Page 11 of Okay, Cupid

Richard looks at me, his gaze both comforting and judgmental. And Leah … I know that she loves me, she’s never really made me question that. But she takes her duty as a Cupid seriously. When I told her what happened with Leo, it was like I broke her heart.

“I was there, I was doing my job. I had everything set up.” I look down at the table because I can no longer handle looking at either of them. I wipe my hands on my skirt, my palms getting sweaty again. “And, well … someone was there.”

“This person being …” Richard prompts.

I gnaw at my bottom lip, pulling the skin with my teeth before I curse myself. I pay too much money for my favorite moisturizer to be chewing my lips to shreds.

The name finally slips out. “It was Leo.”

Neither of their expressions change, confirming that they both already knew. Cal reaches over slowly, his hand on my back simply to remind me that he’s there.

“I didn’t mean for it to happen; I didn’t expect him to be there. But he was, and it threw me off. I just … I couldn’t be there anymore.”

“Jude, I thought that we’d worked past—” Leah begins to say, but Richard holds his hand out to stop her.

“So, you now see the full consequences of getting so close to a human?” he asks.

I nod.

“We are meant to help the humans, and then walk away. That’s all.”

“I know.”

“Good.” Richard clears his throat. “Our emotions can run rampant if not controlled. Sometimes, they can control us. We’re meant to be better than that.”

“I know,” I repeat.

“And yes, you succeeded at what you were tasked with, but at the expense of your emotions.”

“I kno—” I start to say again because these are the words he wants to hear. But then his words click. “Wait. What did you say?”

“That you succeeded?” Richard smiles. “Caught that, did you?”

“Seriously?”

“Despite you leaving early, Claire and Henry still reached for their drink at the same time, just as you intended. I’ve always liked that idea; it’s a classic.” Richard smiles softly. “They had a spirited conversation afterward. They’re meeting up after work for drinks.”

“Jude!” Cal reacts before I have the time to. “You did it!”

“I did it?” The words are still coming slow. “I actually did it?”

“We still need to work on how you control your emotions, Jude,” Leah reminds me. “If you’re still this raw even after all this time, then perhaps it’s for the best that we pull you back in. Additional training, maybe even relocation so the chances of you seeing this boy go from minuscule to impossible.”

Relocation? I’ve heard the word thrown around every few years. It makes sense; we’re needed at different places. But Leah always argued that giving a Cupid a place to call home was better than shifting us around for our entire adolescences. I’ve lived in the Bay Area for my entire life, and the idea of living anywhere else, or being somewhere without Cal …

I don’t want to think about that.

“Relocation isn’t necessary,” Richard tells all of us, and I wish it didn’t feel like there’s still a ball that’s about to drop. “I believe in Jude and their abilities.”

Leah doesn’t say anything, though I know she wants to.

“Look,” Cal says, “Jude was able to get not one but two couples together in the same day. Shouldn’t that mean they’re off probation?”

“Well,” Richard says, “I will admit that it could’ve been cleaner. And Leah isn’t wrong; it’s clear that Jude is still working through something here. But they were successful, I can’t deny that. And, perhaps more importantly, they won the bet for me.” Richard steals a look at Leah. “You owe me twenty dollars.”

“I’ll pay you later,” she grumbles.

“You bet against me?” I can’t believe it.