Page 51 of Wood You Knot

“Choco Temptation,” she read the label, her brow furrowing. She turned it so she could read the back. “Contains chocolate, espresso, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla…” Her eyes shot to mine. “Wait, is this that ridiculous love elixir?”

I sat up, taking the bottle from her to read the ingredients, my stomach sinking with disappointment. “I don’t know…it doesn’t say so specifically.” I looked at her and realized she did not look impressed. “If it is, I’m sorry. I had no clue.”

Sage drew in a breath, as if trying to calm herself, her eyes going to mine. “Do you believe in it?”

“The love latte?” I asked. She nodded, worrying her bottom lip. “Not really. I mean, I know everyone in town’s pretty much obsessed with it, and the tourists love it, but the jury’s out for me.”

“What’s the story behind it anyway? Why’s everyone so obsessed?”

“It’s got a lot to do with the town’s obsession with magic and witches,” I explained. “Folklore has it the original witch who made the love elixir was the daughter of one of the towns founders, Augustus Hartley, and she crafted it to win the heart of Alexander Wood—the son of another founding family. Although Alexander was interested in Morgana, he was wary of her family’s notoriety as witches, so apparently Morgana slipped him the love elixir. The recipe has been handed down from generation to generation. The Hartley triplets are descendants of Morgana Hartley. So are Evelyn, Delia, and Hazel Hartley. It’s rumoured they are all witches too. Hazel runs the Sweet Indulgence chocolate shop along with her husband. Hazel’s Spanish chocolate is included in the Tout de Sweets love latte, but I had no idea she’d also provided it to Klaus Bauer at the Brewery for the Choco Temptation stout.”

“What about Delia?”

“Delia runs Elemental Echoes, a store that sells crystals and other…metaphysical items. It’s located in the original Hartley homestead. The Hartley family really plays into the folklore, the tourists love it.” I chuckled, shaking my head. “You should see this town in October.”

“Do you believe in that kind of thing? Witches and love potions and…magic?” Sage wrinkled her nose.

I lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “I mean, I haven’t seen anything proving it’s real, but I’ve also not seen anything proving it’s not real.”

“Did you…drink the love latte with your ex?” she asked, peering at me with heavy emotion in her green eyes.

I thought back to my time with Lori—the early days when things were new and exciting between us. When I was…optimistic I’d found my person.

“Yeah, once. My ex had been somewhat new to town and heard about the folklore involving the love latte and really wanted to try it. We had it the one time. Obviously, its magic didn’t work on us because our relationship didn’t stand the test of time—or the allure of other men for Lori.”

Sage nodded, processing my answer. She looked back down at the bottle. “If she hadn’t cheated on you, would you still be with her?”

“I can’t answer that,” I replied honestly. “I was in love with the person I thought I knew, and the life I thought we had…but she had her secrets. I’m just glad they came out when they did.”

She nodded again, relaxing as if my answer had soothed something in her. She put the bottle down and leaned back against the cab, sighing. “I guess that’s the same for me. I thought Warren was someone he wasn’t, and I thought we were building a certain kind of life together. I’m glad I found out who he really was before I married him.”

“I’m a firm believer that your past brings you to your future. I’m not so sold on the love elixir thing, but I’ve heard it’s only supposed to work on soulmates. It supposedly just gives them a push to let go of their fears and give in. Lori wasn’t my soulmate…” I didn’t say the but part, but Sage’s eyes still came back to mine, probing and vulnerable. “I really am sorry. If I’d known, I would have left the chocolate stout off the menu…”

“It’s not your fault. This town seems really sneaky about getting its inhabitants to take this so-called love elixir. I’m sure we would have been forced to drink or eat it at some point.” Sage sighed, looking toward the water. “Even my aunt believes in it. She said she and Uncle Ed drank the love latte. Did your parents?” she asked, glancing back at me.

“Come to think of it…I’ve never asked them, and they’ve never said either way,” I replied. “Parker and Tabitha got suckered into it, but they were really into each other before, so it’s hard to know if it was the love latte or just their compatibility and chemistry.”

Sage rested her head on the rear windshield and looked up at the sky, falling silent as she stared at the stars. “Great. Just great. Now I’m going to doubt if my feelings are authentic or just the result of some crazy love potion.”

My lips quirked into a smile. “Well, how’d you feel about me before the chocolate stout?” I asked.

She looked at me, trying to suppress her smile while she studied me. “I’ve always thought you were attractive, and I’ve always liked you and spending time with you.”

“So you were into me, then?” I flirted, and she laughed.

“I guess so,” she admitted, her eyes shining with amusement.

“Then I don’t think the love elixir has a bearing on…what you’re feeling right now. I can tell you honestly I wanted you before I cracked open that bottle, and I want you now too. We can take things as slow as you like, I’m in no hurry. All I know is…I want to see where this takes us.”

Her eyes widened at my speech. She swallowed, the column of her throat working. Her tongue darted out to dampen her lips. “I’d like to see where this takes us, too…”

* * *

Sage and I spent another couple of hours together in the bed of my truck. She lay with her head on my arm, her body against mine, but her face turned to the sky and all the stars above us. We talked about everything and anything that came to mind.

She shared a little about her childhood. About what it was like growing up with a mother who wasn’t very maternal, who always seemed to pick the men in her life over her own daughter—and shared they weren’t particularly close now as a result.

“That’s why I’m so…hesitant to start this between us,” she admitted to me near the end of the evening, her eyes moving from the dark sky above to rest on my face. “I’m worried Daphne will feel like I’m always looking for a man, any man. And that’s not the case. If I didn’t feel something for you, I wouldn’t have said yes.”

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