Part 3

Make Me a Match
By Diana Holquist

(Page 3 of 3)

Cecelia had to hand it to Amy, she still had her touch. Lance and the rapidly growing crowd were hooked. The change in the room felt physical, as if someone had lowered the lights. Cecelia's heart pounded in the growing silence. In less than a minute, every guest had transformed into a willing member of Amy's audience.

"The name?" Lance asked, his voice dripping with skepticism.

Cecelia put her hands behind her back, trying to still her dancing fingers against her wrist. Pulse rate seventy-one and rising. Well, if she were going to have a heart attack, a room full of doctors would be the place to do it.

Amy addressed her audience. "You have on this earth only One True Love. A person assigned by Destiny. One person who is The One. Only that person can grant you the ultimate in life-True Love. A love like you've never experienced before." Amy paused to let the possibilities sink in.

Cecelia backed out of Amy's spotlight. Maybe she could fake a heart attack. But then, Lance might launch into overzealous CPR. No, he wouldn't dare. Too many lawyers around. She spotted a half-empty champagne flute on a side table and guzzled it.

Amy looked directly at Lance, her eyes dark and flashing. She slowly raised one arm, her bangles cascading down her arm like water. She pointed at his heart. "I can hear her Name as clear as day. The Name of your One and Only as Destined by Fate! Do you want to know who she is?"

Lance shifted from foot to foot. Something like a smile emerged, then retreated across his lips. Lance was decisive about everything. But now, under the power of Amy's gaze, he was frozen. Cecelia smiled; obviously, the guy was currently sleeping with at least two women in the room.

Then his smirk returned.

Cecelia's skin went cold. She sank back into the crowd.

"Hell, Desdemona," Lance said. "No one cares about my True Love. What everyone in this room wants to know is should Cecelia marry Jack? It's their engagement party. Let's hear it! Jack and Cecelia: are they each other's One True Love?"

The room exploded.

One hundred and twenty-seven guests clapped and cried their assent. Two of Jack's lawyer buddies pushed him forward, shouting encouragement. Jack looked sheepish, but game. He wasn't sure what kind of prank this was, but he was a good sport and would play along. Cecelia stepped gracefully into the circle. She knew she looked calm, but that was only because eight years of medical training had taught her to mask terror when she felt it.

"This is great, Cel," Jack whispered, coming to Cecelia's side. "Where did you find her?"

"Under a rock."

"Hi." Amy reached out her hand. "Amy Burns. Cecelia's little sister."

A murmur raced through the crowd. Great. Now whenever any of these people saw her, they wouldn't see a successful, serious medical professional, but a stomach-bared, gyrating, kohl-eyed gypsy with a doctor's name tag pinned to her sparkling halter top.

Jack shook Amy's hand. "No kidding. This is your sister? But I thought-"

Cecelia felt her stomach curl in on itself. He thought that her family were all practicing Sufis in India, following their guru, wearing saris, living in a commune, unable to participate in worldly things like engagement parties in Baltimore to non-believers. This was only partly untrue. Her family was certainly a sect unto themselves. Not anything as normal as Sufism, though, but followers of the religion of True Love. Their guru was standing before them now-Amy, leader of fools.

"My little sister is an actress. She loves to pretend. Make a scene. This is a good one, Ames. Very funny."

Amy turned to Jack, pointedly ignoring Cecelia. "Do you believe?"

"Does the magic only work if I believe?" Jack asked.

He sounded so sincere, Cecelia thought he was serious. But that wasn't possible. Not Jack. He was a respected trial lawyer, an expert in international tax code. He didn't believe in communications from the spirit world.

"Psychic powers have nothing to do with magic," Amy said, scorn radiating from her narrowed eyes. "I won't do it if you don't believe."

"Amy, no one in this room believes-" Cecelia began.

"Silence!" Amy approached Jack. She walked around him slowly, separating him from Cecelia. "Ordinary love is born of convenience, familiarity, comfort. But True Love draws from the deepest yearnings of the heart-"

"I can cut those out if you like," Lance called.

The crowd laughed but Amy ignored everyone but Jack. "Yearnings that might go against society, against your own best interest, against the interests of the people you think you love." She stopped circling Jack. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. "You believe."

Jack nodded. "Sure. I believe. I love your sister. I'm going to marry her." He moved to Cecelia and put his arm around her. Cecelia was aware of the striking couple they made-both thin, dark, tall, elegant.

"What if she isn't your One True Love?" Amy leaned close to him, her nose just inches from his.

Jack's eyes went wide, but without hesitation he said, "She is. I know she is."

The crowd erupted in applause. Julie Stone, a meek nurse practitioner, blew her nose. Cecelia let her lips curl into a gentle, serene smile. But she wished, just for a moment, that she still carried the Smith & Wesson Hammerless .38 Special that she had in her purse the last time she'd seen Amy ten years ago.

Copyright © 2006 by Diana Holquist