Page 76 of Sweetwater and the Witch

Adelaide and Natalie stood together on the veranda. The muffled music and laughter of the ballroom seemed to come from another dimension. From their vantage point they could not see the gazebo, but there was no mistaking the sparks of paranormal energy that danced in the atmosphere at the edge of the lake.

Adelaide smiled, satisfied. “I think I see fireworks.”

“I do believe I see them, too,” Natalie said. “If he breaks her heart, I swear I will destroy him.”

“You won’t have to do it alone. You’ll have plenty of backup from the rest of the family. But according to Jake Sweetwater, the real problem is that she might break Ethan’s heart. Evidently when the Sweetwaters fall, they fall hard.”

“So do the Chastains,” Natalie said.

Adelaide smiled. “Yes, they do.”

Chapter Thirty-Eight

“I can’t go back in there,” Ravenna announced. “Not after that scene in the ballroom. And not looking like I’ve been having wild sex in a gazebo.”

“Okay,” Ethan said. He fastened his shirt and tucked it into his trousers while he watched Ravenna pull up the top of the evening gown. He was feeling much too satisfied, too content, to argue about anything, including the merits of making another appearance in the ballroom. “I doubt that anyone will be expecting us to do an encore.”

“Good. That’s good.”

She turned around so he could zip the back of the sadly crushed gown. Something about the small act of putting her back together struck him as delightfully intimate. Her body was still warm from the lovemaking, and the scent of passion whispered around her. When he got the zipper up, he leaned forward and kissed the curve of her throat.

“I’m not inclined to go back into that ballroom, either,” he said. “But for the record, the wild-sex-in-a-gazebo look is good on you.”

She turned back to face him and gave him a slow once-over with sultry eyes. “The look works for you, too.”

“A win-win. We should do it more often.”

The heat in her eyes faded. “This makes it official, doesn’t it? You are no longer a client and we are having an affair.”

“I’m not sure there is anything official about an affair,” he said. “We could fix that with a Marriage of Convenience if you want some legal paperwork.”

“Absolutely not. MCs are tacky. Professional matchmakers can’t be involved in Marriages of Convenience. It sends a bad message.”

“But an affair is okay?”

“As long as we are discreet it will be okay. Unmarried matchmakers are allowed to date. We do have social lives, but we are expected to avoid scandals. There will be a big one when Ms.Ottoway realizes we are not actually engaged. I’ve decided the best thing I can do is resign as soon as we get back to Illusion Town. That way I won’t put the agency’s brand at risk.”

“You’re going to quit your job because we’re not really engaged? That sounds a little screwy if you ask me.”

“Trust me,” Ravenna said, “matchmakers have to walk a very narrow line.”

“Even in Illusion Town, where just about anything goes?”

“People take Covenant Marriage seriously in Illusion Town, just as they do everywhere else,” she said.

He took his jacket off the railing. “Does this mean you’ll have to change careers again?”

“No, I don’t think so.” Ravenna sat down on a bench and slipped on the high heels. “My friend Sybil says I’m welcome to enter into apartnership with her. She’s trying to build a niche market by matching high-end, hard-to-match talents.”

“If Willis and Hatch are examples of the dates she’s arranged for you so far, I can’t say I’m impressed with her agency’s work.”

“Anomalies, I’m sure,” Ravenna said. “Even professional matchmakers can make mistakes.”

“I’ve noticed that,” Ethan said.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

“I can’t believe we got through breakfast without anyone asking us about last night,” Ravenna said. “I was sure Mom and Grandmother would grill me. I thought my dad would try to pin you down, too. Instead everyone acted like nothing happened. I guess no one wanted to embarrass us.”

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