Sparks Fly

of fish, “seemed to think he was too good for me. The bastard doesn’t know what he’s missing!”
    “I’ll say,” muttered Angelina under her breath.
    “Anyway, I’ve decided to take pity on the nerd and go out with him next month.”
    “He asked you out?”
    Krista hmph ed on her end of the phone and ’fessed up. “I sort of bullied him into taking me to his company dinner. But we were talking about Will, weren’t we?”
    “Could we just forget it, Kris?”
    Krista snorted. “Too bad they have to be so cute, with such big yachts. But there’s nothing that a little shopping can’t fix. I’ll be right over.”
    Krista hung up the phone before Angelina could refuse the invitation. Which was just as well, she thought sourly.
    Suddenly, she had an urge to buy something blue.

    * * *
    Will had planned on calling Angelina all day Sunday. It wasn’t that he was a wuss, he reasoned, it was simply that he never went into any kind of negotiation without a sure-fire plan of action, a backup plan, and a last-ditch plan.
    The problem was, he couldn’t seem to think straight when it came to Angelina. He kept getting sidetracked by how soft her skin was. How shiny her silky hair was.
    And how luscious her mouth was.
    He grabbed a beer, turned on the football game, and tried to settle into his usual routine. But thirty minutes later, he had absolutely no idea who was winning the game.
    He couldn’t take his mind off Angelina.
    The doorbell rang. Will jumped up and spilled beer all over the carpet on his way to the door.
    His ex-wife Susan opened her arms to him. “Surprise!” She hugged him, then stepped past him and inside the house. “I was just visiting a friend who lives nearby. I’m dying to see the changes you’ve made since Angelina came by to work with you.”
    She surveyed the living room and the kitchen hopefully and then turned to him with her hands on her hips. “You haven’t changed anything. Did you scare her off again?”
    The irony of the moment was not lost on Will. “Yes. No. I don’t know. Do you want a beer?”
    Susan made a face.

    “Sorry, forgot you hate beer. I’ll get you a glass of wine.” He stepped into the kitchen and uncorked an open bottle of Merlot. Handing Susan the glass of wine, he said, “I did make one big change.” He led her down the hall to his office, opened the door, and moved out of the way so that she could step inside the room.
    “How did she get you to do this?” She turned to him with an amazed look on her flawless face.
    “I could never get you to clean up your office. I was afraid to even go into it most of the time.”
    He shrugged.
    She put her hand on his arm. “You have to tell me what she said.”
    He moved out of touching range and stuffed his hands into his pockets. “Something about stagnant energy.”
    Susan threw her head back and laughed. Will knew he should have kept the changes to himself and headed back into the kitchen. He had a spilled beer to clean up.
    “I never thought I’d live to hear you talking about energy.”
    “Forget it, will you?” He knelt on the carpet to sop up the spilled beer with a wad of paper towels.
    Susan was clearly on a roll, though, he noted with increasing dismay. Sitting on the edge of his coffee table in what he assumed was supposed to be a sexy way, she asked, “Have you worked on your love corner yet?”
    Will kept mopping up the carpet and tried to pretend this wasn’t happening. He said, “No,” and got up to throw away the paper towels.
    Susan stood up. “You really should, you know, because she’s famous for being a Feng Shui Cupid.”
    “A Feng Shui what?”
    “A Feng Shui Cupid. She can get anyone to fall in love.”
    Will tried to mask his horror. She can make anyone fall in love?
    He forcefully took control of his thoughts, telling himself that the idea of a Feng Shui Cupid was just as ridiculous as the idea that moving his stuff could change his life.
    Then again, hadn’t he felt better after cleaning up his office?
    Deftly changing the subject, his ex said, “Let’s go get something to eat at that cute French bistro on the corner.”
    Will couldn’t think of anything he’d like to do less, but he’d always hated to hurt Susan’s feelings. Resigned to his fate, he agreed. “Sure.”
    He liked Susan. She had always been a good friend. But why had he married her? Had he really been so obsessed with finding the perfect corporate wife accessory?
    The only thing he knew for