It's Just Love (10 page)

She recalled her decision to consider dating again. Sid was
dead, but she was alive. And he’d never want her to live sad and lonely. He had
been a kind, considerate guy, finding joy in so many small things. Nothing had
taken that from him, even toward the end, when he became a frail shell of his
former, robust self. Shame filled her. She’d promised to move on, sworn it as
she sat by his deathbed. And she’d broken that vow, or at least neglected it,
for three years.

Well, no more. She would begin dating immediately. She’d
find someone…somewhere. There sure as heck was nobody in her life now. Filled
with purpose, she eschewed surfing for the day and prepared for a small ritual.
Time to close one door, so another could be opened. The Goddess could not give
her anyone new as long as she clung to the past. And three years was long
enough to grieve for someone who had not even been a lover. He’d wanted that,
but she hadn’t been sure, and by the time she realized how much he meant to
her, his health was so poor she’d only been able to give him her time and care,
nothing more.

She closed the curtains, swept the living room, and
feather-dusted, wanting a clear space. Then she showered and patted herself
dry, leaving her hair hanging down her back, and returned to the living room.
Lighting a single, white taper, she sat cross-legged on the floor. White for
the Goddess, white for purity. Staring at it, she stood and lit a green one,
for change. Once upon a time she would have done more preparation, but truly
what occurred was inside herself, and the rest was trappings for onlookers.

The Goddess would understand. Staring at the twin flames, Coral
went deep inside and made a wish and a promise. This time, a gift would not be
rejected. “Whoever you bring me, Lady, I will not waste the time. I know now
how precious and rare true love is.”

When the candles burned down and winked out, she was filled
with peace. Perhaps it would be a surfer, or maybe one who practiced The Craft…or
maybe an accountant. But she trusted that it would be the right one for her, if
indeed such a person existed. A flicker of doubt passed through her. If she
hadn’t missed her chance.

And looking for the right man would distract her from the
wrong one she would be spending the evening with. Gage Middleton, handsome and
charming…and even gallant, but he was not for her. The attraction was merely
bad timing, or maybe it served to wake her up to her need to move forward. Her
mother, the hippie-style witch, would be thrilled if her only child had a sex
life. She worried about that.

Coral picked up the candle stubs and rose to her feet. In
the kitchen, she glanced at the clock and noticed she had about ten minutes
before her first client arrived for a Tarot reading. She sighed. The universe
shared others’ futures with her, but was not nearly as quick to help her see
her own. A vision of a seventy-something, bikini-clad granny clutching a
surfboard and a crystal ball made her laugh. Okay, that was probably accurate,
but maybe an old guy in droopy trunks stood somewhere on that beach, smiling at
his wild old lady.

She had three appointments for the day then a little time to
get ready for her movie “undate.” They’d sit a few rows back from Charlie and
Elise and their cameraman friend. Could he take pictures in the theater in the
dark? She had no idea. Maybe he’d have to sit and crunch popcorn until the
lights came back up. That’s what she’d be doing.

And this time, if the pair got up to leave, she’d see it
happen and follow along, as she was supposed to. There’d be no chocolate to
distract her from her duty. Only popcorn and an icy cold soda. Buttery, salty
movie popcorn. Mmmm.

* * * *

Gage’s first client after lunch was late. And since he’d had
just over two hours of sleep on his terrace, waking with the blanket and his
hair soaked with dew, his level of irritation was even higher than normal. He’d
had a busy morning, followed by a quick lunch at his desk, with no real time to
recharge. He’d probably snap their heads off when they did arrive. No, he
wouldn’t. No matter the provocation.

His mother’s lessons in consideration and good manners had
stuck in his case. His older brother, not so much. But then Mike had left home
right after high school to follow some crackpot scheme of riding a motorcycle
around the world. He’d saved every dime from birthday and Christmas gifts, good
grade checks, everything, and it had apparently been enough to buy the bike he
roared away on. Mike sent postcards and notes from everywhere, describing
scenery and roadways, telling them nothing personal.

Was it any wonder their parents had supervised Gage’s
upbringing with such care? In addition to the right car, he wore the right
“preppy” clothes and joined all the proper clubs for college bound conservative
types. Because of the pain he saw in his mother’s face every time Mike sent one
of his “Glad you’re not here” missives, Gage went along with it all. Yearning
in his heart for a little wild, he pushed it down. His parents had enough to
deal with. He would be a professional of some sort anyway. Why not follow the
rules and make the people he cared about a little happier?

God, what were his parents going to say about his breakup
with Geena? His mother was crazy about her and had been urging him to take
things to the next level. His father seemed to like her as well.
Crap.
One more aspect to deal with. This was why he warned his clients to end things
early if they didn’t have what it took to make it work. Shit. His perfect 10.

Coral returned to his mind. Beach beauty, so free. She
didn’t live her life to please anyone. What parents wouldn’t argue with a
daughter who spent her days casting spells and riding waves? They must be as
upset over her as his folks were about Mike.

Was she as open with her body as her mind? If he reached for
her, pulled her against him, would she protest? If he cupped her breasts in his
palms, brought them to his lips to kiss the soft curves, pushed her top down to
free her nipples, lapped his tongue over their peaks, would it be all right
with her? Would she cry out? Hold him close?

He reached to adjust his package, his trousers tight at the
crotch.

Could he… If he didn’t do something about it, he’d be
pulling his cock out and doing something about it right at his desk, with an
unlocked door. The idea of his clients walking in on that was enough to calm
him down.

He checked his watch and hit the intercom button. “Carmella,
any word from Marika and Juan?”

“No, Gage. Want me to call them and see what’s going on?”

“Nope.” He shrugged on his jacket and slipped his cellphone
in an inner pocket. Breezing past Carmella’s desk, he called back over his
shoulder, “And cancel the rest of the day.”

“What should I tell them?”

“Something suddenly came up.” He grinned at her quizzical
frown. If he was escorting a lady to the retro movie theater, he needed to take
a nap. He didn’t think she’d be impressed if he snored on her shoulder during
the love scenes. He wanted to bring her a little surprise, as well.

Coral waited by the front door, purse in hand. She hoped to
save Gage the trouble of trying to find parking. If she hadn’t been lucky
enough to have a garage opening on the alley behind her house, she’d never have
been able to keep the Charger.

The movie had been selected by the production company, as it
turned out, an old romance she’d seen years before. She didn’t remember much
about it, but they were there more to watch Charlie and Elise than the film
anyway.

Peering through the window beside the door, she saw
headlights she thought belonged to the Jag and stepped onto the porch. Sure
enough, Gage pulled up and opened his door, but she hurried to the sidewalk,
waving him off. “I’ll just hop in.”

He moved around to her side of the car, ignoring the Honda
honking behind him. “No, I want to do it for you.”

Pushy. But she allowed him to help her into the passenger
seat. To argue would be to aggravate the other driver even more. “Thanks.”

He smiled down at her, his blue eyes twinkling. “You’re
welcome.”

She’d better find that someone to go out with soon, because
Gage looked better, and her heart thumped harder, every time she saw him. She
took in his appearance, jeans, like her, and a dark-blue button-down, open at
the neck. No matter what he wore, it looked made for him.

The drive to the theater, about a mile away, took only a few
moments. He parked in a public lot and once again stepped around the back of
the car to open her door. A new experience, she found herself enjoying his
constant courtesy. This time he helped her stand from the low seat. His hand
was warm and enveloped hers. She liked it. When he released it, she was sorry
but didn’t reach to take it back. Silly idea, anyway. They walked side by side
toward the lit marquee.

“I don’t normally see these sappy romances,” he said. “But I
suppose it’s good date night material.”

“I’m sure Charlie and Elise will enjoy it.” She reminded them
both of their mission.

“Of course, that’s what I meant.” He approached the kiosk at
the front of the theater. “The show paid for our seats. We can stop by the
snack counter and get whatever we’d like, as well.”

She grinned. “Popcorn.” The enticing scent wrapped around
her, drawing her in as it always had. Real butter, fake butter flavoring,
didn’t matter. “Movie popcorn is magical.”

He stared down at her, and Coral froze. Then he smiled, his
face lighting up. “Well, I guess you would know.”

Caught off guard, she giggled and pushed him. Heat filled
her cheeks. What a teenage reaction. But she guessed in some ways she was like
a teenager. She’d never taken the step most of her friends did. She’d wanted
the right guy to be the first one. And it would have been Sid, if he hadn’t
fallen ill.

As soon as she got through the three “undates”, she was
going to start saying yes when guys on the beach asked her out. And she’d even
consider the men she met at rituals and other Pagan occasions. She winced.
Maybe.

“You bring out the worst in me,” she said. “But let’s get
the snacks and get inside. At least without chocolate we won’t get distracted
and miss it when Charlie and Elise do…whatever they do under the influence of
the mushiest movie made in the last twenty years.”

His gaze flicked away, and he cleared his throat. “You want
butter on that?”

She followed him into the lobby. “Extra butter and a large
drink.”

She filled her arms with the treats and traipsed down the
aisle. “I wonder where they’re sitting. Do you see anything?”

The dim lights didn’t make it easy to locate their quarry,
but finally they found Charlie and Elise sitting shoulder to shoulder halfway
down, on the end. Gage waved her toward a pair of seats a few rows behind, and
she took the chair on the aisle.

“Do you see the cameraman?” Coral whispered, enjoying
sitting next to Gage, ready to watch the film. She craned her neck, looking
around.

He pointed to a man seated a little ways away. “He’s not
filming just this minute, for some reason.”

“Then who is that?”

A petite woman in jeans and a vest hung with camera
equipment crouched in the back of the theater. Her camera was pointed at Gage
and Coral.

“Didn’t I see her last night at the restaurant too?” Coral
said. She’d been lingering near the kitchen door, but hadn’t been holding a
camera, so Coral hadn’t thought about it until now.

Gage shrugged. “I didn’t see her, but it’s not surprising, I
suppose. If Harry and his producers want to get a show out of this, I guess
they have to get a few shots of us watching the couple in question.”

“I suppose.” She cringed. “I had no idea we were being
filmed.” Had she done anything weird? Yanked at her panties? Cursed?

“Me either, but no worries.” And indeed he seemed comfortable
with the concept.

“I guess you’ve been on television and radio a lot, huh?”
Coral tried to appear friendly, not to twitch. The easy intimacy between her
and Gage had dissipated at the sight of the second camera operator.

“Not a lot, but some. Mostly PBS.” He sipped at his drink
and patted her hand. “You’ll forget she’s there in a minute.”

Coral doubted that. She smoothed her hair and sat
straighter. To her great relief, the lights dimmed and the screen lit up with
the first of several movie trailers. A few stragglers passed, juggling giant
drinks and buckets of popcorn, and one held a box of chocolate-covered raisins.
Despite her comments, she loved candy at the movies, the sweet setting off the
salty of the popcorn, but she wasn’t going to head back to the snack bar now
and have national television show her stuffing herself.
See the witch pig
out.
She sighed.

Gage turned away from the screen and gave her a questioning
look. In the dimness, he once again bore a resemblance to an old-time movie
star, helped along by his dark hair and the deep blue of his eyes, which the
lighting turned to black. She shifted a little and found her shoulder against
his. Jerking away, she bumped a lagger in the aisle and popcorn showered them
both.

She apologized to the patron, offered to replace the
popcorn, but an usher came and said the theater would cover it. The aisles were
so narrow, it happened all the time. But his reassurance didn’t help,
especially when a glance over her shoulder confirmed the gleeful camera
operator was catching every moment of her humiliation.

“From
My Strange Obsession
to
America’s Funniest
Home Videos
in less than a week,” she muttered.

“What?” Gage chuckled, picking popcorn out of her hair and
off her shoulders. When he brushed across her breast for a few pieces of corn
in her cleavage, they both froze. “Maybe you’d better get these?”