Color Me Love (3 page)

I
hung my head. I knew she was right. This was Erin’s business and Joel was for
someone else. After all, he had answered the online hookup form that was a
requirement before Erin would agree to interview suiters and set them up on
dates with clients.

This
particular client was hush, hush. Even Erin wouldn’t tell me who she was. All I
knew was the client was a woman, very picky, private, and liked tall men. I was
to go in based on the client’s criteria and try to pick the best auras for her
type.

This
was the tricky part. I had to see the auras of both people in order to match
them up. Erin said that this particular client refused for anyone to know but
Erin. Erin and I generally didn’t keep secrets between us or so I had thought.

I
opened the back door to the alley that ran behind the strip mall stores. There
was a delivery truck parked between the senior center and The Surplus Store.

“Hi,
Vive.” I stopped to talk to Vive Kapila who owned The Surplus Store. I gestured
toward the boxes the delivery guy was stacking up. “New shipment?”

“Ah,
honey, we’ve got the best Valentine’s special.” Vive said, winking while
pulling her gum out of her mouth like a taffy puller, and wrapping it around
her finger. “You should come on in and have look.”

I’ll
never forget the first time I walked into The Surplus to check out the
different types of mace. Vive was behind the counter chomping on gum and filing
down her long, hot pink nails. She was definitely attractive with her long
black locks, but the puff of hair gathered at the top looked like Snookie from
The Jersey Shore and needed to go.

“You
really need to upgrade your defense spray to the new improved formula.” She
used her nail as a knife and slit the box right open. She pulled out the
smallest gun that would fit in the palm of my hand.

I
backed away. Anything that resembles a gun freaks me out and she knew it. Last
year I was held at gun point, but the mace Vive had sold me came in handy and I’d
sprayed his ass. It held him until Cop Carl got there to take him away.

“Hold
on.” She gripped the gun. “This looks like a gun, so it can scare the hell out
of someone, but the grip is easier to spray than the can.”

Vive
demonstrated the grip, doing her best Charlie’s Angels impression, but it still
made me nervous.

“I’m
telling ya, ya need to get this one.” Vive took a closer look at the small mace
gun. “I’m even thinkin’ about gettin’ one.”

Vive
pointed the gun at the delivery truck and peered down the sights before putting
it back in the box.

“I’ll
think about it,” I said. “I’m going to get a cup of coffee, do you want one?”

The
Coffee Shop was next to The Surplus and had pretty good coffee.

“Naw.
I’ve had my Mountain Dew this morning.” Vive said, waving before she walked through
the back door of The Surplus.

After
getting my large cup of coffee, I went back into Color Me Love to start the job
Erin had hired me to do.

Read
auras.

Three

Focus,
focus
.
I reminded myself as I stared through the glass ogling Joel’s luminous blue
aura.

I
had to get a grip. This guy was perfect for Erin’s client, even though I’d
never seen her client because of the hush order, but I knew the personality
traits, which sounded a lot like my own.

But
that blue aura got me every time. I think it had to do with my dad’s magenta
aura. After he left us because of my reading colors and calling me crazy, I
vowed never to love a man in my life with a magenta aura.

It’s
not a bad aura, but accurate for my dad. He was free spirited, he didn’t like
to conform, and living in Park City wasn’t a place where we could freely talk
about our gift. The more he tried to threaten me to keep quiet, the stronger my
gift of reading auras got.

Shortly
after dad left, my momma left, causing me to hate my gift and anyone with a
magenta aura. I’ve seen neither hide nor hair of them since.

It
wasn’t until Aunt Matilda explained how I could use my aura to pick my friends,
boyfriends, and even jobs. Only she didn’t tell me that auras collide and that
I’d pass out.

My
teachers thought I was shy because I did not make eye contact, when in reality,
I’d pass out in the middle of class if I didn’t keep my head down. Aunt Matilda
wasn’t going to let me stay out of school. She told me I had to learn to live
with it because it was just who I am.

That
was why Splitsville.com and the gig at Color Me Love were perfect for me.

And
Joel’s blue aura was perfect. . .perfect for Erin’s client. Anyone in their
right mind would love to date and marry a person with a blue aura. Not to
mention Joel was six feet four, no bigger than a cake of soap, but looked great
in his jeans and waffle thermal tee. Plus our eyes matched.

There
was no way I was giving this one away. I had to find out who Erin’s client was.

“Wait!”
I screamed when Joel stood up. Fortunately he couldn’t hear me behind the
mirror, but Aunt Matilda shot the secret glass a look.

Funny
how Aunt Matilda could feel me.

Joel
shook Aunt Matilda’s hand and held the door for another potential suitor before
he walked out.

In
my little room, Erin had left a sheet of paper listing the names of ten
potential dates for her client and a place for me to write notes about their
auras. Next to each name were three different boxes. A yes, no, or maybe.

I
ran my finger down the list until I came across Joel. I picked up the ink pen
and quickly checked the no box.

“So
what did you think about Joel?” Erin asked, walking in the room and shutting
the door behind her.

“Not
much.” I played it off and squinted, looking at the dirty blonde long-haired
guy sitting down at Aunt Matilda’s table.

I
didn’t want to look at Erin or she’d know something was up. That was one
problem with being best friends since we were kids. She knew me better than I
knew myself.

Erin
peered over at the sheet and asked, “You checked no? Really?”

I
pretended to make notes on the orange aura guy. There was no way I’d go out
with him. Orange auras have too much daredevil in them for my taste. Hell, I
was too scared to use my real name on Splitsville.com, much less jump out of airplanes
as most orange auras did.

“Orange
aura guy.” I tapped the end of my pen on the glass. “What’s his name?”

I
wanted to make sure that I made the right notes on the right name.

“Buddy.”
She handed me Buddy’s profile.

“Real
name William, but goes by Buddy. Interesting.” I made another note to find out
how he got that nickname.

I
never really understood that. If you name was William and your job didn’t rely
on protecting your true identity, why would you change it to something like
Buddy? Really!

“Hi,
this is my Buddy.” I said to Erin as though I was introducing the imaginary
person next to me. “What kind of name is Buddy?”

“This
isn’t Splitsville.com. I hired you to read auras so we can pick the best
possible love interest for the client.” Erin pointed out the facts and put me
in my place.

“Fine.”
As hard as I tried to put Joel’s aura out of my mind and focus on Buddy’s
orange one, the more Joel’s green eyes were stamped in my mind. “How can I pick
this client’s perfect date if I don’t see the actual client’s aura?”

I
knew it was sneaky, but I did have to keep Joel’s best interest at heart.
Especially since he sported the aura I loved so much.

“I
gave you her profile workup.” Erin picked it up off the table and handed it to
me. “Didn’t you read it?”

Of
course I read it. Super secret client sounded a lot like me. Not exactly, but
very similar. Either way, I wasn’t going to be handing over Joel’s blue aura
without a fight.

Erin
read the client’s personality traits off one by one, “Will do anything for
family and friends, hard worker, loves animals, not a neat freak, sensitive.”

Stop!
Okay, so maybe with Splitsville.com I’m not so sensitive, but I knew the blue
aura was for me.

Plus
I definitely wasn’t a neat freak. That was one thing that I’ve always struggled
with. Okay not struggle, but loathed. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not dirty. Just
sloppy.

Aunt
Matilda cleaned my house ounce, and it took me days to find my tennis shoes.
Granted the tennies were in the closet where most people keep their shoes, but
I’ve never put them in the closet. One next to the kitchen stove and one under
my office desk was exactly where they should be when I need them.

“Fine.”
Erin put her hands on her hips. “Act like we are trying to find a date for you.
Then pick the guy.”

“No
way” … I looked through the one-way glass at Buddy…“Would I ever date an orange
aura.”

A
daredevil I was not.

“What
about Joel?” Erin pointed to the paper where the box was checked no. “He seemed
fairly normal. Did you see those green eyes?”

Did
I? I would be dreaming about those for years.

“I’m
not here to judge on looks, remember?” I couldn’t let on that Joel was even on
my radar. “I’m here to judge on aura and aura alone. He was just okay.”

I
lied.

Erin
picked up the pen and marked out the no and checked the maybe.

“Then
he’s a maybe for my client.” She walked out the door and a few seconds later
she appeared on the other side of the two-way mirror, facd-to-face with Buddy.

Erin’s
crystal aura became a very pale orange.

“Geez.”
I shook my head.

Poor
Erin. She was unlucky in the aura department. As far as auras go, crystal was a
chameleon of sorts. And Erin fit the bill perfectly, pretty, quiet, clean, orderly,
and simple. The only downfall to having the crystal aura was how they tend to
get along with everyone; they can take on the aura color of whomever they are
with.

Erin
was exactly this.

I
looked down at Buddy’s sheet and checked yes knowing he was a no. Maybe, just
maybe her super secret client was part daredevil.

I
couldn’t help but snicker.

Four

After
the seventh potential suitor interview, my aura reading had taken a beating.
Mentally staring at all the colors not only drains me, but I get a big
headache. Another reason I love Splitsville.com.

I
needed a nap by the end of the day and couldn’t wait to get home.

“Seriously,
did you find some good potential dates?” Erin asked as soon as she walked in
the house, holding a bunch of files.

She
nudged me to scoot over on the couch so she could sit down. She opened a file
and thumbed through the papers in it. “You only had one yes, a maybe, and five
no’s”

I
got up and moved the day-old pizza box from the coffee table that Herbie had
his nose stuck in.

“Come
on, Herbie.” I patted my leg for him to follow me into the kitchen to be fed.

He
happily followed close on my heels.

“And
the yes was Buddy?” Erin yelled from the other room. “The one you made fun of.”

“Listen,”
I said and popped my head around the corner. “I went on what you gave me. I
didn’t get to see the client and just reading about them on paper is not how
aura reading works. I pick Buddy.”

I
was a little hacked off that Erin was keeping this client a secret. I had no
loyalty to this client.

“Fine.”
Erin turned the television on. “I will send her on two dates. One with Buddy
and the other with Joel.”

“What?”
I went back into the family room after feeding Herbie. “I didn’t say anything
about Joel.”

“No,
but you did say he was a maybe.” Erin eyed me suspiciously.

“If
you recall, I checked no.” I pointed at her. “
You
checked maybe.”

“Whatever.”
Erin got up and threw the remote control in the pile of clothes at the end of
the couch. She picked up the client file and walked toward the bedroom. “This
is a special situation. It’s our first hookup and if all goes well, I know we
will have a great dating business. Everything will be fine. You will be able to
meet all the other clients. I promise.”

I
watched her walk into her room before I yelled, “And how do I know you won’t
pull this stunt again? I can’t play matchmaker when I can’t see both auras.”

Erin
slammed her door.

Herbie
jumped on the couch and scratched around the pile of clean clothes, reminding
me I needed to fold them.

“Between
you and me,” I whispered to Herbie and looked down the hall to make sure Erin
wasn’t listening. “I’m going to snag my own date with Joel.”

I
had concocted a plan to look in the Color Me Love filing cabinet for Joel’s
file. He was single or he wouldn’t have sent in the online dating form, then go
as far as showing up for the interview. He also had to have a job, because that
was one of the requirements.