Interrupted Magic by Karla Brandenburg (best reads of all time .TXT) 📕

on the counter and approached Ian. I rose to my tiptoes, cupped the back of his head and inhaled his woodsy scent. He filled my senses, calmed my soul. I kissed him, and Yvonne gasped behind me. A year ago, I might have been worried about the repercussions I’d invited, but today, I saw only possibilities standing before me.

Yvonne stormed out of the shop. Cassandra cleared her throat.

“I can step into the backroom,” she said. “Or would you rather?”

I laughed, took Ian’s hand and turned to face her. “My business partner, Cassandra Larson. This is Ian.”

Ash raced across the counter. She leapt through the air and landed neatly on Ian’s shoulders purring loudly. He chuckled and scratched her chin.

Cassandra’s eyes darted between us. She held out a hand to me. “Can we have a moment?”

“Will you excuse me?” I asked Ian.

He released my hand and kissed my forehead.

I followed Cassandra into the backroom.

“What the hell?” she asked.

I shrugged.

She shook her head. “It isn’t that I’m not happy for you... I’m not sure what you see in him, but if he’s who you want...” She shook her head again. “Wait a minute. You kissed that guy in front of Yvonne Boyle. Are you not aware of the rumor mill in this town?”

“Which is why I kissed him.”

“I can’t... I thought we had a couple more months...” She sighed. “No one’s going to shop here now.”

“Our customers have only been tourists for a month or so,” I reminded her. “If the locals had been coming in, we wouldn’t be closing our doors.”

She straightened. “I guess you kind of threw me for a loop. When you said you’d met someone, I didn’t believe you.” She gave me a sheepish smile. “Unless you hired him to be the bad guy.”

I set my hands on my hips. “What do you mean you don’t know what I see in him? Aside from the connection he and I seem to share, he’s gorgeous.”

Cassandra shrugged. “Beauty’s in the eye of the beholder, I guess.”

“Wait. What?”

“Well, he isn’t ugly, but most handsome? Really, Brynn. Even Kyle’s better looking than that guy.”

I took a step back and shot a glance over my shoulder. Was I bewitched? No. How had Nora described her relationship with Fletcher? She knew they were meant to be together, and yet they’d hidden their relationship for years to avoid gossip in town. She’d also told me not to make the same mistake.

I believed with my whole being Ian and I were meant to be together.

The bell over the door rang again. I squeezed Cassandra’s hand. “If nothing else, we’ll get the gossips in the store. We’ll tell them they’ll have to buy the merchandise if they’re hoping for any kind of a story.”

She laughed and shook a finger at me. “Okay, but you owe me the real story.”

“Me? I tried. You didn’t believe me,” I said as we headed to the front of the store, where Lisa stood staring at Ian.

Her head pivoted to me. “Dylan told me to let you know Kyle went home. Kyle said he isn’t moving until you’re ready to do your thing, whatever that means.”

I nodded.

She pointed at Ian. “This is the guy?”

Clearly, the gossips had caught up with her. I nodded again.

Lisa folded her arms. “What the hell, Brynn?”

Chapter 20

Cassandra put a hand beside her mouth and whispered to me. “I’ll catch Lisa up. It isn’t gossip when it’s friends who care about you. In the meantime—” she cocked her head, “—I think you need to make yourself scarce.”

I glanced at Lisa. “I’ll call you later and fill in the blanks.”

She huffed, glancing from me to Cassandra, then shook Ian’s hand. “Lisa Frazier. Brynn’s best friend. I’m sorry, I don’t know who you are.”

“Ian Oliveiro.” He shot me a nervous glance.

I grabbed Ash’s cat carrier and my purse. “We’d better go.”

Ash leapt into her transport and we left the boutique.

“Okay, which way?” I asked him. “Your turn to find my house.”

He closed his eyes and inhaled before glancing at the treetops. “I always loved this town. Straight out of a history book.”

“That it is.”

“To be fair, you stopped to ask for directions,” he reminded me.

“True. In Hillendale, we get around via interconnecting footpaths. I’ll get you started.”

As we walked along Broadway, shopkeepers stood on the sidewalks, hands on hips.

Ian leaned in to whisper. “Why do I feel like I’m on display?”

“Small town life. You are.”

“I’m not used to calling attention to myself.” His tone indicated he wasn’t happy.

I steeled myself for an uncomfortable conversation. “Time for that long story. I’ve already told you how I ended up in Hillendale, right?”

“I’m sensing you left out a critical detail.”

I had. Kyle. If Ian and I were the real deal, I had to trust him. “I told you I was engaged.”

“And that the wedding was called off.”

I nodded. “I was engaged to Kyle.”

“The man who nearly got run over.”

Again, I nodded. We walked on in silence and at the trail that led from the footpath to the weeping beech tree, he stopped.

He pointed to the tree. “We were here in our dreamwalk. The enchanted tree.”

“Yes.”

He wandered off the path and I followed.

“You can feel the energy.” He faced me. “I’m guessing the fact you kissed me in front of that woman in the shop has something to do with Kyle.”

I swallowed my fears. “I may have mentioned this is a small town. Everybody knows everybody else’s business. I do my best to keep my personal life private, but sometimes gossip is the quickest way to spread the news.” I hesitated, and then dove in. “The town knew about the broken engagement. They didn’t know we’d gone the extra step and ended things permanently. They do now.” I went on to explain how business had suffered the last time Kyle and I had broken up.

He frowned. “I’m not sure I appreciate being a visual aid. Why would you make matters worse?”

“Right now, they can’t get any worse. Cassandra and I are planning