Page 15 of Perfectly Matched
“Normally, I do, but this odd-looking thing is not like any burrito I’ve ever seen.”
Payson nodded. “Yeah, I guess it is rather pitiful,” she said as she cocked her head and motioned for them to leave. “But they’re not half-bad.”
Hannah followed Payson out of the breakroom, down the hall, and back to the newsroom. The entire time, she kept her eyes on the unmoving blob that rested on her sagging paper plate. When they returned to their cubicles, Payson took a big bite. “You really don’t have to eat it if you don’t want to,” she mumbled as she chewed.
“We’re eating here? At our desks? Wouldn’t you rather go outside and enjoy the fresh air?”
“Are you kidding me? We don’t have time for that. I always have a working dinner.”
“Oh, I see.” Hannah sank into her chair, tossed the paper plate on her desk, and glanced toward the back door. She rubbed the clamminess off her palms and onto her jeans. The suffocatingfeeling from being inside a building for so long was beginning to feel a bit unnerving. Never in her entire life had she been so absent from nature. She let out a shaky breath as she glanced again at the burrito. Maybe her anxiety had more to do with lack of food then lack of the outdoors. She pulled the plate over for closer observation and unwrapped the tortilla. A smashed dollop of some unrecognizable filling sat on top a spoonful of white rice. She bent and cautiously touched her tongue to the filling and recoiled. “It, uh,” she said as she sat back. “It seems that I’m not quite as hungry as I thought.”
“That’s okay. I’m sorry I don’t have time to get us something more substantial. But you can go out and get something for yourself, if you want.”
As enticing as that thought was, Hannah knew that the moment she walked out of the building, she would never want to step back inside. “No, that’s okay. I’ll be fine.” She stretched her neck to relieve some of the tension. Hopefully, Payson and Madison would kiss tonight, and she would be nestled in her front porch hammock before sunrise.
“Okay. Well, um, why don’t you roll your chair into my cubicle so you can look over my shoulder while I finalize tonight’s rundown.”
Hannah did as she was told. “Is that you?” She pointed to one of three items tacked to the prefabricated wall as she settled her chair behind Payson. It was a photo of a smiling young girl standing between two adults.
“Yes, I was ten. Those were my parents. They both passed away when I was in college. A wrong-way driver hit them head-on late one night when they were on the freeway. I’m an only child, so in a split second in time, I lost my entire family.” Payson gazed at Hannah. “Sorry, didn’t mean to get heavy.” She waved her hand and averted her eyes. “But I, um…I don’t know. I just feel comfortable talking to you, hope that’s okay?”
Hannah felt unnerved and excited that Payson seemed to trust sharing such personal information with her. “Yeah, it’s totally okay. I’m just sorry for your loss,” she said as she thought about her parents. Both were alive and still thriving. She saw them frequently, but truthfully, she felt closer to Oriana then either her mom or dad. And although she too was an only child, her fellow archers took on the roles of brothers and sisters. She felt fortunate that on Archer Island, the definition of family reached well beyond the biological.
Payson nodded. “Thanks. It’s been many years, but there isn’t a day that goes by when I don’t think about them.”
Hannah let a respectful moment pass before she asked, “And who’s that little one?” She nodded toward a picture of a small dark brown terrier mix.
“That was Kona. I lost her last year. She was almost eighteen.” Payson touched her finger to the print and outlined the top of Kona’s head as though she was in a far-off memory. “Do you have pets?” she asked in a soft voice as she grabbed her burrito and took another bite.
“I have a horse. A Friesian. Her name’s Bella,” Hannah answered with pride.
“I’ve always wanted a horse,” Payson mumbled.
“Then why don’t you have one?”
“Because I can’t afford one but mostly…work.”
Hannah nodded. Of the three things Payson had chosen to tack on her little cubicle wall, two were of loss. “And that.” Hannah pointed to the pamphlet.
Payson untacked the brochure, opened it, and handed it to her. “Ten days on a tropical island with nothing but women.” She tapped a picture of a small group dressed in bikinis, laughing around a pool with colorful drinks in hand. “I was supposed to be there this Monday morning. I had money down and everything. But I guess it just wasn’t meant to be.”
Hannah glanced at pictures of a variety of women enjoying food, drinks, water, and land excursions in a setting that reminded her of her home. “Why aren’t you going?”
“Because we’re short-staffed right now, and Jason said he needs me here.” Payson gestured at the newsroom. “Until we can hire another producer. With budget cuts, staffing keeps getting pushed aside as he spends the money on other things. So until then, I’m stuck.”
Hannah’s heart broke for her. Archer Island had a dozen cupids and a handful of understudies who were available at any given time. Hannah could take time off whenever she wanted, but she never did. She loved everything about being a cupid, and she’d never once wished to leave it all behind in exchange for a few days spent somewhere else. Archer Island nourished her soul, and her fellow islanders satisfied everything from friendships to sexual desires. She couldn’t imagine living a life where she feltstuck.
“Anyway.” Payson sighed. “One of these days, I hope to go. I could sure use some time in paradise.”
“I hope so too,” Hannah murmured as she glanced at Payson. She would love Archer Island, Hannah thought as she watched Payson stare at the brochure. Granted, it didn’t have a group of women parading around in bikinis, huts that served tropical drinks, or a pool with a built-in waterfall and slide, but it had everything she thought Payson would love. If not for the law forbidding mortals on the island, and the fact that Payson was destined to be with Madison, Hannah would whisk her away and introduce her to what true paradise was really like.
How fun it would be to introduce her to Bella. Or to swim with her in the lake and then lie out on the bank under the warmth of the sun. Or to sit still in the forest long enough to let nature present itself. But to make that happen, she would haveto go against the very reason she was here. No, she thought as she shook her head. Payson would never know the beauty of the island because her destiny was here with Madison. And it was up to Hannah to make surethatfuture was the one that happened.
“Huh.” Hannah grunted as she was taken aback by her own thoughts. She had never once entertained the idea of bringing a mortal to the island. Why would she? She had never shared even the slightest meaningful conversation with one until now.
Payson gently tacked the brochure back on the cubicle wall as though the paper alone held a magical power that could teleport her to the place. And as she patted the photo of little Kona one last time, Hannah sensed not only a kindred spirit, but someone that she’d really like to get to know.
“Okay,” Payson said as she shoved the last bite of burrito in her mouth and rubbed her fingers on a napkin. “Time to get back to work.” She began explaining all the ins and outs of stacking a rundown for the newscast. She described how the sections were referred to as blocks, designated by commercial breaks. How the first few minutes of the broadcast were the most important because that was where the ratings played a role, and the higher the ratings, the higher the amount they could charge advertisers.