Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 57502 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 288(@200wpm)___ 230(@250wpm)___ 192(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57502 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 288(@200wpm)___ 230(@250wpm)___ 192(@300wpm)
She was ready. And now, at least, she understood what was going on here. Her darling was jealous, and he’d expertly hidden it during his interaction with Christopher. How adorable was that?
“I met him fiveish years ago when I accidentally started a small fire at the Garden. There was more smoke than anything,” she added in her own defense. “I hadn’t yet gotten over my sadness from Grandma Lily’s passing. I let memories get the better of me while cooking. My oil caught fire.”
Fearing the worst, she’d called for help. By the time the professionals arrived, she’d already put out the flames. Even still, in had raced Christopher, tall, dashing and decked out in his uniform. He’d returned the next day and offered to repair the damage. They’d talked, and yes, flirted. He’d asked her out, but she’d said no, too afraid of the curse to take a chance. But he’d proved persistent and hadn’t given up.
“We hit it off and remained in touch on and off for a year and a half or so,” she continued. They’d occasionally chatted on the phone and exchanged silly facts. Every so often, he’d asked her out again. One day, she’d realized they could see each other as long as she didn’t fall in love with him. Keep her feelings under control, and the curse had zero power. Finally, she’d said yes. “Eventually, we went on an official date.” Then another and another.
“Did you love him?” Conrad’s voice remained unworried.
“No.” Though it had been difficult to resist at times, especially when Christopher had smiled with his easy appeal. “I liked being with him and thought he liked being with me, too. He never requested more. Then, only a couple months into being exclusive, he came over, accurately accused me of being emotionally unavailable, something he’d never complained of before, and broke up with me.”
Relief glittered in Conrad’s beautiful amber eyes as he reclined in the chair and rubbed two fingers over the dark stubble on his chin. “I bet he fell for you, and instead of being a man and telling you how he felt, he tried to get you to chase him by breaking up with you.”
“Doubtful. He began dating someone else pretty quickly.”
“Another childish ploy,” Conrad said. “Did you stay in touch?”
“Other than a few texts asking how I was doing or running into each other in town, no. We even stopped waving at each other a whole year before I met you.”
“Thank you for sharing with me.”
“You’re welcome. But what makes you think he still loves me?” After all, Christopher had a potentially wonderful girlfriend who may or may not have participated in a murder. “Other than your raging jealousy issues, of course.”
A corner of Conrad’s mouth twitched. “I happen to know firsthand a guy never gets over you.”
Jane snorted. “He’s had plenty of time to win me over, yet he never even tried. So give me a reason that isn’t Conrad Ryan specific.”
“I did. But here’s a second one. If he’s anything like me, seeing you fall in love with another man when you didn’t fall for him riled him up.”
She waited to hear more. Like, say, how Conrad had found a secret love letter. Or someone had called to reveal Christopher had created a shrine and spent the past few years waxing poetic about her amazing amazingness. Or maybe Maggie had come in to complain of the fireman’s incessant obsession with a former flame. But nope. Silence.
“He’s not like you,” she said. “He wasn’t willing to slay the dragon.”
Conrad’s features softened. “Also, I’m not raging with jealousy. Not totally. I trust you implacably.”
“Wow.” Jane feigned a horrified expression. “Lying to us both. Not concerning your trust, but the jealousy.” She tsked, tsked. “This calls for a severe punishment. Perhaps the worst I’ve ever dished to you or anyone.”
The corner of his mouth began twitching again. “If you revoke my casserole privileges, I will revolt.”
“Oh, no. I’ll not be letting you off so easily.”
“Easily? Sweetheart, that’s the worst thing someone can do to another person.”
“You’re soon to learn otherwise,” she said, lifting her nose high in the air, going for an aura of pure snob. She stood and smoothed the sides of her dress. “Soon you’ll long for the days of missing my southern smothered chicken. Just know this will hurt you far more than it hurts me. I’m forbidding you from attending the book club meeting with me. I’ll go with Beau, but you will stay home.”
Conrad’s eyes narrowed in an instant. “No. We go together.”
Jane had known he would insist. With the threat of danger magnifying each day, he refused to let her out of his sight without a battle royale. And she needed to be out of his sight for a bit.
“Nope,” she told him. “Not this time. You weren’t invited. I was. Without probable cause to attend, you’ll be trespassing.” Boom! Legal speak always got the job done. “I’ll go with Beau, as stated.” The sheriff’s smoldering intensity and ferocious sense of authority was guaranteed to intimidate the guests and stifle conversation. “Besides, you’ll be busy looking into a fireman named Donnie Eggerson. There’s something about him…”