Total pages in book: 42
Estimated words: 39170 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 196(@200wpm)___ 157(@250wpm)___ 131(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 39170 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 196(@200wpm)___ 157(@250wpm)___ 131(@300wpm)
Silence greeted her questions. She had enough time to draw a little heart in the flour mixture with her spoon and rush to smooth it out before anyone noticed. Finally, she shifted to glance at him. Had he even heard–
Conrad was staring at her, energy pulsing from him. An electrifying energy that seemed to say, You are what I look for in a girlfriend. You’re my top three must haves.
Her mouth dried and it took everything inside her not to tremble under the heat radiating from his gaze. No. This simply would not do. If anything, finding Benjamin's journal had only solidified the danger of the curse. Not even Lily’s sage advice had helped. Conrad would not suffer under Jane’s watch.
“I’m being serious,” she told him, adding a smile she didn’t feel.
He pursed his lips. “You’re matchmaking me, aren’t you?”
“Maybe. Trust me, you’ll thank me later,” she told him with a humph.
Another loaded pause. Then, “I’m seriously kicking myself for not anticipating this, but all right. I’ll play along.” He slid his bowl her way. As she combined wet with dry, he crossed his arms over his chest, a calculated gleam glowing brighter and brighter in his eyes. “My top three must haves, in order of preference. One.” He extended an index finger. “She must be unwaveringly kind, savagely honest, fiercely loyal, and lovingly vicious. But she must also be enchantingly naïve and bafflingly smart in the most illogical ways, with stunning confidence and odd insecurities in equal measure.”
Her eyes widened. “That’s a single requirement?” She shook as she poured cake batter into three pans. “And it’s a must have, you say, with absolutely zero wiggle room?” Was there even such an—admittedly amazing sounding—person out there?
“Two,” he continued as if she hadn’t spoken, holding up a second finger. “If she can’t whip up a feast just because, using only the ingredients she has on hand, she’s not for me.”
Oookay. Talk about random and specific. “Can she at least borrow sugar from a neighbor if necessary?”
Again he continued without acknowledging her question. Lifting another finger, he said, “Third. When I’m with her, I want to feel like I’m part of a family again. As if losing everything over and over again wasn’t an anchor meant to drown me, but a tool that shaped me into the man this woman needs. Someone who appreciates her quirks, sees the value of her generous heart, and remains unafraid to fight for what he wants. No matter how long it takes.”
Jane reeled as she slid the pans into the oven to bake. So much to unpack. The woman he’d just described…the man he’d just described. Sweet goodness! No wonder she’d almost fallen in love with him.
She set the timer and shifted to face him with growing reluctance. “I’m gonna be honest with you. I might have better luck creating your ideal partner from a computer program.”
“You can’t think of anyone who might qualify?” he asked, glancing skyward before crossing to the sink to get started on cleaning the dishes they’d dirtied.
“No.” And she so wished she could because she longed to be the incomparable woman’s friend. Though the friendship would be tough considering said woman was enjoying everything Jane had ever wanted.
She fished out her next recipe, ready to start the batch of pumpkin cream cheese cookies. “What led to your breakups with your past girlfriends?” Her chest clenched as she re-popped the lid on the flour canister. “Besides me, I mean.”
A pause. Then, “It’s my turn to be honest with you,” he said, drying his hands and closing in on her. Heat wafted from him. The scent of him enveloped her.
Her knees trembled. She waited, but he didn’t offer any additional information. Or reach for her.
“Yes,” she prompted, breathless, looking anywhere but Conrad, “please do be honest with me.” The man could be so closed off about himself, which she understood, but this moment felt important, as if the two of them were advancing across a rickety bridge together.
“I will. But first…look at me Jane,” he said, his voice tight with an emotion she couldn’t define. He leaned his hip against the counter. “I only want to say this once, and I’d rather not declare it to the side of your face.”
Her grip tightened on the spoon. She steeled herself before rotating toward him. He captured and searched her gaze. The longing in his dark eyes nearly drove her to her knees.
“I learned a long time ago not to hold on to anyone,” he said. “I’d only hurt worse when they left me. And they always left me.”
The statement struck her as one part admission and one part challenge. No doubt losing his family in the car accident and then moving from one foster home to another had seared that lesson into his brain.
“Before us,” he continued, “I had never been in a serious relationship. I didn’t want to be. I was happiest dating someone casually for a few months, then deciding to move on for some reason or another. No harm, no foul.”