Page 85 of Flirty Fall Fling

As we fly over Nebraska, she fights sleep and loses. I hold her in my arms, smelling her hair and skin. The attendant brings a blanket, and I cover her, but I don’t sleep. I want to enjoy every second I can.

She wakes on the descent with messy hair and squints out the window. “We’re here?”

“Yeah.”

“What time is it?”

“Just past one.”

A car waits for us at the bottom of the stairs. The driver, Daniel, has worked for me for years. He takes her duffel and holds the door. Once we’re settled, he pulls onto the dark street without a single question.

Blaire stares out the window, intrigued. Stone walls and shingled houses are close to the road. Each porch and yard has Halloween decorations. One has a giant skeleton surrounded by gravestones. There’s a witch silhouette wired to a lamppost, then three more, followed by a street of them.

“Jamie.” She sits up straighter.

The headlights beam across a sign. Bolted to the post beneath it is a witch on a broomstick, riding across a painted moon. Both of her hands come off her lap and press over her mouth.

“You brought me to Salem in October.” Her voice cracks.

“I’ve heard witches love this place.” I shrug.

She laughs, and her eyes tear up.

“I’ve only visited once,” she says, watching the decorated porches slide past us. “I was seven. My aunt brought me, just the two of us. We drove the entire way from Colorado. I cried when we left because I loved it so much.”

“Aw. It’s an honor to be here with you.”

She locks her fingers with mine and doesn’t let go for the rest of the ride.

It’s late, and the sidewalks are empty. The driver lets us out on a narrow street where the houses are built close together. We stop at a black iron gate in front of a small cottage with black shutters and a crooked chimney.

Blaire looks at the house, then at me. “This is where we’re staying?”

“It is. I secretly bought this place after my first visit.”

“Wait.” She stops walking on the cobblestone sidewalk and turns to me. “You. Own. This?”

“Yeah.” I chuckle. “And several other properties around the world.”

“None of this seems real,” she says.

I place my hand on the small of her back, escorting her to the door. I type in the code and open the door for her.

Amazement is written on her face. She takes her time looking up at the low ceilings, then studies the hardwood floor. Her hand slides across the stone fireplace as I duck down and add wood inside. Blaire walks around the small one-bedroom home with a permanent smile.

“This is unbelievable.”

I yawn, the day finally catching up with me, but Blaire is wide awake.

“We should go to bed,” I tell her. “We have a big day planned.”

“Promise?”

“Yes.”

“Then I should confess,” she says, reaching for the zipper of her dress, “I’m not tired.”

The dress slides off her shoulders and lands at her feet. My exhaustion leaves my body. Firelight moves over her skin as she steps out of her heels. I slide my hands into my pockets, watching the show.