Page 61 of Christmas Magic

How did he unlock what he couldn’t remember? There must be a way—

Outside, a dark-haired male paused by the curb. A vague sense of recognition skittered at the back of Lucian’s mind, but for some reason, he envisioned the guy with short blond hair, not longish dark brown.

The man, who appeared to be reading messages on his phone, glanced in Lucian’s direction. Their gazes met through the glass.

Lucian knew him. How?

The bell on the door tinkled.

“Thank goodness. I’m so glad you’re here, Lucian.”

Roberta. The older woman looked flushed and a bit nervous.

“Hello again. Nice to see you.”

Lucian’s stole a glance at the lamppost. The dark-haired man was gone.

Damnation.

Roberta crossed to Lucian and then peered about, as though searching to see if any other customers were in the store, perhaps even hiding behind the larger furnishings.

“How can I help you?” he asked.

“Are we alone?”

“We are—at the moment.”

She peered up at him, her stare unnervingly intense. “Oh, Lucian. I can’t stop thinking about you.”

She gazed at him so earnestly. Argh.

While he remembered their conversation from earlier that morning, he hadn’t gotten the impression that they were romantically involved.

Were they? Had he courted her but they’d had parted ways?

Bollocks. Maybe he’d forgotten that, too.

He cleared his throat. While he hated the thought of disappointing her, he must kindly and gently tell her that Cora was the only woman for him. “Roberta—”

“I didn’t believe any of it when Cora first told me. I mean, who would?”

Ah. Had Roberta recognized that Cora was his one true love? That might make things easier.

“Then friends mentioned they’d seen you at Coquina Castle with Cora. After your strange behavior at the bakery as well, I decided I couldn’t stay silent a moment longer. It just wouldn’t be right—”

“Hold on.”

“Yes?”

“What was strange about my behavior at the bakery?”

“Well, for a start, your standing guard.”

Lucian frowned. “I was doing my honorable duty.”

Roberta shook her head. “You didn’t have to. That’s not what you normally do.”

“What do I normally do, then?”