“So will I.”
It was a surprisingly supportive statement from Markov, and they knew he was a man of his word.
“So, we’re sponsors?” Prue asked. “Like in some kind of supernatural intervention?”
“Sounds more like spiritual guides to me,” Pam added.
“Like angels,” Charlotte said succinctly.
“Technically, yes,” Markov said. “But not in the white toga, wings, and halo sense.”
“Thank God,” CoCo added. “Halos are a hair-don’t.”
The interns stared ahead wide-eyed as Markov scanned down his list, pairing each with what seemed to be a random counterpart at Hawthorne. Mike, DJ, Suzy, Abigail, Jerry, Bud, Simon, Simone, Violet, and Kim each left to say their farewells to family as their names were called and assignment given.
“CoCo,” Markov continued. “Your pairing is with… Petula Kensington.”
Wow, Charlotte thought to herself. Not so long ago she would have been so jealous for anyone but her to get Petula.
“Ciao!” CoCo gave a quick wave, grabbed her purse, and split.
“Pam,” Markov went on, “Wendy Anderson is all yours.”
“Lucky you,” Prue laughed.
“Prue,” Markov announced. “You’ve got Wendy Thomas.”
Prue almost choked on her own tongue as Pam had the last laugh. They both made devil horns on their heads and departed.
“With all the problems in the world?” Charlotte pleaded skeptically. “There’s got to be something more important for us to do than go back to help some spoiled rotten high school kids with their relationship issues.”
“No,” Markov answered definitively. “There really isn’t.”
Charlotte and Eric were the only two left in the room. They felt like the final two contestants on some hidden-camera game show. Charlotte sort of felt like the fix was in, however, because she knew what was coming next. She’d get Scarlet and Eric would get Damen. How weird, she thought, but at least she’d finally get to introduce Eric to two of the most important people in her past.
“Charlotte,” Markov read. “Your partner will be…”
“Yes,” she chirped expectantly, clapping her hands in excitement.
“Damen Dylan.”
Charlotte was stunned. Once upon a time, she would have fainted at such news. But now? What could possibly be the point of all this? Eric misread the look of amazement on her face and felt an unfamiliar emotion take hold of him: jealousy.
“Isn’t he the reason you’re here?” Eric prodded. “The love of your life?”
Charlotte still couldn’t speak. There was still one person left to be assigned.
“Eric,” Markov concluded. “You’ve got…”
“Scarlet Kensington,” Charlotte mouthed along with Markov.
Chapter 7 Swing the Heartache
Envy slays itself by its own arrows.
—Author Unknown
Lovesick.
Rather than heal us, love can also harm, unleashing a pandemic of debilitating emotions that transform us into a person we barley recognize and cost us that which we so desperately desire. Sudden outbreaks of insecurity, jealousy, obsession, or just plain fear can be contributing factors in our heartache. And though the symptoms of lovesickness may be many, they all share a single cause and single cure: You.
Valentine’s Day started like any other day at the Kensington house, other than the foul moods it tended to generate. The only real difference was that the newspaper resting on the stoop outside was barely visible, covered by the flowers, candy, and balloons left on the bluestone steps by not-so-secret admirers. It was an annual ritual that Petula had come to expect as much as the Thanksgiving Day parade.
Actually, it was more a memorial. All Petula’s admirers knew that she would stab them in the heart without batting a Colossal lash and would normally just kick everything off on her way to school, but today, she was a little bit more touched.
“Hey, baby-killer, go see if there are any dark chocolate caramels out there,” Petula yelled from her room. “Nothing less than seventy-two
It was a surprisingly supportive statement from Markov, and they knew he was a man of his word.
“So, we’re sponsors?” Prue asked. “Like in some kind of supernatural intervention?”
“Sounds more like spiritual guides to me,” Pam added.
“Like angels,” Charlotte said succinctly.
“Technically, yes,” Markov said. “But not in the white toga, wings, and halo sense.”
“Thank God,” CoCo added. “Halos are a hair-don’t.”
The interns stared ahead wide-eyed as Markov scanned down his list, pairing each with what seemed to be a random counterpart at Hawthorne. Mike, DJ, Suzy, Abigail, Jerry, Bud, Simon, Simone, Violet, and Kim each left to say their farewells to family as their names were called and assignment given.
“CoCo,” Markov continued. “Your pairing is with… Petula Kensington.”
Wow, Charlotte thought to herself. Not so long ago she would have been so jealous for anyone but her to get Petula.
“Ciao!” CoCo gave a quick wave, grabbed her purse, and split.
“Pam,” Markov went on, “Wendy Anderson is all yours.”
“Lucky you,” Prue laughed.
“Prue,” Markov announced. “You’ve got Wendy Thomas.”
Prue almost choked on her own tongue as Pam had the last laugh. They both made devil horns on their heads and departed.
“With all the problems in the world?” Charlotte pleaded skeptically. “There’s got to be something more important for us to do than go back to help some spoiled rotten high school kids with their relationship issues.”
“No,” Markov answered definitively. “There really isn’t.”
Charlotte and Eric were the only two left in the room. They felt like the final two contestants on some hidden-camera game show. Charlotte sort of felt like the fix was in, however, because she knew what was coming next. She’d get Scarlet and Eric would get Damen. How weird, she thought, but at least she’d finally get to introduce Eric to two of the most important people in her past.
“Charlotte,” Markov read. “Your partner will be…”
“Yes,” she chirped expectantly, clapping her hands in excitement.
“Damen Dylan.”
Charlotte was stunned. Once upon a time, she would have fainted at such news. But now? What could possibly be the point of all this? Eric misread the look of amazement on her face and felt an unfamiliar emotion take hold of him: jealousy.
“Isn’t he the reason you’re here?” Eric prodded. “The love of your life?”
Charlotte still couldn’t speak. There was still one person left to be assigned.
“Eric,” Markov concluded. “You’ve got…”
“Scarlet Kensington,” Charlotte mouthed along with Markov.
Chapter 7 Swing the Heartache
Envy slays itself by its own arrows.
—Author Unknown
Lovesick.
Rather than heal us, love can also harm, unleashing a pandemic of debilitating emotions that transform us into a person we barley recognize and cost us that which we so desperately desire. Sudden outbreaks of insecurity, jealousy, obsession, or just plain fear can be contributing factors in our heartache. And though the symptoms of lovesickness may be many, they all share a single cause and single cure: You.
Valentine’s Day started like any other day at the Kensington house, other than the foul moods it tended to generate. The only real difference was that the newspaper resting on the stoop outside was barely visible, covered by the flowers, candy, and balloons left on the bluestone steps by not-so-secret admirers. It was an annual ritual that Petula had come to expect as much as the Thanksgiving Day parade.
Actually, it was more a memorial. All Petula’s admirers knew that she would stab them in the heart without batting a Colossal lash and would normally just kick everything off on her way to school, but today, she was a little bit more touched.
“Hey, baby-killer, go see if there are any dark chocolate caramels out there,” Petula yelled from her room. “Nothing less than seventy-two
Similar Books
