Calvin cleared his throat and opened his mouth… then paused, closing it again and shaking his head. Finally, he squared his shoulders and opened his mouth again.
“How well do you know Kieran?”
Oh my God, not this again!!
What was Calvin’s weird obsession with him? Did he think that she was interested in him? WasCalvininterested in him? Did he already know him, and the two of them had some sort of shady past together?
… No, that last one was impossible. Kieran was the least ‘shady past’ kind of person Diana had ever met. And she wasprettydamn sure that Calvin was interested in her at this point, rather than trying to use her to somehow get to Kieran.
As if that would even work, anyway!
“I have no interest in him as anything other than a friend,” she said, a little sharply. “And anyway, he’s so married, you wouldn’t believe it.”
“What? No! I didn’t mean it like that!” Calvin exclaimed, before rubbing at his eyes with a sigh. Looking back up at her, he said, “I was just wondering if he ever told you anything about himself, that’s all. Like why the B&B has a griffin on the weathervane.”
On… the weathervane?
Diana was so confused that she couldn’t help letting out a short laugh. She’d barely even noticed the weathervane when she went there to visit, beyond wondering where one would even get a weathervane in this day and age.
She shrugged. “Because he thought it looked cool, I guess? I never asked.”
“Well, itdoeslook kind of cool,” Calvin said, looking a little pained, “but… okay. Change of approach.”
He looked her in the eye, his gaze oddly intense. “Have you ever noticed anything strange about this town, or the people in it?”
This is getting really weird!Diana thought, confused.I feel like I’m in some sort of interrogation scene. All he needs is a bare lightbulb swinging overhead to complete the picture.
Dismissing the silly thoughts, she tried to concentrate on his question, bizarre as it was.
Strange things… strange things…
Well, the fact that Girdwood Springs was so lovely could be considered strange in itself, she supposed. Not that she had much experience of living elsewhere, but her time in college had been enough to disabuse her of the notion that the world was an incredibly safe place where strangers could always be relied upon to lend a helping hand or friendly ear.
And there was the statistically improbable hyperabundance of tall, hot guys who’d moved to the town in recent years, of course. But could she really blame them for doing so, when Girdwood Springs was so inviting? Hot guys deserved nice places to live in, too.
Anything else? Other strange things?
Thoughtfully, she said, “Well, all the food and plants that Gale grows are amazing. You remember that lemonade from yesterday?”
Calvin nodded curiously.
“Of course you do,” she muttered to herself, feeling stupid. It wasn’t likely he’d forget all that in the space of a day.
More loudly, she went on, “Well, the lemons came from Gale’s trees – that’s why it tasted so good. And the berries on your waffles would’ve been grown by him, too. And all of the new plants lining the streets are his work as well – even the older plants are looking way healthier than they used to.” She shook her head. “I don’t know what his secret is, but he clearly has some sort of Midas touch when it comes to plants. It’s like magic.” Raising her head to look him square in the eye, she added, “Is that strange enough for you?”
Calvin, oddly, looked like he was having some sort of argument inside his head. Fascinated, Diana watched as his facetwitched, before a resigned expression crossed his face. Clearly, whatever argument he’d been having with himself, he’d lost it.
Sighing, he seemed to come to a conclusion.
He reached out both his hands, not quite touching hers, giving her the option to reach out and take them – which she did, gladly.
That same strange electrical thrill from when they’d touched hands yesterday suddenly ran through her again, running up both arms this time, and she gasped – but she didn’t let go.
He held her gaze steadily, and the buzzing faded to a kind of pleasant background hum. She shivered.
“What… what is that?” she whispered.
“Would you believe it if I said that I’m not like other people?” he asked, his voice quiet and serious.
