Page 12 of Perfectly Matched

Chapter Four

A jolt to her legs caused Hannah to stumble forward and crash into a wall. She groaned in pain and slowly regained her balance. As she rubbed the soreness from her shoulder, she made a mental note to tell Piper her spell definitely needed tweaking.

“Oh, good heavens.” An older woman from behind a corner desk gasped. “You startled me. I didn’t hear you come in.”

Hannah jumped and spun in a circle as she blinked in a small room with red fabric chairs scattered around. Framed posters displaying several smiling people positioned in the same pose covered an entire wall. Opposite that was an oversize wooden desk where the woman now staring at her sat.

“You, um…you can see me? All of me?” Hannah glanced down as she ran her hands over her body.

The woman chuckled. “Of course, I can. Now, then, how can I help you?”

“Am I in…um, is this Las Vegas?”

“Last time I checked it was. Welcome to Ten on your side, Vegas’s number one local news station.”

“Huh.” Hannah let out a breath. “It worked,” she muttered as she checked her body once more to make sure she was intact. “I’m Hannah, and I’m the new temp for…” She paused as shesearched her mind for a name she did not recall ever being given. “For, um…” She felt like saying she was here for the woman with the most enchanting eyes she had ever seen. The one who could make her heart flutter every time she closed her eyes and conjured up the image of the moment when she’d felt they connected.

“Payson,” the woman filled in. “Yes, she notified me that you’d be arriving. She’s expecting you. Please take a seat while I let her know you’re here.”

Hannah nodded. “Thank you.” As she headed for a chair, she glanced at the poster-size photographs that graced the wall as though they were gods and goddesses to be worshiped. And there, in the middle of the group, displaying her pearly whites in an over-exaggerated smile was a face Hannah recognized as the woman from the red Mercedes. “Madison Morrison, evening anchor,” she mumbled as she read the plaque under the photo while scratching at her bra. “Okay, Madison Morrison, time to get you and Payson together so I can go home, get out of these clothes, and get on with my life.”

“Hannah?” a soft voice called.

Hannah turned and stared into the beautiful eyes that had caused this mess, and just as before, she felt warm calmness wash over her as she caught her breath and stood frozen. It was one thing to look into those eyes from a distance. Up close, where Hannah could see the way the slight variations in hues sparkled and blended together, was like looking at a hypnotist’s pocket watch.

“It’s you.” Payson gasped. “Did you…were you on the roof across the…” She pointed to a spot somewhere behind her as her words trailed off. “I don’t suppose you own a bow and arrow?”

Payson confirmed what Hannah already knew. Shehadseen her on the roof. In all the years she’d been performing herduties, not once had any mortal been able to see her. Visibility only came at her discretion. So how could this woman have looked through the dimensions and veils of magic and singled her out when she herself had not wished to be seen?

“A…um…” Hannah trailed off as she stood transfixed, feeling no need to break the trance between them. Payson was gorgeous, and as long as she could remember, when she came upon something that mesmerized her, she studied every inch so she could burn the image forever in her mind. “A bow and arrow?” She tilted her head as she brushed the question off as absurd.

Payson shook her head as she waved in front of her. “Never mind.” She extended her arm. “I’m Payson. Nice to meet you.”

The moment Hannah curled her fingers around Payson’s hand, a shiver shot up her spine. She gently squeezed Payson’s hand as she continued to hold the attention of those piercing eyes that had landed her in this predicament. “Very nice to meet you too.”

“Well, um…” Payson slowly slid her hand out from Hannah’s, tucked a loose strand of brunette hair behind her ear, and averted her eyes. “Please, follow me, and I’ll show you to your cubicle.” She stepped aside and held the door.

“Thank you.” The subtle scent of lavender mixed with rose hovered in the air as Hannah stepped around Payson and into the building. She thought about rainy days on her island, when the flowers released their fragrant smells, and she smiled.

On their short journey through the hall, Hannah met several coworkers. All of whom seemed courteous and polite, and none of whom she committed to memory. Why should she? Her interaction with these people would be short-lived. A moment in time where their paths crossed and nothing more. As they rounded the corner and entered the newsroom, Hannahrecoiled. It was a large open space with dozens of low-walled cubicles pushed together. If she squinted hard enough, she could barely make out the almost colorless gray paint on the walls. Fluorescent lights hummed overhead and overpowered the little amount of natural light trying to seep in from a few small windows. And as they walked past the assignment desk, a loud screech blared, causing her to place her hands over her ears.

“Sorry about that,” Payson said. “I keep telling them to turn the police scanner down, but Jason insists it stays turned up so he can hear it. He’s our news director.” She motioned with a nod to the corner office. “So he kinda rules the roost when it comes to stuff like that.”

“I see.” Hannah shuddered as a slight headache began knocking at her skull.

“And here we are. This is my desk, and I thought it’d be best if you take the one right behind me. I grabbed a few things out of the supply room, but let me know if you need anything beyond the standard stuff.” Payson extended her arm as she guided Hannah into the cubicle behind hers.

Hannah stood with slumped shoulders as she looked at the small, perfectly square space. An assortment of office items graced the desk, and she couldn’t help but sigh over how pathetic the tiny area looked. She let out a breath and took another glance around the room as she tried to soothe the feeling of despair filling her stomach. The environment was sterile, dreary, and lacked anything that would feed her soul. The air was recycled, no natural light touched and nourished her skin, and there wasn’t any nature to interact with. Not even the tiniest plant graced a single desk.

She felt claustrophobic. And even though she knew she was free to walk out at any time, she still felt caged. How did people exist in an environment like this, she wondered as sheapproached a chair that looked like it had seen better days? The chair rocked back as she sat, and she reached for the desk to prevent her from flipping backward. Payson grabbed her hand, setting off the same warmth and calmness as before. A one-time feeling of such intimacy, Hannah could reason away as an anomaly. But twice was something that definitely caught her attention.

“Sorry about that. I thought they fixed this chair. Hold on.” In one quick motion, Payson helped Hannah up and swapped the chair out for another. “Here, let’s try this one.” She patted the mesh fabric as though testing it for firmness.

Hannah cautiously sat, leaned back, then nodded her approval.

“Payson,” a raspy voice called out. “Payson!”

Payson rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, I’m coming.” She turned back to Hannah. “Jason’s bark is worse than his bite, but trust me, he can still be a real pain in the ass,” she said as she gestured to Hannah’s cubicle. “Make yourself comfortable for a few minutes, I’ll be right back.”

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