Chapter 1 #2
As I wait for Jess’s response, I look around the town park again, smiling at the picturesque landscape it makes.
The gazebo is all decorated with white lights, and a local acoustic band strums guitars inside it.
The lamp posts glow softly, casting a warm glow on the path that winds through the grass.
Just beyond the park, downtown is aglow with lights, since all the businesses extended their hours for the event.
From off to the left, a familiar figure approaches—dark-haired, tall, broad-shouldered, commanding attention without even trying—and my heart gives a little jolt.
It shouldn’t. I’ve told my heart countless times that just because Alec is handsome and smart and nice and has the most gorgeous smile I’ve ever seen, there’s no reason to get excited about it.
After all, I’m not looking for a relationship. And in all the times I’ve talked to Alec at Blissful Brews or around town, he’s never given any indication of wanting to date, either.
But that doesn’t mean I can’t admire the view, does it? Or enjoy talking with him, just like I do with most of my regulars?
Speaking of smiles, Alec flashes one at me as he draws closer. And my foolish heart jumps again, despite my repeated warnings.
Before he arrives at the Blissful Brews table, I shoot off one last message to Jess.
I’ve got to get back to work. But I’ll text once I get home and showered. Talk soon.
Sliding my phone back into my pocket, I meet Alec’s smile with one of my own. “Hi. Are you here for some soup?”
“Hey, Hazel.” His smile expands. “How’s it going?” He glances at the jar of tickets. “Looks like you were busy tonight.”
Cast partly in shadow from the lamp post overhead, his features are an arrangement of strong lines and angles. His green eyes spark gold and amber as the light catches them. As he rakes a hand through his wavy hair, I can’t help wondering—and not for the first time—if it’s as soft as it looks.
Something else I can’t help noticing? How his biceps flex as he does it, straining at the sleeves of his dark gray sweater.
“It’s been pretty busy,” I reply while silently reminding myself not to ogle Alec’s biceps. “But we’ve still got plenty of soup left over. The cheddar ale soup has been a big seller, but the pumpkin stout bisque has been popular, too.”
Alec eyes the large crock pots in front of me. “They both sound good.” The corner of his mouth quirks, revealing a dimple to the left of it. “Could I try both? I’ve got tickets.” He reaches into the pocket of his jeans and pulls out a thick wad of them.
I laugh. “Alec. How many tickets did you buy? And how much soup are you planning to eat?”
He glances down at the tickets in his hand and chuckles. “I may have gone a little overboard. But I was late finishing up at work, so by the time I got here, I was starving. Plus, it’s for a good cause. Right?”
“True.” I ladle soup into two cups and hand them to him. “How is everything going at work?”
“Good.” He shifts both cups to one hand and leans against the table with the other. “Three new clients this week. So that’ll keep me busy.”
Alec owns a security system company over in Stowe, about twenty minutes from here.
He’s offered to come by my house to work up a plan for a security system, but I’ve never taken him up on it.
Not that I don’t care about security, but I don’t have the money for an expensive system with cameras and sensors and twenty-four-seven monitoring.
Besides, I have deadbolts and wooden rods wedged in the windows, like my dad always told me to do. I still remember him walking into my first adult apartment in Boston with an armful of broomsticks, and I jokingly commented, “I’m living in Boston, Dad. Not Salem. What are all the broomsticks for?”
They were for him to cut down and use to keep the windows from opening, I discovered. And for a do-it-yourself solution, it’s pretty effective.
Although, the danger doesn’t always come from outside. Sometimes you invite it inside without even knowing.
A memory prods at me, poking with a poisoned dagger tip. A chill races across my body, bringing goosebumps in its wake.
“Hey.” Alec’s forehead creases. Concern darkens his gaze. “You alright, Hazel?”
“Of course.” I shove the memory back down and force a smile. “I’m good. So, three new clients? That’s great news.”
His expression clouds as he inspects my face. I’m not sure he believes me—I’m a bad liar at the best of times, and after a nearly eight-hour shift on my feet, I’m far from that.
But we don’t have the kind of relationship where he’d push to know more. We talk when he comes into Blissful Brews with his friends or whenever we run into each other around town, but that’s it. We don’t text. We don’t hang out together. I don’t even have his personal number.
“She’s probably tired,” offers Frank. He walks over and holds out his hand to Alec. “Nice to see you, Alec. Trying out some of the soups, huh? If you want more to take home, just let me know. We’ve got plenty.”
“Ah, no, that’s okay,” Alec replies. “Save it for the rest of the customers.”
Frank gives a dismissive wave. “We’re nearly done here, anyway. Another half an hour and we’ll be cleaning up.” He glances between me and Alec. A speculative look crosses his face. “In fact… Hazel, why don’t you head out now? Wendy and I can take care of things from here.”
“Oh, no, I said I’d stay until eight-thirty,” I reply.
“But you’ve been on your feet all day,” he insists. “Without a break, I’ll add. Which you should have taken.”
“Angel needed to leave early. And I didn’t mind.”
“Maybe so. But I think you’ve done enough.” Frank turns to Alec. “Would you mind walking Hazel to her car? I could go, but that would mean leaving Wendy here on her own…”
I can feel heat creeping into my cheeks. Could Frank be any less obvious?
“Oh, I don’t need anyone to walk me to my car,” I protest. Although if I’m honest, I don’t particularly relish the idea of walking alone in the dark, even in a town as small and safe as Bliss.
“Of course I’ll walk Hazel to her car,” Alec says to Frank, as if he didn’t even hear me. He downs the rest of his soup and tosses the empty cups into a nearby trash can. Then he looks at me. “What do you think? Ready to head out?”
“But you just got here. And what about all your tickets? Your friends must be here. Don’t you want to see them?”
Why am I arguing against the simple act of Alec walking me to my car?
Is it stubborn independence?
Or is it because the two of us walking in the dark feels so much more intimate than talking to Alec at the bar or grocery store?
“Here.” Frank thrusts a large to-go container at Alec.
“The cheddar ale soup.” He plops a large baggie of the pretzel pieces we use as a garnish on top of it.
“Not that you can’t come back to get more soup.
But if you two decide to head home—” I don’t miss his emphasis on the word two—“you’ve got something to eat. Enough to share, even.”
Did I think my cheeks were hot before? They’re an inferno now.
Alec presses his lips together, like he’s holding back a grin.
Then he takes the container from Frank. “That sounds great, Frank. Thanks.” Turning to me, Alec adds, “I don’t care about the tickets.
And honestly, I’m pretty beat. I only came out because Enzo and Winter were hounding me to.
Going home to watch TV and enjoy some delicious soup sounds like the perfect way to wrap up my day. ”
“Okay.” I glance at Frank. “If you’re sure?”
“Of course he’s sure,” Wendy says with a big smile. “We’re fine here, Hazel. Really. We appreciate you coming out to help with this. But go home. Relax. Play that game of yours. Tantalizing Vein, right?”
Alec arches an eyebrow. “Tantalizing Vein? What kind of game is that? Is it about vampires?”
I’ve never feared self-immolation from embarrassment until now.
“It’s Tenebris Veil,” I mutter. “It’s an MMORPG. And there aren’t any—”
Well. There are vampires in it. But only in a couple of zones. And they’re NPCs, not playable characters.
“I’d love to hear about it,” Alec says. As I come out from around the table to join him, his hand grazes my lower back, setting off sizzles of electricity across my skin.
I’m not looking for a relationship, I remind myself. Single is better. Safer.
And besides, Alec is just being a gentleman. He’s being a protector, which is, quite literally, part of his job. Because Alec doesn’t just install alarm systems, he’s part of a private security company headquartered in Bliss called Green Mountain Guardians.
Oh, and he used to serve in the Army for almost twenty years. So I guess if I’m looking for someone to escort me to my car, Alec is the one to ask.
Or for Frank to ask, as it was.
“So,” Alec continues. “What’s this about a game?” He pauses. “If you don’t mind me asking.”
I hesitate for a few seconds, focusing on the cobblestone path in front of me as I consider my answer.
I don’t normally tell people about my game; not because I’m ashamed of it, but because of the reactions I inevitably get when I tell them I play a massively multiplayer online role-playing game, otherwise known as an MMORPG.
You? I get the most frequently. But you seem so normal. Or, Aren’t all the people who play those games just single guys living in their parents’ basements?
Yes, I’m normal. And no, all the people who play don’t live in their parents’ basements. Plenty of people have their own houses. Good jobs. Families. They’re nice. Funny. Understanding.
So I guess I get a little defensive when the topic comes up.
But Alec works with computers. He owns a company that relies on them. He wouldn’t judge. Would he?
“It’s fine,” I finally reply. “Tenebris Veil—not Tantalizing Vein—is an MMORPG. Quests, elves, dragons, that sort of thing. I’ve been playing for a few years now.”