any trouble finding a table. Cory was delighted when he pulled a chair out for her, something Walker had never done. “How did it go?” he asked as he sat down. “Did you like playing at the Shady Nook?”

“It was fantastic!” said Cory. “I think it was the best we've ever played, and the audience loved us and my solo went off perfectly and … Wait! Here I am talking about my playing when I really wanted to tell you how much I loved yours. I heard only the last song, but it was so beautiful!”

“Thank you!” he said, giving her a warm smile. “I wrote it myself. I'm sorry I missed hearing you play tonight. Maybe next time …”

A waiter appeared at the table and they sat back in their seats while he placed menus in front of them. He was just walking away when a beautiful blond-haired girl only a little older than Cory appeared.

“Johnny? Johnny Blue? Is that really you? I'm sure you don't remember me, but my family used to live just down the lane from yours. I'm Mary Lambkin. When I was a young girl, you had a black sheep and one summer you got three bags of wool from it. You gave one to the man you were working for, one to your mother, and one to me. That wool changed my life.”

“I remember that!” said Johnny. “What did you do with the wool?'

“I washed it and carded it and spun it into yarn. That wool is what started my interest in fashion. I have my own company and … oh, do you mind if I sit down?” she said, turning to Cory.

“Not at all,” Cory said, although she really didn't like the way the girl had intruded and wished she would go away.

The girl gave her a bright smile and took a seat between Cory and Johnny. Turning her back to Cory, she continued to tell Johnny Blue about how much the gift of wool had meant to her.

“We were about to order supper,” Johnny said when the waiter stopped to see if they were ready. “Would you like to join us?”

“I'd love to!” she replied. “I just need a moment to look at the menu.”

Cory's heart sank as the waiter walked away. Up until then, she had assumed the girl would leave at any moment, but now she knew that wasn't going to happen. The more Mary Lambkin talked about old times, the more left out Cory felt. When the waiter came back again, Cory set her menu on the table and pushed back her chair. “I'm sorry, it's getting late and I'm going to have a busy day tomorrow. Thank you for inviting me to stay,” she told Johnny. “Enjoy your supper,” she told them both.

Cory walked away, thinking that Johnny and Mary Lambkin were really hitting it off, but when she glanced back and saw the way he was watching her instead of the girl sitting beside him, Cory wasn't so sure.

Once in a while Cory's visions came in her sleep. The only reason she knew they were visions and not dreams was that she was able to remember them so well the next day. That night she had a vision of a girl she thought might be Red Riding Hood and a boy who could perhaps be Jack Nimble, although their faces were so blurry that she couldn't be sure. Even so, she was already planning to send messages to both Priscilla Hood and Jack Nimble when she left her bedroom that morning. It took her only a few minutes to write them. When she went to send the messages, she found that one had arrived the night before while she was out. Doris Dumpty wanted Cory to babysit from eleven to five.

“I can babysit today,” Cory told Noodles, “but I'm going to have to decide if I really want to be a babysitter
or what.” Zephyr had played even better than they'd hoped at the Shady Nook, and were actually starting to make money. There was a chance that she could quit doing her odd jobs altogether and concentrate on her music. In a way the thought delighted her, but in another way it didn't feel quite right. She loved playing with the band, certainly more than she'd liked collecting teeth, but was it really helping anyone? Cory hadn't left the TFG because of money, although that had been part of it.

Cory sent a message back to Mrs. Dumpty, saying that she would be there at eleven. Two other messages arrived as Cory was turning away. The first was from Priscilla, thanking her for finding someone so quickly, and saying that she wondered if Cory could meet her at the park at five thirty. The other message was from Marjorie. Cory was certain that her friend was going to have only good things to say about Perky, but she was wrong again.

Cory sighed. It sounded as if Marjorie wasn't planning to give Perky a chance. But then, maybe they really
weren't
right for each other. She sent a message to Marjorie saying that she would keep looking.

The finch on the mantel sang the half hour, reminding Cory that it was almost time to leave. In order to show the mice to Humpty, she'd have to take the pedal-bus instead of flying. If Mrs. Dumpty was back by five o'clock, Cory could take the bus to the park and still get there with time to spare.

Cory arrived at the Dumptys' house precisely at eleven, but Mrs. Dumpty was already in a hurry to leave. Holding up the shoe box, Cory said, “Before I see Humpty, I want to ask you if it's all right if I—”

“I'm sure it's fine, whatever it is,” Doris Dumpty said, checking her reflection in the mirror on the wall as she pinned a tiny saucer-shaped hat to her hair. “I'm having lunch in town with RJ, then going shopping with some friends. Humpty has been waiting for you all morning. You two have fun today! Bye!”

Mrs. Dumpty was gone before Cory could say anything more. “I tried!” she told herself as she started toward Humpty's room.

The little boy was sitting on his bed with a book
open in front of him. “Did you bring the mice?” he asked. “I found a story you could read to them. It's about a mouse that pulls a thorn out of a big cat's paw and they become friends. I have some other books they might like, too.”

“I have the mice right here,” Cory said, sitting down beside him. “We have to be careful when we open the box. You don't want them to get loose.”

“Ooh!” Humpty said as Cory lifted the lid. The little mice were nibbling some cereal she'd given them and they turned toward Humpty when he cooed. “Can I hold one?” he asked, his hand hovering above the box.

“I don't know why not,” said Cory. “I've been handling them ever since I brought them home, and they've never tried to bite me. Just be gentle.”

Humpty reached into the box and lifted out one of the mice, holding it ever so carefully. Cory smiled when she saw the look of delight on his face and decided that taking the pedal-bus just so the little boy could see the mice had been worth it.