A Bundle of Trouble (The Lynlee Lincoln Sets Book 1) Read online

  There were a number of patrons in the store, most of them with books clutched against their chests in the crooks of their arms. I took my time looking around, trying to keep my mind clear of any and all thoughts of a very good looking man with perfect red-brown hair and warm brown eyes.

  I told myself that I would spend at least an hour perusing the bookstore before I went off to get a bite to eat. I knew as soon as I started walking around campus I’d start making a concerted effort to find the man I wasn’t thinking about. And I refused to let myself become desperate.

  My intent to remain clear-headed instead left me a little compulsive in my shopping. Before I knew it I had an entire box full of books on everything from the occult, to ancient history, recent history and also about 58 Nancy Drew novels.

  I happen to be very fond of Nancy Drew.

  There was no way I could lug that box around with me, so I begged the store clerk to let me leave them in the store on the promise I’d return for them after lunch. She relented, but she wasn’t happy about it.

  The sandwich shop of just the day before was practically deserted. I stared at the table where Beck and I met for just a moment, then ordered a sandwich combo to go. The weather in Virginia was unseasonably lovely for this time of year, so I decided to sit out in the courtyard. The sun was just warm enough to fight off any chill the wind might offer.

  “No husband today?”

  I recognized Beck’s voice immediately even though he was behind me. Quickly I wiped my face with my napkin and turned to him. “No, no husband today.”

  “He must be home with the twins then.”

  My faced turned hot and I knew I was probably as red as a cherry, but I managed to force a nervous chuckle.

  “Can I sit down?” He came around to the front of the bench and motioned to the spot beside me.

  “Yeah. Sure.”

  His dress was a little more casual today with jeans and a pullover sweater, but again topped by a sport coat. I let my eyes rove over his backside as he sat down, then felt my face get flushed all over again when he caught me. His lopsided grin told me he didn’t mind that I was checking him out.

  “So what are you doing back on campus?” he asked. “I was pretty sure you were going to yank Casanova from school for whatever infraction he was making and re-enroll him somewhere else.”

  “Well, we worked things out. Not all problems require us to reassign our witnesses.”

  “So then we’re back to my original question.”

  I hesitated and looked over at a piece of paper flitting across the yard, carried on the wind. Part of me wanted to bolt up and grab it just so I’d have enough time to come up with some excuse as to why I was back at the university. I decided honesty was the best policy.

  “I was sort of hoping I’d run into you.”

  “Thank God!” He burst out, clutching his chest dramatically. A giggle popped from my lips and I was so startled by the involuntary reaction I slapped my hand over my mouth.

  “Guess that means you don’t mind if I was semi-stalking you.” I told him.

  The breeze whipped up again and caught my bag of chips, tossing them to the ground. Beck hurried to grab the bag before I lost them all, handing them to me in a way that ensured our hands would touch. His brown eyes sent tendrils of warmth straight through to my center.

  “Something just occurred to me,” Beck spoke, his face just inches from mine. “You probably don’t live here do you?”

  I blinked a few times to try to clear my mind, but the fact that his lips were close enough I could have leaned forward and tasted them was making me daffy. “Oh, here in Virginia? No, no I live in Texas. Why?”

  He pulled back, peering at his hands as if looking for the answer to some question in his own palms, then he smiled up at me again. “Well, because people are vacating this campus at a pretty good clip for the holidays, and I’m sure you have some sort of plans for Christmas, and if you’ll be leaving soon I’d like to get the chance to spend a little time with you before you do.”

  I studied him a moment, noting how his hands fidgeted, how his smile faltered a bit the longer I took to make a response. Finally, I held my bag of chips out to him in offering. “Maybe we could have dinner tonight?”

  Relieve washed over his features and he nodded his head. “Dinner it is.”

  Beck gave me the information about a small Italian place about ten miles from campus, then we parted ways with a plan to meet there that evening at seven. As soon as he was gone, I grabbed my books and orbed back to my apartment to get changed. It took me about an hour to choose just three potential outfits.

  The first pair of pants I tried on were a little snug through my thighs and they gave my legs an overall weird look. I took them off and kicked them towards the clothes hamper. I next tried on a pair of black jeans and when I turned and examined myself in the mirror I liked the way they hugged my backside. I got to my third top option and decided that the peach-colored button down slimmed my waist and showed off the curves of my chest just enough to entice without looking cheap.

  My stomach tightened when I went digging into my shoe closet and came up with only one black boot. For the life of me, I had no idea where the other darned boot was but it certainly wasn’t in that closet. I wasn’t much for shoes and most of mine were flats. Good for running around after Tig and his MAUC clients but not what I needed to truly set off my ensemble.

  Darn.

  With a huff, I took off the peach tunic, wadded it into a ball and slammed it onto my bed in a pout, then I put on a t-shirt, slipped into some loafers and headed off to the mall.

  By the time I orbed back to Virginia and got a taxi to the restaurant, I was at least 5 minutes late. The waitress showed me the way to Beck’s table but before following her I took a minute to pat my hair and smooth my hands down over my hips to make sure everything was just so.

  At the mall I’d finally decided on a fitted sweater-dress with a cowl neckline. It wasn’t something I would ever have chosen on my own, but a girl tossed it out of the stall of her dressing room at the department store and hit me in the head with it.

  When she peeked over the top of door to apologize, she insisted I should try the dress on. I’m not much for making friends on the fly, but I knew I was in way over my head in the fashion department. The young lady was a Chatty-Cathy and she grated on my nerves, but she helped me choose the right tights and heels to go along with the sweater-dress.

  “Tis the season,” she chortled and as much as I wanted to vomit at her overly-bubbly personality, I decided I couldn’t complain too much.

  All of my frustrating wardrobe issues became well worth the trouble when I saw the appreciative glint in Beck’s eyes when he saw me.

  “Wow, you are absolutely breathtaking.” His eyes roamed up and down before he placed a hand on my shoulder and leaned in to place a kiss on my cheek. I had the overwhelming urge to bury my face into his neck, but managed to offer him a coy smile instead.

  “Not looking too bad yourself.” I said honestly, taking in the dark denim of his jeans and his navy button-down top with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

  The waiter came to get my drink order and I chose a glass of chardonnay, practically begging for it in the tone of my voice. When I glanced back at Beck he was taking a long sip of a deep red wine. “That looks good. I’m partial to white wine.”

  He tilted the glass a bit and made the dark liquid swirl a few times. “It’s not bad. Honestly, I’m more of a beer drinker, but I was trying to be a little more refined.”

  I chuckled and situated my napkin in my lap. “You don’t have to put on any shows for me, Beck. Order a beer.” I leaned forward. “I promise I won’t tell anyone.”

  It was his turn to laugh. “I’m nervous as hell. I’m not sure if it’s the fact that I haven’t dated much since starting with the firm or maybe because I know I only have a very short window to make an impression before you head back to Texas.”

  It woul
d have been easy to take his comments for a joke, but the sincerity and mild embarrassment in those warm brown eyes of his stymied me. I didn’t date much either so I knew exactly how he felt. Attachments weren’t something I encouraged or sought from the opposite sex, so most of my encounters were short and somewhat impersonal.

  From the moment I saw him I knew Beck would be different.

  “So tell me about the firm,” I began. “If it’s anything like my job I guess you’re probably busy paying your dues to try to get a footing.”

  He nodded, “Definitely. All the shit jobs come to me. If something gets messed up, I have to fix it. If a customer isn’t happy, I take the heat while the partners smooth the ruffled feathers. And most importantly, if something goes right, I make sure not to take any credit for it.”

  I rolled my eyes with a bob of my head. “I get it. I mean my boss goes out of town and finally decides to put me in charge of all of his clients. I feel like the third string quarterback who gets put into the game at the end of the fourth quarter when we’re already winning two hundred and twenty-two to nothing.”

  Beck put his head back and laughed, the sound rolling along the air and thrumming straight to my core. I decided there was no better sound than his laughter. “Two hundred and twenty-two to nothing, huh? That’s a helluva score. I wish I knew what game that was.”

  It was my turn to be embarrassed. Heat flooded my cheeks and I mentally repeated my own words and tried to convince myself they didn’t sound as stupid as I thought they must have. I was saved from too much contemplation when the waiter returned with my drink.

  By the time our meal was finished and our plates were cleared away, I figured I was on about my fourth glass of wine. My body was warm and loose, my lips ready with a smile and most of my first date worries and jitters were buried in some dark hole of my mind. Beck was in the middle of telling me a story about his mother’s reaction when he finally chose a career after switching from majors in anthropology, computer technology and even marketing.

  “I swear, she sent the most embarrassing, gushing thank you card to the guy, thanking him for finally giving me a professional path to follow. She even invited the guy to our house for dinner and gave him directions on how to get there. It was all I could do to hide from him when I started my internship there.”

  “Well, mothers have that prerogative I suppose. Are you spending time with them for Christmas?”

  “Nah. They’re in Europe. A few years ago they decided they would travel for all the holidays. Mom said she wanted to see the world while she was still healthy enough to enjoy it, and that she wanted to get the traveling out of the way before I got married and started presenting her with grandkids.”

  I laughed aloud, fingering the stem of my wineglass.

  He studied me a moment, leaning back in his chair to cross his ankle at his knee. “So what about your parents, How do they feel about you being a federal agent?” He said the last two words in a whisper as if I was a part of the CIA and it was a big secret.

  One of my shoulders lifted in an uncomfortable shrug. “I guess they would probably have chosen something different for me. The truth is, I left home at eighteen and have only been back a handful of times. My parents don’t care for my path in life and I’m just as well without seeing the censure in their eyes. I think it’s best for all of us if I keep my distance.”

  The honesty I was handing him was a rarity. I didn’t tell many people about the division between me and my family. Even though my mom knew witchcraft was rumored to exist in her family, she never wanted her little girl to inherit magic. They ignored the fact for most of my childhood, but when the full force of my magic made itself known at eighteen… well, it was pretty much more than she and my father could handle.

  I felt Beck staring at me but I was afraid to look at him. I didn’t want pity. I was okay with the way things stood with my parents. My life was good even without them in it. Still, when I felt his hand cover mine across the table it was almost my undoing. The backs of my eyes stung and I blinked a few times before raising them to meet his gaze.

  But I didn’t see pity. Instead there was commiseration and understanding, and acceptance. The tears might have started if not for the sound of buzzing coming from my purse.

  “Is that yours or mine?” Beck asked, reaching into his pocket and searching for his phone.

  “It’s mine.” And I quickly grabbed the cell before the vibrating turned to loud ringing. “Hello?”

  “Is this Lynlee? Lynlee Lincoln? Tig Durham is my Neutralizer and I was told to call you if I had any trouble.” A panicked female voice spoke.

  When I glanced at Beck he gave me a knowing smile and motioned that I should take the call. I placed my hand over the receiver and frowned. “It’s a client. I’m afraid I’m probably going to have to cut our date short.”

  He nodded, disappointment showing in his eyes just before he waved for the waiter to bring the check. As I turned my attention back to the caller, he leaned into my ear and whispered, “Even third stringers get the chance to make that touchdown. Run it into the end zone and make your boss take notice.”

  I didn’t get home from taking care of Tig’s client until well after midnight. After a nice hot shower I settled into my bed and started flipping through channels to find something worth watching. As the choices dwindled, my frustration rose and I started hitting the button and scrolling through faster.

  I almost missed The Goonies and had to back up a few channels when my mind registered. There was nothing more comforting than a good movie from one’s younger years. I sighed, dropped my head back against the pillows, and let my body relax.

  Then my phone rang. I groaned, afraid it would be another of Tig’s MAUCs, but when I looked at the number all the nerves in my body sparked to life – in a good way.

  It was Beck.

  “Hey, you,” I said, a smile filling up my face.

  “Still awake?”

  I yawned, the mere suggestion that it was late making me feel sleepy. “Just got home a little while ago.”

  “Home? You’re back in Texas?”

  I stretched my mouth out in an “eek” expression. “Oh, no. I’m in my hotel. I’ll hop a flight home tomorrow.”

  He grunted in acknowledgment and I heard rustling on the other end of the phone as if he were rolling over in bed. “That’s good. You should get some holiday downtime too.”

  “You’d think so,” I chuckled.

  “Hey! What was that?”

  My brows furrowed and I glanced left and right, listening carefully for whatever he was hearing. “What was what?”

  “Are you watching the Goonies? What channel?”

  His excitement was contagious and I found myself giggling like a little girl. It seemed even sexy men could be affected by a childhood movie favorite.

  “Seriously, it was one of my favorites as a kid. My friends and I even made our own club just like them.”

  “Did you really?” I scoffed, a seeming perpetual grin on my face. “We never did that.”

  “Hey, I am not ashamed that I was a goonie-nerd. To this day I’d rather watch this movie than just about any other. Oooo…. This is the best part!”

  I probably heard those five words at least that many times during the life of the movie. I felt like I was talking to a little child on the telephone, but the longer we chatted, the more fun I had. And the more carefree and relaxed I became.

  I released a jaw-popping yawn as we watched the pirate ship break through the rocks at the end of the movie and within just a second or two I heard Beck yawn as well.

  “You probably need to get some sleep before you head home tomorrow.”

  Even as he spoke I flipped off the television and then reached out to slap the lights off. “Yeah, I’m beat.”

  The quiet that followed wasn’t unpleasant. In fact I believed I could have just fallen asleep at that moment, listening to Beck’s soft breathing on the other end of the phone. My eyes drifted an
d I snuggled deeper into the blankets.

  “Lynlee…”

  “Hmmm... yes?”

  “I had a good time tonight. I’d like to do it again soon.”

  My tired lips twitched with a half-smile. “Me too.”

  “How about tomorrow night?”

  Sleep had my mind addled and I wasn’t sure I was following the conversation. Even if I had already orbed to my home in Texas, Beck thought I would be flying here tomorrow. How could we possibly go out again tomorrow night.

  “Movie night, I mean.” He clarified and my mind started to catch up.

  “Movie night. Yes …”

  He chuckled. “Go to sleep, gorgeous. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  “’Night, Beck.”

  “Good night, Lynlee …”

  There was no better sound to drift off to then that of my name on Beck’s lips.

  Movie nights with Beck were on a roll. We decided to take turns picking the movies and tonight was his turn: Reindeer Games. The movie description provided absolutely no appeal to me, but Beck insisted he wanted a “dude movie.” I countered that since it was December 24 we should watch a more Christmas-y film. His response: “Reindeer is Christmas-y”

  I had signed the papers for my new home just a few days earlier and via the magic of my wand most of my possessions were already in their proper places. I was sorely in need of more furniture to fill up my huge house and I was looking forward to taking advantage of post-holiday sales.

  Flicking my wand left and then right, I shifted a row of books from the one shelf to another in my brand new office. My brow cocked up and I considered the organization a moment, then decided to put the occult and paranormal books back on the shelf closer to my desk since I’d probably have more need for them.

  The rooms in my house felt hollow and overly quiet. I had the radio blaring back in the living room to fill up the silence. Ever since the year I left my parents’ home, I’d gladly spent my holidays alone, doing my thing without any care about what people were supposed to do for Christmas. For some strange reason this year was different. I had the crazy urge to sing Christmas carols, drink apple cider, and have a room full of people to exchange presents with.