Mystic Park (9 page)

The restaurant was heavy with the scent of tangy spices and rich sauces. As Vaughn followed Kelsey and Olivia to their seats, he observed the beige-and-gray stone walls with their dark wood trim. The restaurant's lighting was low, creating a romantic ambience. Despite the dim lights, he recognized a few of the diners—neighbors, community leaders, other faculty and staff from the university. They exchanged nods of greeting. Vaughn gritted his teeth. How will the campus interpret their date?

Kelsey stopped beside a booth in a quiet section of the restaurant. “Carl will be your server. Enjoy your evening.”

She handed them each a menu. Vaughn and Olivia thanked her, then she disappeared.

Vaughn opened his menu. “Carl plays clarinet in my concert band.”

Olivia glanced at him. “He's in my general biology class.”

The menu provided tempting descriptions of the restaurant's offerings, including roasted chicken, wood-fired steak, rosemary salmon, and baked lemon tilapia. When he'd come here with Benita, he'd ordered the chicken or the salmon. Benita had ordered either the steak or tilapia. They would give each other samples of their meal. What would Olivia order?

Carl appeared out of nowhere. The sophomore had been born and raised in Trinity Falls. “Hey, Docs. Welcome to TF Cuisine. It's good to see you here.”

“Hi, Carl. How are you?” Olivia's warmth for her students was undeniable.

“I'm fine, Doctor Stark. Thanks.” He waved his order pad back and forth between them. “How are you guys?”

Vaughn chuckled at the sophomore's energy. “I'm fine, Carl. Thanks.”

“Hey, Doctor Brooks, will the concert band be performing for your musical?” The clarinet player bounced on his toes.

Vaughn nodded. “Those band members who are interested in participating are welcomed to perform.”

“Hey, cool.” He waved his order pad again. “What can I get you guys to drink?”

Vaughn asked for iced tea with lemon. Olivia requested ice water with lemon.

As Carl vanished to get their beverages, Vaughn turned his attention to his date.

Olivia's clingy black minidress made her look cool and classy. Her long, shapely legs looked even longer in three-inch black stilettos that brought her closer to his height. Light cosmetics highlighted her cheekbones and added smoky accents to her dark eyes. She was undeniably beautiful, brilliant, and interesting. But just like during their lunch date last week, Vaughn didn't feel anything beyond a surface attraction. There was none of the curiosity, enthusiasm, or heat he experienced every time he sat in the same room with Benita. Maybe he needed to give them more time.

They chatted about their week, their students, and the restaurant while they waited for Carl to return. The young server brought their drinks, then took their order. They both requested the chicken. Why did that disappoint him?

Olivia sipped her water. “What did you think of the movie?”

He'd been dreading her question. She'd picked the romantic comedy although he'd insisted on paying. “It was entertaining.”

Olivia laughed. “You hated it.”

Vaughn shifted in his seat, embarrassed to be caught even in a social lie. “‘Hate' is too strong of a term.”

“All right.” Olivia inclined her head. “Why did you dislike it so intensely?”

“Humor is very subjective.” Vaughn offered a sheepish grin.

Her eyes widened. “You didn't think the dance sequence was funny?”

Vaughn shook his head. “No.”

“What about when the hero met the heroine's friends?”

“No.”

“That cooking scene was hilarious.”

“No, it wasn't.”

Olivia's shoulders shook with laughter. “Come on. There must have been one scene in that movie that you liked.”

Vaughn pretended to consider her question. “The editors did a great job with the end credits.”

“Oh, that's unkind.” She laughed even harder. She had a great laugh. “What kind of movies do you enjoy?”

“Action adventure. Doesn't everyone?” Vaughn was relieved that Olivia was taking his criticism of her movie choice so well. Benita often tried to bully him into agreeing with her. He didn't always share her opinion of a film. But then she would never suggest they spend money on a romantic comedy, thank goodness.

Olivia arched a sculpted eyebrow. “Name one of your favorite movies.”

“The movie in which aliens invade earth? That's not even realistic.”

Vaughn drank his iced tea. “It's just as realistic as that attractive heroine falling for the pudgy hero.”

Olivia pressed a hand against her chest. “Oh, unkind.”

Their banter was momentarily interrupted when Carl delivered their dinner. Then they returned to their movie critiques. The topic carried them through the meal and the return drive to Olivia's home. It was a cozy cottage-like house on the northwest side of town, not far from the university. Vaughn parked his Honda Accord in Olivia's driveway, then walked with her to her front door.

Olivia pulled her house keys from her purse. “Thank you for tonight. I had a lovely time.”

“So did I. Thank you.”

Olivia unlocked her door, then turned back to Vaughn. There was expectation in her brown eyes. But all Vaughn could think about was Benita.

Vaughn closed the gap between them and took her upper arms in his hands. He lowered his head and pressed his lips to her cheek.

“Good night.” Vaughn sensed her disappointment before he saw it in her eyes.

“Good night.” Her smile was forced.

Vaughn waited until she entered her house, then listened until he heard her turn the lock in her door. He dragged his right hand over his clean-shaven head as he returned to his sedan.

Benita! Dammit!
She'd taken up residence in his heart, in his head, and she wouldn't leave. It was as though she'd been in there so long she'd invoked eminent domain. Vaughn pressed the security button on his key chain to unlock his car, then yanked open the driver's side door. He threw himself onto the seat and squeezed the steering wheel.

He was attracted to Olivia. He'd had a great time with her tonight, despite the romantic comedy. So why didn't he kiss her on her lips?
Because I'm still under Benita's spell. What do I have to do to break it?

CHAPTER 10

“Why would you invite Nessa?” Megan asked the question for the second time.

Doreen gave Benita a long-suffering look as the three of them gathered in the kitchen at Books & Bakery Wednesday afternoon. The entertainment business manager didn't appear to notice as she finished her third cup of coffee.

“As I explained to Benita and Alonzo last night, it would be awkward not to invite the members of the Trinity Falls Town Council to my wedding.” Doreen slid the sourdough rolls she intended to serve with lunch into the industrial oven.

“Alonzo doesn't seem to have a problem with that.” Benita sipped her caffeine.

“
He
doesn't have to work with them.” Doreen turned to the honey wood island toward the front of the kitchen to create the batter for her Trinity Falls Fudge Walnut Brownies.

Megan rose from the tiny circular matching table and crossed to the bakery manager. “Doreen, don't you remember what happened during your Thanksgiving Dessert Open House last year?”

“What happened?” Benita looked from Megan to Doreen and back.

“Your great-aunt closed the door in Nessa's face.” Doreen struggled to appear exasperated by the account. But the truth was, she was still grateful for Ms. Helen's assistance. She also would have paid good money to have seen Nessa's face when the door had shut on her.

“Oh, no.” Benita covered her mouth with her right hand. Her voice struck a chord between horror and humor.

“Ms. Helen was only trying to help.” Megan rushed to reassure Benita. “I just wish we knew why Nessa's so antagonistic toward you.”

“So do I.” Doreen sighed. Talking about the town council president always put her in a bad mood.

“You don't know?” Benita crossed to the dishwasher and loaded her coffee cup.

“Do you?” Doreen turned to the younger woman.

“It's not a big mystery.” Benita shrugged. “According to my mother, Nessa's resented you since high school.”

“What?” Doreen was stunned. “Why?”

Megan crossed her arms and leaned a hip against the kitchen island. “What has Doreen ever done to hurt Nessa?”

Benita returned to her seat at the tiny table. “Why do teenaged girls usually resent each other? Because of teenaged boys. Apparently, all the boys in high school liked Doreen. But Doreen ended up marrying a very popular college student named Paul Fever. This made the mean girls—Nessa, my mother, a couple of others—green with jealousy. My mother eventually got over her envy when she met my father in college. But Nessa's story still hasn't had a happily-ever-after.”

“Is that the reason she's been smearing Doreen all over town?” Megan sounded incredulous. “Because Nessa couldn't get a date in high school?”

“That's ridiculous.” Doreen stirred her brownie batter. “We're all adults. We don't need men to define us.”

“That's easier to believe when you've had healthy, loving relationships.” Benita's voice grew pensive. “From what my mother's said, Nessa hasn't had those.”

“Nessa's marriage was rocky.” Megan leaned a slim hip against the kitchen island. “Then her husband left her for a younger woman.”

“According to Aunt Helen, his mistress was a happier woman,” Benita said.

The conversation halted as Doreen put the brownie batter into the mixer to whip. Instead of giving her greater clarity, Benita's theory of Nessa's hostility toward her only added to Doreen's confusion. The mixer's hum droned on. The smell of baking dough blossomed in the kitchen. Meanwhile questions continued to stack up in Doreen's mind.

She turned off the mixer. “Your mother's theory may explain high school, but we're older now, much older. Why would Nessa still resent me?”

“My mother thinks it's because you're so well liked and well respected in Trinity Falls.” Benita shrugged.

Doreen frowned. “How does your mother know about Nessa's attitude toward me?”

“Aunt Helen tells us
everything
that happens in town,” Benita said. “And I read the
Monitor
online. Nessa's resentment was pretty clear in some of her quotes during your mayoral campaign.”

Megan paced the kitchen again. “I don't want Nessa to cause a scene at your wedding.”

“Neither do I.” Doreen poured the brownie batter into a baking pan. “I don't want any trouble from Leo, either.”

“Leo?” Megan's eyebrows knitted. “You broke up with him almost a year ago.”

Doreen set the brownie pan into the industrial refrigerator to wait for the bread to finish baking. “He came to see me a while ago. He said he wants me back.”

Both women gaped at her. Megan recovered first. “When was this?”

Doreen thought that over. “A week ago, April eighth.”

Benita's eyes grew even wider. “And you're only telling us this now? What did Alonzo say?”

Doreen hesitated. “I haven't told Alonzo yet.”

Benita looked first to Megan, then Doreen. “Why not?”

Doreen shrugged off a sense of guilt. “He's still in a strange mood. He won't tell me what's causing it, but I'm afraid the fact that Leo came to my house will send him right over the edge.”

“What if Leo confronts Alonzo himself?” Megan returned to her seat at the tiny table.

Doreen shook her head. “I don't think he'll do that. Leo isn't that brave.”

“But what if he does?” Benita asked. “You should warn Alonzo that Leo came to see you. You don't want him to be caught off guard.”

Doreen still hesitated. “What if telling him about Leo makes Alonzo's mood even worse?”

Benita leaned forward on her chair. “Knowing Leo is back may be the catalyst Alonzo needs to finally tell you what's bothering him.”

Doreen's tension eased. “I hadn't considered that.”

On the surface, Benita's idea sounded like a good one. Would it work? Doreen was desperate enough to give it a try. Things with Alonzo had to return to normal—the sooner, the better.

 

 

Benita had dressed carefully Wednesday afternoon for her meeting with Vaughn. She didn't want to look too good. But she didn't want to look too casual, either. Especially not the day after Vaughn's Big Date with Dr. Olivia Stark. She'd been aware of the furtive looks from Trinity Falls residents. Their expressions shouted, “Does Benita know Vaughn is dating someone else?!?” She hated those looks even more than the hasty whispers.

Seated on Vaughn's sofa in his living room, she offered him a smile as he handed her a tall glass of iced tea. “Thank you.”

“You're welcome.” He settled onto the armchair catty-corner to the couch.

“What have you done so far toward your musical's production?”
And why are you sitting so far away from me?

“I placed a classified ad in the
Monitor
, announcing the audition date.” Vaughn opened a manila folder and pulled out a sheet of paper. “The ad will run in tomorrow's and Sunday's papers.”

“Good, the Thursday issue carries the
Weekend Calendar.
Both editions get a lot of reader attention.” Benita made a note of the ad on her writing tablet. “When are the auditions?”

“I'm only offering one. It's on April twenty-second.”

She checked the calendar on her cherry red cellular phone. “That's next Wednesday.”

“Will that date work for you?”

“As long as you're holding it after my office hours. My clients know they can contact me between noon and eight eastern standard time.”

“Is that your subtle way of telling me I should have asked you about the date before I placed the ad?” Vaughn's sexy grin, framed by his well-groomed goatee, made her want to crawl onto his lap and purr like a cat.

She fought the impulse. “Was I being subtle?”

“It was subtle for you.” Vaughn balanced his right ankle on his left knee. He placed his manila folder on his inside right thigh.

“April twenty-second works fine.” Benita waved a dismissive hand. Her gaze strayed to his thigh. “How many actors will we need?”

“There're three main characters—the farmer, the water fairy, and the water nymph—and five minor characters.” The excitement in Vaughn's voice was contagious.

Benita's hand flew across the sheet of paper as she made notes. “We should get understudies.”

Vaughn shook his head. “We won't need any. There's only one performance.”

Benita looked up from her writing tablet. “Suppose someone isn't able to make the performance.”

“Then they shouldn't audition for the play.” His voice was firm. “We can't have no-shows the day of the performance.”

“You have a point.” Benita wasn't comfortable with Vaughn's decision. Life happens. But it was his musical, so they'd follow his rules. “We'll have to make the commitment clear to the cast. If they accept a role, they have to appear for the play. What about stagehands?”

For the next hour, they reviewed their needs for the musical. Vaughn had invited musicians from his concert band to participate in the performance. Most students were available. For additional musicians, he'd reached out to local high schools and nearby universities.

Vaughn shared with Benita his itemized budget for prop materials. “I had to put this together for the grant application. I'm going to ask Jack, Darius, and Ean if they'll help build a few of the set pieces.”

“Check with Alonzo as well.” Benita made a note in her binder. “He's helped Aunt Helen with some carpentry around her house.”

They reviewed their advertising, printing, and costume needs. And of course, they'd need ushers.

Vaughn sighed. “It's a generous grant. It goes a long way toward covering the costs of the production. But it doesn't cover everything. And I want to raise as much money as possible for the center.”

“We're going to have to get additional investors.”

“I've saved some money for this project.” Vaughn tapped his pen against his folder, drawing Benita's attention back to his muscled thigh.

She swallowed a groan and ripped her gaze from his long limb. “I know you have, but the cost of the playbills alone is a lot.”

“We could cut out some of the advertising.” He sounded hopeful.

“Then how would you promote the musical?”

“We could ask some of the businesses to carry fliers about it. They did that for the center's dance fund-raiser.”

“Printing fliers costs money, too.” Benita hated to burst his bubble. “We'll ask our friends for donations for the production. You're not the only person who wants to support the center.”

“All right.” Vaughn's agreement was reluctant, but at least he agreed.

“Good. I'll take care of that.” Benita made a note on her to-do list.

“And all of the musical's proceeds will go to the center.”

“What you're doing is a beautiful gesture.” And in keeping with her knowledge of the man she'd grown up with. Vaughn Brooks had always had a generous heart.

“I've spoken with Ms. Helen and the center's director. They've given me permission to perform the musical in the center's activity room.”

“Wonderful. The event will allow us to showcase the center and bring its needs to the community's attention.”

“Exactly.” Vaughn's smile invited her to share his excitement.

Benita caught her breath again. It was time to go. “Well, is there anything else we need to cover?”

“I think that's it.” Vaughn closed his folder.

“Then I'll see you next Wednesday for the audition.” Benita stood. “Don't schedule any dates for those days.”

Her face flamed. Why had she said that? Had she lost her mind? Benita ducked her head and feigned an absorption in collecting her purse and tote bag.

“I won't.” Vaughn's reply was soft. She felt him stand.

“I'm sorry.” Benita threw her notes and other belongings into her tote. “I don't know what made me say that.”

“It's all right.”

Of course it was all right—
for him
. He was the one dating again. No one had asked
her
out. And she didn't want anyone else to ask her out.

Benita jerked her purse and tote bag onto her shoulder and rushed toward the door. “See you Wednesday.”

“Benita.”

She didn't stop. Her plan of seduction hadn't worked as well as she'd envisioned. Next time, she couldn't allow past memories to make her fall apart. Her goal was too important.
I want Vaughn back.