“Well,” Chloe said, squeezing her hand, “it looks like we were both alone in the world, and now we’re not.”
Chapter Four
***Gabriel***
When Gabriel walked into Michael’s office, he was on the phone, but he pointed to the chair across from the desk and whispered, “Sit.”
He dropped down into the chair, his mind still spinning from his encounter with Chloe, part of him fascinated by the woman, the other half still suspicious of her. It was a confusing mix of emotions that he wasn’t sure what to do with, but he needed some clarity before he went any further. Michael seemed like the most logical place to start, but there was also the internet, and Vincent’s sources if he needed them.
When their eyes had met through the window as he was leaving, the feeling that there was something different about Chloe had grown even stronger; the problem was he couldn’t figure out what it was. On the surface, she seemed to be everything she’d told him she was, and he had to admit, he had liked the tea—not that he’d ever tell her that. What bothered him was something deeper, an energy that he could sense bubbling just under the surface.
He was so lost in his thoughts; he didn’t notice Michael hanging up the phone. “How is Emma Jean?” he asked, making him jump.
“Well, I just spent an hour drinking tea and eating scones with her and the woman who’s rented her house,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest.
Michael stared at him for a second, a look of surprise on his face, then started laughing. When he stopped chuckling, he said, “I’d make you repeat that just because it’s so funny, but I don’t think you’d appreciate it, so I won’t, but maybe you could explain a little more.”
Gabriel scowled at him. “I’m glad you think it’s funny that a total stranger has moved in with Emma Jean and convinced her that they should open a tea house,” he said.
Michael leaned back in his chair. “Okay, I’ll admit I didn’t see that coming,” he said.
“And she’s selling healing teas,” Gabriel said. “Have you ever heard anything so ridiculous. That woman is dangerous.”
Michael studied him for a second. “Don’t you think you’re blowing this a little out of proportion? How dangerous could tea be?”
Gabriel felt a surge of anger. “I explained that to you before; people stop coming to me and go to her instead, eventually getting sicker, then some die,” he said, getting up and pacing the little office. “There’s something about that woman, I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I can’t stop thinking about it. She’s going to cause trouble; I can feel it.”
“Right now, you’re the only one causing trouble,” Michael said. “Will you please sit down and stop pacing around?”
He collapsed back into the chair. “Did you check her out like I asked you to?”
Michael picked up a folder off his desk but pulled it back when he reached for it. “Not all of this is public knowledge, so you can’t see this, but I can tell you that from what I see, Chloe Sayers is a law-abiding citizen.”
“She said she was spending her money on the tea house,” he said. “How does someone like her have that kind of money?”
A look of indecision appeared on Michael’s face. “Let me just say that she won’t ever have to worry about money,” he finally said. “She could buy Emma Jean’s house twice over and still be financially sound.”
“Where did the money come from?” he asked, still not satisfied.
“That I don’t know, just that she has a trust fund,” Michael answered. “But that’s all I’m going to tell you. That was more than I should have.”
“What about this tea business of hers?” he asked, still looking for a weakness. “Doesn’t she need licenses, permits, and stuff like that?”
Michael reached for another folder and handed it to him. “Those are all public records, so you can see them, but it’s all there,” he said. “Gabriel, there’s nothing going on here; she’s just selling tea, essential oils, and weird stuff like that.”
“I still don’t trust her, not with the way things have been around here,” he said, handing the folder back. “I’m keeping an eye on her if you won’t.”
“I never said that, Gabriel; I’ll be watching her. I just think you see demons where there aren’t any,” Michael said. “Or is there another reason you can’t let this go?”
It took him too long to answer, and he knew it. “What other reason could there be?” he asked, then wished he hadn’t when he saw the look on Michael’s face.
“So, you missed the fact that our newest resident is drop-dead gorgeous?” Michael countered.
Gabriel waved his hand in the air. “I don’t notice things like that,” he lied, not able to meet Michael’s eyes when he said it.
“Well then, why don’t you let me handle this?” Michael asked. “It is my job, after all; you’ve got the hospital and the clinic to worry about.”
Gabriel didn’t have an answer at first. Michael was right: as sheriff, it should have been his job. But he couldn’t let it go. “My dad and his friends seem to have everything under control, so I’ve got time. Besides, you wouldn’t know what to look for.”
Michael shook his head. “Have it your way, but I’m telling you that you’re wasting your time,” he said. “Did it ever occur to you that Chloe might be good for this town, that she showed up here for a reason? I think it’s interesting she showed up right now.”
“What are you getting at, because if you’re thinking what I think you are, you’re way off,” Gabriel said, feeling panic beginning to well up inside him. “I am not next; I’m not attracted to Chloe; that is not what’s happening. She’s up to something, and clearly, I’m the only one who sees it.”
When Michael just looked at him and didn’t say anything, he got up and stormed out of the office, the sound of his friend’s laughter following him all the way out the door. Back on the street, he took a deep breath and told himself that Michael was wrong; this had nothing to do with the attraction he felt for Chloe, nothing at all. But deep down, something was stirring, and no matter how hard he tried to ignore it, the warmth it produced was there, growing, coming to life.
***Chloe***
Chloe stood holding Emma Jean’s hand, her heart hammering in her chest, watching the line of women form outside on the sidewalk in front of the house. It was nearly ten o’clock, time to open the tea house, but a million little details had suddenly popped into her head and she wished they’d waited one more day.
As if reading her mind, Emma Jean said, “We’re ready as we’ll ever be, Chloe; unlock the doors and invite everyone in.”
She reached out with a shaking hand, flipped the lock, then looked back at Emma Jean, took a deep breath, and said, “Okay, here we go; we are officially open.”
Her stomach full of butterflies, she flipped the sign to open. After a short titter of excitement, she raised her hands in the air. “I want to thank you all for coming to our grand opening today,” she said, silencing the crowd. “We’ve worked really hard to bring you a new experience, and I hope you’ll all enjoy yourselves today, but please be patient with us as there are a lot of you out here.”
There was a ripple of laughter from the women, lots of smiles and head nodding, and nothing but positive feelings coming from the crowd. Feeling not only her confidence returning but the excitement of what they were doing building again, she took another deep breath, and with a much stronger voice explained how the tea shop worked.
“When you come inside, you’ll have two choices: you can be seated for a full-service tea or visit our shop where you can take make your selections and take them home. We’ve got samples in the shop, and please feel free to linger on the porch for a few minutes if you like,” she said. “Now, I’ll stop talking and hand you off to Emma Jean and our very capable staff.”
When she slipped back through the door, Emma Jean was beaming at her. “That was perfect,” she said.
“Thanks, Emma Jean,” she said. “I’m just going to
make sure everyone is ready.”
Morning had turned to afternoon, and Chloe was sure that every woman in Prospect Falls had come through the door. As excited as she was by the success of the tea house, she was ready for four o’clock when they could flip the sign and close the doors. She’d known that it would be a lot of work to run a tea house but had no idea just how hard. There’d been no time for a break all day. Now, her feet hurt, her back ached, and she just wanted to sit down for a few minutes.
The rest of the staff looked just as exhausted, except Emma Jean, who was still sitting behind the podium in the entryway, grinning with pleasure. Her cheeks were pink, and she looked like she could go on for hours. Seeing her so happy made some of Chloe’s exhaustion fade. Squaring her shoulders, she dug a little deeper and found some energy, determined to finish the day as strong as they’d started.
“We’re just about done,” Emma Jean said when she stepped up next to her. “It’s been so much fun; I hate to see it end.”
Chloe laughed. “Well, we have tomorrow and the next day and the day after that,” she said. “Besides, I think we’ve seen just about everyone in town already. I’ll never be able to remember them all.”
Emma Jean patted her on the arm. “Don’t worry; I’ll help you out,” she said. “Do you think we should flip the sign?”
She opened her mouth to answer, but the doors swung open, and Gabriel walked in. Her answer was lost to the pounding of her heart and the tingling deep inside her at the sight of him. He was the last person she’d expected to see that day, but he was nearly to the podium, and her body was going haywire, firing off waves of desire that made her breath catch in her throat.
“Gabriel, how wonderful to see you again,” Emma Jean said when he got to the podium.
“I just thought I’d come and congratulate you,” he said, tearing his eyes away from her and looking at Emma Jean. “It looks like you’ve been a huge success.”
Emma Jean preened. “I knew we would be,” she said. “Would you like a table?”
“No, I just wanted to stop by for a few minutes,” he said, then looked over at Chloe. “I wanted to make sure you weren’t pushing yourself too hard.”
Emma Jean laughed. “I feel better than I have in twenty years, Gabriel. Stop worrying and go have some tea; you need to relax. Chloe will be happy to get you all set up, and I won’t take no for an answer.”
She looked over at Emma Jean, a bit surprised by the forceful tone in her voice, hoping that Gabriel would decline again. “It’s okay, Emma Jean; he doesn’t like tea,” she said.
“Nonsense. He drank four cups of the tea you gave him the other day,” Emma Jean said, waving her hand at them. “Off with you two; maybe you should take a break and join him, Chloe, since you haven’t sat down all day.”
Chapter Five
***Gabriel***
“Oh, I couldn’t...” Chloe managed to get out before Emma Jean interrupted her.
“You need a break,” Emma Jean repeated.
Chloe looked like she was going to argue some more, but shut her mouth, turned, and walked away instead. Barely suppressing a grin, he followed her past the stairs and down the hallway to a small room with only a few small tables scattered around. Unlike the main dining room, it was quiet at the back of the house, the tables already reset for the next day. He sat down at the table Chloe pointed to, feeling slightly out of place in the gentile surroundings but determined to make the best of it.
“I’ll go get you some tea,” Chloe said stiffly when he was seated. “Would you like some sandwiches or something sweet?”
“Well, if you’re having tea with me, that covers the something sweet,” he said, not sure where the words came from, but not sorry that he’d said them when he saw Chloe suck in a deep breath and her eyes got big.
“I...” she stammered. “I’ll be right back.”
He reached out and grabbed her wrist. “Bring enough for both of us; you heard Emma Jean,” he said, then let her go.
She turned and fled the room and he settled back in his chair, a smile he couldn’t suppress spreading across his face. But he wiped it away. He wasn’t there to flirt with Chloe; he was there to check up on her, to see what she was selling to the women in town, he reminded himself. But it wasn’t easy to remember that when she came back into the room, her cheeks still pink, a heavily laden tray in her hands.
After he helped her get it settled between them, he watched her carefully arrange everything on the table, conscious of each movement she made. It was impossible not to notice the swell of her breasts under her shirt, the way her hair curled around her ears where she’d pushed it back, or the way she was biting her bottom lip in concentration.
When his body began to respond, he forced himself to look away, to think about anything but the woman sitting down across from him. To distract himself, he busily made his tea, keeping his eyes down and away from Chloe, who was staring down at her own cup. But the silence in the room suddenly began to become heavy with the power of the attraction between them, and he felt something stirring deep inside him again.
Desperate to break the spell between them, he searched for something to say to fill the silence but found his mind blank. He took his time stirring some sugar and milk into his tea, then took a sip, expecting the same tea he’d had before, but this time, a different flavor filled his mouth. It would have been impossible to describe the flavor of the tea, but he’d never tasted anything like it before and wondered if he’d ever really given it a chance.
Finally, unable to stop himself, he looked up at her. “This is really good,” he said, taking another sip. “It’s like...well, I don’t know, just good.”
Chloe laughed, a musical sound that made him feel lighter somehow. “Are you beginning to like tea?” she asked, grinning at him.
He shrugged his shoulders, not willing to give in yet. “I didn’t say that,” he said. “I just said this was good.”
“Well then,” she said, holding a plate up. “Try one of these with your tea.”
He took one of the little sandwiches, looked at it like it was a medical specimen, then popped the whole thing into his mouth, making Chloe groan and roll her eyes. “You’re not supposed to eat the whole thing all at once,” she said, then began to laugh when she saw the look on his face.
When he’d washed the sandwich down with a sip of tea, he sat back in his chair and sighed. “Okay, I give in; that was pretty amazing.”
Chloe laughed again. “See? All I’m selling is a little pleasure,” she said, a pleased smile on her face. “There’s no harm in that.”
He shook his head. “No, I have to admit that you’re right,” he said. “What I don’t understand is how you do it, how you know exactly what everyone wants.”
“That, Dr. Hawthorne,” she said, getting to her feet, “is my little secret. Now, I really better get back to work. I’ll send Emma Jean in to keep you company.”
He watched her leave, his senses buzzing with awareness, his body humming with desire, intrigued by the woman and wishing that he wasn’t. Any fool could see that he was treading a thin line, that his interest in Chloe was slowly changing—that if he didn’t stop this soon, it might lead down a road he was trying to avoid. He wasn’t ready to be in love, wasn’t ready to open himself up that completely, and the thought of bonding, of spending the rest of his life with the same woman, scared him even more.
Watching his friends fall madly in love had done nothing to change the way he felt, and the fear that overcame him when he thought about a life of loving someone so completely was still with him. He’d seen more death and heartache in his life than most people, and although he’d tried to seal himself off from it, he couldn’t avoid the knowledge that loving someone that completely came at a great price.
***Chloe***
Chloe was standing at the sink in the kitchen, washing the dinner dishes, thinking about Gabriel and wishing she could just put him out of her mind. He hadn’t stayed long after she left
him with Emma Jean, but she’d been thinking of him since then, thinking about the little spark of humor she’d seen, about the power she felt radiating from him. A power that both excited her and scared her because she had a pretty good idea what that energy meant and wasn’t sure how she felt about it.
It had never occurred to her that she’d find a place like Prospect Falls, where magic filled the air: a magic that felt comfortable and familiar to her. In fact, it had been ridiculously easy to let her guard down, to connect with the people of the town, and for the first time in a very long time, she felt at home. But that didn’t mean that she was ready to face what that meant.
She just wanted to enjoy her new home and the blossoming friendship with Emma Jean that was beginning to mean so much to her. Gabriel was a threat to all that, awakening something deep inside her that felt as primal as the magic she sensed in him. A magic that felt much older than her own; a magic that made it nearly impossible to keep hers hidden when she was around him, no matter how hard she tried, and that scared her. She knew the destructive power of her magic and promised herself years ago to never use it again.
The sound of Emma Jean coming into the kitchen interrupted her thoughts, but not before her parents popped into her mind, and the terrible guilt that she’d lived with so long came to roaring to life. The grief that followed it took her breath away, and she leaned against the sink, taking little shallow breaths until it passed.
When she turned around, Emma Jean was staring at her, her face pale. She immediately forgot about her pain and rushed over to her. “Emma Jean, what’s wrong?” she asked, guiding her to a chair. “Maybe we should skip the tea and you should go up to bed right away.”
Emma Jean shook her head. “I’m okay,” she said, putting her hand on her chest. “You just...oh, it’s silly... but for a minute, I thought you were my daughter. She used to stand at the sink just like you were.”
Guardian Dragons of Prospect Falls: (A Paranormal Shifter Romance) Page 39