Amber Aitken

The Cupid Company

Perfect Match

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Chapter 1 - finders, losers

Chapter 2 - the trouble with love

Chapter 3 - lessons in love

Chapter 4 - love in Many languages

Chapter 5 - On the Case

Chapter 6 - Picture Perfect

Chapter 7 - Chasing the dream

Chapter 8 - team talk

Chapter 9 - On target

Chapter 10 - reverse Psychology

Chapter 11 - three’s Company

Chapter 12 - the Prize

Chapter 13 - lost and found

Chapter 14 - Crazy in love

Chapter 15 - desperate times

Chapter 16 - Can-oe!

Chapter 17 - Puppy love

Chapter 18 - the best laid Plans

Chapter 19 - Summer’s Winter

Chapter 20 - SAM1

Chapter 21 - Hearty Party

Chapter 22 - Uh-Huh

Chapter 23 - lights, love

Chapter 24 - a Summer of love

Also by Amber Aitken

Copyright

About the Publisher

Chapter 1

finders, losers

The trees along the seashore were flattened at the front and looked like a line of tall, thin ladies with their hair blown back. It was a very windy day, which was quite unusual. Sunday Harbour was definitely more of a calm, balmy sort of seaside town, especially during the summer. But then it was nearing the end of August, so there really wasn’t very much of a summer left.

“I’ll never manage to brush these knots out,” grumbled Coral, whose right hand had disappeared in the mass of reddish-brown curls on her windswept head. Finally she gave up trying to batten down her hair. She extracted her hand and rolled her eyes back so that she could watch her crazy curls break-dancing in the wind.

“Mad, mad hair,” she grumbled some more.

Sensible Nicks had plaited her long blonde hair so that it hung, neat and tidy, down her back. She was calmly flipping through some drawings in a box on a bare wooden table with a sign that spelled: ALLY’S ARTWORKS.

Every six weeks – no matter what the weather – the colourful tables of the seaside market made an appearance on the stretch of grass near the foreshore. These would be carried from the boots of nearby parked cars and unfolded in tidy, even rows. From these tables the people of Sunday Harbour (as well as some visitors from the next seaside town along) sold things like second-hand books, potted plants, freshly baked breads and pastries, clothes, arts and crafts, homemade jams and pickles, pottery, sweets and bric-abrac. Everyone loved the seaside market; you would need a pretty good reason to stay away.

Suddenly Coral spied a table with a sign saying GIFTS BY APHRODITE and quickly made her way over. She wasn’t in the market for a gift, but Aphrodite was the Greek goddess of love and there was not a lot that Coral loved more than love itself. It was the central theme in her life. Love was the reason for almost everything, including the Cupid Company. It had inspired Coral and Nicks to become matchmakers.

She surveyed the table with her hands on her hips, searching for a heart-shaped this or a heart-decorated that, but the table was mostly filled with painted clay dragons bejewelled with colourful bits of glued-on glass.

“Hello, I’m Aphrodite. Can I help you?” said the woman on the other side of the table.

Coral stared at the woman, who in turn stared up at Coral. And then Coral shrugged at the woman called Aphrodite who was definitely not the Greek goddess of love and sold dragons instead of hearts. Coral was just about to move on when Nicks suddenly appeared and squeezed up close beside her.

“I have a present for you, take a look,” she said in a conspiratorial whisper, holding up a clenched fist to her friend.

Coral loved surprises and did not need to be told twice. Prising Nicks’s fingers apart, she found her present – a hair band. But not just any hair band – one with a candy-pink, heart-shaped bobble attached. Coral grinned and in a matter of moments had her crazy curls tied up and bound with a heart. She laid an arm across Nicks’s shoulders.

“You know, you really are the best friend a girl could have.”

Nicks shrugged and nodded.

“Ooooh, look over there.” Coral pointed to a table stacked with elaborate wigs on polystyrene heads. There were also trays of costume jewellery, old-fashioned leather shoes with big buckles and bows, colourful masks, pots of face paint, a few feather boas and a large silver shield. Beside the table stood a clothes rail that was heavy with hanging bits of bright, decorative material. A folded sign on the table explained it all: SUNDAY HARBOUR THEATRE COMPANY. The items were obviously from their prop cupboard and being sold to raise funds on their behalf.

Coral grabbed Nicks’s cardigan and towed her over to the table. There was a red satin half-mask with feathers, nestled amongst the costume jewellery. She quickly scooped it up and pressed it to her eyes.

“How do I look?”

“Like you’ve got feathers growing out of your ears,” replied Nicks.

Suddenly, a man with a curly moustache appeared from behind the clothes rail. “Oh, that is fabulous on you, girl!” He applauded Coral, who grinned and fluttered her eyelashes behind the mask.

Nicks made a ‘mmm’ sound and wandered over to the rail. The hanging clothes were colourful and detailed with delicate embroid ery, rose ribbons, lace, fringing and sensational sequins – if you were into that sort of thing. And Coral clearly was. She quickly abandoned the mask and pounced on a vintage-style waistcoat in faded denim with silver piping. It had pockets and a neat row of pressed metal buttons featuring some sort of coat of arms. Coral eyed it up carefully. This waistcoat is military meets high fashion, she thought. She put it on and posed, hoping the man with the curly moustache might notice her fabulousness once again. But this time the man was very busy seeing to some other girl who had a white ringlet wig on her head.

“Oh, that is fabulous on you, girl!” cried the man once again.

Coral’s eyes narrowed, but she was not put off. “I think I’ll definitely take the waistcoat,” she said to Nicks, choosing to ignore her friend’s frown. “Waistcoats are fashion’s key item for layering,” she explained (just as she’d read in one of her mum’s magazines).

Nicks smoothed her forehead and sighed. Experience had taught her that there was no point in arguing with her single-minded friend. “Well, give the man his money, Coral. The game of beach volleyball is starting up and I want to cheer on the Sunday Harbour Spikers. They just have to beat the Biscuit Bay Bombers!”

Of course Nicks was right. Everyone in Sunday Harbour supported their local volleyball team, and today was the semi-finals. The team that won today’s game would go on to play the mighty Dune High Decoys in a few weeks’ time. This tournament final was the main attraction at the Farewell to Summer Beach Party, but the Sunday Harbour Spikers had to get through to the finals first. They needed all the sideline support they could get. So Coral handed her money over to the man with the moustache. He smiled as he admired her new waistcoat. “Oh, that is fabulous on you, girl!”

Coral smiled politely and turned on her heel. The game had already started but the girls managed to squeeze into a small gap in the crowd. They had a good view of the game too. The Spikers were down by three points.

“C’mon, Spikers!” hollered Coral enthus iastically. A few more minutes passed and the Spikers managed to make up a few points, but the players still appeared to be out of sync with each other. And there was none of the usual encouraging back-slapping and high-fiving between the team members. The boys in particular appeared very straight-mouthed and stern, while the only two girls on the team seemed to hide behind nervous smiles.

The players were older than Coral and Nicks, but the girls still knew each one of them by name. Everyone at school knew the Spikers – they really were popular. Just at that moment the captain – a boy called Rory – jumped in the air and served the ball over the net. One of the Biscuit Bay Bombers jumped even higher and volleyed the ball right back at Rory. But Rory wasn’t quite ready and the ball landed with a smack on his forehead and he fell to the ground.

“Augh, Rory!” cried his teammate – a boy called Jasper. “You’re not meant to catch it with your head!”

Rory looked furious and embarrassed at the same time.

A Bomber quickly served and this time two Spikers both jumped for it. They collided midair, missed the ball entirely and scowled at each other.

“What is going on?” whispered Nicks in Coral’s ear. “The Spikers are famous for their teamwork!”

But there was no time for Coral to reply. A Bomber served the ball over the net and a Spiker called Jack made a dive for it. But instead of hitting it back over the net, he hit the ball out.

“That was an easy shot!” cried his teammate, Duncan.

“Then why didn’t you make it?” replied Jack, furiously dusting beach sand from his bottom.

Suddenly almost every Spiker seemed to have something angry to say, and loudly too. Coral and Nicks stared at the teammates who had been best friends not too long ago but now only seemed to growl at each other. Friendship was not something to be taken lightly, and nobody knew this better than Coral and Nicks. Best mates (and love of course) made the world turn. So where exactly had it all gone wrong?

Chapter 2

the trouble with love

There may have been a small miracle involved, but somehow the Spikers managed to pull themselves together and beat the Biscuit Bay Bombers by one teensy point. There should have been cheers, hoots and hugs from the winning team, but they were strangely subdued. The two female players – Jemima and Emily – seemed happy enough, giving each other and the rest of the team congratulatory pats on the back, but the lads skulked around, pretending to search for their sports bags instead.

Coral stared and tugged her earlobe thoughtfully. What was going on? It was very frustrating. Not only was she nosy, she also didn’t like to see their favourite volleyball team so down in the dumps. Just what had come between them?

“I don’t like this one bit,” she murmured.

“Me neither,” replied Nicks. “If this continues the Spikers don’t stand a chance of beating the Dune High Decoys in a few weeks’ time. Sunday Harbour will lose the tournament final for sure.”

The girls’ shoulders slumped. The volleyball trophy had been in Sunday Harbour’s trophy display cabinet for three years running. At this point it looked unlikely that it would make a fourth year. This was bad news. Not only was beach volleyball the town’s favourite sport, but it was also the only sport they were pretty good at. The volleyball trophy had had a rather lonely time in the trophy cabinet, but the thought of the cabinet sitting entirely empty for all to see was almost too much to bear. It was even more unbearable for Nicks, who had begun assisting the editorial team on the local newspaper. She’d been helping with picture selection for the sporting section of the magazine, although it was less of a sporting section and more of a volleyball section. Nicks felt like she was practically one of the Spikers.

“Jemima and Emily might have the answer!” she announced determinedly. Coral nodded her agreement and marched alongside her friend until they found the two female volleyball players plopped down on the beach sand, kneading their weary legs.

“Hi, Jem. Hi, Em,” they said in unison.

The older girls glanced up and squinted into the sun. “Oh, hi there,” they said. It was clear that they recognised the younger girls, but did not know their names.

“I’m Coral and this is my best friend, Nicks.”

Jem and Em nodded. And then Jem smiled. “Interesting waistcoat, Coral.”

Coral glanced down at her waistcoat and looked almost surprised (she’d forgotten all about her bargain find). “Yuh, thanks,” she replied quickly. “Jem and Em, is… um… everything all right with the Spikers?”

Jem and Em stared at the girls for a few moments and then shrugged and chewed on their lips unhappily.

“It’s just that… well, it’s obvious that something is up,” said Nicks.

“We’d really like to help if we can,” added Coral.

“We just cannot lose the volleyball final!” declared Nicks, who knew just as well as anyone that Sunday Harbour was a small but very proud seaside town.

Finally, Jem spoke up. “Yes, something is definitely up. And her name is Cecily.” The older girl seemed almost relieved to finally say the name out loud.

“Cecily the head cheerleader?” cried Coral and Nicks at once. She was only the prettiest and most popular girl at their school.

Em nodded in an I’m-afraid-so sort of way.

“But what has Cecily done to the Spikers?” asked Coral.

“What has she not done!” harrumphed Jem with fury in her eyes.

This didn’t really answer her question so Coral turned to Em hopefully.

“That Cecily,” muttered Em dismally, “has spent this entire summer holiday madly flirting with Rory, Duncan, Jack and Jasper, and now they aren’t even talking to each other any more.”

“Madly flirting?” murmured Coral and Nicks.

“Oh yes!” replied Jem with a nod. “On Friday she went to the cinema with Rory. And on Saturday she met Duncan at the Milkshake Shack.”

“The next day she was giggling with Jasper on a bench at the beach,” added Em with a frown. “And every Thursday afternoon she keeps Jack company while he works at his mum’s garden centre. The girl is diabolical. But the boys blame each other, not her. It’s so out of order.”

“They’re all so in love with her,” agreed Jem hopelessly. “They’ve always been competitive, but before it used to be for the team. Now they’re all intent on working against each other.”

Coral and Nicks listened to every word spoken by the two older girls before turning to face each other. It was obvious they were thinking exactly the same thing. Finally they turned back to Jem and Em.

“Cecily isn’t exactly a bad sort,” said Coral out loud.

Nicks also looked confused. “Yes, she’s always seemed quite careful with other people’s feelings before now.”

They both paused and stared up at the blue sky for a few moments. Coral was thinking about the time Cecily didn’t laugh at her for walking straight into a lamppost in front of (practically) the entire school. Nicks was remembering the day that Cecily personally thanked her for selling the most raffle tickets to raise money for the new school flag.

“That may be, but she’s still a troublesome flirt!” growled Jem.

“And a ferocious four-timer!” grumbled Em.

But they didn’t have time to say more because suddenly there came the sound of loud laughter near them. The day was getting on and cooling quickly and the beachfront was emptying rapidly, so it was not difficult to spot who was making the noise. Coral and Nicks turned to see Duncan and Cecily sitting on a picnic bench in the shadow of a very low tree. The laugh had belonged to him. Cecily was just as amused, but hers was more of a delicate giggle. The girls watched as she brought her sparkly nails to her mouth, her eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings. She then swung her glossy, strawberry-blonde curls over one shoulder and lifted her chin so that the soft, pale skin of her neck flashed in the fading sunlight. There was no doubt about it – the girl was in full-throttle flirting mode.

But perhaps Jem and Em were wrong. Maybe Cecily really did love Duncan. Just Duncan.

It was like Jem had read Coral’s mind.

“Don’t be fooled,” she groaned. “She behaves like that with the rest of the team too.”

Coral’s shoulders slumped. She felt let down. She’d always liked Cecily. In fact, she had been working on being just like her one day. But as a dedicated champion of romance, she now realised that Cecily clearly had the wrong idea about love. Unless…

“Einstein moment!” she announced loudly. “Just leave it to us, we’ll sort this out.”

Chapter 3

lessons in love

“It’s fate!” declared an excitable Coral to Nicks as they walked double-time in the direction of Nicks’s house. It would be dark soon.

“Really…” murmured Nicks with a vague nod (because it was not always wise to encourage Coral).

“Definitely! We have been personally summoned by Aphrodite the goddess of love.”

“Personally, huh?” Nicks quickly sidestepped a boy on a skateboard without slowing down.

“Well, maybe not personally, but it was absolutely our destiny to witness Cecily’s behaviour for ourselves. It made me realise just how desperately the poor girl needs the services of the Cupid Company. She should most definitely become our next client.”

Nicks did not look convinced. “But we’re matchmakers, remember? Cecily doesn’t seem to have any problems finding a boyfriend, Coral.”

“Matchmakers!” replied Coral indignantly. “We are far more than just matchmakers. We are Cupid’s arrow. We are Aphrodite’s coworkers. We are love’s sat nav. And it’s all suddenly very clear to me. Only this time our mission is quite different. This time we have to help Cecily, er… love a little less.”

“Mmm. So instead of helping her find romance, you mean we help her to find less romance?” replied Nicks, looking confused.

“Exactly,” said Coral. “We have to point Cecily in the right direction and help her to find true love. Right now she is simply love-struck with four boys at once. It would be much better for the Spikers if she gave up on all of them altogether and found someone completely new.”

Nicks gave this some more thought. It would certainly be a different direction to the one they were used to. But there was the volleyball team to think about. By helping Cecily they would put the Spikers back on track and unite the team to victory.

“Coral – this time you have definitely experienced an Einstein moment!” declared Nicks finally. She then put her head down and starting thinking through ideas to jot down. This really would be a different sort of challenge. Just how would they get Cecily to focus her affections?

“Hello, Romeo!” Coral called out. They had arrived at Nicks’s house to find the caramel and white terrier pup waiting on the top step of the porch. The Westie dog, Miss Honey, was not far away. The two pups were still hopelessly in love.

Coral knelt down and fussed over her pet. She scratched his head, tickled his chin and gave him a squeeze. Truth be told, she’d missed him today. They used to go everywhere together, but now Romeo often hung back and canoodled with Miss Honey instead. Of course Coral was pleased he’d found love. After all, wasn’t that what life was really all about? Still, it had taken some getting used to, though it helped that Miss Honey belonged to Nicks’s mum’s boyfriend, Ben, so Coral always knew where Romeo was.

“Hi, Ben!” said Nicks just a little too loudly. She had a really wide grin on her face that looked completely forced. Coral recognised the signs. Nicks’s mum and Ben hadn’t been dating all that long and Nicks wasn’t sure about him. Coral liked him though. He was the manager at the aquarium and had all sorts of interesting things to say.

“So Ben, how is that blowfish getting on?” Coral asked now.

Ben chuckled and his kind eyes crinkled up at the corners. “Still shooting straight to the top of the tank every time it gets a fright!” he replied.

“Scaredy fish!” Coral and Ben both laughed together loudly. Nicks tried to join in but made more of an uneasy chug-chug sort of sound.

“Hello, girls.” Nicks’s mum stepped through the screen door of the house and on to the porch. Miss Honey sat up straight and wagged her tail instantly. Soft and round, she was a girly sort of girl dog who loved Ben very much but clearly enjoyed having another female around too. She especially loved the new pink bow in her fringe and the sparkly-studded collar around her neck.

Nicks’s mum stared at Coral’s shiny waistcoat for a moment and then smiled. “That’s a rather distinctive-looking waistcoat,” she commented.

Coral glanced down at her new fashion item and then turned back to Nicks’s mum with narrowed eyes. Was that a compliment? she wondered.

“I just mean that I haven’t seen one quite like it before,” added Nicks’s mum.

“That’s because it’s a theatre masterpiece – a work of art,” explained Coral.

“We bought it second-hand from the theatre company’s stall at the seaside market,” added Nicks matter-of-factly.

“This waistcoat has seen its share of the bright lights – it’s vintage,” added Coral whose face said ‘SECOND-HAND, PAH!’ ).

“It’s eye-catching and quite unusual,” said Ben with an interested nod.

“It certainly is,” agreed Coral. “And look, it even has a pocket.” She rubbed her fingers against its satin lining. This waistcoat was useful as well as eye-catching. “Ooh, hold on, this pocket isn’t empty,” she suddenly murmured.

“I hope you haven’t found a used tissue,” yelped Nicks with a wrinkled-up nose. Miss Honey wrinkled her nose up too, as if she understood everything.

“There’s more than one thing, there’s…” added Coral in a breathy voice, “a piece of paper and a coin.” She held both up in the air and then brought them close to her nose for inspection. The coin was copper with a star on one side and the words ONE PENNY pressed into the other. It didn’t look familiar. Next she unfolded the paper, square by square. “It’s got writing across it,” she whispered out loud.

“It’s probably a shopping list,” said Nicks, who was fed up with the waistcoat already and desperately wanted to get back to Cupid Company business. They had so much to do!

“It looks like a letter,” revealed Coral. She began reading:

My dear Sam,

This letter is a difficult one to write but the time has come for me to say goodbye to you and this lovely little seaside town. I am not getting any younger and there is still so much I need to discover about myself. And it is something I need to do alone. I will miss the company and closeness we have shared for the past six years but will always keep your love and those memories alive in my heart. How I shall miss old Mr Morris Minor! Do take care of yourself and perhaps we will meet again one day – in this life or the next. Be happy always.

Yours,

CBA

For a few moments nobody spoke. Even the pups remained stock still, their furry ears stirring slightly in the cool evening breeze.

“Poor Sam,” murmured Ben thoughtfully.

“What were the chances of you finding a letter like that?” commented Nicks’s mum. She was a schoolteacher and quite used to giving most things careful consideration.

Nicks set her jaw and rested her chin in her hand. She sighed. When it came to Coral, the chances of finding something out of the ordinary were usually rather good. Drama and her best friend went together like salt on a sea breeze. And of course Nicks knew exactly what was coming next.

“There’s only one thing for it,” declared Coral. “We must track poor heartbroken Sam down and help him – or her – find love again!”

Nicks groaned. She really had hoped to make the Spikers their priority. Sunday Harbour depended on it.

Chapter 4

love in Many languages

Coral Hut always looked its brightest and most beautiful first thing in the morning. The pale-gold early sunlight shone down on the beach like a light from heaven and the hut’s yellow, mint-green and pale pink painted stripes sparkled like sugar crystals in the glow.

Inside the hut, the girls sat perched on the daybed – one at each side – surrounded by cool, whitewashed walls and pretty patterned rugs and cushions. Romeo and Miss Honey lay cuddled up near the door, enjoying the beachy views.

“We really do have a lot to do,” said Coral thoughtfully.

Nicks was busy making notes but paused to nod. “Yup, we have two rather complex Cupid Company cases. Now, what are we going to do about Cecily and the Spikers?”

Both girls fell silent. Nicks tapped her pen. Coral chewed her thumb. Nicks scratched her head. Coral exhaled loudly and stared through the open door at the small, curling waves crashing on the beach.

A tall, athletic young man appeared, running along the sand with a bright orange towel hanging around his neck. He stopped with his back to Coral Hut, put the orange towel on the sand and immediately waded into the ocean. And then he was gone, swimming freestyle and cutting through the waves in the direction of the horizon. He was obviously a very good swimmer and was a small speck in no time at all.

“Maybe we should concentrate on the mystery of Sam first?” Coral finally suggested.

Nicks nodded her agreement. “Let’s begin by analysing the letter for clues to Sam’s identity.”

But Coral was one step ahead of her friend and had already got the letter open. She scanned its contents before speaking. “Mmm, so CBA used to live in Sunday Harbour but has now moved far away.”

Nicks stared at her detective friend. She had clearly been hoping for more than that.

“But is CBA a man or a woman?” she asked. “Because Sam could be a woman or a man too.”

“Oh, CBA is definitely a woman,” announced Coral with conviction as she held the letter up to Nicks. “See, patterned paper. And look at the writing – it’s pretty and wavy. Also, ‘discovering yourself’ is more of a female thing to do. And as for keeping ‘those memories alive in my heart’ – that’s a woman’s touch too.”

Coral hadn’t proved a thing, but what she was saying did make sense.

“I agree,” replied Nicks. “CBA is probably a woman. And I think she – and Sam – are both older because only old people talk about ‘not getting any younger’. And young people don’t think about meeting in the next life; they’re too busy with this one. As for ‘Mr Morris Minor’, CBA clearly states that he’s old too. Old people have old friends.”

Coral considered this for a silent moment and bobbed her head up and down. And then her face crumpled. “So Sam is a lonely old man,” she whispered. “How sad.”

But Nicks was still focused on the facts. “We’re really not much closer to finding out who Sam is though.”

“Maybe the coin—” began Coral. And then she stopped. She’d just been blinded by a giant roll of aluminium foil walking right past the hut. Nicks had seen it too. Both girls jumped up and tiptoed across the floor as if it was made of hot coals. Stopping at the door, they stared for a few silent moments.

It wasn’t a walking roll of aluminium foil but a small woman wearing a shiny, silver-quilted tracksuit. She looked older than their parents but younger than their grandparents, and her skin was tanned with deep wrinkles that looked like cracks in the mud at the bottom of a dried-up river.

The silver and brown woman hadn’t noticed the girls. Quietly, she climbed the stairs and unlocked the door to the neighbouring red beach hut which had recently acquired a plywood FOR RENT sign. The hut had been sitting empty ever since their previous neighbours, Malcolm and Meredith, had left for their honeymoon.

Suddenly Romeo gave a short, sharp bark. He’d also noticed their new neighbour. The silver and brown woman heard the bark and quickly glanced over at Coral Hut, while Miss Honey simpered at Romeo as if he was the bravest dog in the world.

“Howdy, neighbours!” the woman cried out, waving.

Coral and Nicks were still mesmerised.

“Hiya,” they finally managed in reply.

“Gorgeous day, darlings!” she added as she yanked the FOR RENT sign from the deck post and snapped it in half over her knee.

“Yes, gorgeous…” they echoed.

“Give me five minutes – let me get settled,” added the woman, “and then why don’t you mosey on over for a pot of herbal, alrighty?” She flashed them a grin, her white teeth appearing luminous next to her suntan. Her cropped hair was also white, although it was difficult to tell if it was naturally white or bleached that way.

“Uh yeah… sure…” mumbled the girls together, even though they had no idea what a pot of herbal might be. But they waited the required five minutes – their Cupid Company business entirely forgotten – before ‘moseying’ on over.

The red beach hut was definitely changed since they had last visited Malcolm and Meredith there. Now the walls were covered in canvas squares of art in very bright colours. There was an easel in one corner and a long, narrow table in the other. The table was cluttered with tubes of paint, jars of brushes, a sketching pad, a couple of oil lamps, a small gas stove with a battered metal teapot and a basket of mismatched canisters and containers. The artworks were all paintings of animals of every kind – from an albatross to a zebra and almost every beast in between.

“Do you like them?” asked the woman as she stared up at the paintings lovingly.

The girls were surprised by the question.

“Oh yes!” replied Coral.

“We love animals, definitely.”

“We even have a dog called Romeo. Well, two dogs—”

But the woman interrupted Coral with another question. “Kumquat or acai?”

Coral looked confused for a moment. “Er, Romeo is a Jack Russell Terrier actually.”

The woman giggled at this. “No, silly. I mean would you like kumquat or acai tea. I make my own exotic herbal and fruit teas.”

The girls shrugged. They’d never tried a kumquat or an acai-thingie so it really made no difference.

“I’m Zephyr, by the way,” said the woman, who now had her nose buried in one of the canisters from the basket.

The girls stared silently, and practised mouthing her strange-sounding name – Zefer… Zef-er…

The woman glanced up. “Zephyr!” she said again. “I chose it myself. It means a light, gentle wind. And that’s exactly what I am: a light, gentle wind floating around the world. Now, what are your names?”

It took Coral exactly two and a half seconds to fall in love with the notion of an exotic-sounding name of her own. Suddenly the name Coral sounded very dull and uninteresting by comparison. And of course it said nothing about the girl herself. Very quickly her mind went to work considering all the various options...

“I’m Nicks,” replied Nicks in the meantime. She waited a moment for Coral to introduce herself, but her friend seemed to be staring into the distance with glazed eyes. So Nicks filled in the silence. “And this is my best friend Coral.”

Coral suddenly lurched upright and grinned. “Call me Amor!”

Zephyr seemed to like this. “Amor – meaning ‘love’ in many languages. Oh, how simply divine!”

Coral, or Amor, grinned. Of course she knew what it meant – love was her specialist subject, after all. And as a true champion of love, it really was the perfect name.

Nicks’s nose wrinkled as she contemplated Amor, the girl who meant ‘love’ in many languages. It wasn’t that she disliked the name, because – just like her best friend – she also loved ‘love’ very much. In fact, it really was top of her list of favourite things in the world. But Coral’s name was Coral, not Amor. And if everyone just went about changing their name when the mood took them, well – the world would be a chaotic place (and Nicks was more of an ordered sort of girl).

She continued to watch her friend, who was now very busy telling Zephyr all about the Cupid Company and the work they did for love. She also listened as her friend slotted her new name into her chit-chat at every available opportunity. Coral, now-known-as Amor, also seemed to have developed a sudden fancy for words like ‘darling’ and ‘divine’. Nicks breathed deep and narrowed her gaze. Just when they really had so many other things to concentrate on...

Chapter 5

On the Case

Zephyr was just like her name. She really did float around the world. She had already lived in more than thirty different places and still planned to live in quite a few more, if she could. She sold her art to pay for the things she needed. Animals were her favourite subject to paint, and they were her favourite subject to talk about too.

Romeo and Miss Honey had joined them at the red beach hut and already seemed right at home with Zephyr, who was stroking their fur with her bare toes while sipping kumquat tea and sharing stories of her life. She’d been to the Brazilian rainforests to see the red-eyed tree frog. She’d travelled all the way to the desert for the spotted hyena. She’d even visited the plains of Africa to glimpse the Big Five (and had seen at least one elephant, rhino, lion, buffalo and leopard). Animals really were her thing.

“So what brings you to Sunday Harbour?” wondered Nicks out loud.

Zephyr exhaled, making a sound like a light wind. “When you reach my age you find yourself tiring quicker.” She sighed again. “I’ve spent most of my life travelling and seeing the animals, but it’s starting to prove a rather solitary existence. I suppose I do get a bit lonely. Perhaps it’s time to settle down somewhere and make some human friends. But I would miss the animals...”

“We have an aquarium in Sunday Harbour,” offered Coral hopefully. “It’s a really good one, and Nicks’s stepdad is the manager too.”

Nicks turned an instant crimson. “Ben is my mum’s boyfriend!” she hissed.

Coral turned her nose up like she didn’t think that was relevant. After all, Ben and Nicks’s mum were clearly mad about each other. It was definitely love, so of course they’d get married one day. She turned to face their exotic and very interesting animal-loving neighbour.

“I speak for my best friend Nicks and myself – Amor – when I say that this is a darling seaside town and that it would be divine if you stayed here.”

Zephyr chuckled and abandoned her mug on the table. “I don’t know that I’m quite ready for that yet, girls. For now this is just a little seaside holiday. But I’d love to paint a portrait of your pups.”

“That would be gorgeous!” yelled Coral excitedly.

Nicks turned to her friend with a weary look. “Yes, a portrait of the pups would be nice. And you and I have urgent Cupid Company business to see to,” she hissed.

“Oh my,” cooed Zephyr. “Are you on a case? Can you tell me about it?”

“We’re on two cases actually,” replied Nicks politely (although they’d never called it a ‘case’ before).

“I’d love to hear more,” pleaded Zephyr.

While Nicks felt that confidentiality was key to the Cupid Company, Coral clearly couldn’t wait to tell their new neighbour all about the trouble created by the flirtatious Cecily amongst the Spikers. She also ended up revealing how they hoped to help Cecily find true love, just as soon as they came up with a plan.

Zephyr listened with obvious interest. And then she froze, held her breath and spoke out loud in a hurried sort of way. “I could help you to help Cecily find her lovebird!” she cried out. “I am, after all, a bit of an animal expert, and humans are nothing more than smart, civilised animals – or some of them are at least. Did you know that, just like humans, many animal species also use impressive courtship rituals to attract a partner? Take the male bowerbird, for example – he fills his nest with bright things like shells, coins and pebbles to attract the female’s attention. That’s his animal bling. Animals also like to dance, make special sounds, get touchy-feely and put on displays of beauty or fighting prowess to catch the fancy of a mate.”

The girls thought about this for a few moments. And then they both leaned forward, interested enough to hear more.

Zephyr leaned forward eagerly too. “It’s all about helping Cecily to connect with her animal instincts. I believe that right now she’s simply a confused young lady.”

Nicks nodded in agreement. “Cecily really is nice enough.”

Zephyr continued wisely. “You’ll need to find out more about Cecily before you can help her to find her lovebird.”

Coral grinned. “We’re one step ahead of you. We already have a Cupid Company question naire which we hand out to all our new clients so that we can get to know them better.”

Nicks reached for her butterfly clipboard, which just happened to have a questionnaire pinned to its front. She passed it to Zephyr, pleased that they were such an efficient, organised matchmaking company. Zephyr’s eyes zigzagged across the sheet.

“Mmm, right,” she murmured as she read. “It’s not bad, but it needs some rewriting.” She slipped the clipboard’s pen from its holder and started scribbling, reading out loud as she wrote. “What is your favourite smell? What animal best describes you and why?”

Coral nodded. She was usually open to new ideas, and she thought the revised questions could be useful. But Nicks did not look convinced.

“Trust me,” said Zephyr with a wink. “The prairie vole, black vulture, wolf, barn owl, condor, bald eagle, gibbon ape… these are just some of the animals that mate for life. They have a lot to teach us.” Zephyr waved the revised questionnaire in the air. “Now all you have to do is ask Cecily to complete the questionnaire.”

Nicks squinted into the sunlight and Coral scratched an itch.

“Yes, about that…” she murmured.

“Cecily hasn’t actually signed up to the Cupid Company yet,” explained Nicks.

Zephyr bit her lip thoughtfully. “So Cecily might be quite happy dating all the Spikers?”

“It’s just the boys she wants to date,” replied Coral optimistically. “And I don’t think she even knows all the trouble she’s causing.”

Zephyr leaned back in her chair and took a long sip of kumquat tea. “There’s only one thing for it, girls. We’re going to have to sit that Cecily down and tell her all about the prairie voles, black vultures, wolves, barn owls, condors, bald eagles and gibbon apes.”

Zephyr had said ‘we’, like she was a member of the Cupid Company too. Nicks’s eyes narrowed. She had a sudden and very strong suspicion. Something told her that they would be getting a lot more advice from their new neighbour in the future – whether they asked for it or not.

Chapter 6

Picture Perfect

Back at Coral Hut, Nicks flipped through a set of recent photos of the Spikers. “Coral, I think that we should ask Jem and Em for their help,” said Nicks.

“Amor,” replied Coral, “call me Amor.”

Nicks sighed. “Why?”

“Why?” Coral looked surprised. “Well, because I just don’t feel like a Coral any more.”

Nicks had no idea what a Coral was supposed to feel like and so she decided to sidestep the subject altogether. Yes, this was her strategy: she would simply avoid calling Coral (or Amor) anything at all.

“Well, erm, my friend, if we want Cecily to complete our questionnaire we’re going to have to come up with a plan.” Nicks stared dismally at the photographs. She compared them with earlier photos of the Spikers. These new photographs showed Rory, Duncan, Jasper and Jack snapping and snarling at each other. There really wasn’t one she could use in the local newspaper. It simply would not do.

Coral noticed her friend’s frown and leaned over to take a look at the snapshots. And then she grinned and shouted out: “Einstein moment! Those are perfect.”

“Perfect for the Halloween edition of the magazine!” snapped Nicks.

“No, no, don’t you see! Compare the preCecily photographs of the Spikers with these latest ones and it’s all the proof we need to convince Cecily to sign up to the Cupid Company. She’ll soon realise that her outrageous flirting is splitting up the volley ball team. The evidence is there – in colour!”

“And as head cheerleader she’s sure to have the school volleyball team’s best interests at heart,” added Nicks triumphantly. “You’re a genius, Coral. I mean, Amor.” She grabbed the questionnaire and photographs. “C’mon, I know exactly where to find Cecily.”

Coral looked surprised. Nicks grinned. “It’s Thursday, isn’t it? Jack’s mum’s garden centre is just a few blocks away.”

The Cupid Company (which had always included Romeo but now also included Miss Honey) stood tall and to attention. And then they marched, two by two, in the direction of Plants R Us.

The entrance to the nursery was built to look like a cave, with fake rocks and dense fringes of plants that climbed, dangled and curled around each other. Inside the nursery there was just as much greenery, although it was planted in plastic pots laid out on sloping shelves. There were also rows of taller trees and bushes all clumped together. And in the far corner there was an outdoor section that sold things like small water fountains, garden statues, sun catchers, birdhouses and sundials.

The Cupid Company slowed their pace and scanned the area before them. The only person about was a middle-aged woman who was more than likely Jack’s mum. Still, it wasn’t exactly a small nursery.

Coral began tiptoeing forward.

“Why are you walking like that?” whispered Nicks hoarsely, scanning the nursery nervously.

“For exactly the same reason that you’re whispering,” replied Coral. “We need to find Jack and Cecily before they find us. Then you’ll have to distract Jack while I corner Cecily, on her own. I’ll need the questionnaire.” Nicks passed it over. “And the evidence.” Nicks handed the photographs over too. And then they continued tiptoeing… until finally they caught a glimpse of glossy, strawberry-blonde curls visible through the leaves of some potted lemon trees. A high-pitched, flirty sort of giggle confirmed the rest.

“Right,” murmured Coral in a low voice, “now how are you going to distract Jack?”

Nicks’s eyes grew in size. “I have no idea!”

“Sssh!” Coral checked on the curls. They hadn’t moved. Suddenly Jack’s mum (possibly) appeared to their left. She was walking towards them with a can-I-help-you look on her face.

“Birthday!” bleated Nicks suddenly. “I will ask Jack for help with a birthday gift!” She disappeared behind the row of lemon trees.

“Can I help you?” asked Jack’s mum (most likely).

Coral smiled sweetly and patted Romeo’s head. “Just looking, thanks.”

So Jack’s mum (almost certainly) went on her way. Coral whistled a few notes and then quickly peered between the lemons. Cecily hadn’t moved. She was alone too. Coral knew she did not have much time. So she took a shortcut between a pair of lemon trees.

“Hi, Cecily!” she said as she emerged on the other side.

Cecily yelped with fright and landed a metre away.

Accepting that she could have made a less dramatic entrance, Coral quickly pulled a harmless sort of smile while she removed the leaves and lemon twigs from her curly hair. “I’m Co— I mean, Amor,” she said with a small, friendly wave.

Cecily quickly calmed down and stared at Coral closely. “Oh, hi,” she said. “I think I’ve seen you around.”

Coral nodded. “I’m the one who walked into the lamppost.”

“Oh, right. So you did.”

“But I’m really pleased to have run into you Cecily because, you see, I’m here representing the Spikers… er, sort of.”

Cecily glanced up, as if she was looking for Jack. And then she turned her attention back to Coral. She didn’t speak; she just stared at Coral expectantly.

“As you know, the whole town is very proud of our volleyball team,” stammered Coral with a sudden case of nerves. “They’ve always been such a strong, dedicated team… like best mates, practically.”

Speaking of best mates, Coral suddenly noticed Nicks and Jack unexpectedly walking back in their direction. She made bulgyeyeballs at Nicks, but it was too late.

“Hey, Cec,” said Jack when they were within earshot, “this girl is looking for a birthday gift for her mum, but she doesn’t like anything I’ve shown her. You could probably do a better job.”

Cecily glanced from Coral to Nicks, both girls staring at the ceiling as if they had absolutely no knowledge or interest in the other one.

“I was actually just busy with this girl, Jack. And the funny thing is, she wants to talk about the Sp—”

“Oh, don’t mind me!” cried Coral, just a little louder than was probably necessary. “Er, you carry on.”

Jack looked slightly anxious and then he shrugged, like he’d suddenly lost interest. “I’ve got to water the ferns before we can get out of here,” he said to Cecily, who replied with a nod and a very sweet smile. She blew him a kiss and then he was gone.

Cecily turned to face Nicks. “Do you know what sort of gift you’re after?”

“Well, I’m not really.”

“Not really sure?” wondered Cecily.

“We’re not really after a gift,” explained Coral.

Cecily turned to face Coral. “Do you two know each other?”

“Yes, we do,” replied Nicks guiltily. “Cor— um, this girl and I are actually best friends.” Their plan had seemed like a good one in theory, but the reality of it…

And then Nicks remembered the Spikers. She thought about Sunday Harbour. She imagined their town’s empty trophy cabinet. She pictured the local newspaper with nothing good to write about.

“Cecily,” she said suddenly and with conviction, “these photographs of the Spikers were taken last season. Please take a closer look.”

She handed the snaps over to a surprised and confused-looking Cecily, who slowly flicked through each one.

“And these photographs,” Nicks continued, “were taken recently.” She paused and gave Cecily a moment to glance through the latest photos while she mentally prepared the next part of her speech. But there really was no need. Cecily’s face suddenly crumpled.

“It’s all my fault!” she cried out.

“Yes, yes, it is,” replied Coral matter-offactly as she tenderly patted Cecily’s shoulder.

Sparkly silver tears slid down Cecily’s pretty pink cheeks. “I can’t help myself.” She snuffled. “I must admit, I do love the attention.”

Coral and Nicks nodded. So that was it, Cecily loved the attention.

“We can help you to find something so much, much, much better than attention,” revealed Coral, like she knew a very big secret.

Cecily wiped her pretty eyes and hiccupped. “What could that be?”

“LOVE!” said Coral and Nicks at once.

Nicks put a gentle arm around Cecily’s shoulders. “Don’t worry, the Cupid Company is here to help.”

“The Cupid Company?”

“Think of us as representatives of love,” replied Coral. And then she told Cecily all about the Cupid Company. Cecily listened closely until Coral was done. And then she tilted her head up to the heavens and smiled wistfully at the thought of finding true love. She certainly seemed attracted to the idea, like she’d watched enough romantic films to know vaguely what it was about.

“But how will I know when I’ve found true love?” she asked.

“Well, you won’t want to date four boys at once, for starters,” replied Coral.

Cecily looked interested. “And will my true love adore me?”

Nicks nodded. “That’s what true love is all about.”

“True love…” ooh’d Cecily. “OK, I’ll sign up to your Cupid Company. But what about the Spikers?”

“No more Spikers,” replied Coral.

Cecily’s face fell. Then she mumbled something about doing it for the good of the town and finally accepted the Cupid Company questionnaire being offered to her.

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