Page 19 of A Whisper of Summer Magic

“The way Rustin told it, he took a bite of the food that Chloe had made on her own, following the recipe exactly including some random instructions, and he felt dizzy, off balance, like the world had shifted on its axis, and then he saw Chloe in a whole new way, all but little hearts floated around his head.”

“Like she was hot, and he wanted to pounce or more”—Jackson waved his hand in a sort of swirling motion—“soul mate, destiny, way?”

Jackson didn’t even sound like he was mocking the concept.

“Ew.” Meghan’s instincts kicked in. “I didn’t delve into the specifics of his… feelings about my baby sister.”

“But how can you learn how the book works if you don’t ask questions, explore results, and employ an experiment or two?”

“An experiment?” She couldn’t decide if she was amused or irritated. He must be punking her. “What, are we in high school?”

“I loved biology, physiology, chemistry and math,” Jackson enthused. “Loved it—so yeah a little experimentation sounds juicy and justified.”

She smiled. Really, he was so enthusiastic he might as well be a golden retriever heading out for a hike. Wasn’t that a new name for the ideal boyfriend?

Not boyfriend material for you.

Sheesh, her hormones had been quiescent for a few years. Why did her ovaries have to pop up to attention now? Jackson was all man, and that was the last thing she needed at the moment. Right? He was too young, and a fling in a small town was begging to be mocked.

“What do you suggest?” Dang, she couldn’t stifle her curiosity. “We whip up something—have some unsuspecting person eat it and see what happens?”

“That’s a possibility.” Jackson jumped to his feet. “I’m going to cut up some fruit, cheese and add a few of the pickled veggies in the fridge for a snack, so we can keep our brain and body energy up to pick a recipe to experiment with.”

To speak was to act and soon Jackson rummaged in the fridge and cabinets, and Meghan watched him.

“Do you realize I haven’t looked at my phone once today?”

“I never do when I’m at home with the fam unless I’m on call.”

She stared at the back of him, in shock, digesting the information. She’d imagined him having an active social life.

“But what about… you know… women, dating, and you know?” She shut up, feeling like she was fishing.

He grinned. “I’m not a monk, but I’m focused on my career and family and Whiskey. She and I go for runs or hiking or paddle boarding out on Lake Wylie or Norman for fun.”

He returned with a plate of food—whole-foods, healthy snacks because they were at Jessica’s.

“Let’s pick something,” he said and dragged a chair over so they could read the book together. “I’m up for an adventure. It’s a rare full weekend off for the rook.”

“You can’t waste your whole weekend with me.” Meghan was horrified. “That’s so unfair for you.”

“I’m not exactly suffering here, Megs.” He ran his hand through his hair. “Good food, good company, great views, sweet home theater setup, Whiskey likes you. There’s a rumor of magic and feral cats.”

“The cats are real,” Meghan said, ignoring the magic. “Chloe will be back tomorrow afternoon to check on them, and I’d prefer to keep this”—she indicated her ankle—still ballooned, propped up, and iced—“on the downlow.”

“Yeah, like Jessica and Chloe will ignore that elephant in the room.”

Meghan stuck out her tongue. The description was too apt.

He laughed and leafed through the book again. “Couldn’t resist. Let’s see what sounds tasty.”

She nearly saidyou.

“We can’t just randomly cook up a recipe to try to make people fall in love. It’s playing God.”

His beautiful blues widened. “I was funning. Do you think it’s actually…” He paused and picked up the book and then looked back at her “Magic?”

“No.” She squirmed uncomfortably, not really sure how she felt. “I thought it was just, you know, a cool heirloom cookbook. I was curious about the origins like my sisters because G. Millie is… was all about family and documenting family history, so there’s no way she would have given a Maye or Cramer family cookbook away. But her ancestors did come from Ireland, and Chloe googled the other language in the book and it’s Gaelic—and written in different hands, which implies being passed down through family and friends maybe.”

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