No matter. It had been wrong of him to intrude on her the way he had. Rude and wrong, and he'd been sorry for it almost as soon as he'd done it.
He would have to apologize for it, of course. There were rules of conduct that neither intimacy nor animosity could excuse breaking.
No time like the present, he decided. He culled the most pressing paperwork and tucked it in his briefcase. He'd speak to Mia, then grab some takeout and finish his work at home over a meal. Unless he could convince her to have dinner
with him, as a peace offering. Then work could wait. He walked out of the hotel just as Mia stepped out of the bookstore across the street. They stood where they were a moment, each obviously caught off guard. Then she swiveled on her heel and walked toward a spiffy little convertible.
He had to dash across the street to catch her before she slipped into it.
"Mia. A minute. "
"Go to hell. "
"You can send me there after I apologize. " He snagged the car door she'd swung open and closed it again. "I was completely in the wrong. I have no excuse for that kind of discourtesy. "
Being surprised didn't mean being mollified. "I don't recall you ever being so quick with an apology before. " She gave a little shrug. "Fine. Accepted. Go away. "
"Give me five minutes. "
"No. "
"Five minutes, Mia. I've been cooped up all day, and I could use a walk and some fresh air. "
She wouldn't struggle with him for the car door. It would be - and look to the people who were trying to pretend they weren't watching - undignified. "No one's stopping you. There's a great deal of air around here. "
"Give me a chance to explain. A casual walk on the beach," he said quietly. "If you blow me off, you're just going to give them more to talk about. And me more to wonder about. A friendly conversation, in public, doesn't hurt either of us. "
"All right. " She dropped her car keys in the pocket of her long gray dress. "Five minutes. "
She took a deliberate step away from him, slid her hands into her pockets, and jingled her keys as they walked along High Street toward the beach.
"Was your first day productive?"
"It was a good start. Do you remember Stella Farley?"
"Of course. I see her quite often. She belongs to the book club at the store. "
"Mmm. " Another reminder that she'd been here while changes had taken place and he hadn't. "She has some ideas for getting back some of our lunch business that you've been stealing away. "
"Really?" Mia asked, amused. "Good luck. " She felt people watching them as they turned toward the seawall. She stopped there, sliding out of her shoes before stepping onto the sand.
"I'll carry them. "
"No, thanks. "
The sea was a warm blue, deeper toward the horizon. Shells heaved up by the last high tide scattered the shore. Gulls circled, wheeled, cried.
"I felt you," he began. "Yesterday. I felt you and I reacted. That's not an excuse, it's a reason. "
"I've already said accepted. "
"Mia. " He reached out, but his fingers only brushed her sleeve as she moved away.
"I don't want you to touch me. That's basic. "
"We were friends once. "
She stopped to stare at him out of cold gray eyes. "Were we?"
"You know we were. We were more than lovers, more than . . . " Mates, he'd nearly said. "It wasn't just passion. We cared about each other. We shared thoughts. "
"Now my thoughts are my own, and I don't need any more friends. "
"Lovers? You never married. "
She turned that staggering face on him, and her expression was all female and smug. "If I wanted a lover or a husband, I'd have one. "
"No question about it," he murmured. "You're the most extraordinary creature. I thought of you. "
"Stop," she warned. "Stop now. "
"Damn it, I'll say what I have to say. I thought of you. " He dropped his briefcase, grabbed her arms, as some of the frustration broke through. "I thought of us. What's happened in between doesn't erase what we were to each other. "
"You erased it. Now you have to live with it, as I did. "
"It's not just about us. " He tightened his grip. He could feel her vibrating and knew she could strike out, woman or witch, at any moment. "You know that as well as I do. "
"There is no us. Do you think after all this time, after all I've done, all I've learned, I'd let fate toy with me again? I won't be used. Not by you, not by a centuries-old curse. "
A single bolt of white lightning speared out of the clear sky and blasted into the sand between his feet. He didn't jerk back, but it was a near thing.
His throat was dry, but he nodded. "You always did have exquisite control. "
"Remember that. And remember this: I am done with you. "
"Not by a long shot. You need me to break the spell. Are you really willing to risk everything, everyone, for pride?"
"Pride?" Her color drained, and her body went still. "You arrogant jackass, do you think this is pride?
You broke my heart. "
The words, the way her voice trembled, had him dropping his hands.
"More than broke it. You crushed it into dust. I loved you. I would have gone anywhere, done anything for you. I mourned for you, until I thought I would die from it. "
"Mia. " Shaken, he reached up to touch her hair, only to have his hand slapped aside.
"But I didn't die, Sam. I got over you, and got on with my life. I like who I am now, and there's no going back for me. If you came here thinking differently, you're wasting your time. You won't have me again, and what you won't have - what you tossed aside - would have been the best thing in your life. "
She walked away from him in long, unhurried strides and left him alone to stare out at the sea, knowing she was right.