A Stroke Of Magic Part 14

"We're both lucky. But we work really hard at it." He angled his eyes toward the door. "Ready to go back out there?"

"I am. Thanks for sharing this with me."

"You're welcome! And I hope we see lots of each other." Opening a drawer, he pulled out an ap.r.o.n. Also white. Tying it around his waist, he said, "Go on. Ethan's waiting for you. By now, things might have loosened up a bit."

I nodded and let myself outside. Ethan was in the chair I'd vacated, but there was another empty one next to him. As I approached, his eyes caught mine and he smiled. Antic.i.p.ation shivered down my spine. More good news met my gaze. Apparently, they'd all played musical chairs or something, because now Chloe sat next to Kyle. And they seemed to be in the middle of a discussion.

Except, she didn't appear comfortable. At all.

When I reached the table, Shelby stood. "I'm going to help Grant. You guys keep chatting and we'll get the food all set."

"Wait, Shelby," Chloe spoke up. "Let me help Grant. You should rest."

"I'm fine! Besides, you're our guests." Shelby disappeared into the house.

"Shouldn't she be on bed rest or something?" Chloe asked. "She looks so uncomfortable."

"Shelby on bed rest? Not likely. The woman doesn't know how to sit still," Kyle replied. He took a long swig from his beer bottle. "Grant says she's doing good, though. He goes to all her appointments, so he'd know."

I sat in my chair, happy to be next to Ethan. "He definitely seems like an attentive husband. I think that's great."

Kyle nodded. "Those two are meant for each other. If you believe in that stuff."

"What stuff?" Chloe asked.

"Happily-ever-after love stuff."

"You don't?" Chloe frowned. "So, you don't believe in love? You don't think there's a soul mate for you out there somewhere?"

Oh, G.o.d. I couldn't believe she was going there.

"Soul mate? What is this, the romance hour or something? Nope. I'm not saying love doesn't exist, but it's not what most people think." Kyle picked at the label on his bottle.

Chloe arched an eyebrow. "Is that so? And what do most people think love is?"

"h.e.l.l, I don't know. Rainbows and puppy dogs. All I know is I've dated a lot of girls and I've never felt the need to propose to any."

Her eyebrow arched higher. "Really? Do you remember dating me?"

"Of course I do. We had some great times together."

"We did." She nodded, a slight smile appearing on her face. "We talked a lot about the future. You don't remember that?"

Oh, G.o.d. He was in trouble. And the poor guy didn't have a clue. "We never talked about rings, Chloe," he replied. "It was all about college and having fun. Maybe living together. But that didn't work out, and it was a long time ago."

She snorted. "Not that long, you dolt. I remember our conversations and our relationship very clearly. I certainly believed that after college we were planning on a wedding."

Things were getting out of control fast. Fortunately, Kyle seemed to finally recognize he'd made a misstep. He drained the rest of the beer from his bottle and then sent a pleading look at Ethan. "What about you? Have you ever thought about proposing?"

Ooh. Good question. I turned to Ethan, awaiting his response.

He looked startled, and at first I thought he wasn't going to answer, but then he cleared his throat. "I proposed once. We never made it to the altar, though."

Before I could even think about this oh-so-surprising bit of information, Chloe stood and stomped away from the table. She could have waited a second, because I'd really have liked to hear more about Ethan's proposal. But, "I should go talk to her," I said, pushing my chair back.

Kyle shook his head. "Nah. It's my fault. I'll go apologize."

"You might-" I was about to say he should stay out of her way for now, but when I glanced in her direction, Chloe was shaking her head at me. It took me a few seconds, but when she held up a beer bottle, I realized what she was doing. "Oh. Okay. That's a good idea," I said, settling back in my seat.

"I need to buy body armor," Kyle muttered. "Wish me luck."

And then, for the first time since arriving at Shelby's, I was alone with Ethan. "I'm so sorry. I knew today might be a little awkward, but I didn't know it would be this bad," I explained.

"I'm enjoying myself, madness and all. Besides, I'm here to be with you." He turned toward me. "I've thought about you all week."

The words were simple enough, but something about the way he looked at me set off a spark of longing. "I've looked forward to this too. There's so much I want to know about you."

"Really? Ask away," he said.

I wanted to ask him to expand on his answer to Kyle's question, but I didn't. Instead, I stuck to a general-and safe-topic. "You grew up in Ireland?"

"I did, but I was born in Chicago. My father died when I was young, so my mother and I moved to Dublin and lived with her parents."

"Oh. Wow. I'm really sorry."

"Don't be," Ethan replied. "He drank himself into the grave, and while my mother still mourns him, I only have the faintest recollection. I was quite young."

"Still, that had to be tough. Growing up without your dad."

"It was. But realistically, I had three parents: my mother, grandmother, and grandfather. It was a good childhood. Probably better than it would have been."

I thought of my dad and how important his support had always been to me. No way could I imagine growing up without his presence. And even though Ethan seemed okay with it, I felt sad for him. For missing out on that. Then I thought of my daughter, and how strong the possibility was that she'd grow up without a father. "Did you miss him?" I asked softly.

"I'm not sure if I missed him, per se, or if I missed having a dad in general. But family helps." His hand found mine under the table, and he grasped it. "Are you worried about that? Your child missing out on a father?"

"Maybe a little. But there's nothing I can do about it."

He paused, then said, "May I ask a personal question?"

"Go for it."

"The father-he doesn't want to be involved?"

I chewed on my lip. After the Missy incident, I worried Ethan would think the same things she did: That I'd known Troy was married. That I hadn't cared. "This is going to sound bad, but give me a chance to explain."

"I'm happy to listen," he promised. "And I don't make judgments without knowing all the facts."

"His name is Troy. We dated sporadically for about six months, and then more seriously for another six." My voice caught. What a stupid mistake it had been. "But he was married the entire time we were together. I didn't know."

He took my words at face value, which I appreciated. "I'm sorry that happened to you."

"Me too. It was a bad time and I've blocked a lot of it out-other than feeling completely stupid for not recognizing he was lying. He said all the right things and I foolishly believed they were true." My throat felt dry and tight.

"It happens. Don't beat yourself up over it. He knows about the baby?"

I shook my head. "He's moved or something. I can't find him." I almost told him about Missy, but decided not to. This wasn't the time or the place. Besides, I still had hope she'd give me the information I needed.

He let go of my hand. "You have something in your hair." Then his fingers touched my hair and gently pulled. "Just a piece of lint. See?"

This action, as small as it was, brought my attraction to the surface. Warmth climbed through me, saturating my entire body in barely the time necessary to take a breath. "Thank you."

"What are you thinking right now?"

"I'm not thinking. I can't think."

"I feel much the same."

Ethan scooted his chair closer, leaned in, and before I could blink, his lips touched mine and I forgot about everything else. Everyone else. A swirl of sensations began in the pit of my stomach, crawling up and out, until my entire body shivered with them. His hand came to my chin, and then to my cheek. The kiss deepened. We could have been sitting anywhere in the world, and I wouldn't have known it. Because all I knew was his scent, his taste, his touch. Every part of me yearned for Ethan, and that startled me. Maybe it even scared me a little.

I pulled back. As we separated, I sighed. "Wow."

"Wow, indeed." He brushed my hair away from my face, kissing me softly on my forehead. His gaze moved past me, and he blinked. Then he half smiled. "How odd. Chloe has dumped her beer on Kyle's head."

"What?" I tried to make sense of his words, but his kiss had muddled everything. When I realized what he'd said, I leapt up and said, "I should make sure she's okay."

I strode toward Kyle and Chloe, trying to forget how Ethan's kiss had made me feel. This wasn't easy, because my lips still tasted like him, but I refocused and attempted to appraise the scene ahead of me. I should have been there the whole time. After all, Chloe had emptied her beer on Kyle for me. Well, mostly for me.

Chloe's arms were crossed. Kyle was tugging at his now-wet shirt. By the time I got to them, he was pulling it up. I stopped and held my breath. Chloe stared at me, obviously waiting for my reaction because she stood in front of Kyle. It was as if everything stopped and then started again, but in slow motion.

He lifted the shirt more. I stepped closer. The slow motion sped up, and in one fast yank, his shirt was off. I tilted my head to the side. I took another step closer. My heart stopped and then dropped like a dead weight into my gut, because...Shelby had hit the bull's-eye. The scar was in the exact right place on Kyle's right shoulder. And from what I could tell, it was a close match. I couldn't be sure if it was perfect without my sketchbook, but I knew it was really, really close.

Kyle Ackers. My soul mate? "No way," I whispered. "I don't believe it."

Chloe spun on her heel and headed for the house. I knew without asking that she was leaving. And, for the third time that day, I didn't blame her.

Kyle grinned. "I'd forgotten how s.p.u.n.ky she is. I love a woman with red hair." He winked at me and set off after Chloe.

Me? I sort of crumpled to the ground, wishing it would open up and swallow me whole. Of course, that was another wish that didn't come true.

My fingers touched my lips. Here I was, just beginning to get to know Ethan, feeling things for him I'd never felt with anyone else, and now what? I was supposed to turn away and focus on Kyle? That was not only something I didn't want to do, but I didn't think it was something I could do. Because somehow, in the s.p.a.ce of that very short kiss, my heart had become involved.

It was another thing I hadn't expected.

Chapter Ten.

Clutching my pencil tighter, I stared at the page in front of me. My breathing came in fast, shallow huffs. My anxiety grew. Why wasn't this working? Maybe I wasn't focusing hard enough. Closing my eyes, I imagined every muscle in my body relaxing.

Maybe if I'd paid more attention when I'd taken that meditation cla.s.s, this wouldn't be so difficult. I concentrated on what I wanted to happen. On what I needed to happen. My breathing slowed, and suddenly the slightest of tingles swept through my fingers. It was there. I could feel it.

Opening my eyes, I put pencil to paper. The tingles increased, and shivers cascaded down my spine. My fingers twitched. The pencil began to move. I told myself to remain calm, to not do anything that would interrupt what I'd worked so hard for all morning. h.e.l.l, all week. But then, for no reason that I could discern, the shivers, tingles, and magic disappeared. Bam. Gone.

Snapping the pencil in half, I threw the pieces across the room. They hit the wall with a soft clack and then fell to the floor. The urge to toss my sketchbook in the same direction came over me. I resisted. Because no matter how upset I was, there was no reason to behave like a spoiled child. My eyes rested on the blank page, and I swear it mocked me, inanimate object or not.

"Oh, h.e.l.l with it," I muttered. Giving in to the urge, I flung the sketchpad as hard as I could. It sailed through the air, hitting the wall with an oh-so-satisfying smack.

Yep. It made me feel better. For about three seconds.

But of course my aggravation returned. A week had pa.s.sed since the cookout, and I still didn't understand anything. Like: what would happen if I didn't find my soul mate before my daughter was born? Even if I did, how would I know for sure I'd found the right guy? And of course, how could a man I had zero attraction for possibly be the key to my daughter's future?

It would also be helpful to understand my magic a bit more, such as why it worked sometimes and why other times I got nothing. Sighing, I willed myself to calm down. I so wanted to talk to Chloe about it. Unfortunately, I couldn't. She'd asked for a temporary time-out, just until things chilled out a little. I understood, but I didn't like it.

At least I still had Grandma Verda and Elizabeth. They were coming over later to see if the three of us could figure out what I alone hadn't been able to.

Thank G.o.d for that.

The phone rang, interrupting my thoughts. Hoping it was Chloe, I answered immediately. "h.e.l.lo?"

"Alice? It's Ethan." My heart slammed against my chest at the sound of his voice.

"Oh! Hi. What's up?" I tried to be cool and collected, but I probably failed. You see, I'd avoided having any personal discussions with Ethan this past week. Even so far as turning down a lunch invitation, claiming I had other plans. "Are you calling about the Kendall account? I stopped by Frosty's again the other night, just to check out their weeknight traffic."

"Really? And how was it?"

"Um. Busy." I bit my lip, wishing I hadn't brought up work.

"That's great, but it's not why I phoned. We've barely talked since the cookout. I've missed you."

He missed me? Wow. Spidery tingles danced along my skin. I liked that more than I should. "Really?"

A low rumble of laughter slid through the line. "You sound surprised."

"Not surprised, exactly. Well, okay. Yeah. Maybe a little." G.o.d. Everything about this man made me believe I could fall for him. In a heartbeat. Part of me wanted to run full speed ahead and see what happened. The other part? It wanted to run in the other direction at warp velocity. "I'm glad you called."

"I'm glad you answered," he teased. I smiled wider. "I know this is last minute, and I should have asked you days ago...but are you busy this afternoon? I thought we could see a movie, maybe get some dinner afterward."

Excitement hit fast, and I almost said yes. But then I remembered my grandmother and sister were coming over soon. Very soon. Disappointment fluttered in. "I'd have liked that, but I have plans today."

"Ah. Well, I understand. Maybe another time?"

"Definitely another time. I could probably cancel..." I trailed off, thinking it over. I so wanted to go with Ethan, but I'd waited all week for this family powwow. "No, I guess I shouldn't. Responsibilities, you know?"