I remove the key from my pocket and unlock the door with a whine. He follows me in, pointing toward the back room. “You mind?”
I give him a nod, offering him the go-ahead. I jump on top of the counter, allowing my legs to hang over the edge. Inspecting my cuts, I realize I’m bleeding more places than just my hands. The skin is torn from my left elbow, as well as the underside of my leg. I can’t believe I could be so clumsy or so easily startled, but then I see him return from the bathroom with a rag and a cup of water.
Rugged, yet clean-cut.
Dark, but inviting.
My heart races faster with each step he takes toward me. He throws me a brilliant smile. “Who knew book sales could be dangerous?” He sets the cup down on the counter next to me.
“Yeah.” I gulp. “Tell me about it.”
He dabs the edge of the rag in the water before reaching for my arm. He cleans my hands first and then turns to my elbow. He’s gentle. His movements are careful and precise. “You must have been thinking really hard about something out there.” The smirk stays plastered on his face as he continues to clean my wounds. “I’d been browsing for several minutes before I found the book I wanted.”
I straighten my shoulders, trying to hide my embarrassment. “I was preoccupied.”
He hums while he works, dabbing the cloth back into the water. I watch him closely. He must feel my constant gaze, but I don’t care. There is something different about this boy, but I can’t figure out exactly what.
“Careful,” he whispers, releasing my arm. “Deep thoughts get you in trouble. I’d hate to see you fall off the counter.”
I fake a laugh, rolling my eyes. “Well, aren’t you funny?”
I flex my hand. It feels better already. I’ll heal the wounds when he leaves. Except, instead of giving an indication he’s ready to go, he scoots closer. His forearm grazes my thigh. I instinctively move it.
His grin widens, like it was a test.
I’m positive I’m failing.
“So, Mr. Comedian, do you have a name?” I play with the hem of my dress just for something to do.
He stands back, still smirking as he cocks his eyebrow. “You mean you don’t know?”
“Why? Are you that popular?”
He snorts. “Look who’s trying to be funny now.” He steps further away from me. “I assumed Abby and Sadie would have filled you in on all the Sanctuary gossip by now. I mean, you’ve been here a week.”
When my eyes meet his, they’re suddenly intense.
“It is a small town, Wilhelmina,” he says, smirking, “and you’re hot news.”
He intentionally emphasized the word hot.
I want to smile, laugh, or do anything other than hear Reid’s voice suddenly clogging my head. Everyone in town is talking about me, though. That can’t be good. Reid won’t be happy to hear that.
The worst part is—now I feel obligated to tell him.
My guest is close enough to touch me again, but his hands slip into his pockets. He leans forward, inspecting me closely. “You look like her. Your mother was beautiful too.”
My heart thuds loudly, and I feel the blush creep into my cheeks. This boy is good. The confident little wink he gives me proves he knows it. I realize then that he’s using his well-rehearsed southern charm to distract me. He managed to effectively avoid my previous question. My eyes narrow.
“You didn’t tell me your name,” I remind him.
He doesn’t answer. Instead, he purses his lips, contemplating his next move. He grabs his book from the counter and pulls his wallet out of his back pocket. “Would you like to go out with me tonight?” He casually places ten bucks on the counter next to me.
My eyebrows shoot up in surprise, because of all the answers I predicted, that hadn’t been one of them. This boy does not want me to know his name. “What?” I say, shaking my head, unsure if I even heard him right.
He sticks the book under his arm and smiles at me. “Would you like to go out with me tonight?” he asks again, slowly, pausing between words. “Nice clothes. Awkward conversation. You know, like a date?”
I narrow my eyes at him, and then jump down from the counter, crossing my arms over my chest. “Why won’t you tell me your name?”
He grins. “Meet me in front of the old chapel at five tonight, and I will be more than happy to tell you my name.”
I huff my annoyance and decide to take a more practical approach. “I’m not supposed to associate with strangers.”
He thinks about that for a moment and then nods. “Let me guess; that was Reid’s idea.” He smiles when my nose scrunches up. “Why am I not surprised? But technically, I am not a stranger.” He points to the cash on the counter. “I’m a customer.”
“That doesn’t count.”
“Says who? Reid? Does he always tell you what to do?”
“This isn’t about Reid,” I snap.
He steps forward, biting his lip. “Good. Then meet me at five.”
I groan, throwing my hands into the air.
“Look,” he says finally, “it’s not like I’m asking you to drop by my sketchy shed in the woods to check out my new shiny knife set. We’ll be at the festival. Abby and Sadie will be a stone’s throw away the entire evening, as will everyone else in this town. Trust me. We won’t go unnoticed.”
No.
It’s what I should I say. It’s what the little know-it-all voice in my head keeps telling me. It’s what Reid would want me to say.
“Do you normally go around asking out random girls?”
His soft, pouty lips quirk into a wicked grin. “I can’t believe they haven’t told you yet.”
There is something about his accent that sends a chill down my spine. Or maybe it’s the mischievous twitch of his lips. Either way, I suddenly hate my family for not telling me about him.
“You’re not exactly making me want to say yes.”
Challenge sparks in his eyes. I wish I had kept my mouth shut. He steps closer to me. So close that if I release the breath I just sucked in, it will brush across his lips. “You should know teasing me isn’t the way to get rid of me.”
I take a step back. “Will flattery work?”
He laughs. “I like you, Wilhelmina. You’re different than the rest of them.”
“Them?”
“The Innocent,” he whispers, like it’s a secret.
I try not to react. I fail.
“Say yes,” he says quietly. “Meet me tonight.”
“Tell me your name, and I’ll consider it.”
He smiles. Cocky. Assured. “Say yes, Wilhelmina, and I will tell you everything. Everything Reid doesn’t want you to know.”
I want to shoot back I already know everything, that my family has no secrets. Yet, if that were true, I would know his name. I would know why I should say no. A trickle of fear runs down my spine.
I should say no.
Reid would want me to say no.
No matter how many times I think it, I still can’t make the word come out.
“Okay,” I say flatly, standing up straight. “Five o’clock next to the chapel.”
His eyes sparkle. Surprised. Shocked, even.
“And then you will tell me your name?” I clarify.
“Gladly.” He is still in disbelief.
This is bad. Very bad.
I don’t let it show. Instead, I give him a quick nod before walking toward the door. I need to get back to my post. It’s almost lunch hour, which means I might get a real customer. That, and I need to get away from him.
He follows me out, waiting while I lock the door. “I’ll see you tonight, then,” he says, grinning. He spins the book around in his hand.
He starts to walk off, but I catch his arm. “What book did you choose?” I’m unable to stifle my curiosity. “Inventory reasons.”
He flips the book over, showing the cover.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
He smiles.
I give him an odd look,
and his smile widens. “Tonight,” he says, that confident edge returning to his voice. “And wear that dress. I really like that dress.”
I stand in awe, watching him leave.
What the hell just happened? My brain feels fuzzy, but I blame it on the heat. I’m not sure what to blame for everything else I’m feeling, but I’ll think of something eventually.
I pull my stool up, making sure it’s firmly planted before climbing on it.
I have a date tonight.
Even the thought sounds weird in my head.
I have a date, and I don’t even know his name.
In fact, I don’t know anything about him. He’s make-you-stupid handsome. Witty. One hell of a nurse, but that’s it. Something has to be wrong with him. What other reason would he have for not wanting to tell me his name?
Anxiety washes over me.
I wish I hadn’t toppled off my stool. If he hadn’t been so sweet and charming while he helped me, I might have been able to tell him no. I really wish now that I had told him no. I don’t want to tell Reid the whole town knows about me, let alone admit I agreed to a date with the first guy who happened to pass by my tent. I slump over, placing my head in my hands. I knew this book sale was a bad idea.
“Sweetheart?” A voice speaks softly off to my right.
I raise my head to see Sera standing at the edge of the table. Her faint green eyes are worried. The guilt starts to multiply.
“Hi.” I slump further over the table. “I didn’t know you were stopping by today.”
She glides over to me, running her fingers across the books. “I would never miss your first festival sale, and I figured you might need a helping hand during lunch.”
I take one long look down the empty street and then back at her and smile. “I honestly don’t know how I’m going to manage without you.”
She playfully smacks the back of my head before joining me behind the table. “You’ll be surprised how many people like to book shop during their lunch hour,” she says, re-stacking a pile of books that toppled over during my graceful exit off my stool.
My injuries catch her eye. I quickly pull my hand behind my back, cupping it in hope I can heal it before answering questions, but she jerks my scraped elbow up instead. “What happened to you?” Her brow knots with concern. “How did this happen?”
My face contorts into a scowl, because I’m embarrassed to admit the truth. “I fell off the stool.”
Her eyes widen, and I swear I almost see her smile. “You fell off the stool?” she repeats, leaning over to look at the stool behind me.
“I was startled.” I blurt it out, my natural instinct to defend myself kicking in, but I suck in a breath to keep myself from continuing. However, it’s too late. Sera is too perceptive and my expression too easy to read.
“Who startled you?” The tone of her voice tells me avoidance will not be accepted.
“I don’t know his name,” I say softly, looking away from her.
Her concern turns to amusement almost instantly. “His?” She grins. “He must have been cute to sneak up on an Innocent.”
“He was.” My face flushes like it’s on fire.
“Why don’t you know his name?”
I let out an annoyed huff. “He wouldn’t tell me. At first he assumed Abby and Sadie had already told me about him. When he found out they hadn’t, well, he kept avoiding the question.”
She studies me for a moment, her fingers playing along the edge of the books. “That is interesting.”
I bite my lip nervously. “There’s more.” I pause but know I have to tell somebody. “He asked me out on a date, to the festival tonight. He said if I come, he will gladly tell me his name.”
Sera takes in a deep, even breath, and I suddenly become worried I have indeed made the wrong decision. “Did you agree?” I’m surprised to find no judgment in her voice.
I nod once. “He was very charming.”
“And cute,” she adds, sighing to herself.
I move forward, placing my hand on her arm. “I won’t go. I know I should have said no.”
She quickly shushes me, turning to place her fingers over my lips. “Don’t apologize. He obviously knows the girls, so I will send them with you. If they suspect he isn’t safe, they can let you know.”
“And if not?”
Her frown turns into a smile. “Then they can report back to me about exactly how cute a boy must be to send such a pretty girl toppling off her stool.” She pulls my hand up to examine it, and within seconds I feel relief from the lingering sting. “I’m quite curious to find out.”
I try to hide the blush, but there is no use. Instead, I hold my elbow up for her to heal as well, because she is so much better at it than I am. “So you don’t mind watching the tent for me tonight?”
“Of course not.” She places her hand over my elbow and squeezes. “What is family for, if not to cover for a date?”
“A date?” A voice sings loudly in my ear, and before I can turn, Abby wheels around the corner of the table with Sadie close behind her. “Who has a date?”
Sera motions toward me with her chin, grinning. “Not just any date. A mystery date.”
I have only a moment before the questions begin, and I watch Sera sneak away down the table to help a customer who just arrived. I spend the remainder of the afternoon reliving my moment with my mystery date, from his perfect blue eyes, to his quirky choice of book, for Abby and Sadie’s complete delight. They are thrilled to find out they are now involved and are expected to spy on him to figure out his identity.
However, I am still trying to decide how I feel about it. I keep recalling how my heart sped up every time he smiled at me, and I feel the excitement slowly building inside me. However, just like earlier today, my thoughts divert to things I tell myself shouldn’t matter. I know, without knowing his name, that Reid won’t approve of him.
Chapter 8
A MYSTERY REVEALED
My toes tip over the corner of the curb as my hand plays nervously with the macramé bracelet on my left wrist. The chapel casts a shadow over me, blocking the setting sun from my vision. My nerves begin playing evil tricks on my stomach, and I close my eyes, trying to focus on the scent of the festival, most especially the cotton candy stand to my right. The air surrounding me smells delicious, and, with enough time, I feel the butterflies in my stomach slowly turn to hunger.
I casually glance over my shoulder, watching two little boys eagerly wait their turn in line. Their eyes are honed in on the worker wrapping the cotton candy around a giant cone. I wonder if I have enough time to eat one before my date shows up.
I turn back, stepping to my left to make sure I can still see Abby and Sadie sitting on the park bench beside one of the craft booths down the street. Sadie sends me a reassuring wave as I check my watch for the twentieth time. It is exactly fifteen seconds until five o’clock. I sigh. I don’t have time for a snack.
A prickle of fear runs down my spine as someone clears their throat behind me. I dart around to find the two small boys gone, with nothing but hints of their laughter lingering in the air. In their place, standing a little too close for comfort, is none other than my mystery date in all his gorgeous glory.
“Good evening.” He holds up two cones of cotton candy. “I come in peace.”
My stomach growls at the sight of the cotton candy while the rest of my body yearns for something else entirely. “You’re sneaky,” I say, backing away from him until my heart stops skipping.
Except the further I step away, the easier it is to admire the subtle changes in him. His mussed hair from this morning is now perfectly in place. His t-shirt exposes half a tattoo on his bicep. A black bird? A crow?
I’m distracted when he holds the pink cone out to me, twirling it around under my nose. “You are just unusually unobservant.” He turns the arm with the tattoo away from me. “Nice jeans, by the way.”
I scowl at him and grab the blue cone from his hand. He doesn’t look
as surprised as I’d hoped, as if I did exactly what he expected. Then, as if to prove he doesn’t care about the color change or the change in my attire, he plucks off a piece of pink candy, swirls it around his finger, and sticks it in his mouth. My own mouth begins to water as he licks it from his finger.
“Thanks for showing up.” This time he actually sounds sincere. “I had my doubts whether or not Reid would let you out of the house.”
“So did I,” I say under my breath, but I manage to keep the light smile on my face. I haven’t seen Reid at all today, and I’ve been too busy to track him down. Sera approved of my plan, and her opinion is the only one that really matters.
“So do I get a name now?” I ask, trying to change the subject.
He returns my jeering smile and glances briefly over his shoulder at Abby and Sadie. He waves, smiling at them like he is their long lost friend. He seems to find their presence amusing. When he finally turns back to me, his hand is held out in greeting. “Julien Cote.” He takes my hand in his, squeezing it gently. “Nice to meet you, Miss Daniels.”
I reflexively turn around, anxious for Abby and Sadie’s approval.
I find them standing in the exact same spot, their eyes wide with shock. Sadie’s mouth is slightly unhinged as she holds onto Abby’s arm for support. Before I can make some kind of gesture to catch their attention, Julien spins me back around. He’s behind me now, whispering softly against my ear in a way that makes the butterflies return. “If I didn’t pass inspection, they would have been over here by now.”
I pull myself together long enough to give him a doubting look, and he frowns.
“I am not a bad guy,” he says, defensive, but then he forces a smile. “Bad guys don’t eat cotton candy, especially if it’s pink.” He pulls off another piece, sticking it his mouth. “Pink isn’t good for the bad guy persona.”
He begins to walk, motioning for me to join him. I follow slowly, looking back one last time at Abby and Sadie. Again, they only manage to stare back at me. Stunned.
They are so useless.
I huff and hurry to catch up with Julien. I still have no idea whether or not I should turn back. Their faces don’t exactly make me feel confident in my decision. “Why do they look so surprised?”
Frog Hollow (Witches of Sanctuary Book 1) Page 8