And when it did, she sat back in her chair.
She let the truth sink in. He didn’t need date lessons just because.
Of course he didn’t. “This is some kind of deal, isn’t it. That’s why you’re so desperate. That’s why you came into the store, that’s why you were willing to embarrass yourself, stick your neck out, do all of this,” she said, and in answer he palmed his face. Went to get up, then stopped himself. Did it again, and cursed instead.
“I can’t talk about it with you. Honestly, I’ve already told you too much.”
“So if you do tell, you’ll be punished for it. You’ll forfeit, or be in danger.”
“Yes, but that’s not what I’m worried about.”
“Whoever youtellwill be in danger.”
God, the look he gave her for that. It wasfraught.
Almost begging her not to go any further.
“You already are, honestly. I’m cutting itfinehere.”
“Okay, but what happens if I guess it. Is it okay if I guess things?”
“Maybe. Possibly. Could be that way.”
She paused, considered. “So this witch, she cast a spell.”
“We’ve already established that.”
“And she put some terms and conditions into it.”
“Maybe. Honestly, I don’t know. Sometimes I think she did, other times it feels like…” He paused, rolling the whole thing over in his mind. “It feels like things the devil is doing to make this harder. To make it impossible. She’s just too nice and reasonable and clever. I just don’t think she would make it this difficult on purpose.”
“Well, either way, you have to meet the criteria.”
“I suppose you could put it that way.”
“Like inBeauty and the Beast.”
He let out a low whistle. “Hooboy, that’s close.”
“She has to want to be with you.”
“Getting warmer. Much warmer.”
“So more than want. She has to tell you she loves you. By a certain point.”
“By the end of this year. Damn, you’re good at this game. Too good. We should stop.”
“So what happens if I don’t? Will something get me?” she asked, laughing a little as she did. Then she got those eyes of his, meeting hers in a very pointed, near guilty sort of way. And she knew. “Somethingalreadytried to get me. In the bedroom. In your bedroom.”
“I didn’t realize there was a hole in the protection around the house. I’ve plugged it now, if it helps.”
“And the writing. That was to help, too.”
“I just wanted you to protect yourself in case I stopped being able to.”
“Because you already are protecting me. You already have. When there was that dog thing on the road. The one that made me run it off the road, and then—” This time she was the one sitting back in her chair, flabbergasted. And so much so she couldn’t at first finish the thought. It took her a good thirty seconds to get there, and when it came it was almost a gasp. “Holy crap. Holy crap, you’re the reason the car did that weird thing. When it seemed to hang in the air.”
“Well, what was I gonna do? Let you be crushed to death?”
