Page 67 of Two Hearts' Ploy

“Here,” he said, handing over the gift bag. “I was going to save this for later, but you can open it now if you’d like.”

She smiled widely as Jeff reached for some plates for the sandwiches.

“Oh, Jeff,” she said, sounding breathless a few minutes later when she stared at his gift. “This has got to be the most beautiful accent lamp I’ve ever seen.”

“It’s handmade,” he admitted. “There’s an artisan who takes orders through the gift shop at the Inn, and I gave him some specs so he could make it just for you.”

It was a pair of dragonflies, exquisitely painted in shades of rosy-purple and teal, and once she plugged it in, it created a smoky glow from within.

As Wren ate her sandwich, she kept gazing at the lamp, and Jeff could swear there were tears in her eyes.

“Let’s take it upstairs and put it on the dresser for now,” she murmured, once they were done eating.

After a long hot bath, they made love, slowly, tenderly. Jeff wasn’t sure how he was going to be able to survive having to let her go. It would be like the better half of him was gone.

Chapter Forty-Four

Three days later, Wren was reluctantly making plans to go back to L.A., and Robin would be joining her because Wren had agreed to take responsibility for her during the next several months while Robin was dealing with all her legal troubles.

Although they tried to remain upbeat, both she and Jeff were definitely feeling kind of blue. They tried to fit in everything that they hadn’t been able to do while security had been tight, including returning to the top of Crystal Rock, because for some strange reason, Jeff had insisted they go back.

When they reached the peak, he pulled her into his arms, kissing her passionately.

Wren suddenly remembered the folklore – kissing at Dragonfly Pointe meant everlasting love.

The thought brought tears to her eyes. That had sure been happening a lot during the past few days.

She was packing when she came upon the ring, which Jeff had obviously left in the drawer for her to find.

When she saw how stunning it was, she started to cry. Staring at the diamond ring, with its vintage dragonfly setting, she knew she wasn’t going to be able to leave it here. In fact, Wren had the feeling that it was why Jeff had left it.

Before she closed her luggage, she reached for her dragonfly lamp, wrapping it back into its original box and carefully packing it inside her suitcase.

She had one more thing that belonged to Jeff.

Staring at the key ring in her hand, she smiled wryly before stuffing his house and garage keys into her purse.

Nope, she decided, grinning. No way was she going to give them back.

* * *

“You’ll call and let me know you’re alright while you’re on the road?” Jeff asked, looking grim.

“I will,” Wren answered from behind the wheel, her SUV idling in Jeff’s driveway. She was heading to the hospital to pick Robin up before making the cross-country trip back to L.A. It was the best way to get to know each other, she’d decided. “As soon as I have a copy of the video, I’ll forward it to you.”

Jeff smiled widely. “I’m definitely looking forward to seeing it.”

She laughed.

“When will your album be released?”

“Within the month,” she said. “I promise I’m going to stay in touch.”

“I hope you mean that,” he said gently. “I’ll understand if it gets too difficult.”

She swallowed, trying hard not to cry.

But then she got out of the car, hugging him tightly before stepping back inside, backing out from the driveway and honking as she drove away.

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