Arrow to the Heart: A Cupid Romance

Chapter 28

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I must admit, when Dec told me he needed me to serve as bait to lure out my Cupid stalker, I wasn't exactly thrilled at the prospect. But then I gave it some thought and realized that maybe it was exactly what I needed. Dec and I have been getting closer and the feelings are very... confusing.

What I need is a distraction. I need to prove to myself that there are other fish in the sea—available, human fish.

But now that we're here and he's going over the plan, I'm realizing that this isn't exactly a distraction from Dec as much as having him in my ear for an entire night.

"Why do I have to wear this again?" I ask, holding the earbud in my hand.

"We need to be able to communicate with you while you're in there," Dec says. "We're gonna have to talk you through it so we can make sure his attention is on you."

"So you can steal his phone?" I ask.

"Yep." He taps at my phone with a frown, then taps at his. "Put it in."

I put the earbud in my ear and Dec passes me my phone.

"Just keep it in your pocket, don't hit any buttons." He raises his own phone to his ear, then speaks into it. "You hear me?"

I nod.

"Wait a minute," I say. "Is this why Eli had his earbuds in during our date? Were you listening in?"

"Guilty," Eli's voice chimes through the earbud. "But in my defense, it was his idea."

"You spied on our date??" I ask, shooting Dec a glare.

"You do realize that's literally my job, right?" Dec says with a raised brow.

"Well... okay, good point."

"Okay kids," Eli interrupts, "no time to fight right now. We've gotta get you inside before he spots you with either of us."

"Oh okay, so I just... go in there? By myself?" I gesture over to the entrance to the piano bar that they've chosen as the backdrop for our little spy operation.

"Just go in, sit down at the bar, and order a drink," Dec says, giving me a soft pat on the shoulder. "We'll be listening the whole time and I can tell you what to do."

He taps his ear.

"Yeah, you know what, that's a good point. I guess it's kind of like having my own Cupid dating coach, right? Maybe you can help me flirt. I feel like I always suck at flirting, so you can give me some pointers."

Dec's brow creases slightly and I hear Eli snicker on the other end of the phone.

"Sure," Dec says, sweeping his hair back and slipping on a knit hat. "Better hurry."

He gestures me forward, so I head into the bar.

As far as bars go, it's not a terrible one. Usually they're really loud, with raucous frat boys high-fiving while watching sports and music blasting over the speakers. This place is really nice. There's a grand piano on a platform in the center of the room where a man in a black button-up shirt and slacks is playing a soft jazz song. It's relatively busy, but the crowd is relatively subdued and it's quiet enough for conversation.

I sit down on a velvet upholstered stool at the bar and slip off my coat.

"That's quite a dress," Eli says over my earpiece. I can hear a smile in his voice, but I'm not sure what it means.