Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

J essica’s heart skipped a beat as Leo lowered his head towards her, his intentions clear. It won’t work, she told herself, but she closed her eyes anyway.

For a moment she felt nothing, then there was a slight pressure against her mouth. A gasp escaped, and then she felt the warmth of his lips against hers, along with a faint but undeniable presence. She had a fleeting impression of a gentle, teasing stroke along her bottom lip before he pulled back.

“Jessica, I-”

Suddenly afraid of what he might say, she hurried into speech instead.

“I don’t understand. You couldn’t do that before, could you?”

He tried to touch her a few times in the first couple of months, but it was as if his hand simply passed through her—an experience neither one of them enjoyed. He shook his head, watching her thoughtfully.

“Is it that unusual?”

“I knew it was possible. I was thrown across the room once when I didn’t prepare the circle correctly.”

“I have no desire to throw you across the room. I want to close the distance between us, not increase it.”

“I know you do,” she whispered. “I wonder…”

She raised her hand to his chest, but it was the same as in their early experiments and she quickly drew it away as he gave a frustrated sigh. There had to be a reason why he’d been able to touch her but she hadn’t been able to do the same.

“Maybe that’s something that will come with time as well. Or maybe we just need to practice,” he added, smiling at her.

He lowered his head again and she eagerly accepted his kiss, but it was the same fleeting sensation. There was a brief moment when she could actually feel the warmth of his mouth against hers, and then her mouth tingled slightly, as if from a mild shock, and he was gone.

The third time, the sensation was so faint she could barely feel it, as if the connection between them was fading.

“I think that’s enough for right now,” she said finally, and she was sure she wasn’t imagining the disappointment in his eyes. “It’s probably going to take some time.” If it happens at all.

“I’m not sure I have time.”

“Why would you think that? You’re not… leaving are you?”

She couldn’t stand the thought of losing him, but if he was being called to move on…

“No,” he said immediately. “It’s just that the strangest thing happened this-”

Before he could continue, the door to the office opened and her best friend Wendy poked her head in.

“Hey! Are you busy?”

“Never too busy for you,” she said, hoping she sounded sincere.

Wendy was a very pretty, very curvy brunette with an impeccable sense of style. The two of them had met at a convention for bloggers—Wendy wrote about food and restaurants while Jessica wrote about the psychic world—and they had immediately hit it off. They had kept in touch via emails and messages because both of them traveled and they were rarely close enough to meet in person, but then Wendy had asked her to come and help with the vengeful spirit haunting Midnight Manor.

They’d grown even closer since she’d decided to stay in Fairhaven Falls, but as much as she loved her friend, she couldn’t help wishing she’d chosen a better time.

“Would you like to go to…” The words broke off as her friend took another look at her. “Is something wrong?”

“No. Why would you think that?”

She hastily picked up a stack of invoices and started going through them, sure that she was blushing.

“I don’t know, you look flushed.”

“Maybe I’m coming down with something.”

“Oh, I hope not. I was just coming to ask if you’d like to go to the Fall Festival this weekend.”

“I don’t think I can. You know the restaurant always gets busier when there’s a festival in town so Damian usually likes to open up for lunch.”

Wendy grinned at her.

“Yes, but this time he’s going to manage the restaurant so you can have an afternoon off for a change.”

“I don’t need an afternoon off. I’m fine.”

“Yes, you do. And I’m not the only one who thinks so. Flora agreed with me,” Wendy finished triumphantly, as if that settled the matter. Unfortunately, it probably did.

Flora was an orc but she took after the fairy in her ancestors. Even though she appeared to be nothing more than a harmless little old lady, everyone in town knew better. Flora had her pulse on everything, and she could never resist meddling. Her intentions were always good and it was hard to argue with the results, but that didn’t make it any easier if she set her sights on you. She sighed.

“Why does Flora think I need to get out? I’m perfectly happy here.”

Wendy shrugged.

“Her exact words were that you were an attractive young woman, and you shouldn’t be keeping yourself locked away in some musty old house waiting for the right man to materialize.”

Materialize? She gave a startled jerk. Flora couldn’t possibly know about Leo, could she?

“Of course, Damian immediately took offense to the comment about the restaurant being musty,” Wendy continued cheerfully, “but he agreed to take over. So, that means you’re coming with me, right?”

She gave in to the inevitable.

“I suppose so, although I don’t really have anything to wear.”

“Nonsense. The dress you have on is very pretty.”

“It is pretty, but it’s hardly suitable for walking around outside in the cold.”

“That’s true. Let me think.”

Wendy hummed thoughtfully, and Jessica winced at the speculative look on her face. Wendy loved clothes, and she was always beautifully dressed. She tended to favor vintage styles which flattered her full figure, like the pretty blue polka dot dress that she was wearing now, complete with a ruffled lace petticoat peeking out from beneath the skirt. As much as it suited her friend, it was not her style.

“I could just wear my cloak,” she said quickly. Midnight blue velvet with a sprinkle of tiny stars across the shoulders, it might be a little overdressed for a small town festival but it was warm and safe and concealing. Unfortunately, Wendy was already shaking her head.

“I think we can do better than that. Just leave it to me.” Wendy reached over and patted her hand. “Don’t worry, I won’t pick out anything you don’t like.”

There was a world of sympathy in Wendy’s eyes. Although they’d never explicitly discussed Jessica’s past, she suspected she’d revealed enough for Wendy to understand why she chose to dress the way she did. She gave her friend a somewhat shaky smile and Wendy squeezed her hand again, then grinned.

“And who knows, perhaps you’ll meet the man of your dreams.”

I’ve already met the man of my dreams , she thought hopelessly, as Wendy suddenly shivered.

“Brrr. Maybe we should talk to Damian about getting some storm windows or something. The temperature in here must have dropped ten degrees with that draft.”

Since she was pretty sure that the draft had been Leo registering his disapproval of the idea of her finding another man, she settled for a noncommittal shrug.

“Now that’s settled,” her friend continued, “I have a few suggestions for the fall menu. Do you have time to go over them with me? Then we can figure out the best way to suggest them to Jack.”

This time her smile was a lot more genuine. Wendy had attended culinary school and worked at a very upscale restaurant in New York before becoming a food blogger, and she was an extremely talented cook. Jack had a grudging respect for her abilities but that didn’t mean he wanted advice from her, even if she was mated to the owner of the restaurant. Damian wouldn’t have hesitated to order him to change the menu, but she and Wendy preferred a more tactful approach.

“The secret is to let him think it’s his own idea. What did you have in mind?”