by Alyssa Day
"It's okay. They're safe when they're cooked like this," she said, grinning. "Sorry, Jack."
I couldn't help but return her grin. Ven and Erin were wonderful company. They both had such great senses of humor and were so obviously madly in love with each other, and they made me feel so at home and welcome. Clearly, they both thought the world of Jack too.
"Since you can travel so easily, please tell me you'll come to Dead End and have dinner with us," I impulsively said. "We don't have anything this fancy, but Jack's wonderful with the grill, and I can promise you the best pecan pie you've ever had."
Ven's eyes gleamed. "I love pecan pie. What a delicacy."
I laughed. "Not a delicacy. You can get pecan pie every day of the week. But I have a great recipe from my Aunt Ruby, and it's really something special."
Jack, finally putting his fork down, touched my hand. "To Atlanteans, pecan pie is a delicacy, because they never had pecans on Atlantis. So that's eleven thousand years without great pie."
My mouth fell open. "You're eleven thousand years old? But… I thought… Wow. You look great!"
Ven burst out laughing. "No, I'm not quite five hundred years old, but thank you. You look great too."
Erin shook her head. "Don't make his head any bigger than it already is, Tess. I have to live with him."
After we'd devoured dinner, we drank glasses of an Atlantean wine that was so crisp and delicate that even I, who'd never been much of a wine drinker, loved it. We sat there chatting and laughing while the sun went down and twinkling outdoor lights came on, and then we talked some more. At one point, when Erin and Ven were talking to each other, I leaned my head against Jack's shoulder.
"Thank you. This is the best first date in the history of the entire world."
He froze and said nothing for a long moment. Then he almost hesitantly rested his chin on the top of my head.
"You're very welcome, Tess," he murmured. "I wish—"
But I didn't get to hear what he wished, because a tall, dark-haired man who looked a lot like Ven walked out of the palace and toward us just then.
"I hope you saved me some food, you overgrown house cat," he said, scowling at Jack. "If I'd known you were coming, I'd have stocked up on tinned tuna."
Then he turned to me, his face breaking into a wickedly sexy smile. "And you must be Tess. Please, tell me immediately if you want me to rescue you from this buffoon."
"I'm good where I am," I told him, narrowing my eyes at the insults to Jack. "And if you really want to talk about who's being a buffoon—"
"Tess," Jack said, dropping a kiss on the top of my head and then standing up and holding out a hand to the newcomer. "I'd like you to meet King Conlan of Atlantis."
Conlan strode over and gave Jack a big man-hug and then punched him lightly in the arm, grinning, while I wished as hard as I could that the portal would show up again and swallow me whole.
I'd just insulted the king.
Of Atlantis.
In his own palace—or at least on the back porch of his own palace.
I closed my eyes and tried not to groan out loud.
"Tess, we're delighted to have you here," the king said, forcing me to open my eyes and look at him.
Luckily, he didn't look at all angry.
"I'm sorry—" I began, but he cut me off, grinning.
"No worries. Jack deserves someone who'll stand up for him."
"Jack deserves friends who don't insult him in front of his date, but I guess I'm stuck with you," Jack told the king, grinning.
"It's about time you brought your woman to meet us," Conlan said. "I was beginning to think you were avoiding us."
I could feel my ears get hot. "I'm not his woman, Your Majesty."
To my surprise, Ven and Conlan both started laughing, and Erin shook her head and sighed.
"Never mind these fools, Tess," she told me. "It's an in-joke with them about how every time one of us denied it, we wound up soul-mated to the man in question very soon after."
My face turned hot and then cold, and I suddenly found it hard to breathe. "We're not… I'm not… Jack. Say something."
"This is our first date, and you're embarrassing Tess," he told them mildly, but a warning flashed in his eyes. "Back off before you give her a bad impression."
Conlan's eyes widened. "First date? But Ven said…" His voice trailed off, and he turned to me and bowed. "My apologies, my lady. I was led to believe—"
"Enough," Jack said.
The king glanced at him, lips quirking up at the corner as if he were fighting off a smile. "Certainly. I look forward to seeing you both again when I can spend some more time. Riley sends her apologies, but she's still caught up with the ambassador from Switzerland. Or Sweden. Maybe Spain. One of those S countries. Man nearly bored my boots off."
Jack laughed. "I'm still trying to picture you as a politician, Conlan, instead of with a sword in your hand. It just doesn't work."
The king shook his head. "It doesn’t work for me, either, but at least we get some fun once in a while with these demon incursions."
"Fun?" I echoed.
Demon incursions?
King Conlan's eyes lit up. "Definitely! At least I get to see a little action, instead of being stuck inside. I'm still a warrior first."
"And Poseidon's Warriors are definitely not suited for playing politics," Ven said, grimacing.
"You can come to the barbecue," Jack told the king. "We're going to have a big cookout, and Ven and Erin are coming."
I blinked. Had Jack just invited the king and queen of Atlantis to my house for a barbecue?
Aunt Ruby was going to lose her mind. She'd want to offer them the key to the city, er, town, and, oh, wow, did I have some cleaning to do, and my entire house was the size of this porch, er, terrace, and…
I gulped. "Yes, you're always welcome," I said faintly, glancing at the crystal goblets. "Um, how do you feel about plastic cups?"
After the king had excused himself and gone to rescue his wife from the ambassador, the four of us talked for a little while longer, but Jack caught me glancing at my watch.
"Time to turn back into a pumpkin?"
"I'm sorry, but I need to get some sleep tonight. Last night was a little rough, and I have a long day in front of me tomorrow." We hadn't told Ven and Erin about the stalker or much about any of the problems we'd had over the past several months, choosing instead by unspoken mutual pact to keep things light. I'd gotten the feeling from some of the stories they told at dinner that Ven and Erin might be the type to charge in, swords flying and magic blazing, to try to solve our mystery, and I wasn't quite at the point where I wanted to call in the Atlantean cavalry.
We stood and said our goodbyes, and Erin and I traded phone numbers and email addresses so I could reach out to her about the cookout.
"It will be a little while. We have the Swamp Cabbage Festival this weekend," I told them, and Ven's grin widened.
"I can't wait to spend some time in Dead End. It sounds like quite a unique little town."
"You have no idea," Jack said fervently, and they laughed.
Ven called to the portal, right there on the terrace, and this time I only hesitated a little before taking Jack's hand and stepping into the magic.
The world spun around me again in a whirl of sound and light, and then we stepped out onto my front lawn. I thanked the portal again, but this time it was silent, and then I watched as it vanished.
"Did that really happen?" I turned to Jack, who still held my hand. "Did we really have dinner in Atlantis?"
"We did," he said, pulling me closer and putting his arms around me. "Which raises a big problem."
"I… what's that?" My breath caught in my throat as he bent his head and smiled, his face only inches from mine.
He flashed a grin. "How am I ever going to top that for a second date?"
I blinked and then burst out laughing. "I don't think it's possible. You're going to need to—"
But I l
ost all idea of what I'd been about to tell him, because suddenly his mouth was on mine, and he was kissing me.
Only for a few seconds, and then he stopped and drew in a rasping breath. "Is this okay?"
I nodded and put my arms around his waist. "Yes," I whispered, and then he kissed me again, and the world dissolved into a burst of magic and music and lights, until I felt like we must be in the portal again. He kept kissing me, and I kissed him right back, there on my front lawn, in the moonlight, and I had a fleeting thought that things like this evening did not happen to ordinary small-town girls like me.
I put my hands on the sides of his face and held him and wondered how I'd ever thought I'd been kissed before, with this to compare it to.
After a while later that I was too dazed to measure in seconds or minutes or days, Jack lifted his head and stared down at me, disbelief or shock widening his eyes.
"What was that?"
"I—what?"
He shook his head and stepped back. "Oh, boy. I think we're in trouble here, Tess. I didn't expect that."
I blinked, still feeling a little dizzy. "I don't know what you mean. You didn't expect what?"
"I didn't expect one kiss to make me completely lose my bearings," he said, a glassy look in his eyes. "Maybe we should—"
But I didn't get to find out what we should maybe do, because the breeze picked up just then, and Jack's head whipped to the side, and then he snarled and raced over to my front porch.
I felt my entire body slump.
No.
Not again. I did not want to go from the best date in the history of the world to the best kiss in the history of the universe to more stalker horribleness.
He held up a large, wrapped box.
Damn.
"It's the same guy," he said grimly, his mouth a flat line. "It's the same gift wrap. Same note about how you're the apple of his eye."
I sighed and then made myself follow him to the porch. "What's in it?"
Jack yanked the cover off and looked inside, but then his scowl turned to a puzzled frown. "What is this about?"
"What is it?" I was afraid to ask, but I needed to know.
Jack looked up at me, his eyebrows raised. "It's three logs from palm tree trunks."
"No body parts? No jewelry?"
He shook his head.
I looked into the box myself, unable to resist.
Huh.
"My stalker sent me a box of swamp cabbage. This is getting weirder and weirder."
"And not how I wanted to end our date," he growled. "Calling the sheriff. Again."
I sighed and unlocked my front door. "Well. Like you said, it's going to be hard to top this for our second date."
He followed me inside and put the box down on a side table and then gave me a steady look. "Are we going to have a second date?"
I didn't even hesitate for one second. "Absolutely. Now call the sheriff while I run to the bathroom to change clothes."
Actually, what I really needed was to make it to my bathroom, fast. I hadn't quite been able to bring myself to ask to use the palace bathroom.
When I was washing my hands, I suddenly stared at myself in the mirror. It felt like I should look different. I wasn't only Tess of Dead End, now, I was Tess who'd met the king and Prince of Atlantis and Tess who'd just had the best kiss in her entire life.
To heck with the stalker.
Life was wonderful.
9
I woke up Monday morning in a fog of tiredness but still feeling happy. It took me a few moments to remember why, and then I smiled and glanced down at the rug next to my bed, where Jack had slept in tiger shape the night before, after Andy had come out to my place to retrieve the box.
I'd been careful not to get too close to Jack after that, because I was afraid if he kissed me again I'd go up in flames and rip his clothes off, which would put our relationship at a very different point than where we actually were, after only our first official date.
Also, I was scared to death.
What if we took that next step, and then he disappeared again? Or decided he didn't really like me that way, after all? I had a feeling that it was too late for me to survive breaking up with Jack without being devastated.
I sighed, my good mood evaporating, and then Jack, casually gorgeous in jeans and a black T-shirt, pushed open my door and held out a coffee mug. "Wake up, sleepyhead. You're going to be late for work, and I don't want to suffer the wrath of Mr. Holby and the GYSTers if they can't buy their souvenirs."
"Thank you," I said sincerely, reaching for the pumpkin-spiced goodness. "I so need this."
My fingers touched his when I took the mug, and I bit my lip against the shiver that went sizzling through me. This was ridiculous. I was not a teenager with her first real crush. I was a grown woman who owned a business.
Jack flashed a lazy grin, and my heart thudded in my chest. Okay, maybe I was a grown woman with her first real crush.
"I have some things to do this morning, so I'll see you at work later," he said. "Okay?"
I rolled my eyes. "Jack. I'm not afraid of a stalker who gives me swamp cabbage."
"It wasn't swamp cabbage the first time," he said flatly. "Maybe this is a clue, and Andy will find the body in the palm tree grove."
I took a long sip of coffee. We'd discussed the possible meanings of the clue with Andy, and he'd promised to go out and look around the grove. I picked up my phone and glanced at it.
"Missed call from Shelley, but nothing from Andy or Susan."
He nodded and then started to lean over—maybe to kiss me again?—but then he stopped himself and took a step back toward the door.
"Gotta rush. Things to do. See you soon."
Before I could even say goodbye, I heard my front door open and then close behind him.
"Hm," I told Lou, who was snuggled next to me in bed. "That's weird. I guess maybe he's feeling as odd as I am after that kiss."
But I didn't have time to think about it. I took the coffee with me into the bathroom to get ready. The GYST bus waits for no woman.
On the way to work, I stopped for a couple dozen donuts. The possibility of my bus tour customers having icing-sticky fingers when they touched the merchandise was outweighed by how the sugar seemed to put everyone in a buying mood.
The bakery was busy, but the customers all seemed to be a tiny bit disgruntled.
"Speak clearly and slowly when you give your order, Tess," Granny Josephine told me on her way past me to the door. She clutched a white bag in one hand and her cane in the other. "Mellie's cousin isn't the sharpest tool in the shed."
Luckily, I didn't think anybody had heard her over the noise in the shop, especially not poor Vern.
"Granny J! That's not nice. It must be a lot, taking on such a busy shop. And it's nice of him to help Mellie out."
She just grumbled something I didn't quite catch, so I held the door for her and smiled as she toddled out.
The line was fairly long and took about three times as long as it usually did, but I caught up with some friends and acquaintances, mostly talking about how everybody was out sick with this cold. When I finally got to the front of the line, Vern gave me a big smile.
He was a pleasant guy. Pleasant smile, pleasant attitude, and pleasant company. I'd known him forever, because he visited Mellie a lot. He lived in Orlando, I thought. Or maybe Jacksonville. He was unfortunately shaped, kind of like a bowling pin, Uncle Mike had said one time, and the image had stuck in my mind. Tall, with a rounded belly and a slightly too-small head. But he was just as nice as Mellie, so I'd always liked him.
"Here's your GYST order, Tess," he said, handing me a bag with two boxes inside. "Mellie gave me specific instructions. And I added a special jelly donut just for you."'
He beamed, and I returned his smile. "Thanks, Vern. It's good of you to help Mellie out. How's she doing?"
"Not great. It might take her all week to get over this one," he said, frowning a little.
The man behind me, who was one of the Jenkins's cousins from out of town, I thought—we get lots of relatives in town on festival week—whistled.
"Yeah, seems like half the town has a cold. I hope it doesn't ruin the weekend."
"Me too." I thanked Vern and paid and then headed out, hoping my donut order was at least partly right but figuring it wasn't the most important thing in the world if not. I knew one thing for sure: I would not be eating the 'special' jelly donut.
When I pulled up in front of Dead End Pawn, I was pleased to see that Eleanor was already there. I was lucky to have her, even part-time, and spent a lot of time hoping that she wouldn't decide to quit working altogether to spend more time with her grandson.
"The decorations look great," she said, looking up from polishing the glass countertop next to the cash register when I walked in. "Nice job. I hear Jack is back. How was the date? Did you get me a chocolate glazed?"
She must have talked to Aunt Ruby. My date hadn't had time to hit the general gossip mill.
I laughed and put the bags on the counter. "Let me lock my tote bag in the back, okay? And thanks, yes, Jack is back, the date was great, and I have no idea what donuts are in here. Poor Vern was having a hard time keeping up. He gave me a 'special' jelly donut."
She raised her eyebrows. "You hate jelly donuts!"
"Right? But the poor guy is overwhelmed. I wasn't about to tell him that when he was so pleased with himself." I grinned at her and headed to the back room, where I locked my purse away in the vault and started a pot of coffee.
Eleanor pushed open the door and stood in the doorway, and in the bright light I noticed that she looked tired.
"Are you okay? You're not getting sick too, are you?" I studied her. "If you don't feel well, please go home and get some rest. I can handle this group on my own. And you know you'll need to feel better by Friday so you can take Zane all over the festival. I hear he and Shelley are planning to eat one of every single different type of fair food."
She smiled a little but then bit her lip. "No, Tess, I'm not sick. I wouldn't bring something contagious here for you to catch. No, it's just… I…"