“No luck with Phil tonight?” Eliza asked, swirling the ice in her glass.
I grimaced. “No. Definite no.”
“What happened?” Ivy asked, basking in my dating misery.
Avoiding her gaze, I took another drink of my cocktail. “He dated his cousin,” I mumbled, tipping the glass back all the way.
“By accident?” Eliza asked, eyebrows raised as if hoping that were the case.
“Like that matters,” Ivy countered with a grin. “Either way, it’s totally gross.”
“Needless to say, I will not be going out with Phil again,” I declared, feeling the blissful effects of the two drinks I’d had in quick succession.
“Our little heartbreaker,” Trysta cooed, wrapping her long arm around my shoulders and squeezing affectionately.
“I’m not even sure Justin has a heart,” I blurted, eyes widening as my hand flew up to my mouth. “That wasn’t nice.”
“What do you put in the cauldron cocktails, T? Maybe I should have one,” Ivy teased, picking up my glass and motioning to a waitress for another.
I sighed. “It’s just that I can’t believe it took me more than a month to see what a jerk he is.” I reached across the table and took a gulp of Ivy’s bourbon. I swallowed, felt my eyes fill with tears, and then started coughing. Trysta patted my back. “It’s official: I’ve reached the desperate stage in my life,” I announced dramatically once I caught my breath.
All three women laughed and shook their heads. “You’re not even close,” Eliza assured me.
“I dated a guy who asked me for a referral on facials, Eliza.” I brought my hand to my forehead in chagrin. “And he counts carbs and has a ‘teeth-whitening process.’ Who does that?” Eliza and Ivy leaned toward each other, laughing so hard they needed support.
“You’ll find the man for you, sugar. I have no doubt,” Trysta soothed, shooting me a confident grin.
“I sure hope so.”
“You act like being twenty-three and single is a punishment,” Ivy piped in. “It’s not. Do I need to remind you how young twenty-three is in the grand scheme of things? You don’t have to settle down.”
“Ivy’s right,” Eliza chimed in.
“Okay, first, I love you both, but do I need to remind you that one of you is married and the other is in a very serious relationship?” I replied, raising my brows. “And second, it’s not that I want to rush into anything. I just don’t want to date guys who date their cousins or use special exfoliants on their faces.” My phone buzzed again, interrupting my declaration.
Cruz: I bet you look adorable tonight.
I snatched up my phone as my friends chattered about my dating life, and before one of them saw who was texting me.
Me: Adorable? Is the dark, moody Cruz Drakov calling me adorable?
I bit back a grin and quickly placed my phone back down before it drew unnecessary attention.
“I get it. You want a real connection, Lex.” Trysta nodded as the table conversation died down. “Maybe not the kind of love that leads to marriage, but real love.”
“Of course you get it,” Ivy replied dryly. “Because the entire time I’ve known you, T, you’ve been so forthcoming with your love life.”
“You try establishing a new bar and still work location spells to find missing people, and then you can preach to me about dating,” Trysta returned, flipping a braid over her shoulder. She was a gifted location witch, which had come in useful last May when Ivy needed help saving Oliver.
“What’s next, Lex?” Eliza asked, taking a gulp of her orange soda. “You going to hit the online dating sites again?”
My mouth twisted as I considered my options. “Nope. I’m going to take a break from online dating. To be honest, it’s tiring. There’s so much work that goes into it, and then the nerves kick in about meeting men who might not match their profile photos.” I grimaced as I thought about some of the men who’d pretended to be someone else, using photos they’d found online. “I’m going to keep my eyes open and hope for the best. At least for a little while.”
“Gotta get back to the bar, but have fun, ladies. Stay out of trouble.” Trysta winked and then meandered through the crowd on her way back to her preferred pastime—bartending. My phone buzzed again, but I didn’t need to look at it to know who it was.
“I’m going to run to the bathroom, and then I’m going to get out on the dance floor,” I announced, scooting out of the booth.
“Want me to come with you?” Eliza asked, looking at the crowd of people.
“Nope, I’ll be fine. Mostly regulars here tonight,” I replied, grabbing my purse and winding my way to the back of the bar to the restrooms.
“Looking good, Sparkles,” Chuck drawled as I neared. The regulars had picked up one of Ivy’s many nicknames for me, but I didn’t mind. I fluttered my fingertips in the direction of the biker.
“Hey, Chuck,” I called out, passing him.
“How’d she get in here?” I heard a man dressed in leather ask Chuck, jerking his head my direction. “I’m not saying I wouldn’t mind a quick—”
“Shut your mouth,” Chuck warned as I kept on walking.
I ambled off to the hallway that led to the restrooms. After shutting myself in a stall, I took a moment to read the message Cruz had sent me.
Cruz: Instead of adorable, how about gorgeous?
Me: You better watch that flirting, mister. Not sure Lana would approve.
I tucked my phone into my purse and thought ruefully of the leggy woman with jet-black wavy hair Cruz had been photographed with last week. Lana DeCourt was the lead singer of Death Kiss, a popular Romanian rock band. And according to Flibbertigibbet, a celebrity gossip site I frequented, Lana was his latest in a string of whirlwind romances.
And what had I done that same night last week? I volunteered at the pet shelter, ate an entire batch of caramel cookies while I watched a tearjerker, and then read a novel about someone else’s passionate romance.
I washed my hands, glanced in the mirror, and touched up my pink lipstick. There’s nothing wrong with harmless flirting over text messages, but you need to get those feelings in line, I scolded my reflection. Neither Cruz nor I ever broached the topic of our kiss, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t compare every other kiss to it.
And every other kiss had failed miserably in comparison, which was just my luck.
Mumbling to myself about being such a sucker, I walked into the hallway, prepared to shake it all off and get lost on the dance floor. I felt my phone buzz, but I ignored it as I passed under the sketchy excuse for lighting in the hallway.
I was about halfway through the corridor when a deep voice called out, sending goose bumps up my arms. “I knew it. You do look gorgeous.”
I gasped tiny bursts of air as two warm hands spun me around. I was looking at the man who’d left more of an impression than he knew when he exited Sage Springs last May.
Green eyes with golden rings around the irises searched my own hazel ones, causing my blood to pump faster. His lip ring moved as his mouth turned up at the corners, compelling me to lean in.
“Hey, Lexi,” Cruz said. His eyes drank me up.
“Hi,” I breathed, slowly coming down from my Cruz high.
He held me at arm’s length for a moment, simply looking at me. “Come here.” He tugged me to his chest for a flash of a second before he scooped me into his arms and spun me around. The scent of spicy citrus swallowed me up. “Good to see you, Sunshine,” Cruz whispered into my ear before he carefully set me down.
I smiled up at him, feeling a little off. The spinning must have mixed with the alcohol—not to mention his yummy manly scent. No wonder I was lightheaded.
Don’t be dumb, Lexi, the practical part of my mind warned.
But he feels so good and smells like heaven, the romantic in me argued.
I was a grown woman. He was a grown man. We’d shared fun texts, a never-talked-about kiss, a few phone calls. I could talk to him wi
thout tripping over my words.
“It’s so good to see you,” I trilled, putting on my normal cheery front after taking one last inconspicuous whiff of citrus. “Ivy and Eliza are going to be excited. Well, Eliza, anyway. You know how prickly Ivy is. I thought you were flying in Monday. Does Ivy know you’re here already? Oh, and I’m so honored to be asked to provide the show with desserts. I’ve already got plans for what to make, so don’t you worry. Come on, let’s go find Ivy and Eliza,” I babbled, thoughts running rampant.
Seeing Cruz in person after months of flirt-texting was doing weird things to my voice. Do I sound like a second-grader? Why is my voice so high? And why are my palms so sweaty all of a sudden? I discreetly rubbed my hands on my short, strapless turquoise dress.
Cruz smiled down at me, running a hand over his stubbly chin. “I decided to come a few days early to relax a little. Sage Springs does good things for my mind. It’s damn near the only place I feel like I can be myself,” he said, studying me. “And you really do look good.” He bit the metal in his lip, making me want to take a nip myself.
No more drinks for me.
CHAPTER 4
“You’re looking pretty good yourself,” I said, smiling up at him. “Come on. Ivy’s probably going to tease me about falling in the toilet or something if I don’t get back.” I gestured toward the crowd and Cruz took my hand and tucked it into the crook of his arm, leading me back. I couldn’t help but let my fingers travel up and down his arm a little. I shot him a quick peek to see if he noticed, but he was busy assessing the crowd.
“Don’t want you getting lost in the sea of black out there,” he teased, gracing me with a glance. “No telling what could happen. You might start adding the color to your wardrobe.”
“As if,” I joked back. My pink-tipped fingernails pressed against his dragon-inked skin. Looking at the noticeable difference, I was reminded why we were an odd match. “There they are.” I stood on my tiptoes to see through the crowd and pointed to the table where Ivy and Eliza were talking. I waved when they looked up. Eliza smiled and Ivy nearly smiled, which was as good as it got with her unless she was making fun of someone or pulling a prank.
“Look who I found,” I shouted, approaching the booth and squeezing Cruz’s arm.
“It’s so great to see you again, Cruz. I hope Grams got you all set up at Cedar Inn,” Eliza welcomed, standing up to give him a hug. She didn’t look surprised by Cruz’s early visit.
“You knew he was coming today?” I asked her.
“Yeah,” Eliza replied, blue eyes twinkling.
“I tried to convince Aggie to let me move into her room, but no can do,” Cruz said with a dramatic sigh.
“She and Jameson are still going strong,” Eliza laughed. Jameson was Aggie’s anointed “man friend.”
“Too bad for me,” Cruz said woefully, clutching his heart.
“You sick freak,” Ivy said, punching him in the arm, which was her universal sign of affection. Cruz swooped her up in a tight hug as she hit his back. “Down, Cruz! Don’t make me punch you in the kidney.”
Cruz settled Ivy onto her feet and turned toward me. “I forgot to thank you for agreeing to cater the desserts for the show. The crew’s sick of me talking about how great you and Sweet Stuff are. They’re ready to find out for themselves.”
“No pressure or anything,” Ivy cracked as I slid into the booth with Cruz scooting in after me.
“I’m sure you’ll do great,” Cruz appeased, eyes dipping down for a second. The smirk on his face as his gaze lingered caused me to look down in alarm.
Awesome, my dress had ridden up as I’d slid in the booth and a healthy chunk of thigh was showing. Nonchalantly pulling the fabric to an acceptable length, I signaled the waitress for another drink. I was going to need it.
“Gotcha covered, doll,” the waitress said, handing both Cruz and me a drink. “Yours is from the ladies over there,” she said to Cruz, bobbing her head toward a group of women showing way more skin than I had by accident.
Cruz held up his drink and nodded his thanks to the group. The women smiled and turned to one another with wide eyes before grabbing hands and leaning in to discuss something.
“How are my Sage Springs gals doing?” Cruz asked, taking a gulp of what I assumed was rum and cola. It was his drink of choice. Or at least, it had been last May.
“Great. How about you?” I asked, dragging my eyes away from the women across the room who were slowly edging closer to our table.
“Ready to get this show going. You wouldn’t believe how much work it takes to set up these episodes—scouting locations, hiring crew, doing interviews with history buffs, then talking the stars into actually participating in the show. Not to mention getting the town to sign off in this case. Thanks, by the way. Your dad said you didn’t leave any room to bargain, Ivy.”
Ivy smirked. “Yeah, well, it’s the least he can do after being a pretty terrible father for the first twenty-two years.” She shrugged, settling back into the booth. “But don’t forget you owe me now.”
“Okay. Want a guest spot on the show?” Cruz offered.
Ivy snorted. “Never.”
Cruz’s Fearsome Phantoms was a paranormal reality show where they threw in celebrities to investigate historical buildings. The celebrities got screen time comprised of high-pitched squeals of fright and extreme close-ups in scary situations. Cruz issued the celebrities challenges throughout the episode, which made sense since I was one of the few who knew Cruz went in to talk with the spirits before the shows were shot. He coached the spirits on how to behave and what to wail into voice recorders. So while the venues were probably often haunted, the actual show itself had gotten a reputation from a few critics for being corny. But Cruz’s followers stood by the show with a near-religious fervor. Impressive for a show in its third year.
“Aw, come on. You don’t want to hang out with the stars on the show?” Cruz asked, sending Ivy a cheesy smile.
“They’re not stars, Cruz,” Ivy argued.
“Okay, ‘talent,’” he relented, resting his back against the booth. “Doesn’t matter since the show got picked up for a fourth season. People are loving it. Terrible celebrities and all.”
“Congratulations,” Eliza and I said in unison. Ivy mumbled something about society’s viewing habits being garbage. She got up to go to the restroom and Eliza excused herself to tag along.
“So, Lexi.” Cruz bit the ring on his lower lip and slid his gaze to me. “I’ve been craving your chocolate peanut butter cookies. Think you could hook me up?” He leaned down to me, not close enough to be intimate, but close enough to make my darn breath hitch again. “You know, since I’m back in Sage Springs and could use something sweet.”
I swallowed quickly, words lost somewhere between my brain and my mouth, which was lustfully longing to be pressed against his. What was it about him that had me acting like a tongue-tied teenager? I was worldly … Okay, maybe not worldly, but I was not the same Lexi he’d kissed and left without a backward glance.
No. I was a woman to be reckoned with. I was willful, independent, and coming into her own. Two could pour on the charm.
I sat up straighter, leaning into him. His eyes flickered in surprise. I grinned, letting his uncertainty fuel my actions. I could get used to the powerful feeling pulsing inside me, making me feel gutsy.
“Cookies all you want?” I whispered to him, inches separating us.
His jaw clenched and his eyes flashed to mine, seeking something within their depths. What was that lurking behind his irises? Humor? Surprise? Interest? I couldn’t put my finger on it, but I wanted to. “What else you got, Sunshine?”
“Oh, I don’t know.” I slowly moved my hand along his tattooed forearm and up his shoulder, capturing his chin with my index finger and thumb and moving my face a few inches from his. His jaw ticked, letting me know I’d won. “Cupcakes, brownies, muffins.” I released his chin and leaned back, extending the magnetic connection that I’d se
t in motion. He cursed softly, gaze locked to mine. “Why? What did you think I meant, Cruz?” I widened my eyes and fluttered my lashes innocently.
“Huh.” He cocked his head to the side in thought as he studied me. “There’s something different about you.” I watched him assess me as I calmly pulled at a strand of hair. “I can’t put my finger on it, but it’s almost—”
“That’s an easy one. Lexi’s a heartbreaker,” Ivy announced, sliding back into the booth. The hormone-driven force field Cruz and I had been in crumbled around us.
“I am not,” I argued, turning back to Cruz, who was watching me curiously. I’d proven my point. I wasn’t the naive woman who’d kissed him and walked away at the beginning of the summer. “So, can you tell us who’s going to be on the Sage Springs episode? I read on a blog that it’s being kept hush-hush.” I ignored the questions orbiting his irises at Ivy’s comment.
Giving in, Cruz looked around before placing his elbows on the table and leaning forward. Eliza and I followed suit, but Ivy only moved in a fraction of an inch. “We’re still working on a few people, but Starla Stigmata signed on two days ago,” he said quietly.
I squealed and clapped my hands, causing the people at the table next to us to cast haughty glances our way.
“Sorry,” I said to Ivy’s disbelieving look at my reaction. “Starla’s just, like, my favorite. Her newest song is even set as my ringtone.”
“Well, don’t get too excited. It’s been my experience that these people aren’t always everything they’re cracked up to be,” Cruz said dryly. “Not everyone’s as cool in person as I am.” He brushed some imaginary dust from his shoulder, earning a snort of derision from Ivy.
“It’ll still be cool to maybe meet her,” I said, noticing the people a few tables away had taken out their phones and were snapping photos of our table, or more likely, of Cruz. “I know I’m just the cookie lady, but maybe I’ll bump into her on set when I’m dropping things off.”
“Which reminds me, can we meet up tomorrow to discuss logistics and stuff?” Cruz asked. “Someone on crew put together a request list.”
Cinnamon and Sunshine Page 3
