I laughed. “Business? What could we possibly have in common when it came to that?”
A look of hurt moved over her face before it disappeared.
She looked around. “Can we go somewhere quiet?”
A strange feeling swept over me, and I knew if I went anywhere with Wendy Hoffman, I would be in a heap of trouble.
“Whatever you need to say, you can say it here.”
She sighed. “Fine. Rumor has it you’re involved with Hollie Craft. I stopped by earlier to see if I could help set up and saw the two of you coming out of the office together, and it was clear to everyone looking that something was going on between the two of you.”
“And that’s a problem why?”
“She’s crazy, Locus. Did you know she’s now claiming to be a witch? Just like her nutty sister and aunt.”
I didn’t say anything. Instead, I slipped my hands into my pant pockets.
“Lucas, you hold a very prominent position with the city. What if they found out you were dating someone who thought she was a…a witch?”
Leaning in closer, I asked, “You do know what town we live in, Wendy, right? The mayor practices witchcraft. Besides, doesn’t your mom dabble with crystals?”
“She most certainly does not!”
I let out a frustrated sigh. “Listen, Wendy, whatever you have to say about Hollie isn’t going to work. We’re dating. I don’t care if she thinks she is a poodle. So, if you’re done, I’m going to excuse myself. My girlfriend just walked in.”
Whipping her head toward the front door, Wendy gasped, then turned back to me. “You’re dating her? You’re honestly dating her?” Wendy let out a disbelieving laugh. “You hate her!”
I took a step closer to Wendy. “You have her mistaken for you. I don’t care that your sister is now engaged to my brother. If you so much as look at Hollie the wrong way, you will regret it.”
Her mouth fell open, and she stared at me with a shocked expression before it turned cold. “Is that a threat?”
I stood up tall, took a couple of steps back, and then winked. “That is a promise.”
The feel of soft, warm lips on my body caused me to roll over and smile the moment I saw Hollie kneeling on my bed with a cup of coffee in her hand.
“Good morning, sleeping beauty,” she purred before leaning down and giving me a quick kiss on the lips before moving back so I could sit up.
I scrubbed my hand down my face and yawned. “What time is it?”
“It’s six-thirty. I think you forgot to set your alarm.”
Taking the coffee, I took a drink and sighed. “Thank God you’re up at the crack of dawn every day. I’ve got a meeting this morning.”
Giving me a wink, Hollie said, “You’re welcome. I’ve already gone for a short run on your treadmill and showered. Want me to make you a smoothie while you hop in the shower?”
“That would be amazing. I’ll take this with me.”
She giggled and headed out of my bedroom.
After showering and putting a suit on, since the meeting was with city officials, I made my way to the kitchen. I had heard the blender going a little bit ago, but now, the house was silent.Hollie wasn’t in the kitchen, and when I called out, she didn’t answer.
The smoothie was in the freezer, and when I glanced out the back window, I saw Hollie standing out there, staring into the backyard.
“Hey,” I said as I stepped out onto my back patio. “It’s freezing out here.”
Hollie turned and had tears in her eyes. My entire world nearly dropped out from under me. I rushed over to her. “What’s wrong?”
She slowly shook her head, opened her mouth to speak, then shut it.