Page 1081 of One More Kiss

Just another typical day in the life of Tatiana, the “cursed” fairy godmother.

I knocked on the heavy wooden door and waited. And waited. Seriously? Griselda had been so impatient, and now I assumed my punishment was standing outside her office looking like an idiot. Fine. I decided to knock again. Why not?

“You may enter.” Griselda was sitting behind her large, ornately carved wooden desk, with a pair of wire-rimmed glasses perched upon her long thin nose. She didn’t spare me a glance as I flitted into the room.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Head Godmother.” I gave a slight bow just to be respectful. “Is everything all right?”

Griselda cleared her throat and finally stopped staring at nothing on her desk. Giving me a pointed expression, her near-violet-colored eyes narrowed, and she wiggled her nose, then rose from her chair. Surely in her youth she’d been a striking beauty, but a full-on resting bitch face was all that remained. “I have a special request for you, Tatiana. And it is not often that an opportunity such as this arises for one”—She paused, eyeballing me as though I were an insect—“of your caliber is given an assignment of great importance.” She let the words hang in the air.

Regardless of her backhanded comment, I was thrilled to be assigned a godmother task. Holy crap! If it weren’t improper, I would have done a happy dance, and perhaps a few cartwheels right there inside the head godmother’s office. Typically, I had to do odd jobs around the kingdom, most of which were for Prince Edan, my oldest and dearest friend. I couldn’t help but smile at the thought of our times together, and I surely couldn’t wait to tell him of my new assignment.

“Tatiana, have you heard a word I’ve said?” Oh, fudge buckets. I was inside my head again.

“Yes, Godmother. And thank you for this opportunity. I won’t let you down.” I was still beaming from ear to ear, and I believed I may have shouted a bit. Oops. “What’s the assignment?”

She moved to her shelf of potions and lifted several different vials, only then to walk and stand before me. “Your presence soils my air.” She poured the perfumed potion over my head, and in an instant of bright-pink light, the manure-mud mixture disappeared, leaving me sparkly and clean. “My goddess, I only pray that we shall not regret this opportunity, girl.”

Despite her attempt to upset me, I bit the inside of my cheek and pushed down all my emotions. Remaining neutral would benefit me more than rising to her barbs.

“Hold out your hand,” she ordered in her sour-puss tone. I did, and with a wave of her blue-and-gold twinkling wand adornedwith the goddess’s emblem, a letter appeared on my palm. “Go ahead and open it. I want to be certain you’re up for the task. As we know—”

“Oh, no.” I cut her off without meaning to be unkind or rude. “I’m absolutely certain and grateful.” I unfolded the parchment and began to read—and my heart stopped, then stuttered in my chest. This couldn’t possibly be happening. My mouth opened and closed like a fish gasping for water. I kept opening my mouth, but nothing would come out.

“Is there a problem, Tatiana?” Griselda rose a questioning gray brow with a slight smirk on her wrinkled face.

I tried not to appear horrified. “I, um…no. Are we certain the princess indeed wishes for Prince Edan?”

Shit. Rule Number One: Never question the wishes of a client, at least not aloud or to the head godmother.

Griselda’s displeased expression was all I needed to see, knowing that I’d screwed up—royally. “You well know, it is quite rare that you are asked to fulfil a wish. If you’re unable to complete the duties assigned to you, then I shall find—”

“That won’t be necessary.” I interrupted with a wave of my hand. “I can do the job, Godmother.” I bowed my head. “Thank you for the opportunity.” I wanted to choke on those words, swallow them down, and act as though I’d never been given this assignment.

She smiled, amusement clearly in her gaze. “Very well, then. See that it is done. You are dismissed.”

Turning, I flew out of her office and the Fairy Godmother Guild as fast as I could. With each moment, a bit more of my resolve crumbled.

How could I possibly do this to Edan? My one true friend in this kingdom—a man who’d always cared for me, regardless of my mother’s horrible wrongdoing?

How did hearts break? One second at a time.

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