Page 25 of Her Dreadful Will
She propped her chin on her folded hands and looked at Achan, trying to still the flutter in her heart which unfortunately happened every time she locked eyes with him. “I told you about my globe-trotting parents. Tell me about yours. Where are you from?”
“West,” he said. “California.”
“Really?”
“You sound shocked.”
“You don’t give me ‘California boy’ vibes.”
“I never really fit in there, which is why I left it far behind. Went to the University of Alabama at Birmingham for my degree. They have one of the top dental programs in the country.”
“Any particular specialty?”
“General practice,” he said. “But I’m very good with dental anesthesiology and the restorative sciences. You could say I have an affinity for those areas. I suppose I’m something of a prodigy in the field.”
Soleil’s ears perked at the wordaffinity; but she knew it was a perfectly common term. Witches might have adopted it to describe their primary powers, but humans were just as likely to use it. Nothing odd about that.
The conversation moved into a discussion of college life and its challenges. Soleil realized that like her, Achan hadn’t partied or socialized much in college. Of course,shehad been busy attending the virtual Institute for witches whenever she wasn’t going to classes for her business degree. Achan had apparently been too busy immersing himself in multiple specialties to have much fun, especially after the breakup with his girlfriend.
“So we’re both studious types. And we both jumped straight into business after graduation.” His eyes captured hers. “Were you ready for it?”
Her heart shuddered at the intensity in his gaze. “For what? For opening the shop?”
“For being alone. On your own. All this responsibility, a new town, no friends.”
“I’ve been lucky enough to make many friends since I’ve been here.”Too braggy, Soleil. Rein it in.“I mean—the people here have been really friendly.”
“Oh yes,” he said, with a significant look at their server, who stomped across the room to slam plates in front of a trio of startled diners. “Very friendly.”
“She’s kind of smitten with you, isn’t she?” Soleil winced.
“You noticed.”
“It’s impossible not to. I think she hates me just for being here with you.”
“Don’t spare her a thought. I love that you’re here with me.”
Her face heating, Soleil traced the edge of the table with her thumb. “It’s the least I could do after you put up with my panicked delusions of rotten teeth.”
He didn’t say anything for a moment as the server plunked down two glasses of ice water in front of them and swept away without acknowledging Soleil’s murmured thanks.
“I think your tooth incident was the best thing that has happened to me since I moved here. Never have I been so happy to offer emergency hours.”
Guilt gnawed Soleil as she remembered him lying pale and unconscious on the sidewalk. She couldn’t look at him, so she focused on the caramel-colored line where the tabletop met the veneer edging.
“I’ve made you uncomfortable,” he said after a moment. “I apologize.”
She might not have been able to see his sphere, but she could hear the shade of regret in his voice.
“It’s not you.” The words came out in a rush. “I have to tell you something, and if you decide to leave afterward, I’ll totally understand. I can be really thoughtless sometimes—I do things that are justwrong.”
His lashes lowered, squeezing his eyes to glittering slits. “Oh really?”
“The other night I was out, um, running—and it was dark, and I smashed into someone on the sidewalk. Knocked him flat. Knocked him out cold, actually. I was scared, I guess, so I checked his pulse and then I just left. The guy I knocked down—it was you.”
She cringed, risking a look at his face.
“Wow.” His mouth tightened, and he swirled the ice cubes in his glass. “I woke up and I had no idea what happened. I thought I passed out.”
