No Shoes, No Shirt, No Spells (Mystic Cafe Series) (8 page)

My eyes may have been deceiving me, but the man I’d humiliated myself in front of was walking toward me. Was it a mirage? I needed to pinch myself and find out. As he neared, I soon realized I wasn’t dreaming. He was a lot taller than I was but at five-two, most people were. He grinned down at me, his green eyes sparkling. Sharp features and short blond hair made him look like a cover model, but he had a clean-cut boy-next-door quality that was surely irresistible to any woman. How had he managed to become better looking in just a few hours?

“
How’s your leg? Are you doing okay after your stumble?” He sat at the counter, placing his baseball cap next to him.

My heart thumped a little harder. In spite of my nerves, I couldn’t help but smile. “Didn’t expect to see you here after my craziness.”

“
We all have our moments, I suppose.” He chuckled, revealing dimples on each cheek.

Yes, we all had our moments. Some more than others, though, and I was almost positive I was in the ‘more’ category. I grabbed a menu, dropped it, then quickly scooped it off the floor and placed it in front of him. “What can I get for you?” No way could he possibly want to eat here again, could he?

“
How about a cup of coffee and a piece of that
cherry pie
?” He pointed. “It looks really good.”

“
I think it’s delicious. Of course, I made it, so I might be a little biased.”

Butterflies fluttered in my stomach as I turned and retrieved a plate. While I sliced the pie, I felt his gaze on me. Please don’t let me do anything stupid in front of him again. Or at least, let it be only mildly stupid. Nothing like sweeping the floor with my body and taking out his burger in the process.

“
So, are you going to tell me what was really going on yesterday?” He took a sip of coffee.

“
What do you mean?” I placed the pie in front of him. “
Whipped cream
?”

“
Sure.”

I gave the can a good shake, ready to spray the top of his slice with the yummy cream, but I had no way of knowing the container would malfunction. Whipped cream spewed from the can like kids’ Silly String. I sucked in a breath of surprise.
The sticky mess landed in his hair, on his face and shirt. I may have stopped breathing for several seconds, the wind was knocked out of me as if a football player had tackled me to the ground. I’d always been a klutz, but this topped the time I fell in the school cafeteria, landing face-first in my mashed potatoes.

My mouth hung open and my eyes probably looked like saucers. I cast a glance to Mary Jane and she had the same expression featured on her face, as if she were mimicking me. The cream dripped down the side of his cheek. He grabbed a napkin and wiped his face.

“
I am so sorry,” I finally managed. “I don’t know what happened to the can.” I tossed the container in the trashcan. “It must be defective.” Or I was defective.

His lips tilted into a smile. A bit of cream still lingered on his upper lip. “Don’t worry about it. I asked for whipped cream.” He chuckled, then licked the remnants from his finger.

“
Yeah, but not in the face.” I grabbed more napkins and handed them to him.

Mary Jane approached and offered him a wet towel. “Here this should help with the stickiness.”

“
Thanks.” He took the moist cloth.

I wanted to crawl underneath the counter and never come out. Maybe if I hid, time would reverse and this would never have happened. But that was impossible, and there was no taking it back.

“
You have a little left in your hair.” I pointed.

He swiped the towel across his head. “Did I get it?”

I reached for a napkin and rubbed the front of his head. “There, it’s all gone now. Your hair will be a little sticky, though.”

First, I ruined his lunch, and now I’d covered him in food. Not exactly my fantasy of how I’d like to cover him in whipped cream.

“
Please let me know how much it is to clean your clothing. I’ll pay for it.”

“
Are you kidding? This shirt has at least two holes in it. I need to toss it, but I hate to lose a shirt that’s already broken in. There’s no need to pay for anything,” he said.

“
If you’re sure?”

“
I’m positive. Forget it ever happened.” His gaze lingered on me for a second, then he grabbed his fork.

Believe me, I’d love to forget. But I was sure something was written in my DNA making that completely impossible. It would be etched into my brain like ancient hieroglyphics carved into a cave wall, lingering for centuries.

After taking a bite of his pie, he asked, “What was really wrong with my burger? I expected to get sick after eating it, thankfully I never did.”

Heat rose in my cheeks again. At least I’d never need blusher while around him. “I promise there was nothing wrong with it. I have a very clean kitchen, I pride myself on that.”

He nodded. “You have a nice place here, I won’t argue with that.”

He chewed his bite while looking around, then without hesitation popped another piece of pie in his mouth. I stared like some kind of stalker as he swallowed. If I’d known he was coming, I’d have done a spell on the pie, but I didn’t have the opportunity to slip back into the kitchen with it. Maybe there was something in the book that would undo the wrong spell he got lumbered with. Although, it didn’t appear anything was wrong. My magic probably didn’t work all that well anyway, so I had no idea why this magic organization was worried. No harm, no foul.

After swallowing, he said, “This is really good. I could get used to this.”

Yeah, well, I could get used to him.

“
I might become a regular around here, just to warn you.” He peered up through his long lashes.

I smiled wide. The section of my brain controlling my facial functions had ceased to function. “I’d like that.”

“
I’m Rory Covington, by the way.”

The gorgeous man stretched his muscular arm toward me. I took his hand in mine. His grip was firm, but his hand was oh-so-smooth. Yep, definitely eye candy, but did he know he was eye candy?

His touch produced a tingle in my body, almost like the electric charge I’d felt from the magic. “Nice to meet you. I’m Blair Elly.” My face heated instantly. “I mean, my name is Elly Blair.” Now I couldn’t even get my name right. I needed to buy duct tape in bulk. Using it on my mouth was the only way to stop my stupid responses.

Mary Jane made a face behind Rory’s back, pointing toward his backside. I pursed my lips and shook my head, hoping he wouldn’t notice. Too late. He turned and Mary Jane pretended to stretch and yawn. She wasn’t fooling anyone with that act.
If only crawling under the counter really was an option.

In spite of the humiliation, I remained cool as a frosty December morning. I did what any girl would do: I pretended she hadn’t been referencing Rory’s hotness. Mary Jane inched further and further away from us. I wanted to grab her shirt and tell her not to leave me alone with him. She wouldn’t have listened, though. After all, she’d gotten me into this mess.
Even though today was the first time I’d ever met Rory, in a way I felt as if we’d met before. He seemed easygoing and relaxed, the exact opposite of my ex-fiancé.

“
I own the café. I’m not normally this crazy person who knocks food out of my customers’ hands, and douses them with whipped toppings, I promise.”

“
Well, it was nice meeting you, Elly.”

“
You, too. I’d better get back to the kitchen.” I gestured with my thumb over my shoulder. “I’m getting some dirty looks. People get testy when they’re hungry and waiting for food. If you need anything else, please let Mary Jane know.”

“
You have a beautiful smile, by the way.” Tingling started at my feet and I swear it didn’t stop until it reached the top of my head. Honest to goodness.

He smiled in return and our gazes locked. My stomach fluttered. Before I could continue the conversation which, by the way, was going wonderfully compared to the earlier event, what’s-his-face stepped out from the kitchen.

Mary Jane tried to cut him off at the pass. I wasn’t the panicky type, but the knot in the pit of my stomach grew and I didn’t like it. Tom approached Mary Jane and they stood by the door, talking in a hushed tone. Her distraction tactic didn’t work on my elixir examiner though, because within a second he stood beside me. Too close, as if he had appointed himself my bodyguard. His musky scent invaded my space.

Tom studied Rory. The smile slid off Rory’s face. This situation was turning a dark corner quickly and I doubted I’d find the light switch in time to avoid the impending disaster. What if Rory thought something was going on between Tom and me? I didn’t want to ruin my chances with Rory. Not that I had a chance, especially after yesterday, but the fact that Rory had returned was a good sign. And he’d just complimented my smile. That equaled flirting in my book. Rory stared at Tom while finishing off his pie. By the expression on his face, he had a message for him: he wasn’t intimidated.

Tom studied Rory. The smile slid off Rory’s face. This situation was turning a dark corner quickly and I doubted I’d find the light switch in time to avoid the impending disaster.

Chapter Twelve

“
How’s everything going out here?” Tom draped his arm around my shoulders.

I wanted to knock him on the ground. I shimmied out from under his arm.

“
I think you have some customers waiting.” Tom winked at me.

He acted as if he owned the place. I was still the owner and I planned to keep it that way.

“
Everything is fine,” I said through gritted teeth.

“
Can I see you in the kitchen, Elly?” Tom asked.

“
I’m busy right now, Tom.” This didn’t look good in front of Rory, and the puzzled look on his face let me know as much.

“
Well, Elly, this is very important. Urgent, as a matter of fact.” He stiffened up, then eased the tension from his jaw as his mouth twisted into a smile.

What could possibly be so urgent? Unless the kitchen was on fire. Oh no. I turned to look at the kitchen. Whew. No smoke, it appeared to be safe.

“
I’ll be right back.” I held up my index finger.

“
Sure.” Rory flashed that perfect lop-sided grin of his as he lifted his coffee mug.

I stomped toward the kitchen with Tom following on my heels.

“
This had better be good for dragging me away from a customer.” I crossed my arms in front of my chest.

“
Is that him?” Tom motioned with a tilt of his head. “I can’t believe he came back after what you did.” He smirked.

“
I don’t think I need any commentary out of you.”

“
So answer my question, is it him?”

“
Yes, it is.”

“
And you said his name is Rory Covington?”

“
I never said anything. Were you eavesdropping on our conversation? You were, weren’t you?”

He ignored my question. “I’m going to need to talk with him.”

“
You aren’t going to tell him about the magic, are you?”

“
Of course not. But I do need to know if he suffered any effects from it. It’s critical to whether you get to keep practicing magic and continue running this café.”

I hadn’t wanted to practice magic in the first place. Although, I admit I was starting to have fun with it. I didn’t want to lose the café though, so what choice did I have?

With a shrug of my shoulders, I said, “I can’t stop you from talking with him. But please, do you have to stand so close while
I’m
talking to him? He’ll get the wrong idea about us.”

“
Are you interested in dating him?”

“
What business is that of yours? He’s a customer, I like talking with customers.”

“
Uh-huh. Don’t get your feathers ruffled. I’m going to schedule a time to talk with him. If you’ll excuse me.” He brushed past.

“
Gladly!” I followed him out of the kitchen.