Page 84 of Christmas Magic

Whydid he have so much trouble remembering? He wasn’t spellbound, despite what Molly had claimed last night. But, the memory lapses were tiresome. Maybe a good night’s sleep tonight—in a bed, not on the sofa—would help clear his mind.

“I used to walk on the beach a lot,” Cora said, her tone thoughtful.

“By yourself?” Perhaps it had been her favorite kind of exercise.

She shook her head. “First, with Fred. Then, with my late husband. My spouse and I usually went for a stroll after we’d eaten dinner in town.”

Lucian bit into another cookie.

“Fred and I…. We met when we were in our late teens. We were both spending our summers in Cat’s Paw Cove.”

“He didn’t live in town?”

“No. His parents owned a house in Orlando. He’d been invited to stay here with his aunt and uncle for the summer. I’d come to spend a couple of months with my grandmother while working part-time at Mistletoe Diner. That restaurant’s gone now—it closed years ago—but I met quite a few locals there, including Roberta and Fred.”

Lucian smiled. “I can’t imagine you as a waitress.”

She laughed. “Roberta was too, for a while. I was good at my job. I made great tips.”

“You also found yourself a suitor.”

“Suitor?” She waved her hand, and the rings on her fingers sparkled. “That’s such an old-fashioned word.”

“He did court you, though.”

“Fred was my first serious boyfriend.” She rubbed her thumb against her wine glass, and her expression sobered. “I’ve never cared about anyone the way I did him.”

Lucian leaned forward, elbows on his knees, his wine glass balanced between his fingers.

What she’d said about never caring for anyone as much as she had Fred? Hard to believe he’d experienced doubt earlier, because that’s exactly how he felt about her—and always would.

Cora sipped her wine and fought a grin. He’d eaten three cookies. She hadn’t even had to persuade him. A short while ago, she’d suspected the enchantment had been wearing off and had thought she’d have to work a bit to make him eat more of the baked treats and revive the spell, but he hadn’t hesitated at all.

Having him in love with her was splendid. She’d run out of cookies soon, though. If only she hadn’t given the rest of the sprinkles to Roberta. Maybe she should ask to have them back…or perhaps she’d try to track down the woman from the craft fair and buy magic sprinkles in bulk. Then Lucian would definitely be hers for the rest of his life.

“How long did you date Santa?” Lucian asked.

“I met him a few days after I arrived in town. I’ll never forget that afternoon at the diner. He caught my attention as soon as he walked in with his uncle, because he was so very handsome. We were busy, and he ordered a hamburger, fries, and vanilla milkshake.” She chuckled. “I got his order wrong. He ended up with a chocolate milkshake instead. When I apologized and offered to replace it with the right flavor, he said he’d prefer to walk with me on the beach after I’d finished my shift.”

Lucian grinned. “Clever of him.”

“I sort of knew his uncle, since he was one of the diner’s regulars. He was a very polite, friendly man. Fred had a nice smile and kind eyes like his uncle’s, so I agreed. At seven o’clock sharp, Fred turned up and we went for our walk.”

“A good walk, I’m guessing.”

She nodded before drinking more wine. “It was a little odd, leaving the Christmas-themed diner to head to the summery beach. Fred and I got on so well, though, it became a regular thing. He’d meet me at the end of my shift, and we’d go down to the waterfront. With waves rolling in over our bare feet, we shared our first kiss.”

Lucian smiled back, but jealousy tinged his gaze.

Good.

She sighed, the memories bittersweet. “We spent every moment that we could together, and he introduced me to some of the friends he’d made here. The whole group of them even came to Mistletoe Diner some evenings and sang and danced. My boss loved it because it brought in a younger crowd. The customers enjoyed the free entertainment. I’d never been happier. One night, while Fred and I sat on the moonlit beach and looked up at the stars, he asked if I could see myself married to him—and I said yes. He told me he loved me. Fred had been offered a job with the company his dad worked for and needed to decide if he’d accept the position, but he insisted he wanted to be with me. And then….”

Lucian glanced at her but didn’t say a word.

Her throat tightened. “One afternoon, I was serving customers near the diner’s front window. I saw him across the street. He was talking to a pretty blonde. When I asked about her, he said she was just a friend, but my instincts told me that wasn’t true.” The upsetting memories made Cora’s hand tremble, and she set her wine glass on the nearby table. “My boss, who knew Fred’s aunt, happened to ask about the blonde. She turned out to be a neighbor’s granddaughter who had set her sights on Fred. Soon after, he started skipping walks with me.”

Staring down at his wine, Lucian shook his head.