The Matchmakers by Jennifer Colgan Page A

precision born of practice, he filled a dozen wooden
bowls with the snacks, all the while muttering to himself about the inequity of
life. Callie listened to him for a while, annoyance and empathy battling within
her. Farley’s monologue centered on Diane and what Callie guessed was the fight
they’d had the night before. Her plan to get them together over a romantic flat
tire had failed with disastrous results. When she finally knocked on the
oak-paneled wall to get his attention, she’d already banished her own disappointment.
`We’re closed,´ he said as he jammed the plastic lid back on the peanut can. `Happy
hour starts at four o’clock today, last call is at two AM.´ `I’m not here for a
drink. I’m here for a job.´ Farley plunked the heavy can down on the bar,
rattling the brimming bowls. A single peanut jumped ship and rolled an inch or
two away from its bowl. `I’m not hiring.Ćallie lowered her gaze. `Oh.Áll
she really needed to do was work a little magick and suddenly he’d not only want
to hire her, he’d want to sell her the bar and work for her . Considering the trouble she’d already caused in Freya’s
court, she decided this wasn’t the time to force things too much. The cranky
scowl creasing Farley’s ruddy forehead told her even her best befuddlement
might not work. This was a man who’d gotten up on the wrong side of the bed
this morning an empty bed          Callie decided. She’d seen enough
heartbroken mortals to deduce that Diane might be the reason for his pique. `Thank
you, anyway.Śhe turned to go, consoling herself with the statistics. She’d
only been officially on the job for one day so far. A little failure was to be
expected.
                `Have you got experience?´
Farley’s booming voice reached her before she made it to the front door. Callie
only hesitated for a moment before doing an about face. `Two years at Pepe’s
Dockside Bar and Grill in Anaheim.´ Two weeks, actually, but the rest was true.
She’d filled in for Felicia during the girl’s whirlwind romance with Jack. Of
course, Felicia wouldn’t remember the faerie who took over her part time job,
and neither would anyone who’d worked at Pepe’s, but something told Callie
Farley wasn’t really interested in references right now.
      `It’s a temporary position. My head
waitress«is on a leave of absence, but the minute she gets back, you’re out.
Got it?Ćallie nodded. She studied Farley while he swept up the errant
peanut and chucked it in the trash. What had happened to the jovial flirt she’d
met last night? `When do I start?´ The bartender sighed. `Start now. Put these
bowls out on the tables and sweep up the back room. I’ll give you a tour of the
place later, then you can run over to Best Mart and pick up a uniform. The
apron’s free, but the rest you gotta buy yourself. Don’t worry, you’ll make
enough in tips to cover it pretty quick if you’re any good. If you’re still
here a week from now, I’ll order you a t-shirt with our logo on it.Ćallie
grabbed two overflowing bowls and deposited them on nearby tables. `I’m
Calliope, by the way.´ `I remember you. Nick Garrett’s new girlfriend, right?´ `I’m
not his«yes.Ćallie told herself it just made more sense to let people
think she and Nick were a couple. That way he’d be less likely to get
distracted by other women while he was supposed to be concentrating on their
task. Assuming, of course, that he had any intention of concentrating on their
task. While Farley puttered in the office and behind the bar, Callie did as he
instructed. Her gentle attempts to pry some more information out of him about
Diane were met with grunts and grumbles but no concrete facts. By the time he
sent her on her way to Best Mart, she’d learned nothing about why her flat tire
plan seemed to have failed so miserably, except that the name Diane Martin was
not to be spoken in his presence on pain of dismissal. Demoralized, her