by G. A. Rael
"Table for two under Wilde,” Chase said to the maître d'.
"Right this way," said the man, grabbing two menus from the podium. He led them back to what appeared to be the only two empty tables in the restaurant. They were seated by the window and Chase pulled Jordan's chair out before taking his own.
A moment later, the waiter appeared. "Can I start you out with something to drink?"
"A club soda for me, something red from the top shelf and whatever else the lady wants," said Chase.
"Of course, sir," the waiter said, looking to Jordan. "For you, miss?"
“Something with vodka in it. Thanks,” she said, still reeling from the realization that Chase was one of her destined lovers. Or “consorts,” as Hermes put it. Jordan had always assumed that was a term reserved for the demonic, but there was nothing of the sort in Chase.
Of course, she knew he was a possible candidate. For one reason or another, they’d all been drawn to Cold Creek, but Hermes’ ignorance about the who, how and what left her with more questions than answers. Namely, just what she was supposed to do with Chase now that she’d “found” him.
The waiter left and Jordan turned her attention to the menu. It was genuine Italian cuisine, to her surprise. "I'll have to take you back to New York sometime. There are lots of vegetarian restaurants. I'm afraid this is the best Cold Creek has to offer."
Jordan blinked. “How did you know?”
“I’m sure you must’ve told me.”
“Oh. Yeah,” she said with a stiff laugh. She couldn’t remember it, but the last few months had been nothing if not chaotic. “Well, that’s sweet of you to remember.”
"Of course," he said, taking a sip of the club soda the bus boy had just brought over. "I like the fact that you're an animal lover. I tried being vegan once, but I'm afraid I'm just another bloodthirsty carnivore. I hope that's not too off putting."
"Not at all. Most people give me a hard time about it.”
“Most people have a hard time minding their own business,” he mused.
Jordan smirked. “Spoken like a defense attorney.”
“You can take the public servant out of court…,” he sighed.
The waiter came over with their drinks as the host settled some newly arrived guests at the table behind them. Jordan nearly choked on the sip she’d just taken when she heard a familiar voice behind them ask. "Can we move to a different table?"
Jordan's back stiffened. "Darren?"
Chase looked up sharply, but the edge in his gaze was even sharper. Something about his reaction to Darren’s appearance made Jordan wonder if it was entirely unexpected. She decided that was paranoia talking and turned slowly to face the vet and his date.
Of course, Allison looked stunning with her long black hair and tight yellow dress. Jordan had never been more relieved than when the woman's eyes locked right on Chase.
“Chasey?” she cried.
"Allie," he called back with enthusiasm Jordan immediately recognized as false. He stood to greet her and the two embraced like old friends. “It’s so good to see you. I’ve been meaning to touch base ever since I heard you were back in town."
"Well, you've been busy from what I hear, Mr. High Profile Attorney," said Allison, giving his arm a playful if somewhat flirtatious swat. Darren looked more agitated to be in Jordan's presence than he was jealous of his girlfriend’s current preoccupation.
If there had been any doubt in Jordan’s mind that she was the reason he'd asked to move tables before, there was none now. He hadn’t so much as looked her way even though they were standing right next to each other as Allison chatted up his worst enemy.
"It was nothing," Chase said with the false modesty that seemed to come so easily to him.
"A full profile in the Weekly is so not nothing," said Allison.
"Yeah, that's a huge deal," said Jordan. "Even I've heard of it."
Allison glanced over, as if noticing Jordan for the first time. "You must be Jordan," she said with a blindingly white smile, extending her hand. "Darren talks about you all the time. You're that little witch girl, right?"
Jordan returned the handshake, mortified. "That's me. It's nice to meet you."
"Jordan runs a botanicals shop online,” Chase said diplomatically, placing a hand on the small of her back. "You know how folks in this town like to exaggerate."
"Hey, what do you say we push our tables together?" Allison suggested. Darren's look of dread echoed Jordan's feelings. "I mean, when was the last time the three of us were in the same room, Mrs. Coleman's health class?"
"Around then, I'm sure," Chase said with a vacant smile. He was a mannequin again. Maybe Allison was the real witch.
"I don't know if that's a good idea," said Darren. "They're obviously on a date and we have things to discuss."
"Oh, the wedding plans can wait," Allison said dismissively.
"Engagement?" Chase looked between them. "When did this happen?"
Allison proudly held her hand forward, wriggling her fingers so the large diamond set between twin sapphires caught the mood lighting overhead. Jordan had no idea how she’d missed it. Willful ignorance, perhaps. Or maybe she’d simply been blinded by the rock.
“Since last week," she said with an excited little giggle. "It's funny, what started out as a fight turned into Darren telling me how much he'd missed me all these years and how he couldn't imagine going through the pain of losing me again. It was so romantic," she said, pressing a hand against her full breasts with a heavy sigh. "We went to the jewelry store just yesterday."
Allison's words settled on Jordan's chest like a pile of rocks. She was relieved that her presence seemed to have been forgotten again, because the weight was making it impossible to breathe, never mind speak.
"Congratulations," said Chase, his enthusiasm waning as he gave Jordan a concerned glance.
"Yeah," Jordan said in a voice that wasn't nearly as feeble as she had feared. "That's great news. Congratulations, both of you."
"Thank you," Allison said gleefully. "So, what do you say about making this a double date, Chasey? It can be your engagement present to me."
Chase hesitated, glancing down at Jordan. "It's really up to Jordan."
Suddenly all eyes were on Jordan. For the first time, Darren was making eye contact with her but it was a mixture of a plea for her to say no and a menacing glare that warned of what was coming if she didn't.
"Sure," she said stiffly. After all, there was no way Darren could think less of her than he already did. She didn't need to earn a new enemy in Allison or risk looking petty in front of Chase. If the thought of sitting across from her was so unbearable, Darren could stand up to his own girlfriend and tell her no for himself.
His fiancée, she reminded herself.
"Great!" said Allison, directing Darren and Chase on which way to arrange the tables. She liked sitting by the window. Jordan was to sit across from her and, of course, the "boys" would be on the outside. Jordan was beginning to realize that Allison's air of demure sophistication was just for show. She had never imagined there existed a person willful enough to boss Darren around, but he went along with it without a word.
"So," said Allison, fixing her attention on Jordan. "You must be a smart girl if you snagged Cold Creek's second most eligible bachelor right out of the gate."
Jordan wasn't sure how to respond to that. Fortunately, Chase came to her rescue. "Actually, I'm the one who snagged her. Or at least, I might have a chance now that Darren is off the market."
"Oh, that's right," Allison said stiffly. "I forgot you two dated.
Darren cleared his throat. "Briefly. Very briefly. I mentioned that."
"Yeah, I must have forgotten since you hardly ever talk about it." Allison’s words were said with a smile, but Jordan could tell they were meant to sting.
"It lasted all of two seconds," said Jordan, deciding to help him out in a gesture of goodwill. “I think we went out on what, two official dates?"
Darren looked up with a vague nod of gratitude. "Yeah, about that."
Jordan took a long sip of water to ease the ache in the pit of her belly.
"Oh," said Allison. She seemed mollified, but the warmth she had shown toward Jordan a moment ago was gone. "Anyway, we've just started planning the wedding but we were thinking about getting married at the country club outside of Northampton,” she said, as if she was merely continuing a conversation they had already been having on the subject. "Your family still has a membership there, right, Chase?”
"My uncle owns it, actually."
Allison squealed and clutched Darren’s arm. "See, honey, I told you we should ask him. He's always connected to someone somehow," she said, touching Chase’s hand. Her gaze flickered to Jordan, as if assessing her reaction.
Jordan took another sip of water. She didn’t trust herself to get drunk. No telling what she’d end up saying. As far as she was concerned, Allison could have a threesome with Chase and Darren right there on the table as long as she didn't have to stick around. The discussion continued, although it felt more like a lecture on wedding planning from Allison punctuated by some noncommittal grunting from Darren and a few ill-fated attempts from Chase to steer the conversation in a different direction.
Even though it didn't work, Jordan was grateful to him for trying.
"So," Allison said, turning to Jordan after a rather lengthy discussion about the many advantages of incandescent lighting for indoor photographs, "I don't think you ever mentioned why you came here in the first place. Do you have family in Cold Creek?"
"No," said Jordan, starting on her fourth glass of water. She had barely touched her food and wasn't entirely sure if what she had ordered in her distracted state was even vegetarian. She found herself wishing that she’d gotten Hermes to teach her a spell that would give someone laryngitis for an hour. Allison stared at her, clearly expecting a longer answer.
"Well, you obviously didn't come for the booming job market," Allison said, casting Darren a wary glance as if in fear that he might have been the reason for Jordan's sudden appearance.
"I certainly did not," Jordan agreed. She thought of letting the woman squirm but decided it wasn't Allison's fault that she was in double date hell, even if she was the vehicle by which Jordan had arrived there. "There wasn't really any particular reason, to be honest. As I'm sure Darren has told you, I was kind of run out of my last town by an angry mob and I needed a place to go. I felt drawn to Cold Creek for reasons I've yet to understand myself and so I came here. Simple as that."
Allison frowned. "That's kind of weird."
"Jordan is a bit of a free spirit," said Chase, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear in admiration. "I find it very refreshing."
Jordan gave him an appreciative smile. She was sure the intimate gesture was just an effort to help her save face in front of the couple, but it was still sweet. Chase was full of little surprises and thoughtful gestures.
"Opposites attract, I guess," Allison said with a resigned sigh. She seemed a bit less on edge than she had been earlier that night. Jordan decided it was probably only because Allison had realized that she was too crazy to pose any threat to her relationship--as if Darren's icy treatment all throughout the evening hadn't been enough to reassure her of that.
Jordan's phone buzzed and she nearly spilled her drink. She still wasn't used to having a phone on her, never mind one that did anything other than ring, but she had finally caved to Hermes’ pressure to upgrade to a smartphone. Since she had broken up with Darren, there were only a few people who called her regularly and the number on the display didn't belong to any of them. At least it wasn't from a restricted number.
"Do you need to take that?" asked Chase.
"I probably should, just in case something happened to Mrs. Herrin," Jordan said. “I’ll be back."
"Take your time," Allison called. Before Jordan was out of earshot, the conversation turned back to wedding planning.
Jordan found a waiter who showed her the way out onto the veranda, but just before she could open the phone, the ringing stopped. She sighed and swept her bangs away from her forehead. Out in the cool night air, she was aware of how flushed her face was. She opened the phone and returned the missed call, leaning on the balcony that overlooked a small pond rippling gently as it reflected the light of the moon.
The door slid open behind her and Jordan jolted when she heard ringing both on the other line and on the veranda. As she spun around, her balance faltered and she stumbled into Darren. He caught her with one arm while holding his phone with his other hand. He hung up and slipped it back into the pocket of his crisp black blazer.
“Why do you even try to wear shoes you know you can’t walk in?” he muttered before righting her on her feet.
"Changing your number is a bit excessive, don't you think?" she asked, closing her phone. "Why did you call me?"
"I didn't change it because of you," he snapped. "Now that I'm on the council, everyone wants a favor. I had to change it, and I called you because we need to talk and I knew it was the only way I could get you alone."
"That's funny, we've been sitting across from each other all night and I don't think you've uttered more than two words to me," she said, folding her arms. "Why the double-oh-seven act?"
He cocked an eyebrow. "That's a marginally up-to-date pop culture reference. I'm impressed."
"I've been working my way through the decades," Jordan grumbled. It seemed that Hermes hadn’t erased everything she’d told Darren about her past. “I’m up to the 80s."
Darren snorted, slipping his hands into his pockets. "You might want to stop there."
"You didn't call me out here to talk about old spy movies," she said pointedly. She wasn't about to engage in small talk with him after the way he'd been acting. Avoiding her she understood, but she couldn't think of anything she had done to deserve such ire--at least, not anything he would remember.
"You're right," he said, glancing out at the creek. "I called you out here to ask you a question. Namely, what the hell do you think you're doing?"
"Well, I was preparing to enjoy a nice manicotti and an evening with a man who's capable of being in the same room with me without popping a blood vessel before I got sucked into your wedding plans," she shot back.
"You know what I mean. Chase Wilde? Really, Jordan?"
"What's wrong with Chase?” she challenged. “Besides the fact that he’s a magnet for unfounded gossip and slander. He's a nice guy, he's good looking and he doesn't treat me like a leper every time he sees me on the street.”
"That's a bit dramatic."
“Make that a leper who kicks puppies and leaves the empty carton of milk in the refrigerator."
Darren looked away as if to hide his amusement. "I just think you could do better than Chase, that's all. I know there aren’t that many single men in town, but there are at least a few who don’t have a reputation.”
“A reputation you helped spread,“ she said dryly. If he wasn't playing nice, neither was she. "You pretend like you're better than the town gossips, but you've kept those rumors alive just the same as everyone else. Besides, people change. If you weren't so busy being jealous of him, you might realize that Chase isn't the person you think he is."
"No? And you know this after all of what, two dates?"
“That’s as many as we went on, apparently,” she shot back. The energy that flowed so freely ever since she’d signed her soul away was ready to boil. "And you're not one to talk. Allison has been back in town for five minutes and you've already proposed."
He cringed. "It wasn't planned, it just happened. At least I have a history with Allison--and Chase, for that matter.”
"I know about your history. You could have told me you both dated Jessica.”
Darren’s face went blank. “I knew you wouldn’t take me seriously when I told you to stay away from him. You don’t know him the way I do.”
“I know more about the person he is no
w than you do," Jordan said firmly. She wasn’t sure if her need to rush to Chase’s defense was because he was her consort or because she refused to let Darren’ “win” anything. “I know that he's kind, that he goes out of his way to help people even when he gets absolutely nothing out of it in return, and I know that he treats me with respect."
"I'm sure Jessica thought the same thing, and look how well it worked out for her. You're dating a murderer, for Christ's sake."
Jordan's nails dug into her palms. She couldn't be sure of whether the rage building in the pit of her stomach was on Chase’s behalf or her own, but the water in the creek splashed with enough force to spray them both with a fine mist, providing a much-needed distraction.
Darren frowned, peering over the railing. "What the hell?"
"Alleged murderer," Jordan snapped. "Being suspected of a crime isn't the same as being guilty of it, and if they’d had the evidence to charge him, they would have. We have a justice system to protect people like him from angry mobs led by bitter men like you. If we lived in different times, you'd be trying to have me burned at the stake. Now you'll settle for running me out of town and making sure that Chase is punished every day for a crime a judge and jury already decided he didn't commit."
"'Alleged murderer,' Jordan?" Darren took a step forward. "Listen to yourself, he's even got you talking legalese."
"I'm sorry, should I use smaller words?" she taunted. "Maybe I'm not a sophisticated woman like Allison, but believe it or not, I am capable of forming a thought without the help of a man."
"That's not what I meant."
"Yes, it is. You and everyone else think I'm some helpless brainwashed bumpkin," she muttered, looking away. "I've dealt with far worse monsters than the one you think Chase is and I'm done being afraid. I don't know whether it's jealousy or pity, but I don't need anyone else's protection, especially not yours."
"Jealousy?" he frowned. "I'm not jealous of anything.”
"I didn't mean you were jealous of me," she muttered. "Obviously not."
His frown deepened.
"Look," Jordan said, unhappy with the direction the conversation was taking. "We went on a few forgettable dates. We're not friends or even acquaintances. There's no reason we even have to speak to each other. Unless, of course, you're still planning on convincing the council to hold New England's first witch trial in a few hundred years."
