Page 32 of Secrets of the Eternal Flame

‘Sprouts in unexpected directions but it always works,’ he explained.

I snorted. ‘True. Zahn has an eclectic backlist. When did you start naming your plants after actors?’

‘Someone once gave me a black orchid. It was stunning, sophisticated, and I named her Catherine Zeta Jones. After that, I had to have a Michael Douglas and it kind of grew from there,’ he confessed.

Finally I slid off the bar stool. ‘I should go,’ I said reluctantly. It was only when I prepared to leave that I realised I still hadn’t actually got Eva; not only that, she hadn’t run out to see me. ‘Fraser Banks,’ I said sternly, ‘what have you done to my dog?’

A mischievous glint shone in his eyes. ‘She’s having breakfast, that’s all.’

Normally even food wouldn’t stop Eva greeting me when we’d been apart for the night. I followed the scent of bacon and eggs to the dining room then burst out laughing.

Eva was there, not with her food bowl but with a proper plate on the dining-room table. She was standing on a chair happily wolfing down sausage, bacon, hash browns and eggs. They had all been cut into bite-sized pieces, which she was picking up one by one then dipping delicately into brown sauce before gobbling them down and moving on to the next. She had a bib tied around her neck.

I turned around to look incredulously at Fraser. ‘What?’ he shrugged. ‘I’m not above bribing her for her affections.’

I shook my head. Eva was going to be cross every time I didn’t feed her like that in the future.

‘Well, just so you know,’ I said drily, ‘that officially means you’ve cooked for my dog more times than you’ve cooked for me.’

‘It does, doesn’t it?’ He stepped forward and swept me into his arms. ‘Dinner tonight? And I won’t even get it from the restaurant. Just you and me. How does that sound?’

‘That sounds perfect,’ I replied, my stomach already fluttering with anticipation. ‘And I’ll bring—’

‘You’ll bring the Oyster Bay,’ he finished for me.

Considering I’d never had a proper boyfriend before, having one that could finish my sentences felt almost too good to be true. Then again, I was pretty sure that anyonewho had known me for longer than a month could have finishedthatparticular sentence.

Knowing that if I didn’t leave soon I wouldn’t leave at all, I whistled Eva to my side. ‘Come on, girl,’ I said, as she swallowed a piece of hashbrown. ‘You’ve had enough. It’s time to go talk to Ernie.’ I glanced back at Fraser. ‘See you tonight,’ I said.

‘I’m already looking forward to it.’

As I walked down his driveway, I was already wondering if I was going to have a chance to go underwear shopping before the evening.

Chapter Twenty

The first time I’d turned up at Ernie’s house unannounced, a phenomenal magic ward had thrown me from his front door across his garden; the second time I’d visited, I’d been holding Maddie in my arms. The last time I’d seen him had been in my house when he’d been far too busy with a woman I considered family. Fingers crossed that this visit would be calmer.

I knocked on the door and he opened it immediately. ‘Hi Beatrix, I was pleased to get your message. Come on in.’

As I stepped inside, I noticed a few homely touches that I didn’t recall seeing before – some cushions, a throw, some candles. Ernie had worked hard to make the place more inviting, and it showed.

‘I wanted to talk to you about Maddie,’ I said. ‘And about my magic, and the Eternal Flame.’

‘We can do all of that,’ he said calmly. ‘Would you like a drink?’

I yawned. ‘A coffee would be great. Milk, two sugars.’

‘Sure.’ As he pottered around his kitchen, humming under his breath, I was struck by how much happier he seemed. Whatever was between him and Yanni, he hadn’t been lying when he’d said it was more than sex and that made me feel better about the whole thing.

‘So,’ he said as he warmed his hands on his mug, ‘what shall we start with?’

‘I think everything is linked. I think Mum and Dad put a bind on my magic to stop my grandmother finding me. When I was shot and healed by Fraser’s pelt—’

‘What?’

Ah. Maybe he hadn’t heard that part of the story; we’d been focused on Maddie at the time. ‘I was shot and I was dying. Fraser saved me by putting his pelt on me.’

Eyes wide, Ernie asked, ‘Do you know what that means?’

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