I whip my head around to stare at the now visible tall man lounging on my couch.

"Andris. What are you doing here?"

He shrugs. "I came to check up on you and this harebrained scheme of yours."

"I've tried everything else. It's as good of an idea as anything," I say defensively. "What else can I do? I'm not willing to sit and wait for the Administrators to come and take me down to the Harbinger floor. Six months is all I've got to make this match or they'll demote my ass."

I throw myself down on the chair matching the white couch and lean my head against the back, staring up at the ceiling. "Six months, Andris. I don't want to be a Harbinger."

"I know, buddy. We'll think of something." He leans over and takes Leonard from my lap, cradling her gently as he pets her. "Do you like my little gift?"

So that's where she came from. "You know, I hadn't actually planned to have a bunny. Look at this mess!"

"True, but you nearly had your mark running for the hills. She was ready to leg it out of here when I popped in to see how you were doing. Poorly, is the answer. You were doing poorly."

I glare at my one remaining friend. Andris is an excellent ally, despite his berating. Everyone else abandoned me when my luck changed and I failed to make my latest match. You'd think they thought I'd somehow rub off on them.

"I could have saved it," I mutter, crossing my arms over my chest.

"She thought you were a serial killer." He smirks. "Maybe she still does."

"Did you want something?" In retaliation for his condescension, I take the bunny back, cuddling her myself. Despite being a tiny agent of chaos, she's awfully soft and snuggly. Maybe having bunnies won't be so bad after all.

Andris leans back on the couch, unfurling his long legs and crossing them at the ankles. He looks relaxed and at home, but then he's someone who's always been able to fit in anywhere. Despite still hanging out with me, the other Cupids haven't shunned him, which speaks for itself. "Well, I thought we could try to hash this out. Why do you think this match keeps failing?"

"I honestly have no fucking idea."

"Do you think perhaps you've been paying a little too much attention to your female target and too little to the male?" The question sounds innocent, but I don't like the shrewd look in his eyes.

"Of course not." I'm offended. I'd never be that unprofessional. Sure, I've checked in on Penelope now and then, but I've checked in on Trevor too. You have to. How else will you plan them meeting? Do some Cupids abuse this and watch their marks too much? Definitely. Am I one of them? No. Some Cupids watch them too much. In situations they really shouldn't. Realizing my thoughts have wandered, I force them back to the matter at hand. "Why would you think so?"

"Well," he hedges. "What's Trevor's birthday?"

I frown. "I don't know. It hardly matters."

"What's Penelope's?"

"February fourteen," I answer automatically. When Andris grins as if he's just won, I add, "That means nothing. It's an easy date to remember."

"Maybe," he allows. "Or maybe—just maybe—you have neglected Trevor a little in favor of Penelope."

"No." I refuse to believe I would do that.

"What does she do for a living?"

I can tell where this is going and refuse to answer. Because we both know I can't remember what Trevor does. Andris just keeps grinning. I don't appreciate it.

"I thought you were here to help," I snap.

"I am. What's your plan here, exactly?"

What is my plan? I'm not even sure anymore. All I know is that I'm desperate and I don't like the feeling. "I will try to get them together by any means necessary. Today I literally pushed them at each other, and the match still didn't happen. I don't know if they agreed to meet again. Maybe if I'm lucky."

I try to pull up their files to check, only to be reminded that in my mortal form I lack the ability. While I retain some of my powers in this lesser form, most of them are unavailable. Andris must have noticed what I was trying to do, and I can see him pluck something out of thin air, two large binders materializing in his hands.

"These are fucking huge," he complains as he places them on the black coffee table.

"I know." They contain every meeting, every word they've ever exchanged. Magically recorded whether a Cupid is present or not. Every single failed attempt. I watch the binders with a certain level of revulsion. Binders for your matches should never get to this size. Maybe I should speak to Fate again. Something must be wrong.

Andris flicks through the pages, quickly reaching the back of the binder with the latest entry. After a moment, he nods his head in approval. "It wasn't great," he says. "But they've sort of agreed to meet for a coffee."

A glimmer of hope at the end of my long, dark tunnel. "That's more than ever before. Maybe me being here does help."

"Maybe not. Thing is..." Andris leans back again, watching me with a calculating expression. "She was too distracted by you to pay him much attention."

I'd suspected as much by watching them from a short distance. Fuck. I had to salvage this somehow. After practically a decade of near misses, the mere mention of them meeting for a coffee feels akin to scaling Mount Everest. I can't let this peter out now.

"Any suggestions?"

He looks thoughtful, then a slow grin spreads over his face. "Rebound!"

"Are we just shouting random words now? What do you mean?" I'm not sure I want to know, judging from the devious look on his face.

Putting his fingertips together like some bad supervillain, he watches me to see my reaction. "Seduce Penelope."

"I... What?" The word comes out a little sharper than intended. "That's a terrible idea. I want her with Trevor."

Andris shrugs, looking inordinately pleased with himself. "Exactly. He will be her rebound when you conveniently crush her heart. That should be enough to break whatever is making you repeatedly fail and finally see them matched."

"No." I shake my head. Drag my fingers through my hair. Then shake it again. "I don't like it."

I try very hard to ignore a small part of me that definitely perked up at the thought of seducing Penelope. It's not that we're banned from seducing mortals, but we definitely aren't meant to seduce the ones we are matching with their human mates. If nothing else, it's bad form. And usually counterintuitive to what we're trying to achieve.

That said... His idea has some merit, as much as I am loath to admit it. If she starts seeing him somewhat regularly, it's not impossible that she'd turn to him if hurting from a breakup.

"Do you have a better idea?" The sly smile on Andris's face implies he knows I don't.

But seduce Penelope? My throat is suddenly dry. I couldn't. Could I?