by Deanna Chase
“Because you kept demanding I come back here. I just needed time, Noel,” Abby said, sounding tired. “When I tried to connect later, you weren’t interested.”
Of course Noel had been interested. She’d just been too hurt. Those damned tears were back, silently rolling down her cheeks. “I’m sorry, Abby. I just missed you. Everything here was falling apart. And I… well, when you left, it brought up a bunch of crap from when Mom abandoned us. I was a mess for a while. I guess neither of us handled it well.”
Abby clutched her sister’s hand. “The last thing I want you to think is that I didn’t miss you. I did. All the time. And I certainly didn’t leave you. Not like what Mom did to us. You have to know that. You were the one I wanted to talk to when my life was out of control. Maybe I wouldn’t have wasted so much time on that loser ex of mine if I’d had you around to not sugar coat anything. I love Faith, but she’s too nice.”
Noel laughed. Faith had spent some time with Abby and her New Orleans boyfriend, and even though Faith hadn’t cared for him, she’d been reluctant to say anything to Abby about it. “You’re probably right about that.” Noel turned to Abby. “Let’s make a pact.”
“What kind of pact?” Abby asked.
“That if either of us is being a jackass, the other one will kick our butt. No dating douches, and no more silence. We talk it out, even if it kills us.”
“Done.” Abby spit in her hand and held it out.
“Gross.” Noel wrinkled her nose. “What is wrong with you?”
“Would you prefer a blood pact?” Abby asked.
Grimacing, Noel shook her head. Then she spit in her palm and shook Abby’s hand. “It’s a pact.”
When they pulled their hands away, each of them quickly wiped their palms on the other’s jeans. Abby threw her head back and laughed. When she sobered she said, “Damn, I really missed you.”
“Me too, Abs. Me too.” Noel stood and walked over to Abby’s closet. “Now, let’s find me something to wear that isn’t covered in saliva.”
Chapter 20
After spending more than five hours camped out in the café, waiting for Xavier to return to the Sunshine Hotel, Drew finally threw in the towel and headed back to Keating Hollow. There was no guarantee that Xavier would return, especially now that he knew he’d been spotted. If he wanted to stay in the wind, chances were slim-to-none that he’d reemerge in the vicinity any time soon. Drew did, however, call Sheriff Barnes and let him know when and where Xavier had been spotted. The sheriff said he’d put eyes on the location and let him know if anything turned up.
In the meantime, Drew had a date to get to. And he’d be damned if he was going to be late. Not after last night. Not after he’d had to physically tear himself away from the woman who was driving him slightly insane.
The soles of his shoes clicked on the cobbled sidewalk as Drew made his way to the Keating Hollow Inn. After he’d gotten home, he’d quickly showered and shaved and then dressed in slacks and a sport coat. He couldn’t help but wonder if he was overdressed. Keating Hollow was, for the most part, a casual town. And so was Noel for that matter. She was always stylish, but she was stylish in jeans and boots instead of dresses and high heels.
This was still a first date though, and he was determined to sweep her off her feet. Drew stepped into the lobby of the Keating Hollow Inn and stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the gorgeous creature behind the counter.
Noel had her blond hair swept up in some sort of fancy bun, and she was wearing a deep violet dress that hugged her curves in all the right places.
“Hello, gorgeous.”
She glanced up, seemingly startled to find him there, then a slow smile spread across her face. “Well, hello there, handsome. Who knew the town deputy cleaned up so nicely?”
Drew strode over to her, took her by the hand, and pulled her out from behind the desk, revealing her lace-up boots. “Perfect,” he said. “Absolutely stunning.”
“Now you’re just overselling. Stop before you embarrass yourself,” she teased.
“Never. Ready?”
“Yep. Let me just get my coat.” She pulled a wool jacket out of the closet behind her, then called out, “Alec! I’m on my way out. See you in the morning.”
A door opened on the other side of the lobby, and her employee poked his head out. “’Night, Ms. Townsend,” he said. “Enjoy your evening.”
“You too.” She waved at him then followed Drew outside.
“Do you mind walking?” he asked her as he slipped his arm around her waist, enjoying that faint citrus scent that seemed to cling to her everywhere she went.
“Not at all.” Noel leaned into him. “I love seeing our town all lit up for the holidays. It just seems so… joyful.”
Joyful. That was exactly how he felt, only he wasn’t sure it was the lights that were the cause. They made small talk while they made their way to the restaurant. Drew had taken care of getting them a reservation, and their table was waiting for them when they got there.
“Wine?” Drew asked her.
She hesitated for a moment before letting out a nervous laugh. “I’m not sure wine is a good idea after last night.”
“Rough morning?” he asked, completely amused.
“It was until Abby showed up with her magical hangover potion. I swear, she has more talent in her pinky toe than the rest of this town combined.”
“What are you saying, Noel? That no one else has magical skills that can impress you?”
“Not exactly,” she said with a chuckle. “I’m just saying now that Abby has hit her stride, she’s a badass. So if you want to impress me with your magic, you’re probably going to have to work for it.”
“Challenge accepted,” he said.
Dinner was a delicious array of lobster bisque, tuna tartare, and the most flavorful steak Drew had ever had the pleasure of tasting, and still, the food was nothing next to the pleasure he derived from spending the evening with Noel. By the time he paid the bill—he just couldn’t let Noel pick up the tab on their first date, no matter how much she protested—Drew was wondering what he’d been waiting for. Why had he decided she was off limits?
Because her family reminded him of someone else he’d loved. Only now, Charlotte’s memory wasn’t as painful as it had been in the past. When he thought of her, he no longer immediately conjured up the morning she’d been found in Abby’s shed, no longer saw her unseeing eyes. Now he remembered she’d been full of life and determined to live it to the fullest.
He frowned, wondering when that shift had happened.
“What’s wrong, Drew?” Noel asked.
“Huh?”
“I lost you there for a second. You just zoned-out like you went to another dimension.”
“I’m here,” he said. “I was reflecting on the wonderful meal we just shared.”
Her expression was skeptical when she narrowed her eyes and said, “Somehow I don’t think that was the whole truth, but it was a wonderful meal, so I’ll let it go.”
Chuckling, he stood and held out his hand to her. “Come take an after dinner walk with me. I want to show you something.”
That piqued her interest. “Oh, a surprise?”
“Something like that.”
Noel linked her arm with his, and Drew thought it was the most natural thing in the world having this woman by his side. And he knew then, in that very moment, that he wasn’t going to be able to let her go.
The cold air washed over him, but he barely felt it as he guided the gorgeous woman on his arm down Main Street. They walked arm-in-arm through their town, the one they’d grown up in and the one he was certain both of them would stay in as they lived out the rest of their days. They both had invested every inch of themselves in the enchanted town, her with her inn and him with his commitment to keeping the place safe and as free of crime as possible. He couldn’t imagine two people who were more right for each other.
“So, about those protection spells I was talking abo
ut,” Noel said, pulling him out of his thoughts.
“Protection spells?” he asked, wondering if he’d missed part of the conversation.
“The ones for the New Year’s Day festival. We never did talk about them.”
He recalled the day Noel had intervened when Shannon had trapped him outside A Spoonful of Magic and she’d said the town was booked up for the New Year’s celebration. “Right. And we discussed reinforcing the security spells around town. What about them?”
“You need help, right? Pauly Putzner seems like he can barely boil water, much less cast a spell. Just let me know when you want to get on that and I’m happy to help.”
“How about just after Christmas before the town fills up for the New Year’s Festival?”
“Perfect.” She grinned.
“Now, be nice to Pauly, Noel,” Drew teased, completely amused and pleased to be working with her if only for one day. “Can you imagine being a water witch and not even knowing how to swim? That’s got to sting.”
Noel snorted her amusement. “You know, I’d feel bad for him if he wasn’t such a putz. Did you know he tried to give Miss Maple a ticket today for double parking in front of the station?”
Drew frowned. “No. Why was she double parked?”
“She was dropping off holiday gift baskets at the station. One for you, Clarissa, and Pauly. Did you not get yours?”
“Geez, he really is a putz.” Drew felt a pang of guilt for not filling her in on his assignment to find Xavier. And now that he’d spotted him, it was only fair that she knew he was nearby, wasn’t it? “And, no, not yet. I’ve been in the field all day.”
“Oh, mysterious sheriff stuff,” she said with a gleam in her eye. “Were you out running down bad guys?”
“Maybe.” He took her hand in his and tugged her down the walking path that led to the river. “Listen, Noel, there’s something I have to tell you.”
Her amused expression vanished. “Uh-oh. This sounds serious.”
“It is.” He nodded to a bench near the river’s edge. “Can we sit for a few minutes?”
“Sure.” She took a seat and turned to him, holding her hands in her lap. “I have to admit, Drew, you’re kinda scaring me a little. What is it that’s so important?”
He sucked in a short breath and took her hands in his. “A couple of days ago, the county sheriff came to see me. He told me they’re short-staffed and didn’t have the manpower to try to track down Xavier.”
She blinked. “So no one is looking for him in connection to the murder of that other man? Not even to see if he knew him or knew who’d have a beef with him?”
“No.” Drew shook his head. “Someone is looking for him. That’s what the sheriff wanted to talk to me about. He said he wanted someone outside of his department to look into the matter. He didn’t tell me why exactly, but I have my suspicions. Anyway, for the foreseeable future, I’m the guy in charge of finding your ex.”
Noel pulled her hands from his and sat back into the bench.
Drew frowned, his fingers aching to reach out and take hers again, but he knew this was not the time.
“What are your suspicions?” Her expression was hard and closed-off, completely different from the woman he’d gotten closer to over the last week.
“I’m going to tell you, but I need a promise from you first,” he said.
“And what’s that, Drew? That I’ll still date you even though you’ve known about this for a couple of days and are just now telling me?”
Whoa. He hadn’t expected quite that much backlash. He had just started investigating. Except... they had made out on her porch the night before and he hadn’t mentioned it. Still, he was only doing his job.
“If I hadn’t asked what you did all day, would you have told me at all?” she added.
“Noel,” he said, taken aback by the accusation in her tone. “Of course I was going to tell you. I just wanted to wait until I had something to tell. Why are you so upset?”
She sucked in a deep breath and blew it out slowly. Then she met his gaze with a cool one of her own. “If you haven’t noticed, Deputy Baker, I have a few trust issues. After your husband up and leaves without even a note and your best friend stops talking to you through no fault of your own, one starts to get jaded.”
Drew didn’t say anything for a moment while he processed what she’d said. “You mean Abby? When she left and ended up in New Orleans?”
Tears filled her big blue eyes as she glared at him. “No. Not Abby. She didn’t stop talking to me, she just stopped listening. Though her leaving certainly didn’t help.”
“Then…” he trailed off as he remembered a long-ago conversation at the end of the summer they’d spent practically joined at the hip. His words came back to him. I don’t think we can do this, Noel. It’s better if we just remain friends.
Only they hadn’t remained friends. Not real ones, anyway. They saw each other around town and were polite. They made small talk about the weather, the brewery, how their families were doing, but not anything close to the vest. Nothing real. Not like how they’d been with each other during that summer when they’d both been counselors at Camp-us Pocus, the sleepaway camp for preteen witches. At Camp-us Pocus, they’d talked about everything, including Charlotte and the pain they’d each suffered with her loss; Drew because she’d been his first love, and Noel because she’d lost both a friend and her sister, who’d been unable to deal with her guilt and pain.
And when they weren’t dealing with the fallout of Charlotte’s death, they’d been there for each other in other ways, like helping to work out how they were going to pursue their dreams. She’d even shared her plan to open the inn with him way back then. They’d been so close that wherever one was, the other one was sure to follow. But then Drew had made the mistake of kissing her and promptly freaked out because he was in no way ready for another relationship, especially not a relationship with Abby Townsend’s sister. He’d spent a lot of time blaming Abby for something that ultimately hadn’t even been remotely her fault. But he’d been in too much pain to see it.
For years after that, he’d had trouble being around the Townsend household just because the memories were too hard, not because he resented them or blamed them. It was only since Abby had come back to town and Drew had been forced to interact with her that he realized all that crap was just in his head. He was done grieving Charlotte. He’d always love her and what they had, but he was done.
“I’m sorry, Noel. You didn’t deserve the way I treated you,” Drew said, staring into her haunted eyes. “My only excuse is that I was young and in a lot of pain. I think I felt like I was betraying Charlotte. Instead of trying to explain what was going on, I just bolted. I know I hurt you, and for that I sincerely apologize.”
“Thank you,” she said in a small voice as she stared at the rushing river.
“One more thing.”
She glanced back at him, her eyes still bright with unshed tears. “What?”
“You should know that I’m not that guy anymore. My days of running are long gone.” He pressed a palm to her cheek. “I know what’s important in my life, and who. Don’t think for a minute I’m going to forget.”
She opened her mouth, closed it, then visibly swallowed as her eyes cleared. “Who’s important to you, Drew?”
“You are, Noel. You and Daisy. And that is why I’m determined to find your ex.”
Her eyebrows furrowed together as she frowned. “You’re determined to find him for… me and Daisy? Why? Are you trying to get out of dating me, because if that’s what this is—”
“Noel,” he said softly with a small amused smile. “I am most definitely not trying to get out of dating you. In fact, I’m actively pleading my case so you don’t dump me.”
Her frown disappeared and was replaced by something that resembled confusion. “Okay, so why are you trying to find Xavier?”
“So that you and Daisy can have closure. I know that his leaving tore you up. And
it’s not just the fact that he left, but the way he did it. You deserve answers, but more importantly, so does Daisy. Is she still having nightmares?”
Noel frowned. She couldn’t remember discussing Daisy’s anxiety with him. “How did you know about those?”
“I accidentally overheard Abby and Clay talking about it when she was making up her potions. I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop, it just sorta happened. I’m sorry if that bothers you.”
“It’s fine, Drew,” she said and patted his knee.
His gaze landed on her hand. She was touching him again, and her tone had softened. Both were good signs. But he still had things to say.
“Now about Xavier—” he started.
“Have you found the jackass yet?” Noel asked.
“I came close today.”
Her mouth fell open. “You… found him?”
“In Eureka. He was staying at the Sunshine Hotel. I was checking on a lead, getting ready to head inside when suddenly, there he was, walking out of the hotel.”
“Holy balls,” she whispered. “What did you do?”
“Unfortunately, he spotted me. I was in plain clothes, and he obviously recognized me because he bolted. He jumped in his SUV and flew like a bat out of hell down Hwy 101. I tried to follow, but I had to get back to my vehicle. By the time I made a U-turn, he was gone. I waited all day to see if he’d show back up, but no such luck. Then I came back here and took my favorite girl to dinner.”
She smirked. “Don’t try to charm me out of my… whatever crazy mood I just slipped into.”
“It’s working, though.”
Her smirk turned to a smile as she gazed at him.
“There it is, that smile I’ve come to love so much.” He ran his thumb over her jawline and leaned in, brushing a kiss across her cheek. When he pulled back, he gestured to the river.
Noel let out a tiny gasp of surprise. “Are you… you’re making that happen, aren’t you?”
He shrugged one shoulder while concentrating on the elaborate water display he’d conjured with just his mind. Streams of water shot straight up in the air, forming a stem, while droplets of water danced around, forming daisy flower petals.