The Secret Ingredient (Love Around the Corner)
Page 21
Just thinking about her made his heart thud. How could he have been so stupid as to blurt out something so personal, something so new to him, while he was on live television? She’d probably already deleted his contact information from her phone. If he had been able to call or e-mail her since he’d arrived in California and entered the sequester the producers of the show had imposed, he’d have been able to talk with her and ease into it. Instead of an intimate conversation with the perfect moment to tell her, he’d just blurted it out like an idiot.
A passing electrician stopped and shook his hand, offering his sympathy for the elimination, and Nate resolved to stop dwelling on things he couldn’t change. He’d make it up to June when he returned to Palmer and his normal life. Hell, maybe she hadn’t even been watching. Yeah, right.
He noticed someone approaching in his peripheral vision and sucked in a breath, hoping he had the energy to put on a smile when all he wanted to do was take a long shower and then drink a beer with his feet up. When he saw June standing there in the indirect light, her pale hair glowing and a hesitant smile on her lips, he knew he was hallucinating. Wishful thinking, exhaustion from competing, late-onset jet lag, he wasn’t sure what was causing this beautiful vision.
She was wearing a blue shirt and worn khakis, and as soon as he noticed her strange, silvery necklace he knew she was real, and his breath stopped. Taking a small step his way, June cleared her throat and held out her hand to him. As soon as he touched her, she rushed into his arms and wrapped herself around him. He lifted her up and squeezed as tight as he dared. The unreality of it made him dizzy, and as June pressed her soft cheek to his and nuzzled the skin by his ear, he struggled for something to say other than whispering her name over and over again with relief.
Taking a deep breath, he sat her down and caught her cheeks in his hands, looking her over to make sure she was real. She grinned at him, her eyes bright with tears as she stared right back.
“What’s this around your neck?” It was the lamest thing to say, but June didn’t seem to care. Her slim hand came up to capture the pendant.
“It’s a Hattie Carnegie sardine tin.”
Tearing his eyes from hers, he pretended interest in it. Surprisingly, it did look like a sardine tin, but instead of glistening little oily fish, it had carved ivory representations of them.
“It’s nice.”
“I wore it for luck. For you.”
“Sardines are lucky?”
June closed her eyes and shook her head once. She stroked her fingers along his forearms. He hugged her closer, so relieved to have her near he wanted to shout, all his tiredness gone in a rush of joy.
“I hoped they’d be lucky, but it didn’t work. You’re out.” She gave him a quizzical look. “I’m so sorry.”
Nate searched for a trace of disappointment in his current mood, but all he could come up with was happiness. Here was June, impossibly present in California, standing backstage and in his arms. Realizing he’d neglected a vital matter, he leaned down to kiss her, and she met him halfway, her soft mouth molding to his as her hands skated up his shoulders to link behind his neck.
“Maybe those sardines were lucky after all,” she gasped against his lips when he drew back for a breath.
“June, what are you doing here? How did you find me?”
“I e-mailed the production people. I had the address from your printout, and they got back with me right away and helped me out once I got here.”
“When did you get here?” Nate tried to work out the timing in his head, but her soft body draped against his own was too damned distracting for him to count out the hours it must have taken her.
“A few hours ago. I drove to the Columbus airport last night and took the first flight out I could get.”
She had to be even more tired than he was. Her ticket must have been expensive and how much could a school secretary make anyway? Just thinking about what she’d done humbled him. Time to face the music.
“So you watched last night’s show.” Nate’s throat closed up, and he winced. Discussing what he’d said was going to be difficult, but it had to be done. Nausea combined with the roaring in his ears made him feel like he might fall over any minute.
June bit her lip and nodded, her eyes growing soft as she stared at him.
“What did you think?”
“I want to sample that cardamom cream. Are there any leftovers?”
How could she joke at a time like this? Nate felt like his heart was going to bounce out of his chest. “The crew ate all of it last night. I’ll make it for you sometime. Was the dessert the only thing you remember?”
Removing one of her hands from his neck, she tapped her index finger against her lower lip as she considered the question. This was torture. Why couldn’t she just say the words so he didn’t have to go first? She was here, had made such an effort to be with him, surely she reciprocated his feelings.
“Why are you here, Jonesy? I know you didn’t come all this way to try a new dessert.”
“You said you missed me, and you were looking forward to seeing me, so I thought I’d be helpful and just come to you.”
“That’s not all I said.”
If she melted against him even more, he’d fall into her and never find his way out again.
“You did say one more thing.” She paused and sighed as she traced her fingertips along his chin. He caught up her hand and kissed her palm, desperate for her to confess her feelings, confirm what was between them meant everything like he hoped it did. “You said you loved me.”
All the pressure building inside threatened to make the top of his head pop off. As soon as she said “love,” he wanted to kiss her again, but they needed words now, not gestures. “I know I shouldn’t have said it like that. It wasn’t romantic.”
An agonizing moment passed, and he waited for her to let him down gently, ease away from him and explain how things could never work between them, and he’d find the right woman someday. All those evasions and excuses he’d used to keep his distance with others to spare himself the rejection, he dreaded now.
“You’re wrong,” June said, and his heart sank. Here it came. His gut churned in preparation for the incoming pain. It was like he’d cut his finger with a knife, and he was just waiting for the blood to flow. “It was the most romantic thing I’ve ever seen or heard. All the ladies at the Acres swooned.”
“Who?”
“I was watching with my grandma and about ten of her new friends. They were a little confused when you said Jonesy, but they caught on pretty quick when I almost fainted.”
Funny, he felt dizzy himself. “Why did you almost faint?”
“Because, I love you too, and I had no idea you felt the same.”
“Okay, that’s…ah…” Nate’s brain stopped working. She loved him too. He’d never gotten past this point in his daydreams and was flailing for what to say next. June’s gentle smile soothed him, and when she pulled him down for a soft kiss, he got back into focus very quickly.
“What else do you need to do here?”
“Ah, maybe an interview or two. Sign some paperwork probably.”
June’s eyebrows drew together, and she had that contemplative look that meant she was mentally scheduling. A warm sensation filled his chest when he realized she was including him in her plans and hopefully would be for a long time to come.
“All right, let’s get that done and then go pack up your things.”
“What happens after that?”
“We get a room at an airport hotel. The next flight to Ohio isn’t until early tomorrow morning, and we need some privacy.” June quirked a provocative grin at him, and his whole body warmed. She was here, she loved him, and his future had never looked so good.
“Why, Jonesy, are you planning on taking advantage of me?”
“Every chance I get.”
The End
Publisher’s Note
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About Lynn Rae
Lynn Rae makes her home in central Ohio after time spent in the Great Black Swamp, beside the Ohio River, and along the Miami and Erie Canal. With professional experience in fields ranging from contract archaeology to librarianship along with making doughnuts and teaching museum studies, Lynn enjoys incorporating her quirky sense of humor and real-life adventures into her writing (except the naughty parts). She writes sci-fi, contemporary, and historical romances.
Table of Contents
The Secret Ingredient
Blurb
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
About Lynn Rae