It probably would have been smarter of me to refuse him. “What can one dinner hurt?” I asked.
Bryan chuckled. “I hope you’re right.” He looked at me with his mouth open as if he wanted to say something else, but then he licked his lips, and I couldn’t stop my gaze from following his tongue.
Oof.
How was he still so attractive to me? I mean I could understand it when we were back in high school but weren't we just supposed to be kind of meh about looks now? It felt like everyone always said beauty or attractiveness would fade but personality was forever. Bryan had both though. Still.
“We have a lot to catch up on.” He stepped back, putting a little more space between us. “Tomorrow at seven okay with you?”
I nodded without checking my calendar. I’d make it work. “I’ll meet you here at seven.”
It was a good minute after Bryan walked out the door, after his last wave, before I really started breathing again. My heart was still beating in a funny rhythm. One that I didn't want to change. One that I hadn't felt since Bryan first left Mystic Hollow.
At least now I knew why he left. Not that it made the loss of him any easier. The me from back then still suffered even if the me now knows that there was a good reason behind him leaving. I only wish he would have trusted me and our love enough at the time to confide in me.
I danced in a circle and let my magic blast out of me, reanimating the sewing machine, crochet hooks, and knitting needles. They were all working at double-time because of how much power was pouring out of me.
My emotions didn't usually feed my magic, but that all changed around Bryan. Speeding up my projects wasn't enough though, not nearly enough.
Excitement bubbled up inside, so I turned in a slow circle, little sparks of starbursts erupting from my fingers. Geez. I hadn’t done that in years.
I spotted my cell phone lying on the counter. Did I dare call the girls yet?
No. Not yet. They’d be full of well-intended warnings and cautions to go slow, not get my hopes up. Sometimes it was better to ask for forgiveness than permission, not that I needed their permission to go on a date.
It was a date, wasn't it? Suddenly, the idea that it was more business or more of an old friend's catching-up type of situation occurred to me and I felt a wave of panic. What did I do now?
I couldn't call him since I didn't have his number. All I had was the option to meet him for dinner or not, and I obviously wasn't going to stand him up, that would just be rude. Besides, even if it was just an old friend's kind of thing, I'd rather do that than not see him at all. I just had to prepare myself.
To not let myself fall in love.
Actually, that was impossible because, if I was honest with myself, I never stopped loving him. I just hoped this time I was more prepared so I wouldn’t end up broken hearted if he didn’t feel the same way I still did.
The urge to call the girls was there again, but I wasn’t ready to hear about how this would all end in heartache. I’d just keep this to myself.
For now.
FIVE
Emma
After beingat Miller’s Cove all morning, the ocean called to me. After shooting Henry a quick text to let him know what I was doing, because, you know, I was a responsible adult and all, I changed into my wet suit and walked down the path from our house to the beach.
This was something else that had helped keep me in better shape. I’d been swimming as much as I could since coming home. It was nearly time to stop, as the weather grew colder every day, but I’d go out for as long as the weather allowed. Despite my liberal use of sunscreen, I’d developed a nice glow and found myself able to swim farther out before growing winded and letting the tide help push me back in. When we were younger, Henry and I hadn’t been allowed to go swim without someone to watch our backs. Now, I figured I was old enough to have a swim on my own.
A good hour later, when I’d finally had enough swimming, I walked onto the beach and looked up to find one of the men who had been at the crime scene. It was the Lucifer look-a-like. The one Daniel had been so wary of. He was definitely handsome when he wasn’t glaring, with dark hair and dark eyes, but I much preferred Daniel. In every possible way. Not that it was a competition. He also had a polite smile on his face, as if realizing just how intimidating it might be for a vampire in a suit to be waiting for me on the beach.
I grabbed my towel and pulled it over myself before walking over. Suddenly I was glad I was wearing my wet suit and not just a regular bathing suit with a coverup. The bathing suit I'd considered would’ve clung to every curve once it was soaked through from the saltwater still in my suit and hair and would've made me feel even more vulnerable in front of the strange man. “Hello,” I said cautiously. “Can I help you?"
"I believe we saw each other at the crime scene today," he told me, giving another smile.
Good manners said I should’ve shaken his hand, but my good sense said not to get closer. "Yes, I think we did. I’m Emma, by the way.” There. That sounded normal. Not at all like Daniel's warning about being careful with these guys was swirling in my head.
He stepped closer, too close, really. “It’s lovely to meet you.” He had a rich voice as if he could’ve been a singer for a living. “My name is Vance Acheron.” Vance held out his hand, so I shook it, but then he clasped my fingers between both of his hands. “It’s a pleasure to meet the famous Karma.”
Oh, lovely. My reputation preceded me. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Acheron. Please, call me Emma.”
He ducked his head, almost like he was giving me a little bow. “And I’d appreciate if you’d call me Vance.”
