Page 27 of Mr. Scandalous

Ashley grinned. “Maybe things went better than you thought?”

Eden tore off the wrapping paper to reveal a rectangular blue box with the name of a renowned jewelry store embossed in silver on the front. Her pulse thudded against her veins. Damn, if her hands weren’t trembling.

She peeled off the lid and studied the contents with puzzlement.

A rock.

The man had sent her a rock.

Albeit a very pretty rock. It was oblong, slightly wider and longer than the width and breadth of her thumb, primarily the rock was a deep emerald-green shot through with black and lighter green swirls complex as a fingerprint.

In fact, there was an indentation curved into the rock where her thumb nestled in an exact fit.

The stone was glass-smooth and cool. When she lifted it to her nose, she smelled the fresh, faint scent of a river trickling through her mind. She caressed the indentation with her thumb, memorizing the avocado dip of it.

Rhythmically she stroked and was surprised to find her body relaxing, her mind focusing on the effortless glide of the surface.

“What is it?” Ashley asked, peering over Eden’s shoulder and disrupting her calm mood.

Eden held out the stone.

“Hmm. Looks like the stones my brother used to spin in his rock tumbler. Except for the thumb imprint.”

Eden looked down at the box and realized a handwritten note had been tucked under the stone. She plucked out the card and opened it.

Dear Eden,

Please accept my apology. You were right. I behaved like an arrogant jerk. I hope this worrystone alleviates your worries about me.

Alec

A worry stone.

An odd, please-forgive-me gift that caused a flutter of an unidentified emotion to tighten her chest. Not so much because of the silly superstition—imagine being able to simply rub your worries into the stone—but because Alec had uncannily homed in on her greatest flaw and offered her a cure-all.

And then she named the feeling restlessly rolling through her. A co-mingling of desire, forgiveness, hope and anticipation.

He’d cared enough to make the gesture… and not just any gesture. He could have sent candy or flowers or some other standard token, but instead he had read her signals, deduced her chief insecurity and tailored his gift to fit her needs.

She was touched.

“What is it?” Ashley repeated, picking up the stone and turning it over in her hand.

“A worry stone. You rub it to wipe your worries away.”

“Boy, has this guy got you pegged.” Ashley eyed her. “Don’t tell me you went into a worst-case scenario spiel with him.”

“No, I did not.” Eden held out a palm. “May I have it back, please?”

Ashley dropped the stone into her hand.

The landline mounted at the front desk jangled.

“I’ll get it.” Ashley scurried into the other room.

Leaving Eden to thoughtfully massage the stone and think of Alec.

“It’s for you,” Ashley called from the other room. “Tori Drake from Spice-Up-Your-Love-Life Cruises.”

---