“Dear, could I possibly get you to do something for me?”
On the surface, the question seemed harmless enough, especially when the petite white-haired lady asking it looked like she could have stepped right out of a Norman Rockwell painting. When one actually knew the matchmaking schemer that lay beneath that innocent exterior, though, one learned to pay close attention before committing to anything.
And Nadia Normandy had long ago learned to pay very close attention. Straightening from behind the Heavenly Bites display case in which she was rearranging a tray of cream puffs, she put both hands squarely on the counter and leaned forward to look the older woman straight in the eye. Well, forward and down; Mrs. Beasley was only four foot eleven. “Who is he, Mrs. B?”
Her customer blinked at her through enormous tortoiseshell glasses, her eyes wide with innocence. Considering how much the huge lenses magnified her eyes, they looked very wide indeed. “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.”
“Last time you asked me to do something for you with that little quaver in your voice, I wound up agreeing to a blind date with a carpet salesman who had an absolutely out-of-this-world sweating problem. What was wrong with that poor man anyway? Was it something glandular?”
“My dry cleaner’s son is very nice,” Mrs. Beasley huffed with what struck Nadia as incredibly insincere indignation.
“He used my cashmere scarf to wipe his forehead at dinner. Twice.”
“Yes, but he did offer to get it cleaned for you at his mother’s shop for a fantastic discount.”
“Sorry, Mrs. B.” Nadia bent down to resume working on the cream puffs. “I can find my own dates just fine, thank you.” She’d gotten nibbles from three different prospects this week alone due to all the holiday parties she’d attended. A hunky physical trainer, a Latin musician with a smile to die for, and the third one—what was he again? A dogwalker? Dog trainer maybe? Or maybe he just liked dogs. All she really remembered about him was his great tan because she was impressed that he managed to maintain it so well despite it being the middle of winter. Well, maybe she was more curious than impressed.
The fact that his tan was the only memorable thing about him was a bad sign, though. She’d give him the benefit of the doubt and one date, but somehow she suspected there wouldn’t be a second one.
“Pretty thing like you? Of course you don’t need help finding somebody.” And yet it was impossible to miss the glance Mrs. Beasley gave to the ringless finger on Nadia’s left hand, especially since her eyes were magnified to twice their normal size by her tremendous lenses.
Nadia raised one eyebrow to let her know that she understood exactly what that look meant but chose not to comment.
“And anyway,” the older woman continued, “that wasn’t the kind of favor I was going to ask of you.”
“No?”
“No.”
Closing up the display case, Nadia returned her attention to Mrs. Beasley. “So there’s no man involved in this favor whatsoever?”
“Well…”
Now Nadia raised both eyebrows. “Uh huh, that’s what I thought.”
