by T. M. Cromer
“Okay,” she blurted.
“Fine. Just give her your number and—”
“No. I mean, okay, I’d like to have lunch with you.”
The intensity in his dark, chocolatey eyes sharpened—became deeper—as they studied her. It seemed as if he concentrated on memorizing her features. A bright, engaging grin burst across his face and stunned her into silence. “Awesome.”
She wanted to bask in the warmth of his wide smile. If there was one thing she remembered about him, it was that Zane hadn’t met a stranger. One and all took to his open, cheerful personality, herself included.
“Have you had Monica’s tomato basil soup? No? You’re in for a treat.” He directed the wattage of his smile at Penny. “Should we bring something back for you?”
“Cheesecake.”
“You have to eat something more substantial than dessert, Pen.”
Penny shrugged and laughed. “You know my motto.”
“Life’s uncertain; eat dessert first,” Zane and Penny quoted in unison.
Zane sighed his disgust. “I tried.”
“And I love you for it. Best Boss Award goes to…” She tapped out a drum roll, smiled, and turned back to the monitor in front of her. “Well, look at that. Your next appointment canceled. Take your time, kids.”
Penny couldn’t have been more than twenty-three or four in Winnie’s assessment. Her use of the term “kids” caused both Winnie and Zane to roll their eyes and chuckle, as she’d no doubt intended.
After Zane and Winnie were ensconced in a booth at Monica’s Cafe, he spoke. “It’s been a long time.”
“It has,” she agreed as she fiddled with the edge of the worn menu.
He ducked and captured her eyes with his inquiring gaze. “You seem nervous. Do I make you nervous, Winnie?”
Goddess, yes!
But she didn’t dare tell him. She’d learned her lesson about telling men the truth the day in the meadow.
“Do you intend to split your time between here and Nashville, or are you back in Leiper’s Fork permanently?” she politely asked in an effort to avoid his question altogether.
His lips twitched. “I’m here permanently. Are you seeing anyone?”
The speed and bluntness of his question stole her breath away. He couldn’t be serious, and yet, the determined glint in his eye said his interest was genuine.
If she lied, he’d find out the truth. The size of their town didn’t allow for secrets, minus the one major secret the Thornes had managed to keep hidden for a few centuries.
“No.”
“Excellent.”
Her eyes darted around the crowded room as she looked for an escape. No way did she intend to have a repeat of their aborted romance. She needed an excuse—STAT!
“I definitely make you nervous,” he teased. “The next logical question would be why?”
“Not at all. I have a lot on my mind.”
“Odd. The Winnie I used to know as a kid never lied.”
Irritation spiked her temper. Who was he to determine if she was lying or not? “You want the truth? Fine. I get the impression you are deciding whether to ask me out or not. Don’t bother. I’m not interested.”
A twinkle lit his eyes. “Is that so?”
She jerked her chin up. “Yes.”
“Like I said, the Winnie I used to know never lied.” He surveyed the menu. “What looks good?”
* * *
Zane could feel Winnie’s anger as she sat and simmered.
Once, the thought of angering Winnie would’ve had him bending over backwards to soothe her ruffled feathers. Now, her temper amused him. Picking a fight went against his nature. Other than the courtroom, where he relished a battle of wits, he preferred peace and an easy existence.
Yet the way Winnie’s icy-blue gaze darkened to smoke made him wonder what other emotion might cause the unusual change in eye color. Passion?
As he fantasized about kissing her delicate mouth and running his hands over her creamy skin, Zane’s focus on the menu morphed into an image of him and Winnie naked in the grass. He could almost hear the crinkle of autumn leaves beneath the purple blanket they lay upon. Her long black hair a halo around her as he pumped into her tight, hot body.
Sweat beaded on his brow, and he shifted in his seat. A surge of desire hit him below the belt. Where the hell had that vision come from? He could almost smell the musky scent of sex in the air.
“Are you all right, Zane?” Her husky voice only fueled his need.
Heat started on his neck and worked its way up, adding color to his face and highlighting his cheekbones. “Uh, yeah. I think I’ll have the tomato soup and grilled cheese combo. How about you?”
He nearly smacked himself on the forehead. Damned if he didn’t sound inane. But whenever she turned those probing eyes in his direction, he would lose his train of thought and get lost in her gaze.
“Sounds good. I’ll have the same,” she agreed without a glance at the menu.
While he didn’t want to cut their lunch short, he hated that she seemed to find dining with him distasteful. “You know, if you didn’t want to have lunch with me, you could’ve just said so. I’m an adult. I can take it.”
Her mouth opened and closed around the words she couldn’t seem to form. She cleared her throat once before reaching for his hand. When their fingers connected, he once again felt the current pass between them.
“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want to be,” she finally said.
Her honesty shone bright and clear.
“Good.” As she moved to pull away, he captured her hand more fully. “Because I like you, Winnie Thorne.”
A flash of an unnamed emotion clouded her features before she shoved it away and smiled. “I like you too, Zane Carlyle.”
An attractive waitress showed to fill their drinks. After an unsuccessful attempt to flirt with Zane, the woman took their order and disappeared in the sea of lunchtime diners before either of them spoke again.
“We established I’m not dating anyone,” she said. “How about you?”
He lost the battle to suppress his happy grin. “Nope.”
“You seem ecstatic to be single. Should I be concerned?”
“I’m ecstatic you asked. It means you’re open for something more,” he returned.
Winnie rolled her eyes. “You are such a player.”
“No. Never that, Win.”
Her eyes lost the amused light, and she frowned.
“What did I say?” he asked as he interwove his fingers through hers. “Obviously, I’ve upset you.”
She shook her head. “Someone I knew once upon a time used to call me Win. That’s all.”
The day lost a bit of its shine. Winnie appeared to be pining for a lost love. It bothered him because it meant he didn’t stand a chance with her. He’d heard the rumor that Thornes only loved once. It had never been proven truer than when Winnie’s sister Summer hooked up with Zane’s cousin Coop after what seemed like a lifetime. It was proven again when her other sister Autumn had mended fences with the love of her life, Keaton.
Zane dropped Winnie’s hand and fiddled with the napkin-wrapped silverware in front of him. “Did you love him?”
“I don’t know. I liked him a lot.” She shrugged in what Zane recognized as the trademark move for her family. “I think we were both immature at the time.”
Zane studied her as she sipped her water. She’d avoided his eyes when she talked about her mystery man, a clear indication she lied. Winnie either cared about the loser more than she let on, or she found this discussion embarrassing for some reason. Although he was grateful she didn’t totally dodge the question, he didn’t like that she couldn’t meet his gaze. If he intended to pursue her, he wanted complete honesty between them.
“I think you more than liked him,” he blurted.
Winnie shot him a sharp glance, but any retort was lost as their server returned with the meal. In an attempt at stealth, the woman slid a
slip of paper facedown next to his plate, then she brushed a hand along his wrist.
“Seriously?” Winnie asked, reaching over to snag the offending piece of paper. She read what was written there and flipped it to face Zane before she crumpled it up and tossed it onto the serving tray. “He’s on a date,” she snapped.
He compressed his lips to stop his bark of laughter. Winnie’s jealousy delighted him for reasons he would explore later.
“Don’t you dare laugh,” she warned under her breath as the server hurried away.
“I can’t help it. You’re so fierce.”
“I’ve got your fierce,” she muttered as she picked up her spoon.
“I bet you do. I look forward to seeing more of it.”
“You wish.”
“Yes. Yes, I do,” he said with a deep chuckle.
He watched her from beneath his lashes as they ate. More than once their eyes connected and caused a fiery blush to color her cheeks.
“Um, Zane?”
He lifted his brows at her inquiry.
“Do you, um… do you ever… feel certain things?”
Because laughter threatened to choke him and he shouldn’t add food to the mix, he carefully laid down his spoon and crossed his arms. It took him another moment or two to ask, “What things?”
Her dark frown indicated she wasn’t as amused as he was.
“Never mind.” Winnie picked up her sandwich and commenced eating.
Zane had the distinct impression she did it to prevent herself from cussing him out.
“I’ll be serious, Win. Go ahead and ask.”
For a moment, she continued to chew, eyeing him over her grilled cheese. With great care, she set the half sandwich down and wiped her fingers off. “Magic.”
“Excuse me?”
She cast a wary glance around them and leaned in closer. “Magic.”
“What about it?”
“Do you ever feel it?”
“Are we talking in the bedroom?” he teased, finally understanding where she was heading with their conversation, but feeling the need to toy with her at the same time.
“Zane,” she growled. “You said you’d be serious!”
He lifted his glass of water to hide his grin. Her heightened color was a thing of beauty and made him want to continue teasing her.
“You’re being an asshat!”
“I feel you are being unjust, Win. I simply asked for clarification.”
“Forget I asked.”
“Oh, no! Now you have me curious. You can’t back out now.”
“I’m not getting into this with you. Obviously, you think it’s a joke.”
Abruptly, he stood. “Come on.”
Winnie stared at his outstretched hand like it was a snake ready to strike.
Without a word, he reached for her and tugged her upright. When she fell into him, he wrapped his arms around her. A wild sense of déjà vu struck without warning, and his grip on her tightened.
A flash of her laughing up into his face flitted through his mind, but when he struggled to recall the incident, his mind went blank. Dizziness assailed him, black spots danced about his vision, and he swayed.
Winnie’s concerned voice seemed to come from far away. “Zane? Are you okay?”
The noise of the diner came back in a snap.
“I don’t feel well, Win. I need to go.” He ran a shaking hand through his hair.
“Stay here. I’ll pay the tab.” She patted his chest. “Seriously, don’t move.”
He nodded and sank back into the booth as she rushed to the counter.
Off and on through the years, he’d had dreams of him and Winnie. Other than his wishful thinking, he’d never lent any credence to the scenes that played out in his mind. Now, he had to wonder if perhaps there was something more to it.
An instinct told him that she had a secret. Her face had been exceptionally pale, and guilt weighed heavily upon her features. And as Winnie stared at him in the mirror over the counter, Zane decided it was time to find out exactly what she was hiding.
3
By the time they returned to Zane’s office, he seemed to have shaken off whatever he’d experienced at Monica’s Cafe. For that, Winnie was grateful. However, she continued to be concerned by his suspicious attitude since his episode. From the moment he had recovered from his dizziness, his eyes held a speculative gleam. It was as if Zane knew Winnie was responsible for stealing his memories, though how he could remember anything about that time was a complete mystery. She and GiGi had been thorough in their spell. Unless, as she was beginning to suspect, the original spell had been faulty or was wearing thin. In that case, she was in for a world of trouble.
Winnie left him in Penny’s care and beat a hasty retreat. Any magical discussion could wait until another day. She glanced back through the glass door to find him watching her retreat. The purposeful expression on his face caused her nerve endings to go haywire. If Zane ever discovered her duplicity, there would be hell to pay.
In an attempt to appear casual, she smiled and gave a finger wave.
She needed to gain his trust and had hoped a business discussion would put him at ease. Instead, they’d bypassed business altogether and now, his trust would be hard earned. But somehow, she needed to rope him into the plan to go after the Uterine amulet her uncle needed to revive her mother. A family meeting was in order. Perhaps her sisters had an idea as to how to persuade him to help.
“What was that all about?” Penny said with a nod toward the door Winnie had escaped through.
“I’m not sure, Pen, but I intend to find out.”
“You think she’s up to something? Some spy mission for Mr. Peterson’s son?”
They could speculate all day, but an odd feeling whispered that the answers to her strange behavior rested with Winnie herself. “Doubtful.”
“You like her,” Penny crowed. “I can tell, boss.”
“Who I do or don’t like is none of your business,” he said reproachfully as he picked up the McMasters file he’d left on her desk earlier.
She shook her overly bright red head and laughed. “Yeah, tell me that again when you’re having me send her flowers or make dinner reservations at some swanky restaurant in Nashville.”
Heat crept up his neck and into the tips of Zane’s ears.
As young as she was, Penny was remarkably astute.
“I don’t need any crap from you, Pen. We have a ton of work to do.”
“Yes, sir.” Her upper body snapped to attention, and she saluted him.
“Not funny.”
“It’s a little bit funny,” she argued with a cheeky grin.
The phone rang and cut off his retort.
“Mr. Carlyle’s office… yes… yes… one moment, sir.” Penny put the phone on hold and frowned in his direction. “It’s Mr. Alastair Thorne. He said it’s important he speak with you right away.”
Curious as to why Alastair Thorne would be calling, Zane had Penny send the call to his private office line.
“Mr. Thorne?”
“Mr. Carlyle, I’ll cut right to the chase. I need you to come to Thorne Manor immediately. There’s a situation.”
“What situation? What’s happened? Is Winnie okay?”
Zane could swear he heard an amused cough from the other side of the connection.
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about, son. How soon can you be here?”
“I can leave now.”
“Brilliant. Bill me for your time. I’ll see you in twenty minutes.”
“Mr. Thorne—” Zane didn’t have a second chance to ask what the “situation” happened to be before the line went dead. He stared at the receiver for a good five or more seconds, wondering what the hell the call had really been about before he placed the receiver in the cradle.
“Penny, cancel any remaining appointments for today. I’m heading out to Thorne Manor.”
“Oh, did you find out what was happening with Winnie?”
> He frowned his irritation. “No. Can you do as I ask for once and not be a pain in my ass?”
Penny popped the gum she’d started chewing since taking the call from Alastair. “It’s a good thing I like you, boss. I wouldn’t put up with this attitude from just any employer.”
He stared at the floor until he quelled the desire to strangle her. “I apologize for any attitude you perceived on my account.”
She grinned and popped her gum twice more in rapid succession. “I accept your apology. You’d better go. You don’t want to be late.”
Zane showed teeth in a purposeful attempt at a smile. “Right.”
“Oh! Wait! This came while you were at lunch.” Penny rushed around her desk to retrieve a brown, nondescript box from a nearby credenza.
“What is it?”
She shrugged and handed him the unopened box.
“Uh, Pen, since when haven’t you opened mail addressed to me?”
Her confused gaze focused on the box. She looked as stumped as he was. “I don’t know.”
With great care, he opened the edges. When nothing untoward fell out, he reached in and pulled out the item of clothing inside.
“It’s my old leather jacket!”
“Oh-kay.” Penny rolled her eyes and went back to her desk—her curiosity for the box’s contents having fizzled out.
“I haven’t seen this thing in years, Pen.” Zane turned the box over and inspected the outside for a return address. Odd how happy holding the jacket made him. “Who could’ve sent it to me?”
“It’s a mystery.” Penny’s dry voice lacked the zest of a genuine response.
“Whatever. I have to go.” But before he could leave, the urge to try on his old coat overwhelmed him. Zane shrugged out of his suit jacket and replaced it with his leather bomber jacket. “What do you know; it still fits.”
His assistant never removed her gaze from her computer screen. “Woohoo!” The complete lack of enthusiasm on Penny’s part was unmistakable.
Zane glanced at the mirror along the back wall behind her bright head. “Social media, Pen? Really?”
