Page 34 of Dumbstruck
Something like surprise flickers across Jonah’s face, lifting his eyebrows. “Smith? Really?”
“Let’s not complicate things.”
“Yes, ma’am. Mr. and Mrs. Smith, reporting for duty.” He salutes Dexter and offers his arm to me once more, directing me toward town.
Neither of us says anything as we make our approach, Dexter several paces behind us, but I sense a shift between us. As soon as we’re within sight of town, we’re going to have to pretend to be a long-married couple. Jonah told me how to act old, but I don’t think his quick little lesson is going to help me act in love.
Then again, as I look over and meet Jonah’s gaze as Laketown comes into sight, a burst of warmth rushes through me, leaving me with a burning sensation in my chest. It’s like sitting in front of a crackling fire in the dead of winter. Warm, peaceful, perfect.
Maybe being Jonah’s wife won’t be as difficult as I fear.
Chapter Ten
Jonah
JuneMargaretHarperis,without a doubt, the worst kind of distraction, something I am reminded of when we get to the diner. I struggle with the door, pretending it’s heavy, and hold it open for June, who waits for me on the other side so I can take her arm once more. We slowly make our way through the crowded room, and I help June into a booth seat like it’s a daunting task for us both.
It’s when June looks up at me when she gets settled, her eyes big and soft, that I forget myself and lean down, pressing my mouth to hers. It’s just a peck. Less than the kiss she gave me on our walk. But I feel it down to my bones and can barely remember what I’m supposed to be doing. The ball of lead inside me burns hotter than ever.
June’s hand finds my chest, holding me at bay before I move in for another, more intentional kiss, and she gives me a gentle shove to force me upright again. “Easy, tiger,” she whispers. “You shouldn’t get frisky in public.”
I can’t stop the laugh that crackles out of me. “Frisky?” Her word choice is enough to push me back into character, so I take my time shuffling to the other side of the booth and dropping into the seat without grace. I place my cane on the far end of the table and then drop my chin onto my hand so I can smile at my beautiful wife.
And sheisbeautiful. Even all oldified, June is stunning, and since the moment I first saw her after Katie worked her magic, I haven’t been able to stop imagining my future life. It’s been so long since I dated that I can’t remember the last time I even pictured myself with another person, but I can see it now.
Not necessarily with June. I’m not that crazy. But I can picture myself old and weary, sitting with my wife on a wraparound porch that overlooks a few acres of land. My parents like to sit on the porch swing my dad built years ago and watch the sky change from dusk to dark, and they say it never gets old, spending those quiet hours together. The older I get, the more I want something like what they have.
It’s never been all that accessible since my rise to fame, but maybe…
“You look ridiculous grinning at me like that,” June says, her voice husky and deep in a way that pierces me straight in the chest.
My head slips from my hand. “That’s your old woman voice?” I whisper, a measure of panic in my words.
She frowns. “What’s wrong with it?”
What’s wrong is the shiver of desire that ran through me at the sound of it. Not exactly giving me sweet old lady vibes. I shift in my seat, glad I can’t easily lean across the table to kiss her again because I might never stop if I did. I cough and look around for a server before I get any ideas. I meet Dexter’s gaze for half a second as he takes a seat at the bar, but I keep my focus elsewhere. “Maybe try a different voice,” I murmur, catching the attention of a woman in a white apron.
“Hiya!” the server says as she comes up to our table with two glasses of water. “Welcome to Gigi’s! My name is Karina, and I’ll be taking care of you today. Can I get any other drinks for you two?”
I look at June, wishing I knew her drink preferences so I could better play the doting husband. My mind flashes back to this morning in her kitchen, and I smile as I remember seeing a large canister tucked away on her countertop. “My lovely wife would like a hot chocolate,” I say in a croaky voice. “Coffee for me, please.” I already downed an energy drink before Shara from makeup got started on my face, but I’m all for more pep in my step.
“Oh,” June says, her voice less sexy and more raspy, “honey, are you sure you want the caffeine this late in the day?”
I lift an eyebrow. “Well, I was thinking—”
“You know your stomach doesn’t take kindly to it after ten.”
Holding back a laugh, I reach across the table and pat her hand. “You’re quite right, my dear. Maybe a hot chocolate for me too then.”
“You got it,” Karina says, handing us a couple of menus before disappearing through a door on the other side of the diner.
“You’re no fun,” I say immediately, flicking open the menu to see if there’s anything remotely healthy I can order. I should stick to comfort food to fit my old man persona, but my gut won’t love that on top of the hot chocolate after my heavy breakfast this morning. “I was looking forward to that coffee.”
June chuckles as she lifts her own menu. “I think you’re plenty energetic already,darling. I’m not sure your old body can handle it the way it used to.”
“Ah, sometimes I miss the days when you didn’t have such a hold over me, Maggie dear.” I can’t see it beneath the makeup, but I imagine June blushing, and I can’t help but smirk at her.
Narrowing her eyes, she sips her water and says, “That was never, dear.”
