Page 8 of Once upon a Summer Night

He stretched his arms over his head and rolled the kinks out of his neck, then grabbed his wallet and slid it into his back pocket. He leaned over the small desk to turn off the lamp when a movement in the back garden caught his eye.

It was a woman, mid- to late-twenties, with long, slightly wavy, dark hair. She wore a long skirt and a sweater. No purse, no cell phone, no panicked look or confusion.

Seeing as she was modern, and not of, say, medieval vintage, Colin figured it best to steer her away from the forest.Folks were known to disappear through there, and he had absolutely no interest in chasing down an unknown person through time. He wanted a burger.

“Hello!” he called out, opening the kitchen door that led into the back garden. “Are you lost, or just out for a stroll?”

The woman looked up, surprised, and stumbled. “Oh! Oh, I’m so sorry. I was just out for a walk.”

Colin smiled. She sounded British—he loved their accents, and found that they loved his. “All right then. Stay away from the woods, though—people get lost in there all the time.”

She glanced back nervously. “Oh. Thank you. I’m sorry I trespassed.”

He stepped out, leaving the door open. “You’re not trespassing at all. Everyone’s welcome here. I’m—”

She gave a quick smile. “Nice to meet you, but forgive me, I’m actually headed somewhere, so, um…it was nice meeting you.”

“You said that already,” he remarked.

“Yes. So I did.” She laughed awkwardly, then stepped backwards. “I should get back—oh!” She landed hard on her bottom, grimacing in pain.

Colin was at her side instantly. “Are you okay? You must’ve found a tree root.”

She shook her head, resigned, and a blush crept over her face. But soon she straightened her spine and offered him a smile. “No, I’m afraid not. I’m very clumsy around other people.”

The smile whacked him squarely in the chest, and he felt a bit winded. “Well, at least you’re graceful when you’re by yourself. That’s important, you know, as you spend the most time with you.” Colin flashed her a smile and glanced down at her booted feet. “Is your ankle in pain?”

“Just my pride, unfortunately,” she replied with a self-deprecating laugh. She struggled to stand up, and Colin offered her his hand. She took it.

He froze, surprised at the intensity of her touch. She was looking at him, uncertainty lining her classically beautiful features. Her honey-colored eyes locked on his darker brown ones, and they remained motionless, suspended in a moment, until Colin’s phone began to buzz in his pocket.

“Oh, sorry. Sorry. Here, let me…there you go,” he said quickly, righting her. He let go of her hand and answered.

“Hey Ry.”

“You coming, or am I going to eat your burger, too?”

Colin slid a glance at the woman, who was brushing herself off and testing her weight on her ankle. “Go ahead and eat it. Feel free to stay out a bit later, too.”

“Why?” Reilly’s voice was suspicious. “You’ve got a hot date?”

“I think so,” Colin replied slowly. The woman was taking small, measured steps away from him.

“By the saints, did someone come through the forest?”

“Yes.”

“A woman?” Reilly questioned.

“Right again.”

“Amedievalwoman?” he asked in disbelief.

“No, perfectly modern.”

Reilly’s sigh was impressive. “Why is it that the modern ones always show up when I’m not there?”

“No idea. Perhaps you could wait there for a while. You never know; maybe one will turn up.”

---