Wild & Hexy by Vicki Lewis Thompson Read Free Book Online

lighting effect on the statue, do you?’’ With only one statue in town, he didn’t have to be more specific.
    ‘‘Lighting effect?’’
    ‘‘It glows.’’
    ‘‘I haven’t heard anything about that, but I can’t imagine how you could make a bronze statue glow.’’
    ‘‘I guess you’re right.’’ Jeremy felt ridiculous for bringing it up. He really would save the question for his mother. ‘‘Anyway, I was wondering if you could help me find Annie. I tried your house, but no one answered.’’
    ‘‘We’ve been up since before dawn and we’re all running around like chickens. Is it something about the wedding?’’
    ‘‘Yes.’’ The answer came to him instantly. No hemming or hawing. No searching for the right thing to say, which would have been his normal behavior. Just a clear and confident yes . He couldn’t go through all the festivities as best man with the matron of honor thinking he was gay. Simple as that.
    Life had never been that simple for him before, but this morning his thoughts were clear on the subject of Annie. She might never be interested in him because he lived in a place she found boring. Now that he hadn’t learned any magic last night, he didn’t have that to intrigue her, either. But he had other attributes, damn it, and he wanted her to know exactly what she was missing by rejecting him.
    ‘‘You could try Beaucoup Bouquets,’’ Joy said. ‘‘Annie and Melody went over there to finalize the flower order. They’re probably still there.’’
    ‘‘Thanks.’’ As Jeremy said his good-byes and disconnected, he wondered whether his name would come up over at Beaucoup Bouquets. What if Annie mentioned her suspicion that he was gay? What would Gwen say to that? She couldn’t disprove it, that was for sure.
    He’d tried to work up some passion when he’d kissed her, but he’d felt almost nothing. He liked Gwen and he was completely heterosexual, contrary to what Annie thought. He probably could have taken Gwen to bed purely for the release, but that wouldn’t have been fair to either of them.
    Back in his college days he hadn’t been so principled. He’d had a couple of relationships that had very little emotional commitment. To admit that he’d never been able to care about anyone the way he cared about Annie sounded juvenile, so he didn’t admit it. But he was secretly afraid that was the truth of the matter.
    Gwen answered the phone. He hadn’t talked to her on the phone since they’d agreed to stop dating. They’d left some things unsaid, and now that didn’t seem right.
    ‘‘Hi, Gwen. It’s Jeremy.’’
    She laughed. ‘‘I know who it is. We dated for months.’’
    ‘‘Yeah, and I’m sorry it didn’t work out. I’m also sorry that I never told you how great you are. We’re not right for each other, but I hope some guy comes along who is right for you, because you deserve someone special and he’d be a lucky son of a bitch to have you.’’
    ‘‘Wow. That’s quite a speech, especially for a quiet guy like you at this hour of the morning. Either you stayed up all night and are wired, or you’ve had way too much coffee since you climbed out of bed.’’
    ‘‘Neither.’’
    She hesitated. ‘‘You’re not taking something, are you?’’
    ‘‘Taking something?’’
    ‘‘You know—one of those antianxiety drugs. I would hate to think that you—’’
    ‘‘Good God, no.’’ But what she’d said gave him an uneasy feeling. What if Dorcas and Ambrose had slipped something into his Irish coffee? That would explain why he felt like king of the hill this morning.
    ‘‘Well, okay, then. So is that all you called about? To wish me a nice life?’’
    ‘‘No, although I do. Is Annie there?’’
    ‘‘As a matter of fact, she is. Let me get her.’’
    ‘‘Thanks.’’ At the prospect of speaking with Annie, his adrenaline level spiked, but he didn’t feel nervous. Damn, he hoped this confidence wasn’t the result of