She had told herself so many times that it hadn’t been love between them, just hormones and sex with a side of teenage drama. Hell, she had even told Darren that when they bought this house, and most of her had believed it. But as Jace smiled at her, his face lit with excitement and pure joy, she couldn’t lie to herself anymore. There was so much more to them than hormones and sex, things she hadn’t let herself remember. There was more to their story than the very end. They’d had the closeness from years of knowing each other, watching each other struggle. Shehadbeen in love with this man all those years ago.
What would happen if they added a little alcohol into the mix tonight? Looking at him over this crazy fruitcake, she wanted him to smile at her the way he had moments ago. Could she put aside all the reasons this might not be a good idea, just to see what would happen if they spent a few more hours together? Since Jace showed up, the sting of the revelations about Darren’s new life had faded. Nothing wrong with enjoying herself, enjoyingthemagain…right?
She looked back up at Jace. His smile had faded.
“Just an idea,” he said, looking away.
“This has some serious whiskey in it,” she said. “If we do it, you’ll have to keep me company for a while longer before you can drive again.”
He met her eyes, and his brow wrinkled a little.
“You don’t have to,” she added quickly. “We can just—”
“I want to.” He cut her off, and for a moment, he looked at her the way he used to. Hungry. Like he wanted so much more than just to keep her company.
Right now, she wanted that, too.
Selena bit her lip. “Let’s do it.”
The corners of Jace’s mouth curved up again, and he grabbed a little bottle of Wild Turkey. “Hot damn, we’re trying the legendary fruitcake.”
She chuckled as she lifted the heavy cake out of the tin and placed it on her countertop. It was Bundt-shaped and brown with nuts and raisins, as well as bright red and green bits of something sticking out of it. Not chocolate cake-level appetizing, but it could be decent. Maybe, with enough Wild Turkey.
“I’ve never actually seen a fruitcake in person,” she said.
“Me neither.”
“Are there any instructions? Should I read the USA Times article first?”
For a minute, Jace looked almost anxious. If it had been nine years ago, she would have asked him what was wrong. Instead, she tried to read his reaction, something she used to be good at. But the look vanished too quickly, and in its place, he gave her an easy smile. “Sure, read it. See what you think.”
Selena grabbed her phone out of her purse and typed in the web address, then scrolled through the article.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” she said, setting down her phone. “People really believe in magic?”
“Naah,” he said. “Probably just a publicity stunt.”
But as he spoke, he tilted his head and stared down at the fruitcake, as if he was still thinking through her question. The rain against her windows echoed in the warm kitchen as the silence between them grew. What if, against all odds, there really was something special about this anonymous package?
Prepare to fall in love.
Selena took a deep breath and handed him the bottle, then pulled out a basting brush from the cooking drawer. “You pour, I’ll brush.”
He unscrewed the top and a fresh wave of Wild Turkey filled the air between them. With a little laugh, he drizzled it on, and the alcohol disappeared into the cake. She brushed the baster over the trail of Wild Turkey Jace had left, with little effect.
“I think we did that wrong.”
He shrugged, still grinning.
Selena walked over to the cupboard and grabbed two plates. She set them on the island and nudged Jace aside to open the silverware drawer he was blocking.
He moved, but after she grabbed the forks and a large cake knife, he came up just behind her, his warm body so close, then settled against the counter. Her heart was doing crazy things in her chest, but she kept her eyes trained on the fruitcake.
The knife sliced through the cake easily, and Selena slid a piece onto each plate. Jace grabbed one. When she passed him a fork, his fingers lingered on hers as he took it. Heat rushed to her cheeks and down her body, spreading everywhere.
She cut off a bite and lifted it with her fork, finally meeting his gaze.
“To unexpected gifts,” she whispered.
