Page 43 of Sorcia's Heart
“We are,” he assured her, “but I’d rather have dinner here first and talk to Melanie again before we go.Is that okay?”
She smiled, nodding.“Sounds perfect.”
Normally, they would’ve conjured up a meal on the spot, but this time, Marcus drove them down a winding country road.About five miles from the lab, he turned into a gravel parking lot that kicked up a cloud of dust as he parked.Sorcia blinked in confusion as she glanced at the unassuming building.
“What are we doing here?”she asked.
Marcus grinned as he stepped out of the SUV, waving his hand to clear the dust from the air.“This,” he said, gesturing to the modest establishment, “is where you’ll find the best barbecue in the world.It doesn’t look like much, but I promise you won’t be disappointed.”
She followed him out of the car, wrinkling her nose at the lingering dust.“I forgot how much you love to eat,” she teased.“I’m gaining weight from all this food, Marcus.”
He chuckled, holding the door open for her.“Then we’ll fly faster.Burn off those calories.”
Her laugh was light, but as they stepped inside, the rich, smoky aroma of slow-cooked meat hit her senses.Her stomach growled, and she couldn’t help but admit—he might be right about this place.
“Oh my, this is going to be good,” Sorcia muttered under her breath, her eyes sweeping over the chalkboard menu.
“I love a woman who appreciates a good meal,” Marcus teased as he led her to one of the rustic tables.The atmosphere was charmingly simple—clean windows framed by red gingham curtains, and the only menu was the chalkboard listing today’s offerings: barbecue chicken with biscuits and spiced corn on the cob.
Sorcia leaned back in her surprisingly comfortable chair, watching as Marcus approached the man coming out from behind the counter.The large, jovial man greeted Marcus with a hearty hug, and they exchanged words that made the man laugh so loudly the sound filled the small space.He wore a white dress shirt and an apron dusted with flour and spices, his broad grin lighting up his face.With a wave of his hand, two heaping plates of food appeared.Marcus paid for the meal, then carried the plates and glasses of iced tea back to their table.
“This smells delicious!”Sorcia exclaimed, leaning forward to examine the food.“What were you two talking about?”
Marcus set a plate in front of her and gave her a casual, knowing smile.“You.”
She blinked.“What about me?”
Marcus handed her a fork, his voice calm but laced with meaning.“He asked if you were the woman who broke my heart two years ago.”
Sorcia froze, the fork in her hand hovering mid-air.“What?”Her voice was sharper than she intended.
“He asked if you were–”
“I heard you the first time,” she interrupted, setting the fork down with more force than necessary.“But I wasn’t the one who broke your heart.You cheated on me.”
He sighed, leaning his elbows on the table, his focus shifting momentarily to his corn on the cob.“You don’t really believe that, Sorcia.Not deep down.As I told you before, that’s just an excuse you wanted to believe because what you felt for me scared the hell out of you.”
“That’s–” she started, but he cut her off.
“Not true?Isn’t it?”His voice was calm, but his eyes locked onto hers, steady and unrelenting.“I know that’s what you tell yourself, but do you really believe it?”He bit into his corn, savoring it.“Damn, this is good!”
She stared at him, her heart pounding in her chest.She wanted to deny his accusation outright, to throw his words back in his face and stand firm in her anger.But the denial didn’t come.Instead, a small voice in the back of her mind whispered that he might be right.Had she been so scared of how deeply she loved him that she clung to the first excuse to push him away?Had she ruined the best thing in her life because she couldn’t trust herself to hold onto it?
Her thoughts reeled as his words struck at the heart of her fears.She hated the way they felt true.And yet, she couldn’t bring herself to fully admit it—not yet.
“Stop trying to overthink everything, Sorcia,” he said gently, his voice cutting through her spiraling thoughts.He nudged her plate closer to her.“Eat.The food is truly delicious.”
She stabbed at the chicken, but her appetite had vanished.Her thoughts swirled, chasing themselves in circles.Was he right?Had she really been so scared of what they’d had that she’d destroyed it herself?And if she was, what did that mean for them now?
Her hand trembled slightly as she brought the fork to her mouth.The chicken was flavorful and tender, but she barely tasted it.She was too caught up in the storm of emotions his words had unleashed, each bite making her feel like she was chewing over the past instead of her food.
She had only managed a couple of bites when Marcus’s phone buzzed.“That was unusually fast.”
“What did you find out?”
Sorcia immediately set down her fork, her attention snapping to him.She watched his expression shift, the muscles in his jaw tightening with tension and focus.
“Great.Good work.We’ll be there in less than ten minutes,” Marcus said, already rising from his seat.
