“I was telling you about Daniel moving in.”
Shaking my head, I swore at myself. Over the years I’d gotten good about not thinking about Roger, my sister, or my broken heart. For some reason, I'd been off these past couple of days. I didn’t know what had changed. There wasn’t a hurricane, a tornado, or some terrible event. What was going on with me?
“Sorry,” I said, flashing her a smile. The last thing Emma deserved was me thinking about my complicated feelings about love when she was getting the second chance she so rightfully deserved. “You guys are moving in together?”
“Yes, it’s official. I mean, he was practically already living with me, and he isn’t going to get rid of his lands or cabin or anything, but I’m so excited.”
Every time Emma talked about Daniel, she was amazing to watch. When she’d first come back to Mystic Hollow, it almost felt like she had to force herself to smile. Now, she had a glow that no amount of makeup or lotions could give a person. It illuminated her deep brown eyes and drew attention to the crinkles at the corners of her eyes and mouth in the best possible way. I’d thought when she cut her black hair to chin length, it might not be the best look, but it fit her, making her look younger and more carefree all at the same time.
“You guys are such a good match,” I told her honestly.
“Thanks,” she said, and I held my breath, hoping she wouldn’t ask about my life, but I was off the hook. She continued, “What do we have on today’s agenda?”
That refocused me on the problem at hand. “A lot, I’m afraid.” I took a deep breath. “The mother who thought her child was a changeling, Mia, called. The older woman who sold her the dreamcatcher stopped by her home. When she found out the dreamcatcher was destroyed, she got very angry and threatened to curse the mother. She had to use warding magic, but even then said the woman didn’t care. She just disappeared.”
Emma paled. Not that I blamed her. This woman was after her, the best we could tell. This wasn't good news.
“I wish that was all,” I continued. “The dwarves called. They saw that older woman around too. Several of them chased her away, but they’re wondering if they should worry. They described her as though she were stalking them. She stayed on the outskirts of their camp but returned several times.
Emma set her coffee down and ran her hand through her hair. “Do you think we should be worried?”
Of course, I did, but I didn’t want to tell her that because it wouldn’t do anyone any good to get her all bent out of shape. “Come on, we have a whole crew of older ladies. We can take down one of them.”
She didn’t look convinced. “I don’t understand what this ex-Karma is doing. What’s her game? How could any one of these evil acts lead to her getting my powers?”
She sat there for a minute, contemplating, but then leaped up, staring out of the window to the backyard. “She’s out there. I see her.” She ran out of the room.
I rushed after her as she threw open the back door. She cried out and pointed, so I continued behind her as we circled Deva’s garden and headed for the gate in the side yard. It was open ahead of us, and I might have caught movement on the other side, but I couldn’t be sure.
When we got to the front yard, I slammed into Emma’s back, then looked around in confusion. Shouldn’t we keep going? Wasn’t she right in front of us? I searched in all directions, but the old woman was nowhere to be seen.
“She’s gone,” Emma said, sounding defeated.
“Lucky for her,” I muttered, trying to appear confident. “When we catch her next time, she’ll regret it.”
I felt bad as Emma headed inside, but I stood for a minute longer, looking around and stretching out my senses. When I saw a bird on a branch nearby, I asked if it had seen anyone out here before us, but the bird had been focused on some seeds in our neighbor's yard. Pretty typical of small birds with small brains. Food was all they thought about most of the time.
“You okay?”
I spun around at the sound of the deep voice behind me. How he’d gotten so close without me sensing him was crazy, but there he stood.
Wade. The man who'd been looking at moving in next door to Emma, and easily the last person I wanted to see. Here was my greatest secret. One of the reasons I hadn't had a hard time staying single all this time was because I hadn't found any men attractive. For a long time, I’d thought that part of myself had broken.
Oh-ho, not so. The moment I saw Wade, it was like a horny truck had struck me so hard my knees had shaken. Any man was tall compared to my five-one frame, but this man was a tall drink of water. I had to look up to see his face, and the thoughts of that face over me in—Ahem.
I swallowed hard, desperate to get away from him, to lock up the desire that was burning inside of me and go back to the days before I met him. “I’m fine,” I said, my words curt.
He tilted his head, studying me. “Are you sure? I mean, you do look fine.” He flashed a sexy smile. “Also, like something might be wrong.”
The scent of his cologne drifted over to me, rugged, and yet, like the ocean on a stormy day, which was all kinds of pathetic. “Yes, I was looking for someone, but they were gone.”
To my surprise, he shifted closer. “I’m here. If you wanted to grab a cup of coffee or—?”
“I have coffee inside.” I took a step away from him, trying to calm my racing heart.
“It doesn’t have to be coffee, Beth." This time, his voice was gentle.
I loved and hated the way he said my name because it was so sexy it should’ve come with a warning label. “I didn’t realize you knew my name.”
