by Rose Pressey
“You, too. I’d better get back to the kitchen.” I gestured with my thumb over my shoulder. “I’m getting some dirty looks. People get testy when they’re hungry and waiting for food. If you need anything else, please let Mary Jane know.”
“You have a beautiful smile, by the way.” Tingling started at my feet and I swear it didn’t stop until it reached the top of my head. Honest to goodness.
He smiled in return and our gazes locked. My stomach fluttered. Before I could continue the conversation which, by the way, was going wonderfully compared to the earlier event, what’s-his-face stepped out from the kitchen.
Mary Jane tried to cut him off at the pass. I wasn’t the panicky type, but the knot in the pit of my stomach grew and I didn’t like it. Tom approached Mary Jane and they stood by the door, talking in a hushed tone. Her distraction tactic didn’t work on my elixir examiner though, because within a second he stood beside me. Too close, as if he had appointed himself my bodyguard. His musky scent invaded my space.
Tom studied Rory. The smile slid off Rory’s face. This situation was turning a dark corner quickly and I doubted I’d find the light switch in time to avoid the impending disaster. What if Rory thought something was going on between Tom and me? I didn’t want to ruin my chances with Rory. Not that I had a chance, especially after yesterday, but the fact that Rory had returned was a good sign. And he’d just complimented my smile. That equaled flirting in my book. Rory stared at Tom while finishing off his pie. By the expression on his face, he had a message for him: he wasn’t intimidated.
Tom studied Rory. The smile slid off Rory’s face. This situation was turning a dark corner quickly and I doubted I’d find the light switch in time to avoid the impending disaster.
Chapter Twelve“How’s everything going out here?” Tom draped his arm around my shoulders.
I wanted to knock him on the ground. I shimmied out from under his arm.
“I think you have some customers waiting.” Tom winked at me.
He acted as if he owned the place. I was still the owner and I planned to keep it that way.
“Everything is fine,” I said through gritted teeth.
“Can I see you in the kitchen, Elly?” Tom asked.
“I’m busy right now, Tom.” This didn’t look good in front of Rory, and the puzzled look on his face let me know as much.
“Well, Elly, this is very important. Urgent, as a matter of fact.” He stiffened up, then eased the tension from his jaw as his mouth twisted into a smile.
What could possibly be so urgent? Unless the kitchen was on fire. Oh no. I turned to look at the kitchen. Whew. No smoke, it appeared to be safe.
“I’ll be right back.” I held up my index finger.
“Sure.” Rory flashed that perfect lop-sided grin of his as he lifted his coffee mug.
I stomped toward the kitchen with Tom following on my heels.
“This had better be good for dragging me away from a customer.” I crossed my arms in front of my chest.
“Is that him?” Tom motioned with a tilt of his head. “I can’t believe he came back after what you did.” He smirked.
“I don’t think I need any commentary out of you.”
“So answer my question, is it him?”
“Yes, it is.”
“And you said his name is Rory Covington?”
“I never said anything. Were you eavesdropping on our conversation? You were, weren’t you?”
He ignored my question. “I’m going to need to talk with him.”
“You aren’t going to tell him about the magic, are you?”
“Of course not. But I do need to know if he suffered any effects from it. It’s critical to whether you get to keep practicing magic and continue running this café.”
I hadn’t wanted to practice magic in the first place. Although, I admit I was starting to have fun with it. I didn’t want to lose the café though, so what choice did I have?
With a shrug of my shoulders, I said, “I can’t stop you from talking with him. But please, do you have to stand so close while I’m talking to him? He’ll get the wrong idea about us.”
“Are you interested in dating him?”
“What business is that of yours? He’s a customer, I like talking with customers.”
“Uh-huh. Don’t get your feathers ruffled. I’m going to schedule a time to talk with him. If you’ll excuse me.” He brushed past.
“Gladly!” I followed him out of the kitchen.
To my disappointment, Rory was gone when we returned to the dining area. The plate only had a few crumbs left, the cup was empty, and money lay on the counter. Great. Tom had chased him away.
Tom snatched his briefcase and headed for the door. “I’ll be back.”
“I’m sure you will,” I muttered in his wake.
Chapter Thirteen
Things had slowed down after I’d caught up with the customers I’d neglected while swooning over Rory and tending to my new pain-in-the-rear magical buttinsky.
Only a few patrons lingered over coffee, probably people who I’d soon reference as ‘regulars.’
“You need to see this.” Mary Jane beckoned me over to where she stood by the window.
“What is it?” I wiped my hands on my apron.
She motioned for me to hurry.
I walked around the counter, making my way over to the window. “What now?”
She tilted her head and my gaze followed her gesture until I spotted what the commotion was about. Rory stood across the street on the sidewalk, deep in conversation with a woman. But not just any woman. Nope. She was a gorgeous, leggy, supermodel woman.
“Who is he talking to?” I whispered as I nudged her out of the way for a better view.
“That’s his ex-girlfriend,” a voice said from behind me. It was Mrs. Perkins, one of my new regulars. I hadn’t noticed her walk up behind us. “She dumped him for another man about a year ago. I reckon that boy was devastated. He was so in love.”
Was in love? Or still in love?
Mrs. Perkins continued talking while we continued staring out the window, all huddled together for the best possible view. “She treated him somethin’ awful. Told lies about him all over town. And just when he was maybe getting over her, here she is back in his life.” She tsk-tsked. “She’s an evil woman. Why, Rory is such a good man. I never knew what he saw in her in the first place.”
I had my ideas about what he saw in her. Beautiful, long silky blonde hair. Long legs and big...well, never mind. I adjusted the apron across my chest. We watched as they chatted. Rory must have felt eyes on him because he glanced toward the café several times. Please, if there was any justice in the world, don’t let him have seen us.
“There’s one thing I’ve come to count on in this universe, and that’s the Covington men being handsome and strappin’,” Mrs. Perkins said over my shoulder. “They moved here about two years ago. He and his father bought a farm, unfortunately his father passed away not long after. Such a shame. Such a shame.”
She gave up on the show and shuffled back to her table. I was about to return to my kitchen duties when the scene made an interesting turn. Another woman approached Rory. And then another. Within two minutes, he must have had twenty women around him, all laughing. The ladies’ eyes seemed to have little hearts in them.
He started down the sidewalk and the gorgeous blonde hurried her footsteps to keep his pace. The rest of the women followed behind as if they were little ducklings following their mama. If I didn’t speak the words, maybe it wouldn’t be true. But Mary Jane knew just as I knew. The spell had worked. The ex-girlfriend had returned and she’d soon be furious with jealousy over Rory’s newfound animal magnetism.
I bit my nail. Nothing short of a natural catastrophe could have forced my gaze from the sidewalk debacle.
“What do you make of that?” Mary Jane asked.
I was afraid to say it aloud. “It can’t be, can it?” I grabbed Mary Jane and she faced me. “S
ay it isn’t so, Mary Jane. It’s the spell, isn’t it?”
Her eyes widened and she nodded her head.
“What do I do now? I mean, I didn’t think my magic would really work. This is not good.”
“Calm down. We’ll figure it out. The investigator can help.”
“No. I don’t think he should know about this.” I tightened my grip on her arm.
“What do you mean? He already knows.”
“He suspects that maybe the magic might have had an effect on Rory. He doesn’t know for a fact.”
“Somehow, I think he’ll find out.” She motioned over my shoulder. I groaned when I saw Tom approaching the café door.
We raced away from the window as if we weren’t guilty of anything. Tom ambled up to the counter and casually leaned against it. “Well, I guess there’s no time like the present. I need to interview Mr. Covington today. I haven’t found him yet, but I have his address now.”
I swallowed hard and didn’t mention that Rory had just been across the street moments earlier. No need in helping to put the final nail in my coffin.
“Are you sure talking to him is one hundred percent necessary? You’ve told me about this mistake and I promise to never make it again.”
“Oh, I’m positive. And promising won’t cut it.” He studied his fingernails. I had to admit, he had nice hands, and I was a sucker for nice hands.
I scowled. “And how do you plan on doing this? What makes you think he’ll answer your questions? He doesn’t know you, and from the looks he gave you earlier, I’d say he doesn’t care for you all that much.”
“I have my ways.” He wiggled his eyebrows.
“What does that mean?” I stared, wide-eyed.
“You aren’t planning to use violence?” Mary Jane asked.
He frowned, but his eyes twinkled with mischief. “Do I look like a violent man?”
I studied him. A gangster in Dockers and a button-down shirt? “No, I guess not.”
“I’ll use a little bit of magic. And you’ll even get to be there to hear his response for yourself. So don’t worry.”
“Are you going to hypnotize him?” I placed my hands on my hips.
“No, I told you, it’s magic. Just a little, to help him open up. It’ll make him want to talk to me. It won’t hurt him and it’ll only last a few minutes.”
I breathed a sigh of relief for small favors. “Kind of like a truth serum? I don’t like the sound of it. Not one bit.” Tom seemed way too casual about all this. But I guess he knew what he was doing. I’d have to take his word for it.
“Well, no offense, but you don’t have any say-so in the matter.” He winked.
“I didn’t think I would.” I rolled my eyes.
Mary Jane rang up the last of the customers. The café was quiet for the first time all day. But the quiet didn’t help, all it did was allow me time to focus on how messed up things really were. I’d walked out on my cheating fiancé, quit a job I hated, and moved back to my hometown. I should be happy to be home, surrounded my family and friends, but I’d made a mess of my chance of a new life in less than twenty-four hours. That left me little reason to do a happy dance.
Tom slid into one of the booths and closed his eyes. He spoke words I didn’t understand. It wasn’t that he spoke a different language, it was just the words were so low, it was barely a whisper. It was more like chanting.
When he’d finished, he clapped his hands together and said, “That should do it. I’ll be back with Rory.” I wanted to grab him by the shirt, drag him to the back, and tie him up in the storage closet. But maybe this was a good thing. From the looks of what I saw earlier, I didn’t know if I could handle watching women fawn all over Rory. If Tom discovered the spell had worked on him, maybe he could fix it, although I still stood the chance of losing the café. It was a lose-lose situation.
Chapter Fourteen
Within an hour, Tom had returned, and Rory came through the door with him. I said a silent prayer that a crowd of women hadn’t followed him into the café. Maybe the spell had worn off. Could I be that lucky? No, it would probably linger like cheap cologne.
“I don’t know what hit me, but I’m suddenly starving.” Rory glanced from me to Mary Jane.
“Have a seat.” I smiled, then cast a glance over at Tom.
He shrugged as if to say, “Yeah, I know I’m good at what I do.”
Rory slid into a booth and I placed the menu in front of him. His smile was contagious. I smiled so much when he was near that my cheeks hurt. My thoughts turned to his lips and how they’d feel pressed against mine. Now was not the time for me to become sex-crazed.
He waved off the menu. “If you don’t mind, I’d like another cheeseburger. I didn’t get to finish the last one.” He winked.
He’d asked for another burger? Seriously? This guy was braver than I thought.
I blushed. “Sure, no problem.”
As I moved away, Tom approached.
“I don’t like this at all.” I wiggled my index finger in his direction. “I only like the idea of doing magic that helps others, not something that would make them talk against their will.”
“It won’t make him talk against his will. He’ll only tell me what he wants me to know. It’ll come without him questioning my motives, though, so that makes things a lot easier.”
“If you say so, but no funny business.”
“Hey, I’m not the one mucking up my magic.”
I stuck out my tongue.
When Tom slid into the booth across from my handsome magical mishap, I reluctantly walked away. Rory’s burger couldn’t cook fast enough. Now would have been a perfect time to try and find a reverse spell, but I wanted to hear every word exchanged between Tom and Rory. There was no time. Tom had said I’d get to hear it all for myself, and I was going to hold him to that. My only hope was Mary Jane listening in. Thank goodness she had busybody tendencies.
I hurried from the kitchen with plate in hand.
“Have a seat,” Tom said when I approached their table. “We’re just chatting. Since you don’t have any other customers right now, why don’t you join in?”
He had the smooth talk down pat. His demeanor bordered on used car salesman though, so he might want to tone it down a notch. I’d have to inform him later.
“I’d love to,” I said through a forced smile. But I was faced with a dilemma: which side to sit on? If I picked Rory, I might overheat, but if I picked Tom, Rory would again think we were an item. I pulled a chair up to the end of the booth. Problem solved. Tom gave me a sideways glance and released a snicker. This all seemed so wrong and it kind of creeped me out.
“So, tell me Rory, how are things?” Tom picked up one of Rory’s fries and popped it in his mouth.
“What do you mean?” Rory squirted ketchup on his burger, then replaced the top of the bun.
“I noticed you had a very beautiful woman hanging around earlier.” Tom wiggled his brow.
My stomach churned when he mentioned the beautiful woman. Did she have to be a knockout?
“Is that your girlfriend?” Tom stared at Rory expectantly.
My throat tightened as if a boa constrictor had coiled around it. How had Tom found out? I didn’t think he’d noticed. Please let Rory answer with a resounding no.
“No. She was my girlfriend.” He glanced at me, then peered down at his plate. “We, um, broke up over a year ago.”
“Still friends then, I see. Close friends,” Tom said.
“No, not really.” He took a bite from his burger and chewed.
This time I didn’t knock it out of his hand.
Rory continued. “That’s the thing. I don’t know why she’s back. I don’t know why all these women are suddenly so interested in me, either. At first I thought it was just my imagination.”
Tom quirked his brow at me. I swallowed hard. This was not going well.
“Don’t take this the wrong way, I’m not hitting on you or anything, but you are a good-lo
oking dude,” Tom offered.
“They never acted this way before. Something doesn’t seem right.” Rory used his napkin to wipe ketchup off his hand.
The thought crossed my mind: were my feelings for Rory from my magic? My attraction to him had been instant, though. Before he ate the food. But what woman in her right mind wouldn’t be attracted to Rory Covington? What I felt for him was pure, utter, out-and-out lust—exactly what the spell had called for. Plus, I’d gotten out of one bad relationship, what made me think dating someone else would be different?
Tom broke my reverie. “That is a dilemma, man. One that most men would love to have.”
“I’m not must men.” He took a drink of water. “I’ve been burned before and I don’t need that headache in my life.”
He looked at me as if saying he was sorry. Did he really mean what he said? If so, then there wasn’t a chance for us. But if I didn’t reverse the magic, there’d never be a chance for us anyway. Why did this have to happen? Why now?
Rory stood. “Thanks for the food. I’m glad I got a chance to finish it this time.” He gave a flicker of a smile and pulled his wallet from his back pocket. “How much do I owe you?”
I stood and Tom followed behind me. “It’s on me. I owe you for the other burger.”
Rory frowned. “Are you sure?”
“I’m positive. Please, it would make me feel better.”
Rory touched my hand, but the expression on his face appeared more confused than ever. “It was nice talking with you again, Elly. I’d stay longer, but I have to get back to work.”
I nodded. “Sure, I understand. I have work, too. See ya later.”
Rory looked as if he didn’t know how or why he’d ended up in my restaurant, eating a burger and talking to a guy he probably didn’t like. On his way out the door, Rory glanced back at me, then to Tom. No doubt he thought Tom and I were an item. I wanted the chance to tell him we weren’t, but what could I say? Tom is just here on a magical intervention?
And Tom wasn’t helping matters by standing so closely to me, either. I needed to have a little chat with him about personal space and boundaries.