22. Chapter 22
Chapter 22
T he next evening, Stone pushed open the door of Graham's Corner with a sense of unease that had little to do with the mission—discovering if Oliver had a jealous girlfriend other than the supermodel—and everything to do with the magic that ran just beneath his skin. Something about the spell Clarabelle had cast upon him last night had him on full alert. Colors were brighter. Sounds were clearer. Sophie was…well…Sophie-er.
He took a step back. “After you,” he said to Sophie.
“Why thank you,” she quipped with a cute curtsy.
All the way over to the bookshop, he’d been careful not to make physical contact with Sophie. But once they were back at her place, he planned to touch her and see if the spell had worked. Until then, he just had to be careful.
“Sophie, Stone, great to see you both again.” Oliver’s warm greeting pulled Stone from his thoughts. “What has you dropping by? Are you in search of a book?”
“Actually, I am,” Sophie said. “I’ve decided to read a thriller. Do you have any you recommend?”
Stone’s gaze swung to Sophie, who was smiling brightly at Oliver. A pang of something—jealousy or concern?—fluttered in his chest. Ever since she’d told him of her fantasy man, he’d been off kilter. Despite his decision last night to let the heart fall where the heart fell, he’d decided that until this assignment was over, he would keep his emotions sealed off. This was a mission, and she was his assignment. He’d complete the mission.
“Which kind of thriller are you looking for?” Oliver asked.
Stone resisted an urge to remind her he read thrillers. Had she forgotten? He’d not forgotten a detail she’d ever shared with him about herself.
Sophie laughed. “I have no idea. This is one of those decisions I made while drinking with my best friend a couple of nights ago.” She fluttered her lashes at him. “I shall have to throw myself on your mercy. What do you suggest?”
Stone glanced closer at Sophie. Was this her way of testing Oliver to see if he’d break and say he had a girlfriend? Or was she honest-to-goodness flirting with him?
“That’s hard to say without knowing you a little better. You see there are historical thrillers, legal thrillers, medical thrillers, military thrillers, psychological thrillers, supernatural—”
“Darling, I know you’re a little forgetful,” Stone interrupted. “But I do read the genre. You could have just asked me for my suggestions. After all, as your boyfriend, I think I know your taste.”
Sophie grinned. “And that’s why I need more than one cup of coffee every day. Without my morning caffeine, my noon brain crashes harder than a hero in a romance novel realizing he’s in love with the heroine.”
Stone chuckled despite himself.
She gave him an impish look. “Stone, darling, which novel do you choose for me to burst my thriller cherry?”
Oliver coughed, his face going red. “Um. I think I’ll leave you two to your search. When you’re done, if you like, I’m hosting an afternoon of literary games. Feel free to stay and join us.”
“That sounds like loads of fun.” Sophie surprised Stone by tucking her hand into his elbow.
He immediately tensed, but she didn’t appear to notice. Her touch was warm and disarming. And this time, there were no glitches. The spell had worked. Did that mean the magic didn’t want them together, and so now it was up to him to make the decision unencumbered by forces outside of his control? If so, that was a good thing… right?
“Can we stay?” she asked, looking up at him. “Please?”
He managed a nod, though his mind raced. “Actually, it does sound interesting,” Stone replied, recalling the real reason they’d dropped by. He glanced at Oliver. “Will your girlfriend be joining us?”
Oliver gave him a small frown. “I don’t have a girlfriend. Isn’t that why Sophie interviewed me for her column?”
“My bad. Sorry,” Stone said, choosing not to mention the phone call. “It seems I’ve not had enough caffeine either.” Until he knew more, he wouldn’t tip his hand.
“Let’s go get my thrills on,” Sophie said to Stone, pulling him toward an aisle of books.
Once they were out of earshot of Oliver, she dropped her hand away and blew out a grumpy breath. “You see. He’s single. The call was a crank. Don’t you dare say one more thing to him that might make him back out. I mean he’s so freaking perfect for the cinnamon roll hero. I’ll not find a better one. I bet he gets the highest bid at auction.”
“The sweet guys are that popular, are they?” Stone mused.
“They are,” she said, full of sincerity.
He scratched his head. “All I know to say to that is…you haven’t met the right un-nice guy. Let’s go find you a book that will introduce you to a different type of man than you’re used to reading about.”
Twenty minutes later, they’d chosen three for her to read: a psychological thriller, a domestic thriller, and a supernatural thriller.
“You promised you’ve not read any of these?” Sophie asked. “I want to read them with you at the same time.”
“I haven’t. That’s why we have two of each book. Now, shall we join in on the fun and games? We can scout out the crowd and see if there are any stalkerish women hanging around Oliver that he’s blissfully unaware of.”
“Oh yeah. Weird. I keep forgetting about that call.” She laughed. “There’s something about you that makes me a tiny bit more scattered than usual.”
“Same,” he said honestly.
As guests started trickling in, filling the bookstore with a buzz of anticipation, Stone stood in the corner and observed while Sophie got drawn into the preparations, helping Oliver arrange chairs and hand out game materials. He couldn’t help but admire her energy and enthusiasm, even as he kept a watchful eye on the crowd, ready to step in if anything seemed off.
Sophie caught his eye across the room and waved him over. “Come on, Stone. You’re on my team.”
For a moment, Stone allowed himself to be pulled into the spirit of the event, his usual reservations fading slightly in the glow of Sophie’s enthusiasm. As they joined a group of laughing participants, Stone felt the edges of his world expand—a bit of magic that had nothing to do with spells or fairy godfathers, but everything to do with the unpredictable joy of human connection.
He wondered if, when this was over, he really could let himself experience the fall.