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him. They
would have a relationship, and she would have to lie, and it would
end horribly. But this would be worse than all the others, because
she knew him already. Her heart, or perhaps her soul, shouted it.
Tingles of electric heat flowed along her arms as he moved closer.
Her body was certainly acting as if it belonged to him.
    She cleared her throat, praying her face
didn’t show her thoughts. “I assume you’re Ian. I’m Brie.”
    He stared and his mouth worked, but nothing
came out. Yes, he liked the dress, which hugged her assets even
better than she’d expected. She glanced away at a nearby plant to
give him a moment to collect himself. He cleared his throat.
“Uh…yes. It’s nice to meet you.”
    Brie hadn’t seen him in so long. The
excitement whirring in her chest. Wait. She’d never seen him,
nevertheless she wanted nothing more than to sit and reminisce with
him like old friends. But they weren’t old friends, and they might
not have a future.
    He sat, his jaw still somewhat slack. Brie’s
smile widened. Perhaps he felt the same intense amazement she did.
Her gaze traveled his strong jaw, and exhilaration prickled her
skin at the idea of making him as flustered as he’d made her.
    Ian closed his mouth. “That’s fantastic. I
must look like a fish chasing its next meal.” He made gasping
motions.
    “I’m glad you came out to meet me. You’re
pretty funny. I like that in a man.” Brie toyed with her necklace,
drawing the locket up and down the gold chain, and her stomach did
an impressive acrobatic flip when his eyes followed the
movement.
    His cologne, the scent of spices and trees
mixed with some masculine aroma, wafted to her nose. She bit at the
inside of her lip and breathed it in. Her body warmed, and she
shifted a bit closer.
     ”Your i-com and mine are programmed for
the same ring: island sounds. I love it, makes me think of a
vacation I just have to take some day.” His cheeks pinked in the
most adorably innocent way.
    She sat on the stool next to him. “Oh? Oh
yes.”
    “Fantastic.” He closed his eyes and put a
hand to his head. “What a great conversationalist. Here I am trying
to impress you, and I’m coming out with some brilliant comments.”
Thick lashes shaded his beautiful green eyes, when his gaze met
hers. Her heart skipped a beat or two before resuming an irregular
pattern. “You have me searching for intelligent things to say and
coming up short. I mean, you’re the stuff epic poems are written
about.”
    Her face warmed. She’d received compliments
in her life, but this beat “you’re so gorgeous” by a mile. And it
wasn’t a line. She didn’t always appreciate her gift, but she was
grateful for it now. She could sense his honesty. Her mouth
wouldn’t work, her hand froze on the chain, and somewhere deep
inside she began to tingle in a familiar, though long forgotten
way. A way that made her ache.
    “So, uh, what do you do?” His hand dropped
from his head to cover those eyes as though he’d made a mistake,
and Brie was sad to see those amazing flecks of gold go.
    “I’m a student at Cal State working toward my
Masters in Psychology. Sometimes I volunteer at a local shelter for
the homeless in Victorville, and I hope to offer free counseling to
underprivileged women while I finish school.” Brie sat back and
crossed her legs, hoping she looked more confident and relaxed than
she felt.
    “I’ve volunteered at that shelter
before.”
    “Oh?”
    “Yeah. Last Thanksgiving.”
    They talked about the facility and swapped
stories, and after a while, the words came easier. After twenty
minutes, they’d ordered an appetizer and two colas, and gone
through the small talk, which usually preceded a meaningful
conversation. She liked hiking, rock and roll, and Dr. Pepper. He
liked gardening, classical, and orange juice. They both loved to
read. Everything he said seemed so familiar. There were no
surprises. Almost as if they knew each other, but didn’t