Catherine's Book Cafe: Read Sample Chapters - Misfits - Snowflakes and Winter Dreams: Editingle Winter Anthology: Vol 1

Misfits - Snowflakes and Winter Dreams: Editingle Winter Anthology: Vol 1

Misfits by Catherine Edward

Summary

The three cupids Ariel, Carol and Pepper dubbed as the misfits among the other angels have never once succeeded in matchmaking. Their careless mistakes cause a lot of trouble. After continuous failures to bring the potential couples together, they are given one last chance.

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Prologue

“I’m so excited! They look so adorable together.”

Ariel hopped from one foot to the other, clapping her hands excitedly with a soft squeal. Her shoulder-length hair bounced with her movements.

Carol couldn’t contain her excitement either. After all, it was their first victory. Almost.

Ariel’s smile seemed to brighten the entire room and her skin glowed. She tapped her arm in warning to tone it down. They were among the humans, dressed and dolled up for the occasion.

They treated themselves to a glass of champagne, wondering why humans preferred this drink in the first place.

“To our first success.” Pepper lifted her glass, copying the humans nearby.

They clinked their glasses then took a sip, eyes surveying the crowd.

The mission today was very important. A few feet away, their targets sat at a nearby table talking merrily with colleagues. The woman looked so beautiful and Carol would say her skin was glowing with how happy she was at that moment.

The Christmas party was in full swing. People were dancing in groups or as couples. Their chatter was louder than the soft music playing in the ballroom, which was decorated in brilliant shades of red, green, and gold. You could also see a dash of white here and there.

Most of the partygoers were dressed in red or black but there were a few who provided splashes of gold and silver making it absolutely beautiful. While the human way of celebrating Christmas was still new to the three angels, they found it entertaining nonetheless. No one questioned their presence here and didn’t linger too long in one place or stop to strike up a conversation.

They were here for a different reason. Their task was to bring two potential lovers together, work some magic to help them start a new chapter in their life. It was always a joyous occasion when two people came together. The love radiating off, brought so much joy to the angels and hence, they loved this job more than anything.

However, compared to the other angels in this line of work, these three were yet to taste their first success. Coined as misfits among the cupid angels for their clumsiness and reckless behavior since they sprouted wings, this was going to change their reputation. Finally, they’d be able to walk with heads held high.

After tonight, no one will ever call us misfits ever again.

They planned everything so meticulously. Nothing could go wrong. Carol was so confident and it showed in her posture.

When the man stood, Carol nudged the others. It was time. He strode toward the buffet, probably to grab a snack since they had dinner earlier. The woman excused herself from the table to follow him.

Perfect.

He stopped by the desserts, eyes analyzing every option with interest. This was the angelic triad’s chance.

They immediately hurried to their positions, ready to work their magic. A snap of celestial fingers slowed time. He grabbed two plates of fancy-looking cake slices and pivoted on his heel. The woman was getting close.

“Now!”

Carol snapped her fingers, sending gold sparkles around the man with a puff of white smoke. The woman continued to approach him with a bright smile.

Just a few more seconds.

Once their eyes met, the enchantment would click into place. Tension coiled around Carol’s shoulders as she carefully watched, praying to the Father in heaven for everything to go smooth for once.

The corner of Carol’s lip twitched as the targets drew closer with each step. The man averted his gaze for a moment, nodding toward his colleague once.

Anytime now.

She anxiously waited as the seconds ticked away ever so slowly. Just as their eyes were about to meet, someone came crashing into his path.

No!!!

There was no time to correct the mistake. Carol watched in horror as the man and the stranger’s eyes locked. Another woman who should have never been here in the first place stood there in front of him instead of her target in a red dress.

Oh, no!

The magic snapped in place, bewitching them. Her bewildered gaze flicked to Ariel and Pepper demanding answers, only to see Ariel standing up and dusting her dress with a pout on her lips.

They failed again.

Chapter 1

The thing about working in the same office, and also on the same floor, was that everyone knew everything. Who dated whom, the hook-ups, what their pets ate for last night’s dinner, office politics, you name it.

Amanda had a love-hate relationship with her office and by extension, her colleagues. Now don’t get her wrong, she loved working as any workaholic woman in her late twenties did. On the other hand, she might be a special case because she loved her work a little bit too much.

As she struck a glance around her, observing colleagues flitting around, going on and about their Christmas plans and what nots, realized she shared not an ounce of their enthusiasm. It was mid-November and still time for Christmas. One whole month to be specific. She didn’t understand why they got all hyped up now.

It wasn’t that she didn’t like Christmas. She did. It was just that she didn’t have a reason to celebrate anymore.

Christmas used to be fun when her father was alive. They would follow some silly traditions and there was so much joy. After his untimely demise and mom’s remarriage, she just lost her purpose somewhere along the road.

“So Amanda, what are your plans for this Christmas?” Madeline, the ever-nosy neighbor pried.

Ah, there it is. Why did she even think they’d leave her alone?

Amanda shrugged. “Don’t know.”

“Let me guess,” Madeline drawled from where she was perched on her desk. “Cuddling with your cat in the living room, binging on random Christmas movies on TV and probably reading a book.”

She ignored the verbal jab with another shrug. How she spent her Christmas was none of their business. Really.

Amanda forced a tight smile that probably looked constipated while her mind screamed—leave me alone!

“How can you not have any plans for Christmas?” Layla, another co-worker piped into the conversation.

Another shrug was sent her way too. What was wrong with spending Christmas alone? She had done that for the past three years and it was great.

“You have the most boring life I’ve ever known.” Madeline sighed. “Come on, don’t you ever feel the need to get out?”

“I do go out,” she defended.

Was it wrong to enjoy the company of her cat more than anyone else? In her defense, after the last guy, she couldn’t think of wasting her time or energy on anyone else. And didn’t think there was a guy who was worth her time.

“Alone.” Layla pointed out. “You don’t even have a date for this Christmas party. Again.”

Amanda did have friends, but after graduating, all drifted apart and went on with their lives. They spoke occasionally, but weren’t close enough to hang out.

“I don’t see anything wrong in going solo.”

She didn’t. Amanda wouldn’t have found the conversation nosy or intruding if they were truly concerned. She knew what they spoke behind her back. They teased and sometimes even made fun of her lifestyle when she wasn’t around and it hurt.

“When was the last time you’ve been on a date? You’re twenty-eight and it’s sad to see you like this,” Madeline continued.

Amanda sank in her seat, bracing herself for the familiar conversation. It was always the same. Sometimes, she just couldn’t decide if they were actually concerned for her wellbeing or had a different motive.

What should I do?

It wasn’t her fault she was an introvert and had trouble connecting with strangers.

Not that she didn’t try to move on. She did. Really did. Especially with a guy from the office who got along with her over the years. He was always visiting her corner office, bringing coffee and treating her to lunch. He even remembered her favorite appetizer she had munched on several lunches ago.

Greg was a great guy, maybe even a good friend. However, he kept sending mixed signals that confused the heck out of her. At one point, she liked him more than a friend. And would have loved for it to grow into something more, even dreamt of a day he’d ask her out.

However, when he finally did, she couldn’t rejoice. Because two years ago on the supposed first date he ended up flirting with another co-worker and ignored her for the rest of the night. So, she had taken a step back and decided to call it quits.

It shouldn’t hurt the way it did, but had expected more. Whom was she kidding? After going so long without a pinch of affection from the opposite gender, it felt great to have someone’s attention.

So when he appeared super interested in her she hoped it would turn into something more. Only his actions sabotaged everything and Amanda being the cautious woman, decided whatever was going on between them must stop.

Also, even if that date was meant to be platonic, he should have never ditched her like that. He didn’t even have the courtesy to tell her that he found someone else.

Then onward, it was only professional with them. They still talked and went for lunch together, but that was always what they would be.

When the co-workers left her cubicle, a half an hour later, realized she had zoned out for most of their conversation, which in her opinion was good. With a shrug, then got back to work, the only thing she was good at.

Later that night, when lying with her cat curled on her stomach and watching a random movie, she realized how monotonous her life was. It was the same routine every day—wake up, eat, work, snooze around and sleep.

Her life was less complicated this way and was happy. If she looked back, there wasn’t anything that would be missed. Again she wasn’t exactly living a full life per se. Didn’t have any close friends and the occasional hangouts with office buddies didn’t really count. It was too comfortable and just so peaceful however, it could get lonely at times.

Like now when feeling like she could have used the company, she didn’t have anyone. She slowly stroked the fur of her American short-haired cat, Snow while immersed deep in thought.

“I’m lonely, aren’t I?” she questioned.

The cat meowed in response.

She adopted Snow two years ago on a whim. Having the adult cat helped take away some of her loneliness, but she occasionally longed for some human company. How long had it been since she had a heartfelt chat with a friend? Any friend.

She forgot what it felt like to have a normal interaction with a pal. Someone who was always in your corner to talk nonsense and laugh at your silliness, to make fun with and to lean on when she was sad.

It was one of those days she analyzed her life’s choices. Amanda didn’t plan her life this way. It just happened. She guessed the people she once thought of as close friends, all had their own lives to worry about, that they simply had no time for her anymore.

“Why am I like this?” She hit her head with a pillow. “Why can’t I get out and just have a regular life?” She stared at the ceiling. “Why do I have to spend my Christmas alone?”

It was your choice, idiot.

Of course, she preferred to spend it alone instead of spending it with her mom’s new family. Among the things she had to put up with were the step sisters, a real pain in the ass.

She thought about her mother’s nagging concerning her love life, her stepfather’s ‘I-know-the-best-for-you’ talks and her step sisters’ habit of rubbing their successful professional and personal lives in her face. Yeah, she was better off spending it alone.

With an exaggerated sigh, she picked up Snow and headed to the bedroom. Maybe this was for the better. A bookish romance might be the only action she might get for a while. Who was she to deny herself that pleasure?

Snow snuggled into her as usual with another soft ‘meow’ as Amanda settled with her favorite book. However, what should have been a relaxing reading session only seemed to increase her deep-buried longing to be looked at fondly, to have casual, deep thoughtful conversations with someone, and to be held lovingly while she slept.

A tear trickled down her cheek. Is it too much to ask?

To have someone to share a life with; talk, laugh, love, and cherish.

Why was it so hard for her, while others seemed to not have any trouble finding men left, right and center? Were her expectations too high?

Amanda just didn’t know how to find anyone to date. She began to go on occasional evening strolls and took detours to a nearby coffee shop every morning, hoping to run into someone. What more could she do?

How does one find a decent man to date?

She didn’t even want to think about dating apps after a few disasters. At this rate, only a miracle could land her a boyfriend. With a sigh, she directed her gaze towards the ceiling.

“Hey, guardian angels, if you’re listening, give me a boyfriend for Christmas, please. I’m so sick and tired of being alone.”

What am I doing?

She shook her head. Reading all these holiday romance stories lately must have been messing with her mind. With a snort, she looked down to bury her face into Snow’s fur.

“Yeah, big guy, send someone to sweep me off my feet before I grow old and adopt ten more cats.”

Amanda laughed at her silliness before immersing herself in the novel, wondering if she would ever find a man like that.

Chapter 2

As Amanda got lost in reading, a dove flapped its wings outside her window. It cooed incoherent syllables as it flew to the rooftop where its friends were waiting.

The other two birds were alerted to its presence, and after several squawks and coos with a flap of wings, they shifted into their angelic form.

“What the fuck were you saying?” As the first one spat feathers out of her mouth. “It’s been years and we still haven’t perfected our bird language.”

“I said the human sent a prayer,” said the second one.

“What?” The third one gasped.

The second one nodded vehemently. “I heard it with my two ears.”

“Everyone has two ears, you idiot,” the first one snapped. “Tell me everything.”

So the second one delved into the details, briefing the other two about their human charge.

The three worked for Kemuel, the guardian angel in charge of the said human. They were the helper angels who called themselves cupids, because all they did was match make. The three were also concerned because they were deeply in trouble now that the human called out to her guardian angel.

“We screwed up big time.” Pepper, the third one slid down and sat on the rooftop with her back pressed to the wall. They picked up many habits from humans over the years, and it had now become their second nature, like breathing.

“Everything was going great,” Carol, the first one, said accusingly. “But you had to ruin it at the last possible moment.”

With the human population increasing at an alarming rate, the guardian angels were given more humans to take care of and that was where these helper angels came in. Their task was simple. The guardian angels were handed the names of potential love interests their humans had and they just needed to make sure these two individuals met under favorable conditions. Sometimes, even sprinkled a pinch of magic, creating an initial attraction. The rest depended on the humans.

However, these three cupids were notoriously known for their mess-ups. After the first three guardian angels they were assigned to kicked them out, they ended up with the most stoic guardian angel, Kemuel, who was a literal pain in their asses. If they failed this mission, they’d be kicked out again and sadly no other guardian angel would take them in.

“I tripped.” Ariel, the second one, plopped beside Piper with a pout.

The three were excited to have finally been accepted by Kemuel, though he was the hardest angel to work for. When they received Amanda, they were keen to not mess this up under any circumstances.

They had worked diligently to bring Greg and Amanda closer. However, Amanda being like a hermit crab, it took a lot of time, effort, and a shit ton of magic to get her where they wanted. On the other hand, Greg was like a puppet, easy to string along.

Long story short, endless lunch dates later, Greg plucked the courage to ask Amanda out to an office party. The three were elated because they were so close to their first success in almost a century.

So when Greg grabbed two plates of cake, Carol had sprinkled some magic in the air. Just as Greg was about to go toward Amanda, Ariel tripped, accidentally pushing another woman in his direction.

Greg ended up flirting with the woman and Amanda friend-zoned him. Nothing they did had ever worked again. The thing was, though they were angels, they had limits. They could only influence human decisions; use a moment of the target’s weakness to their advantage. A push here and a pull there was enough to get the job done.

“Kemuel is gonna kill us,” Carol groaned.

When he found out about their mishap, he had blown up on them. Because by doing so, they changed someone else’s destiny, thereby initiating several chain reactions. In his fancy language called it the butterfly effect.

The amount of paperwork they had to manage, made them cry out in frustration. Plus the name of a new potential love interest wasn’t easy to come by.

“It has been two years and we are still stuck with this one,” Pepper lamented. Kemuel wouldn’t let them work with any of his other charges.

However, they didn’t have to fret any longer because they saw a white butterfly approaching them.

“Oh, no,” Piper murmured.

“Incoming,” Carol warned.

The butterfly landed on the floor, taking the shape of one particular guardian angel. Kemuel was a man of average height. He stood at five feet nine inches with a lean build and pale skin. His eyes were small, yet sharp like that of a hawk. His straight nose led to a pair of thin lips that were pulled into a tight scowl.

For someone his height, packed one hell of a punch. Well, figuratively. His scowl deepened when his gaze landed on them. Pepper and Ariel jumped to their feet.

“Adapting to a lot of human habits, I see,” he spoke in a lazy tone, eyes looking around. “Nice place.” He sniffed before pinning them on their spot with an intense gaze that was sharper than a knife. “Wanna explain why the human prayed for help?”

All three looked at their feet, hands clasped in front of them.

“We tried,” Pepper answered dejectedly. “She won’t give him any more chances.”

“Because you ruined the moment,” he pointed out. “Humans change their minds in a blink of an eye, which is why our job is important. We have to utilize the right moment for it to work out.”

“We’re sorry,” Ariel apologized. “We will do everything to make this right.”

“This was the same thing you said the last time,” he scoffed.

An awkward silence filled the place before he spoke again. “I’ll give you one more chance.” The three angels squealed only to stop when he lifted a finger, silencing them. “Only because I saw how hard you worked on this and it was an accident.”

“Thank you.” Ariel bounced on the balls of her feet.

“We won’t mess up this time,” Pepper added, with a hand over her heart.

“We promise,” Carol assured, then glanced at the other two before looking at her boss with confidence.

Kemuel pulled a card from inside his pocket. “Do you have any idea how much paperwork goes behind this?”

“We will do our best and stay on guard all the time,” Carol declared again.

“You better be. This is your last chance.” He handed the card to her. “You have until this Christmas to set things right.”

“Thank you! Thank you!” All three bowed excitedly and watched him leave, turning back into a butterfly, flying away.

“That went a lot better than I expected.” Pepper let out a relieved sigh.

“Yeah,” Ariel agreed. “So what do we do now?”

Carol opened the card to see the name. “The usual.” She grinned. “We set them up!”

Chapter 3

Matchmaking was easier said than done. No one knew the hard work these cupids had to do to get their charges onto the boat of romance.

Ariel, Carol and Pepper were following a potential romantic interest of their charge, Amanda, for almost two weeks now. Jordan Lee, a thirty-year-old, handsome Asian-American, who had just moved to Linnesse a couple of months ago.

Since breaking off his engagement six months ago, He hadn’t been in any other relationships and needed to get away from his hometown for a fresh start. This action had led him right to the dynamic trio.

“This man practically lives on coffee.” Ariel scrunched her nose in distaste as the smell of the bitter liquid invaded her senses. She still didn’t understand why humans loved it so much. She preferred sweet things and her first run-in with plain coffee didn’t end well.

“He’s just like Amanda. All his friends are back in his hometown and he hasn’t made any new ones here. He lives alone with his dog named Moon, and relies heavily on takeout,” Pepper read, going through her notes.

“He’s handsome though,” Carol commented. “Just our Amanda’s type.”

Jordan was tall and handsome with a beautiful smile and gentle eyes. His permed black hair fell over his eyes in soft waves. The heavenly trifecta noticed he was also soft-spoken and respectful. However, the problem here was they both had a hermit-crab lifestyle.

It was time to move on to the next step of their plan, now they had Amanda and Jordan’s daily schedule somewhat down to a T. Their task might sound simple, but it was no easy feat. Getting these two strangers to meet and then fall in love was one of the toughest tasks.

Both Amanda and Jordan loved their solidarity. And barely left their apartments if it wasn’t for work or to run some errands. In Jordan’s case, Moon had pulled him out of his apartment twice a day for a walk. As a freelance illustrator and an artist, his workstation was set up in his apartment, which didn’t require him to go out at all.

The cupids carefully analyzed and weighed their options, both lived closer, but the chances of them running into each other were slim. Almost none at this point. So they needed a plan of action, which was why they were following Jordan religiously for days.

It probably was creepy to have three white doves hanging around his apartment all the time, especially in winter. Ariel swore that Moon would one day eat them for dinner. Well, that dog was sneaky and almost grabbed Pepper’s tail feathers when they weren’t being careful and too invested in eavesdropping on one of Jordan’s phone conversations.

As cute as the toy poodle might be, imagine becoming dinner to one of the fur balls these humans deemed harmless. Ariel’s body shuddered at the thought.

They were huddled together in a café with steaming mugs of hot chocolate cradled in their palms. Ariel and Pepper were going back and forth with their ideas, debating the pros and cons while Carol carefully listed the flaws in their plan… when it happened.

The air was suddenly charged with magic and they could almost taste it on their tongue. Every angel had unique magic and this one was a bit too familiar.

In front of them, a woman clad in layers of her winter clothing, grabbed her coffee order from the counter, eyes glued to her phone in the other hand. It was cliché, something they often saw happening in movies, but still, it got the job done.

They watched as the scene unfurled in slow motion. The door to the café opened with a ding of the bell. A man walked into the small establishment typing furiously on his phone.

The woman ran into him, a surprised yelp left her lips and her eyes widened as her coffee slipped from her grip. The phone slipped too, but she deemed saving the phone was top priority since she let go of the coffee and grabbed her phone with dear life. As she did, she stumbled and began to fall backward. But now the man had recovered from his initial shock and was already wrapping an arm around her waist, pulling her toward him and thereby saving her from the fall.

Right then, they heard a magical tingling, too low and inaudible for human senses to pick up. Golden sparkles lit the air in a flourish of pink smoke. The trio scrunched their noses in unison and shared a knowing look.

Victor.

The man and woman’s eyes connected, both stood there being mesmerized by each other’s gaze. It took a few seconds for them to realize their surroundings and the situation they were in.

“I’m sorry. I really should have looked where I was going,” the man was the first to apologize.

The woman smiled. “I’m glad you didn’t.”

The man straightened, finally releasing her as his gaze slid to the ruined coffee that was on the floor. “I’m sorry about that. Let me make it up to you. How about a cup of coffee? I see a table for two with a nice view of the street,” he said pointing at one of the corner tables and sure enough, it had the best view of the street.

Ariel whistled low under her breath. “Smooth.”

However, they didn’t have long before Victor emerged from behind the couple with a grin matching his name. The three cupids scowled, not bothering to hide their displeasure.

The fellow cupid in question was a tiny thing, standing a couple of inches taller than four feet. His short hair was dyed blonde and styled in spikes. Ariel noticed a few pink highlights among the strands. He wore an expensive-looking burgundy suit with diamond cufflinks and several pieces of luxurious jewelry adorned his body.

“Show off,” Pepper mumbled.

Victor was also one with a temper hotter than the Mexican pepper that turned Carol’s face red while running around like a dog with her tongue out. His features contorted as soon as his gaze landed on them.

“Ah, here to take notes from me again?”

Ariel narrowed her eyes. The other two pursed their lips and fists clenched under the table. He loved to rub his success in other cupid’s faces. Why wouldn’t he? The shiny star badges that lined the lapel of his jacket were testaments to his achievements as a star cupid. There was none like him.

“Believe it or not, you were just the angels I wanted to see today,” he continued, ignoring their reactions as usual.

Victor was one of the most successful cupids in the market with the highest success ratio and was also the most demanded among the guardian angels. In contrast, this trio of misfits were the troublemakers and yet to have their first success. He never failed to rub that in their faces whenever he ran into them.

Rumors among the angels claimed that Victor would be promoted to a guardian angel as reward for his achievements. It shouldn’t bruise their ego, because the man was a legend with over a thousand successful matches under his belt.

“Had a nice little chat with Raphael on my way here actually. The poor thing needs more subordinates and I took the liberty to recommend your names.” Victor smiled slyly. “You can thank me later.”

“What?” the three asked in unison, eyes wide as they let his word sink in.

Raphael was one of the low-level angels who was tasked with taking care of the animals, especially the endangered species. Yes, animals had guardian angels too. However, the position wasn’t something an angel of their caliber looked forward to. Only misfits and the ones who flunked were sent to Raphael. In short, he got the worst end of the stick.

While the trio had nothing against Raphael, they certainly didn’t wish to end up with him. That would be a disaster.

“So excited, I see.” Victor clapped his hands in glee. “I knew you’d be happy. Raphie was delighted as well.” He laughed and his eyes landed on their notes. “I see you’re working hard. When you have failed this task and Kemuel kicks you out, at least you can go to Raphael.”

“We aren’t going anywhere,” Pepper hissed.

Victor shrugged nonchalantly. “Just sayin’.”

They wanted to say more, tell him they wouldn’t fail this time. But Victor was already backing out of the café with that stupid knowing smile of his. In the corner of the café, the newly met couple were laughing with each other, blissfully ignorant of everything that happened around them.

Ariel’s features tightened with determination. They wouldn’t fail this time. And would succeed even if it cost them Pepper’s tail.

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