Celebration's Bride. Nancy Robards Thompson

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      “Why couldn’t you tell A.J., Pepper and Caroline?” Maya asked. “Your friends would be happy for you. They wouldn’t hold you back if this were truly your path. Unless you don’t really want to leave?”

      Sydney didn’t answer.

      Maya averted her gaze to the bubbles in the chocolate and quickened the pace with which she stirred. She grabbed a pinch of cinnamon and dropped it into the pot. Its coppery, sienna color stood out against the dark, rich brown of the chocolate, forming a rough design that made Maya do a double take.

      Interesting…

      She watched the image shift as the liquid boiled. She never knew when or how the sign would present itself. Sometimes the message came on the wind, other times—like now—it registered itself randomly, as it seemed to be doing in the chocolate. There was no way to predict it. But when it turned up it was unmistakable.

      Maya’s breath caught and her heartbeat quickened as she stole a glance at Sydney, whose sad eyes revealed more than Maya was sure Sydney wanted to tell.

      Maya just needed to be sure this was indeed the sign. So she added a small pinch of cayenne pepper to the pot.

      And there it was. As plain as if someone had handed her an engraved note.

      Sydney was next. She was the intended.

      The realization sent shivers of delight skittering through Maya. In addition to being a third-generation chocolatier, Maya was un marieur. A matchmaker. It was an avocation of sorts…. She would confess it really was her passion. Making and selling chocolate put food on her table, but bringing soul mates together fed her soul.

      “Why is your heart set on leaving Texas?” Maya asked as she removed the pot from the flame.

      “I get this way every so often,” Sydney said. “I must have a bit of gypsy in me because sometimes the urge to move on to somewhere new is consuming.”

      Sydney sounded more sure of herself than she had before, but Maya still detected the false bravado hiding beneath the polished veneer. “It’s the same restlessness that drew me away from St. Michel to Texas.”

      “And now you want to come back to St. Michel?” Maya raised a brow at her friend as she carefully poured the thick liquid from the shiny copper pot into two demitasse cups. “As I recall, there was a man involved when you moved last time. Is that the case now?”

      “No. All I’ve done since I’ve been in Celebration is work. I haven’t had time for a man. That’s part of the reason I want to move on.”

      Maya studied the jars of special herbal mixtures on the shelf above her head. She sensed that all-work-and-no-play Sydney just might need a little something to wake her up. Something to help her recognize that opportunity might not necessarily come calling in the form of a job offer from the Royal House of Founteneau.

      Maya had a gut feeling the opportunity that the sign foretold would present itself in a much sexier manifestation. But Sydney needed to slow down, to light in one place long enough to give her future time to take root.

      Maya didn’t make this stuff up. She was simply the messenger. And it was clear to this courier that she had a life-changing message to deliver.

      She pushed the small cup across the marble counter to Sydney, who accepted it with a grateful smile.

      “Mon amie,” Maya said, her cup poised midair just before her first sip. “What are you running from?”

      Sydney sampled the drink. Maya glimpsed a thoughtful look in her friend’s green eyes a split second before she closed them to savor the treat. When Sydney opened her eyes, she said, “I’m not running from anything.”

      She smiled and tilted her head ever so slightly to the right. If Maya didn’t know better, she might’ve been fooled by her friend’s resolute facade. She wasn’t about to let her get away with this charade.

      “Then what are you running to?” Maya asked.

      A little laugh escaped Sydney and her fingers fluttered to her lips. “What is that supposed to mean?”

      Maya took down a glass plate from a shelf behind the counter. “So you answer my question with a question?” She filled the plate with several truffles and chocolate-dipped Madeleines, specialties of the house. “If you’re not running from something, that must mean you are running to something.”

      Sydney wrinkled her nose. “No, I’m not doing that, either.” She set her cup on the counter and crossed her arms over her middle. Maya recognized the defensive body language for what it was. However, if the young woman hadn’t wanted her help, then she wouldn’t have come into the shop so eager to share the details of the job prospect that she was taking such great pains to hide from those closest to her. Maya owed it to Sydney to give her the advice she sought. Even if her friend didn’t seem to like the answer or seem consciously aware that she was seeking counsel.

      “Au contraire, mon amie. How will you ever meet your soul mate if you don’t stay in one place long enough to unpack?” Maya set the plate of sweets in front of Sydney. “I am afraid what I have to say isn’t what you want to hear. However, I implore you. It will be a grave mistake if you leave Celebration, Texas, now. Because your soul mate will arrive soon looking for you.”

      Chapter One

      It was going to be one of those days. Sydney James could already tell. Her return flight from St. Michel to Texas, after her whirlwind trip to interview for the job of press secretary to St. Michel’s royal family, had been delayed six hours. Three hours in the terminal and three hours stuck on the runway.

      Much of that time had been the middle of the night in Texas, and a good portion had been spent in the air where she couldn’t use her cell phone, anyway. All she’d been able to do was leave a message that she was going to be late for work—several hours late.

      She’d been vague about her plans for the weekend, opting not to tell anyone about the job interview until she had a better handle on whether she even wanted the position. And, of course, whether the job wanted her. For that reason, she’d never been happier to talk to a voice mailbox. Voice mailboxes didn’t hammer her with questions.

      Thursday, when she’d left Texas, she’d driven herself to the airport and left her car in long-term parking so she wouldn’t have to bother anyone for a ride to and from Dallas/Fort Worth International. Once she was back on Texas soil, she’d rushed to her car to get back to the office. Now she sat parked in front of Celebrations, Inc., Catering Company. Before she went in, she needed to catch her breath and make herself presentable. Running on little sleep for the better part of the past twenty-four hours, she looked like hell. She studied her reflection in her compact mirror. She had dark circles under her eyes, which made her irises look a peculiar shade of olive rather than their usual medium green, and her face looked drawn and pale. She reapplied powder, blush and lipstick with the silent prayer that maybe, just maybe, she could make herself look halfway human.

      Fat chance, she thought as she snapped the compact closed. The camera never lied.

      Since it was already noon and she’d missed her call time by several hours, she hoped they’d greet her with the news that they needed time to regroup and wanted to reschedule the scenes СКАЧАТЬ