FOURTEEN

The next day, Zane strolled down Main Street with Olivia and decided that their liaison having a better than fifty-fifty chance of making Chornobyl look like a children's party wasn't that big of a deal.

A fact he should share with the last army psych he saw, if only because it would make her feel like he'd put some of her wise counsel into practice. Mentally giving himself a high-five, he knew that holding hands with a woman in public was some damn fine mental health.

"Zane…"

"Yeah, babe?"

"Did you hear my question?"

"Sorry, I missed it." He closed one eye. "I was…

"Making a pro and con list?"

"No," he sputtered.

"I find that hard to believe," she ran her eyes over him slowly, "since you appeared to be convincing yourself to stay on the right side of things so you'd have a shot at every single one of your dirty ideas."

He slowed their pace. "Liv, we both know you're a lot naughtier than me."

"Just because I've done some research on the benefits of a sex swing in no way suggests that I possess more deviant proclivities." She let out a disgruntled huff.

"Well aware of that." Pulling her under a flowering plum tree, he tipped her chin. "Can you repeat the question?"

She batted her eyelashes. "I forgot."

"No, you didn't." Doing the unthinkable, he bent down and kissed her. He'd never been one to put his personal life on blast, but damn if he could stop himself from showing the woman his affection.

A word he would've sworn he was incapable of using.

"Too bad they don't come in a size that would accommodate us."

He laughed against her mouth and knew she was yanking his chain since audacity was her middle name. "I'm fairly competent at rigging things together, so never say never."

She pressed their mouths together and then stepped back. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Please do." He tilted his head toward the coffee shop. "You ready for lunch?"

"Yes, please."

He led her toward the door, knowing that most people will get you all wrong, and someone getting you right was as good a thing as there was in the world. Why God decided that Olivia was going to be the person, he couldn't say.

Zane thanked the waitress and then watched Olivia unfold a napkin. "You're thinking pretty loud there, babe. Do you have anything to share?"

"I think we've moved to the second stage."

"Of what?" Zane asked as he pushed the plate of onion rings in her direction.

"There are four stages of attraction, and I think we're progressing to the next one."

"Can I assume that means you've given up the idea of a tryst and have decided to join me on the ledge?"

"Let's just say I'm considering the idea strongly." She dunked an onion ring in the ranch dressing and popped it into her mouth. "But don't get too excited because I have a pile of reservations despite the initial mad rush I made you endure."

"I assumed as much." He took her hand and ignored the slice of frustration in his chest, knowing his freak-out had put doubt in Olivia's mind. "So, what is the next stage anyway?"

"Mutual admiration. It's when two people have chemistry and have decided to do something with it." She covered his hand. "The first stage is attraction. Either physical or emotional. The third stage is when people decide to make a go of it. See if they can flourish."

"And the fourth?"

"Compatibility. When a couple discovers they function well together." She tilted her head. "I don't think many people make it to the final stage."

"Did you get there with Thad?" He watched her brows drop and knew it was a shit question. It wasn't any of his business. "You don't have to answer."

"My goodness, a question like that makes me think you mean all the lovely things you've said and really do intend to get to know me." She pursed her lips. "I must be way better at sex than I thought. Maybe I can become a vixen after all."

"You already are, woman." He watched her bat her eyelashes and found a rusty chuckle escaping.

"If you want to tell me what you enjoyed most, I wouldn't mind."

"Why?" he asked sharply.

"Because knowing one's strengths and building on them is never a bad idea."

A picture of her honing those skills for someone else made a knife of jealousy slide through his gut. How the hell had he become possessive? "I'll get right on it."

Olivia picked up her sandwich. "No, you won't."

"You never answered my question."

She set her sandwich down. "Yes, Zane. I was connected to Thad in all ways. He was my first love and the man I thought I would spend my life with." Her shoulders sagged. "But that's not how things worked out."

"I've never been tempted to give into chemistry or anything else with a woman. Being deployed made it all but impossible, and truth be told, it was a great excuse never to put myself out there."

"Is there a but coming?"

He snorted. "I'm not a complete asshole." He watched her beautiful eyebrow arch. "You are changing my SOP."

"Standard Operating Procedure?"

"I see someone has been on Google."

"Are you impressed?" she asked with a wide smile.

"Always. And yeah, you have changed my SOP, and I don't have a clue what to do about it."

"Might as well give in." She leaned in and kissed his cheek. "If only for a little while. I don't think we'll last the month, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't make the most of it."

"You sure love to put a time stamp on things."

"I know how perilous an attachment with you could be and want to get out before complete devastation occurs." She hitched her shoulder. "A woman only has so much Scotch tape, and a heart broken twice won't have a chance at a third."

"You saying that's possible?"

"Yes, Zane. I am."

Before he could say more, one of the owners stopped at the table, refilling their glasses. Was she as scared of him as he was of her? He rolled the possibility over in his mind and decided the idea was ludicrous.

"Zane?"

He looked between the women. "What did I miss?"

Grace patted his shoulder. "Nothing earth-shattering. I just wanted to know how the renovations are going."

"Slow." He closed one eye as the sun cut through the large window and bounced off the woman's sparkly sweatshirt. "Which is to be expected from a three-story stone manse that hasn't been touched in years."

"We sure do miss your grandmother at our meetings. She was such a bright light of the Haven Ladies' Society. I tell you, no one could concoct a better scheme than Nan Hawker."

"Scheme?" Olivia asked, sitting forward. "What kind of intrigues are we talking about exactly?"

Grace pursed her lips. "It's not called a secret society for nothing, young lady." She patted her gray curls. "The only thing I can say is that we've cooked more than one lying cheater's goose but good. And anyone who was in possession of the same facts would've done the same thing."

"Interesting," Olivia replied, squeezing Zane's hand. "And whose goose specifically was cooked?"

"Oh, I better get back to the kitchen; my wife is giving the signal. Enjoy your lunch."

Zane chuckled when he saw Liv's displeased expression. "Maybe it's best you don't have the details."

"I doubt that very much."

"At least you have the comfort of eventually joining the society and having the chance of wreaking havoc to your heart's content."

"I suppose," she replied quietly. "Not that I'm one to be interested in creating mayhem."

He squeezed her hand and knew that was as far from the truth as possible because that's precisely what she'd been doing from the moment they met. And he hoped she didn't see a need to stop anytime soon since Olivia's chaos was exactly what he didn't know he needed.

Olivia waved to Zane and then walked into her mother's store. "Anyone here?"

"Hello, Livy." She gave her daughter a side hug. "Why didn't Zane come in?"

"He's got to run to the hardware store and pick up a special order he put in last week." She dropped her tote on the counter. "Zane won't admit it, but I know he and Allen have become friends, and their bi-weekly visits have little to do with paint and wrenches."

"One can never have too many friends." Elaine took Olivia's hand. "Come and keep me company while I wrap up the tofu brownies I just made."

"Alright," she followed her mother through the store and slid into a pink chair at the lunch counter. She watched her cut the delicious treats into squares with a plastic knife. "Still don't know why using plastic makes the cuts so neat and clean."

"Plastic is the ultimate non-stick surface. Bad for our planet, but excellent for not tearing up brownies."

"So…Mom…"

"If you're going to bring up Gram's ridiculous plan, please don't." She slipped a brownie into a wax bag and tied it with a red ribbon. "The sheriff and I are friends, and we don't want to make it more."

"I wasn't going to, but it's nice to know that our careful plans were for naught."

"I think the word machinations is more fitting, but that's just me."

"Are you not interested in Mitch because you don't find him attractive or because you think Dad was your only love?"

Elaine turned. "I think people get more than one shot at love." She walked around the counter and sat. "I know what you and Thad had was special. But he was your first love, not your only one." She cupped her daughter's cheek. "I hope you have at least half a dozen life-changing entanglements before you leave this earth."

"Are you channeling Grams?"

"Perhaps a little. Just remember that love comes in all forms, and being open to what comes along will make your life richer."

"Any chance of you embracing that sentiment and taking on our handsome sheriff, once and for all?"

"It takes a lot to risk your heart once you know how devastating it is to have it broken. And neither Mitch nor I are ready to endanger our friendship."

"But someday that could change, right?"

"Anything is possible."

The door creaked open, and Bea walked in with her brother, Jordan. "Hey, ladies, I'm delivering your number one stock boy five minutes early."

Olivia smiled at Mitch's kids and watched Jordan slide off his headphones. "Not interested in hearing the world today?"

"Too loud," Jordan replied.

Elaine pushed herself up and took the teenager's hand. "Would you like to work in the back today and unpack the new shipment?"

"Yes. I'm better at stocking the shelves than you are."

"I can't disagree," Elaine smiled and headed toward the stockroom.

"Being on the spectrum has its advantages because you can say what you think, and nobody expects you to wrap it up in some polite, socially acceptable package," Bea stated with envy.

"Is your namaste slipping today, friend?"

"A little."

"Want to talk about it?"

"Not really. Just feeling a little bruised by the world."

"I was just talking to my mom about the possibility of taking on your dad and got a big wait-and-see, which is very disappointing."

"Neither of them is ready, so leaving them be might be the best choice."

"I guess." She took her friend's hand. "Do you want to come over tonight for movies and wine?"

"I can't, but I would love to take a rain check. Dad is out of town, so I've got Jordan for the next couple of days."

"You know that he's always welcome. I have all his Star Wars DVDs in the cupboard and can make him a gluten-free pizza."

Bea squeezed Olivia's hand. "That sounds lovely, but the chance of him changing his schedule is slim to none."

"I figured as much but wanted to put it out there."

She looked around the store. "Where's Zane?"

"Doing errands."

"I saw you two walking hand in hand earlier and loved seeing you with such a happy smile." She made a heart shape with her hands. "I think Zane is going to surprise you because every time he's in your company, his blue aura gets all dreamy purple. And your yellow aura gets replaced with a juicy red one.

Olivia leaned against the counter. "He's been saying the most extraordinary things, and I'm afraid if I start believing half of them, then he'll not only be delivering a ton of physical pleasure but a soulgasim."

"Whoa." Bea straightened a stack of tarot cards. "That's not what I thought you'd say."

"It's not surprising," she swept her hair off her face, "Who wouldn't be a ball of red fire if they were within a foot of the man? I doubt there's a woman alive who wouldn't feel the same way."

"I don't."

Olivia smirked. "That's not surprising since you and Asher are too busy deciding if you should fornicate or fight."

Bea accidentally knocked over the stack of cards. "That's so not true."

"It sure is if what I saw at the fair is any indication." She narrowed her eyes. "Does the departure of a certain JAG officer have anything to do with your current state?"

"That's silly." Bea bent down and picked up the cards. "An unenlightened man could never have that kind of power. It's positively unimaginable."

"Mmmhmmm."

"Whatever. We're not talking about me."

"But we could."

"No, thanks." Bea strolled around the table and fixed the display. "I'd rather forget the man exists and maintain my illusion that I'm fully in charge of my destiny, and someone who resembles Apollo could never upset my chi."

"Going for the Greek god metaphor so early?"

"I was merely pointing out that Asher physically resembles the aforementioned deity." Bea let out an exasperated groan. "But in no way possesses an ounce of his lyrical charisma because the man knows nothing about poetry, light, or music. He's the most literal human I've ever encountered. And not in a good way."

"We are so digging into this." Olivia clapped her hands. "I've clearly missed the opening act to what is certain to be a delicious if somewhat ill-fated, lusty affair."

Bea closed her eyes. "I will buy you all the chips your heart desires if you promise to drop the subject for the time being."

Olivia looked over her shoulder to make sure her mom was still in the back. "Are we talking white cheddar jalapeno Cheetos?"

"Yes! And I promise not to rat you out to Elaine."

"Deal, but only because I adore you and can see that you're suffering."

"It's so unsettling, Liv."

"Seems that's what the Hawker men specialize in."

Bea smoothed out her hair. "Enough about that. Give me an update on the latest with you and lover boy."

"Unfortunately, I seem to connect with Zane more than physically. Which isn't the good news you'd imagine since it's got my well-developed instinct for self-preservation ringing the alarm bell."

"Unless you have a black heart, it's kind of hard not to," Bea replied. "No matter what anyone says, sex means something. If only because you're exchanging energy with another human."

"I suppose so." Olivia studied a stack of satsuma oranges and tried to determine how Zane was doing the unimaginable and pressing his hands through the surface of her soul. Did he even mean to?

"There's something that needs to be worked out between the two of you," Bea said firmly. "I'm not getting a clear signal of how it will turn out. But it's not something that can be avoided."

"I know," she replied, shoulders slumping.

Margret whacked open the screen and held tightly to a small white furball. "Good Lord, why do I get myself into these things?"

"Dog napping?" Olivia asked as she squatted, watching the dog that resembled a floor mop skitter in her direction.

"As if I could fit that into my schedule," Margret sniffed. "I have agreed to help my friend find a home for this scoundrel."

Bea patted the dog. "He's too sweet to be any such thing."

"Tell that to my favorite gold sandals." She swished her hand over the small dog. "Meet Killer, ladies."

"Love the studded collar. Very fitting," Olivia commented as she lifted the dog into her arms.

"What were you two talking about?" Margret asked. "The way your heads were tilted suggests it was something intriguing,"

"The feeling," Olivia said flatly.

"Oh," Grams replied, collapsing into a chair. "Which one? Hitomebore?"

"Not love at first sight, Grams. Koi No Yokan."

"What are you two talking about?" Bea asked.

"Koi No Yokan is a Japanese phrase that roughly translates into a premonition of love," Margret answered.

Olivia stroked Killer's soft fur. "It's that feeling you get when you meet someone and intuitively know you could fall in love with them. You don't right now, but you could." Which is exactly how she'd describe the sensation that washed over her when she stood on Zane's doorstep. Which wasn't great news all around, given both of their penchants to take two steps back for every one they took forward.

"So very dangerous," Margret murmured.

Olivia took her grandmother's hand. "And who was it that made you feel that way?"

Margret lifted her strand of pearls and twisted them into a knot. "A man who was by all accounts unremarkable. But so very extraordinary in the way he made me feel." She lifted her gaze. "The way he reached for my hand and linked our fingers meant more to me than a hundred more significant gestures. We only spent a month in one another's company, but my goodness, it felt like a lifetime." She let out a little laugh. "It taught me never to underestimate the power of the wrong man. Society, your family, and even your own notions about what you deserve can steer you wrong. Pay attention, girls, to the people that light your soul on fire. Those are the ones you want to hold onto."

Olivia petted the dog. "Do I have to?"

Margret gave both women a stern look. "Absolutely! Whenever you hold back the truth, you make fear more important than love."

"Which is allegedly not a good idea," Bea remarked. "Despite recent experiences suggesting otherwise."

"Isn't that the darn truth," Oliva sighed. "Does this mean I have to dig into some previously undiscovered well of bravery and run at Zane with my hair on fire?"

"A less dramatic approach could also suffice," Margret answered with an arched eyebrow.

Olivia looked out the window and caught sight of Zane talking with Allen and his daughter Zelda. "Guess it's time to go all in."

"Indeed," Grams said quietly. "And if you could take Killer when you do, that would be lovely."

"Why not?" she replied, looking down at the dog. "What's one more witness to my impending conflagration?"