Zane felt a surge of emotions running through him. He was angry, sad, and frustrated. He felt almost as though someone had just broken up with him, which was rather ridiculous since he didn’t know who this woman was, and they had not actually done anything beyond mild flirting through notes. But still, he had felt his heart drawn to her for some reason, and it felt like a great loss to lose her just like that. He wanted to know more about her. He wanted to know who she was, and to meet her in person to see whether there was a spark there. But if she didn’t want to write any more notes to him, he would probably never find out who she was.
Zane sat staring at the neat script on the note for a long time. It was funny, that he didn’t know whose handwriting that was, but he recognized it instantly. And he loved the way she curved her letters so artfully. Zane sighed. He felt empty, and tired. Part of him wanted to just tear this note into little pieces and then go inside and drown his sorrows in beer. But another part of him didn’t want to give up on this mystery writer. He wanted to write her back again, and try to convince her to open up to him. It didn’t make sense, if you thought about it, to put so much effort into a relationship with someone you didn’t even know. But Zane knew he couldn’t let this go. He had to at least try to write to her one more time. He pulled a sheet of paper out of the notepad in his glove box and considered what he should say for a long time before he actually started writing.
Dear Mystery Writer, I must say that I was heartbroken when I received your last note. I don’t even know your name, but I am drawn to your soul. I am writing to plead with you not to write me off so easily (no pun intended, hehe).You see, I understand what it is like to be different. There are things about me that are so different that they are nearly impossible to believe. No one knows about them besides my family. Perhaps I should be braver, and not care what people think. But I know it is hard to be judged for a part of you that no one else understands. I have been different my whole life, and, I think because of that, I have a special place in my heart for other people who are “different.” I think if you gave me a chance, you would be surprised at just how accepting I can be. This may sound strange, since I barely know you, but I have started to fall for you. There is something beautiful about the essence of your soul, and it spills over into the words you write. I am sorry that other men have treated you so badly. But the way things have been before does not have to be how our story ends. Give me a chance to show you how good things can be when someone truly cares about you and loves you for who you are. Yours, Zane.
Zane reread the note several times after he finished writing, wondering if he really wanted to tape it to the tree for the mystery woman to find. The note was serious. It actually used the word love. Would he scare her off even more by being so open about his feelings? And were his feelings really that strong? He was basically asking this woman to be his girlfriend. Maybe he didn’t use the actual word “girlfriend,” but he certainly implied it. Was that really what he wanted to say to someone whose identity was being kept a secret from him?
After several minutes of debating, Zane finally shrugged, climbed out of his truck, and taped the note to the tree. He might as well go for it. What did he have to lose, anyway? He was lonely and brokenhearted right now, and the mystery writer had already said she didn’t want anything more to do with him. The worst she could do was to ignore him or tell him she hadn’t changed her mind and still didn’t want to talk to him. But, there was a small chance she might actually continue to write to him after reading the note. And if she did, and she was the kind of genuine person Zane thought she was, then perhaps they might actually be able to develop a meaningful relationship.
After making sure the note was securely taped up, Zane turned and went into the bar. It would be quite some time before the crowds started showing up here for the magic show, and Zane wouldn’t mind getting some quiet beers in beforehand. There were always a few guys at the bar ready to shoot the shit with you, if that’s what you wanted, and Zane could do with some good old-fashioned bar talk.
He strode into the bar without looking back at the note, and he did his best to push it, and the rest of the day, out of his mind. Right now, he just wanted to drink, relax, and forget about everything else that had happened today.
* * *
A few hours later, Zane was nicely toasted. He had been drinking, talking, and laughing his way through the afternoon, and he felt a lot better now that the old woman’s yelling at him was becoming a distant memory. He was also starting to wonder whether he had been too forward with the note he had taped to the tree earlier. He had been quite angry and emotional when he wrote that note, and, after debating with himself for quite some time, he decided to go out and take the note down. He would replace it with something tamer once he had a chance to sober up a bit. And he did want to sober up some—he wanted to be able to fully enjoy the magic show Molly was going to put on in an hour.
Zane felt a bit dizzy as he stood to head outside. He’d lost track of how many beers he’d had, although he was sure it was enough to make a normal man pass out. Luckily for Zane, his dragon side enabled him to hold his alcohol pretty well. Still, he had to reach out and steady himself for a moment before walking toward the door. He concentrated on putting one foot slowly in front of the other, and then on gently easing outside and silently closing the door behind him.
The fresh air hit his nose and helped him feel a little steadier on his feet. He paused and took a moment to breathe in deeply. A few more people had trickled in, although the parking lot was still relatively empty. Within the next half hour, the place would be packed. This was definitely the calm before the storm.
Zane turned to start walking toward his truck, and then froze. He saw a small, dark shadow scampering toward the tree. The dark figure, dressed all in black, reached for the note and then turned to rush away. Zane’s eyes widened as he realized that he had just seen his mystery writer, and a sudden rush of adrenaline filled his body.
“Wait!” he yelled. “Wait! Stop! I want to talk to you!”
The dark figure didn’t turn around. Instead, she sped up, running at lightning speed away from the parking lot. Zane started chasing her, still yelling at her to please wait for him. But she was clearly not interested in stopping. She was fast, but so was Zane. Normally, he would have been able to easily outrun her, or to sniff her down if she got too far ahead of him. But he was so tipsy right now that he couldn’t keep up. His senses and motor skills were impaired, and he finally had to stumble to a stop after about two minutes of running. He bent over, wheezing as he tried to catch his breath, and cursing himself for getting so drunk. He breathed in deeply, trying to smell whether the woman who had run away was anyone he recognized. But there were too many scents in the air. The bar was one of the busiest places in town, and there were always the scents of dozens of people lingering in the air.
Cursing again, Zane turned to head back to the bar. So much for rewriting that note. Whoever that mystery writer was, she was going to get the full, emotional rant that he had written out. Zane sighed as his breathing began to return to a normal level. She was probably going to be freaked out by the intensity of the note and definitely not want to write to him again. But it was too late to change things now.
At least he could still go enjoy Molly’s magic show. After all, he knew who Molly was and he knew she was mesmerizing in her own way. If he was lucky, she would take him up on his offer for a ride home later, and he would get to spend a little bit more time with her.
Chapter Nine
Molly sat in Cassie’s office in the back of the bar, breathing rapidly and trying to calm her pounding heart. It had been nearly an hour since Zane had almost caught her when she went to retrieve his note, and she still hadn’t been able to fully calm down. Which was a bad thing, since she had to go out and perform in less than ten minutes.
She had gotten careless, and she had almost paid for it. She hadn’t looked carefully enough when she went to grab the note. No
t only had someone almost caught her, but that someone had been Zane himself. Molly’s only saving grace was that she hadn’t been wearing her magician’s cape yet. She’d been in a black t-shirt and black leggings, with her hair pulled back in a tight bun. Hopefully, in the relative darkness of the bar’s parking lot, Zane hadn’t been able to see who she was.
But she couldn’t be sure, and she was a little bit terrified to go out and perform knowing that he might have figured out who she was. Not only that, but she was confused by his note itself. He had claimed that he understood what it meant to be different, and that there were parts of him so different he was afraid to show them to anyone other than his family. But what could he possibly have meant by that? As far as she could tell, he was pretty much your standard good ol’ Texas boy. He worked hard, had good manners, and spent his weekends living it up with his brothers and friends at the local watering hole. Nothing about him screamed “weird” or “different.”
Molly’s thoughts were interrupted when Cassie stuck her head into the office.
“All ready?” she asked with a wide smile.
Molly nodded and attempted to match Cassie’s smile with one just as big. Cassie was excited to have her back for another show after how well the one last night had gone, and Molly didn’t want to do anything to diminish that enthusiasm. Molly needed this chance to perform. She had spent a hundred bucks on groceries today, and if she could earn at least three hundred dollars tonight, she would have enough money to pay all of her current bills. She could keep herself from going late on her mortgage and utilities for one more month, at least.
Molly stood and waited just outside of view of the front of the bar as Cassie announced her to the crowd. Today, the cheers when she walked out were loud and enthusiastic. The place was even more packed than it had been last night, as well. Word must have gotten around that weird little Molly Graham actually had talent. Molly couldn’t keep a wry smile off her face. She flung her cape dramatically as she started her show again, bringing a fresh rush of cheers from the audience. As she scanned the crowd, her eyes met Zane’s. She felt her heart race with nervousness, but he only smiled encouragingly at her. Nothing in his look gave away that he might suspect she was the mystery note writer. Molly told herself that she was stressing out over nothing, then forced herself to relax as she continued on with her show. She had to perform well again tonight. Many of the people here had not been to the show last night, and they were going to judge her by what they saw right now.
Molly put her whole heart into the performance, and once again knocked it out of the park. She was very good at performing, and once she got into her groove, she forgot about everything except her show. The hour went by in a blur, until she finally found herself giving a last dramatic bow to the crowd after her second encore. Exhausted, but happy, she disappeared to the back office again, where Cassie came to meet her a few minutes later with a huge smile and an overflowing top jar.
“You did it again, Molly! Amazing! They all love you,” Cassie said.
Molly smiled gratefully and took the tip jar. She could already tell that she had made even more money than last night, which was not what she had expected to happen. She had figured that the first show would be the most exciting for people and bring the most tips, but apparently her assumption had been wrong. She definitely wasn’t complaining about making more money than she thought, though.
A half-hour later, she had counted out her money—just over eighteen hundred dollars—and she had eaten another burger and fries on the house. She stood to go bid Cassie farewell and begin her walk home. There was no way she was going to seek out Zane for a ride home right now. She was still a little bit worried about what he might have seen out in the parking lot. Had he seen enough to eventually realize it had been her? Would the truth come to light as he played the moment over and over in his mind? Molly felt a nervous tension in her chest as she rose to leave. She had to get out of here so she could get home before Zane started driving home.
But she was too late. At the same moment she stood, Zane himself appeared in the doorway of the office. He leaned against the doorframe with a wide, warm smile.
“Hey,” he said. “Great show tonight. I came to see if you were still here and needed a ride home.”
“No, I’m fine. But thanks,” Molly said, praying he would leave it at that but knowing all too well that he wouldn’t.
He narrowed his eyes at her. “You’re fine because someone else has already offered you a ride, or because you’re being stubbornly prideful and refusing to take a ride from me?”
Molly stared at him in silence, which was all the answer he needed.
“Come on,” he said. “I’m taking you home. “There’s no reason for you to walk three miles in the dark on your own.”
Molly sighed, but stood and nodded. She knew it would take more energy than it was worth to fight him on this. Her best bet was to take the ride, and be as silent as possible on the way home. The less she talked and interacted with him, the lower the chances he would suddenly put two and two together and realize she was the woman he had seen by the tree. And, besides, she couldn’t deny that it would be nice to be home in a few minutes instead of walking for the better part of an hour. She also couldn’t ignore the way her heart beat faster when she thought about the fact that she would be sitting next to Zane for those few minutes. He made her heart do little flip-flops in a way that no one had for a long, long time.
Still, Molly felt strangely conflicted as, a few minutes later, she climbed into the passenger seat of Zane’s truck. She wanted to believe that he was giving her a ride home because he was interested in her, but she knew better than to hope for too much. She was the town weirdo, and he was Mr. Popular. What were the odds he actually saw her as more than just a charity case? And besides, he had made it clear that he had taken a romantic interest in whoever was writing the mystery notes to him. He didn’t know that the writer was Molly herself. Which meant he probably wasn’t feeling anything other than normal, friendly kindness toward Molly. Perhaps, if she confessed to him who she was, she would have a chance with him. But Molly pushed the idea out of her mind. Guys like Zane didn’t fall for girls like her. And if she let herself think that they did, she was only setting herself up for a big letdown.
She had noticed how Zane’s eyes wandered to the tree, then filled with disappointment when he saw that there was no note. Molly hadn’t had time to write another note, and, even if she had, she wasn’t sure she wanted to. She’d been all set to end the secretive pen pal conversation with Zane. As tempting as it was to give in to his pressure to keep talking to him, she knew the wiser choice was to let it go.
She rode in silence for the first couple minutes of the ride home. Zane seemed lost in his own thoughts, which suited her just fine. Maybe she would actually make it all the way home without needing to talk to him. But it was not to be. A few moments later, he glanced over at her and smiled.
“So, how does it feel to be something of a local celebrity,” he asked.
Molly actually snorted. “Celebrity? I doubt that. I’ve done two magic shows and people are curious. The crowds will probably die down after another show or two, once people are over the novelty of it. I’d hardly call that being a celebrity.”
“Oh, come on,” Zane said. “Stop being so modest. You saw the way everyone cheered for you tonight.”
“Yeah, I saw,” Molly said, somewhat bitterly. “And I know better than to think that it’s because anyone views me as a celebrity. They think I’m weird, and, right now, they’re getting some entertainment out of that weirdness. But soon enough they’ll all be back to whispering behind my back about how different I am.”
As soon as the words were out of Molly’s mouth, she regretted them. Zane looked over at her, a curious expression on his face.
“How different you are?” he repeated.
Molly had to backpedal, and fast. “Well, I mean, not different necessarily. Just not working in a normal car
eer field that they find respectable. That’s all. But you’re right. I should appreciate how everyone tonight seemed to love the show. It was a good show, wasn’t it? I was happy with the way all of my tricks went.”
Molly smiled brightly, trying to act like nothing was wrong. But Zane had a faraway look in his eyes, and he didn’t appear to have heard her as he stared out at the road in front of him.
“Seems to be a common problem tonight. Feeling different, I mean.”
Molly winced, unsure of how to react. Zane didn’t seem to notice her silence, though.
“I know what it feels like to be different,” he said, a tinge of sadness in his voice. “It’s hard.”
“You?” Molly asked, unable to keep the slightly accusatory tone from her voice. “You’re one of the most popular guys in town. What do you know about feeling like an outsider? Everyone loves you and your brothers.”
“Well, not everyone,” Zane said wearily. “There’s a…certain side to me that not everyone can appreciate, Molly. I know that you probably think I don’t know anything about being teased for being weird. But trust me, I do. I have been told that I’m a monster, that I’m a freak, and that I’ll never fit in with the ‘normal people.’”
Molly’s eyes widened. “Are you serious?” she asked, her voice barely more than a whisper. “People have said that to you?”
She found it hard to believe. Who would call Zane weird? He was about as normal as they came. But Zane was serious.
“I wish I was joking,” he said. “But it’s all true. There are things about me I keep hidden, because if most people knew they would be afraid of me and not want to speak to me. I know that’s really vague, but, just trust me. I’m not as ordinary as I seem. I admire you, actually. You never seem to put up any kind of fake front or disguise. You just are who you are, and you don’t try to change yourself to fit in with the crowd. I know you are well aware of how much people make fun of you behind your back, but you don’t ever let it change the way you dress or act. I admire that. And, honestly, I think most of the townspeople would say they admire it, too. They have a new respect for you after the last few nights. Everyone knows it’s not easy to get up and perform. But you did, and you did a fantastic job. So screw anyone who makes fun of you for being different. What this word really needs is more beautiful, weird, wonderfully eccentric people like you. And I wish I had the courage you have to just be myself.”
Lone Star Magic (Shifters in the Heart of Texas Book 3) Page 6