A Taste of Magic (10 page)

For fun, I like to people watch and guess facts about strangers. Where they live, where they work, stuff like that. Maddie and I had even made a game out of it.

My attention centered on an older couple at a table across the room from us. The woman’s hair was so pristinely white it almost glowed. It was the sort of do she probably had washed and set once a week at a beauty salon, possibly the same salon she’d gone to for years.

Her partner was just as striking, but in a distinguished professor sort of way. I guessed them to be in their sixties, maybe their early seventies. I had a difficult time tearing my eyes away from the couple.

“Do you think they’re married or just friends?” I asked Maddie, nodding toward them. She located the pair and tipped her head to get a better view. The man covered the woman’s hand with his. She smiled tenderly and said something we couldn’t hear.

“Second marriage. Six kids between them, eight grandchildren.” Maddie sipped her cappuccino but kept her eyes on the couple. “No. That’s not right. Eight grandchildren and a great-grandchild on the way. It’s your turn now. What do you think?”

“Hmm. First marriage, four kids, three grandchildren and no great-grandchildren.”

She appraised them again. “Maybe, but I’ll stick with my guess. Go ask them. I did it last time.” Her lips twisted into a grin.

I hated this part. I’d barely scraped my chair back when a recognizable voice hit my ears.

“Elizabeth! I hope that’s a sugar-free, fat-free cap you’re drinking!”

Oh my God.
Him
.
Here
. I twisted toward the sound of the voice and focused in on my torturer—er, trainer—as he strode over.

“Who is that? He’s hot! You’ve been holding out,” Maddie whispered. “You
will
tell me everything later, won’t you?”

“Shh! He’ll hear you.”

Kevin reached our table and sat down in the remaining empty chair. Jeans had never, and I mean never, fit a man as well as they fit this man. Well, Nate’s body was exceptional in jeans. But this man’s body was made for denim. Tightly fitted, faded denim around a perfect physique.

“Hey,” I said. Suddenly, I found it a little difficult to breathe.

“I’m glad I ran into you! You missed your last appointment and haven’t been in since. You’re not giving up already, are you? No pain, no gain!” Kevin unscrewed the top of his water bottle and took a long swallow.

What the hell? He bought bottled water at Starbucks? Wasn’t that a sacrilege? The man was insane. I ignored his question and gestured to Maddie. “This is my friend Maddie. Maddie, this is Kevin, my trainer at Steel Bodies.” If I knew men, and I definitely knew Maddie, she’d have him wrapped around her little finger in seconds, and I wouldn’t have to comment on the missed workouts.

Of course, for once, Maddie didn’t seem interested in conversing with a hot man. She just sat back in her chair, smiled at Kevin and then widened her eyes at me.

“You are coming back to the gym, right?” Kevin asked.

“I don’t know. Probably. It’s been a crazy week.”

Leaning back in his chair, Kevin cradled his muscular arms behind his head. “I’d really like to help you meet your goals, but you have to do your part.”

The man
was
insane, wearing short sleeves at the end of February. No snow, but let me tell you, it was dang cold outside. Not that I didn’t appreciate the view. “I’ve just been really busy.” I didn’t like being put on the spot, no matter how cute he was.

“Busyness is no excuse for not keeping your body in tiptop shape. Tomorrow is Sunday. I’m not on the schedule, but I’ll be happy to make an exception for you. What time is good?”

Maddie chuckled. “Yeah, Elizabeth, what time is good?”

Cornered, I sipped my coffee to give me a little breathing space. It’s not that I didn’t want to work out again. I just didn’t want to do it tomorrow. My plan for Sunday involved more baking and inviting Nate over. We hadn’t seen each other since the fiasco at Alice’s. I definitely wanted to see him again, for more than one reason. “I don’t know if I can tomorrow,” I finally said.

“I guarantee your body will thank you if you do.”

I was all set to say “no,” but then he smiled at me, dimples and all, and my willpower took a nosedive. “If you’re making a special trip for me, you can choose the time.”

“Perfect! Let’s get started early, and then we can go out for breakfast afterward.”

“Breakfast?” Had the gym hunk asked me out on a date? Nah, no way. He was just being nice.

“You know, Lizzie, the first meal of the day, often with bacon and eggs and orange juice?” Maddie teased.

I kicked her under the table. “Breakfast sounds great. What time should I be at Steel Bodies?”

Kevin stood, and my eyes took in the length of him. The tight abs showing through his equally tight black shirt, the skin-like denim, and his long muscular legs. He really was a hand-some man, in a buff bodybuilder sort of way. And even if his excitement for fitness was a little over-the-top for me, it was also a little endearing.

“Bright and early, Elizabeth! I’ll see you at seven.” Without waiting for a reply, he picked up his water and left as quickly as he’d arrived.

“Seven? As in, the morning?” I muttered. “On the weekend?”

“Oh my. He was flirting with you,” Maddie said, a tinge of humor in her words.

“You’re crazy. He was not. How is going for breakfast flirting?”

She held up a finger. “One, he is coming in on his day off to train you. Two, he damn near begged you to agree. Three, he asked you out for a meal. Four, his eyes barely flicked over me.” Another grin. “Want me to continue?”

“No, but I still think you’re wrong.” I mean, come on, why would Mr. Perfect Steel Body be interested in me? And besides, I’d never in my life had to choose between more than one man.

But then I remembered the brownies I’d made the same night I baked cookies for Maddie. My wish for myself had seemed simple at the time. All I’d asked for was a busier social life and the opportunity to meet and date other men. Hot men. I was fairly sure I’d put that stipulation in place. Come on, I’d be stupid not to.

Of course, this happened before my experience with Nate.

Another tingle of anticipation skimmed across my skin. It made me think of the proverb, “May you live in interesting times.” Most people didn’t realize that was actually a curse and not a measure of goodwill. I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d cursed myself. Or had I simply opened a new door, one that would lead to a bit of fun and some new experiences?

Maddie whistled. Startled, I pulled my attention back to her. “What?”

“You were in outer space somewhere. We still need to find out about our sweet older couple.”

I glanced toward the table they’d been sitting at, only to find it empty. “They’re gone.”

As we made our way out of the mall, I thought about breakfast with Kevin. I smiled when my knees trembled.

A man who made my knees go weak—how cool was that?

Chapter Eight

Why were the tables at chain restaurants always sticky? I’d watched the waitress wash this particular table while Kevin and I were waiting to be seated, so I knew it was clean. It was just … sticky. And no matter how clean you knew something was, when it left some unknown residue on your skin, it seemed disgusting even if it actually wasn’t.

The restaurant was busy, and the enticing scents made my stomach grumble for hot crisp bacon, scrambled eggs smothered in melted cheese, and a stack of pancakes covered in butter and strawberry syrup. That’s what I wanted, but I didn’t want to look like a pig in front of Kevin, especially after just sweating like one at the gym.

I figured I’d wait and see what he ordered. If he went for calorie and fat-laden food, I could do the same. My damp hair from the hastily taken post workout shower stuck to my cheek. I swiped it behind my ear. Naturally, I’d forgotten to bring a hair dryer with me that morning, so for a first date— if that’s what this was, and I still had my doubts—I wasn’t looking my best.

It didn’t seem to bother Kevin. The morning sun cast a mystical-type glow over his features. With his golden-hued skin, he resembled a Greek god. He must have felt my eyes on him, because he looked up from his menu.

“You worked hard today, Elizabeth. If you keep it up, you’ll begin to see the results soon.”

“That would be nice.” This exercise thing? I wasn’t sure if it was going to stick. When my alarm blared at six that morning, I’d truly hated life. Even so, it turned out to not be so bad. There were very few people at the gym at that time of day, which meant I felt less like a fish out of water. “Thank you for meeting me on your day off.”

“I enjoy helping my clients. And I would have been working out regardless. I wanted to see you, so it made sense to combine our workouts.” His sincere tone surprised me, and my pulse ramped up a notch.

“You wanted to see me?”

Before he could answer, our waitress stopped at the table. “You guys ready to order?” She set a carafe of coffee (for me) and a pitcher of water (for Kevin) on the table.

Kevin closed his menu with a smack. “I’d just like a bowl of oatmeal and some fresh fruit with yogurt.”

The waitress looked at me. I hesitated a beat. I wasn’t a fan of oatmeal, but because my entire plan rested on what ever Kevin ordered, I said, “I’ll have the same.” Silly, really, that I wasn’t confident enough to order what ever I wanted. But there you have it.

The waitress nodded and stuck her pen in her apron. “Got it. Shouldn’t be long.”

After she walked off, I poured myself a cup of coffee. Wrapping my hands around the hot mug, I inhaled the aroma. Life-affirming stuff, let me tell you.

“Coffee is dehydrating. You should compensate for your workout by filling your body with water,” Kevin said, obviously not feeling the love for the bean.

“I drink water all day,” I fibbed. “But I can’t give up my coffee. I’d rather dehydrate.”

“No, you wouldn’t. Dehydration causes headaches, for one. And it’s not healthy, for two. If that’s not enough for you, the more water you drink, the better you’ll feel.”

“You won’t change my mind about the coffee, Kevin.” Perfectly straight white teeth gleamed at me as he smiled. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“Deal.” Gathering my courage, I brought the conversation back to where it had left off. “So … you were saying you wanted to see me?”

He nodded, and my heart warmed. I wasn’t used to spending time with such hunky men. Well, let me clarify—with such hunky
straight
men. Especially ones who looked like they’d stepped right out of a magazine. Now, it seemed they were falling out of the sky. I started to hum a few bars of “It’s Raining Men,” but when Kevin gave me a strange look, I bit my lip and stopped. Crazy should probably wait for date two, at least. I didn’t want to scare the guy off.

“Tell me about yourself, Elizabeth.”

Ugh. There was that question again. First from Nate a few weeks ago and now from Kevin. I hated this particular question, because I never really knew what to say. Did I tell the truth, which for the most part was boring, or did I make stuff up, which was lying, but at least I’d be interesting? “What do you want to know?” I finally asked.

“What makes Elizabeth Stevens tick? I haven’t been able to figure you out. Most of the women I train talk nonstop. You’re so quiet, I always wonder what you’re thinking. It’s mysterious.”

I almost choked on my coffee. Out-of-breath-so-I-couldn’t-talk was “mysterious” to Adonis. Good to know. I filed the information away for future reference. For the next time I wanted to be mysterious. “Well—you know, I figure I’m there to learn from you. Not talk your ear off.”

“I like that. It shows me you’re serious. I’m glad you came today. I missed you. I thought you’d given up.”

“I couldn’t make it in. I had some family problems to deal with,” I murmured. My mind was still stuck on the fact he’d missed me.
Me. Elizabeth Stevens.
I began to look at Kevin in a different light. Also, because I hadn’t seen Nate since the incident at my sister’s, I wasn’t sure what was going on there. He’d shown up and comforted me in a scary situation, which was cool. And that had kept my worries at bay for a while. But now I was beginning to wonder—and yeah, worry.

I probably needed to bake some more muffins. Knowing my luck, gypsy magic came with some sort of expiration date I didn’t know about.

But at that moment, right in front of me, sat a guy who definitely seemed interested. My radar could have been off, but I didn’t think so. Not with the attention he’d been giving me all morning. In fact, if I was honest, I could get used to that sort of treatment. In a heartbeat.

“You still haven’t revealed anything about yourself. What do you like to do?” His eyes told me he was being truthful; he really wanted to know. “Elizabeth?” he prodded.

My brain blanked out. I tried to think of something interesting to say, something that would make me out to be more than a divorcée with too much time on her hands. When nothing else came to mind, I said, “I watch a lot of television and I’m into crafts.”

Oh My God
. Could you get more boring?

“Cool,” Kevin said. “Anything else?”

Anything else?
I needed to say something. Fast. Something desirable. Something he wouldn’t expect to hear. My mind flashed through various topics, disposing of them as quickly as I thought of them. I latched on to the first semi-interesting one that came to me. “I also collect sex toys,” I blurted.

Apparently, my voice was louder than I’d expected, because at least four tables of people turned to stare at me. Heat suffused my face. I scooted down in my booth. I wanted to disappear. And then, a bit too late, I remembered the
quiet-equals-mysterious
lesson. I should have just shook my head and smiled serenely.

A glance at Kevin told me all I needed to know. His tawny face had lightened a few shades. It appeared I’d shocked him, and not in a good way. “Um … well, that’s nice,” he said.

Great. Probably, he thought I was a sex-starved maniac. Or a pervert. “I don’t really collect them,” I murmured. “I just have a few.”

He didn’t say anything. After a sip of his water, a bit of color returned to his complexion. The air between us had changed and, suddenly, I was ready to go home. The waitress appeared, bless her heart.

“Here you go.” Setting the food down, she said, “Enjoy! Let me know if you need anything else.”

A moist blob of gooey beige cereal sat in front of me. At least the waitress had also brought brown sugar and butter. Fat and sugar might make the liquid cement edible. And honestly, I needed to put something in my mouth other than my foot.

After I doctored my cereal, I pushed it around with my spoon. I wanted to put things back on an even-keel. Looking up, I said, “I’m sorry about that.”

He ate a spoonful of oatmeal before answering. When he did, his voice was calm. “Intimacy is unique for each person. I guess it just surprised me. Let’s just move on, okay?”

“That would be terrific.” Probably, the timing was off. I mean, if we were alone, he’d probably like the sex toy idea a lot more. As far as I knew, most men were into a little creativity in the bedroom. At least that’s what I’d heard.

I swallowed a bite of the now-too-sweet cereal and then asked, “Why did you decide to become a physical fitness trainer?” Being the asker of the questions was much better. It made it easier to breathe. Not to mention I was way less likely to make a fool out of myself.

“Nothing remarkable. I’ve always been into sports, and I like exercising. I also like to help people reach their dreams.” He shrugged. “It’s a good career for me, because I can do both.”

“Wow. That’s great. I kind of feel the same when I’m baking a wedding cake. It’s the start of someone’s marriage, and I get to be a small part of it.” I was talking too fast. I inhaled a breath to calm myself.

“My brother is getting married soon. I wish I’d known you when they were planning their wedding, I’d have set you up.”

“Have you ever been married?” I asked.

“Not yet. Came close once. But let’s not talk about past relationships. I do have a question for you, though.”

“Ask away.”

“What are you doing next weekend?”

I didn’t have plans, but I didn’t want to go to the gym again at the crack of dawn on my one day off, so I answered carefully. “Other than working, I’m not sure. Why?”

“I have tickets to Blue Man Group on Saturday night. Would you like to go with me?”

And then I realized. He was asking me out on a date. An honest-to-goodness, real, go-out-on-the-town sort of date. Trembles poured down my spine like warm water. How many years had it been since I went out on a date? So long ago, I couldn’t even remember, that’s how long. “Sounds like fun,” I said before I talked myself out of it.
A real date
.

“Good! We can grab some dinner first. Do you like seafood?”

I think I nodded. Anticipation strummed over me as I tried to plan what I would wear. I might even go shopping again. I’d eaten half of my oatmeal before I realized it. Funny how the sweetness of the moment made something as unappealing as oatmeal taste good. Hesitantly, I smiled at Kevin.

A date! I couldn’t wait to call Maddie. She’d been pushing me to go out for months, so I knew she’d be thrilled. Plus, she’d help me figure out my wardrobe and makeup and everything.

This magic stuff was working better than I’d expected!

Today was turning out to be a really bad day. Alice had called in tears once already because of Troy. The enchanted cup-cakes had seemed to even her out for a few days, but now she was just as upset as before. I wondered if the effects were ever permanent or if I’d continually be baking to keep a spell alive.
Mental note to self—check with Grandma Verda on that
. Though, on the good news front, it didn’t appear as if my magic had hurt her, either.

Also, Jon’s mood was far from bright and sunny, and I was mostly just trying to stay out of his way. On top of all that, I couldn’t seem to get a hold of Maddie. Not at work, not on her cell, and not at home. I figured she was home, because whenever I called her, all I got was a busy signal. Which was odd, because as far as I knew she had call-waiting. If nothing else, I’d see her tomorrow for our normal Wednesday lunch, but I really wanted to talk to her today.

And I still hadn’t seen Nate. I knew it shouldn’t bother me. I had a date with another man that weekend. But come on, Nate was the first guy to—well, to be blunt—make me come in forever. Plus, something about him had dug into my heart.

I felt a little weird about going out with Kevin while I had these unknown feelings for Nate, but it wasn’t as if we were committed or anything. Like I said, I hadn’t seen the guy since that afternoon at Alice’s. Over a week ago. And that amazing night? Almost two weeks had passed. And yeah, I had to wonder if what ever interest he’d had in me had disappeared.

I hoped not. Probably, he was working ridiculous hours. Or maybe I just wished that. Because part of me worried that he thought my family was a bunch of lunatics, that with my gene pool he was better off staying away. Who could blame him? Between Grandma Verda and the encounter at Alice’s, it made perfect sense to me. That didn’t stop me from hoping I was wrong. I wanted to see him again.

“Did you place the order for fondant? We’re almost out,” Jon said, entering the kitchen.

“No, but I can place it today and express it.”

His lips turned downward into a pout. “With what we’ll pay, we may as well pick it up locally. Can you do that tomorrow before coming in?”

“Sure.” After all, it
was
my fault. But it meant driving clear across town during morning rush-hour traffic. Not exactly the best way to start any day.

“Thanks. Just pick up enough to get us by, and I’ll go place a normal order now. Say, two weeks’ worth.”

Nodding, I turned back to my batter bowl. No wedding cakes to bake, but I did have two birthday cakes and one baby shower cake to get out of the oven before I left.