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Her lifelong friend was easy on the eyes, with a ruggedly handsoaze and a head of tousled, russet-colored hair, a tad on the long side He was tall and htly calloused hands They’d been lovers once, years ago Both eighteen and without a clue in the world as to what they were doing

That was the year Michael’s parents had died His mother had been avillage to help deliver twins They’d been caught in an avalanche on the way back, trapped for nearly a week before the bodies were recovered Following that tragedy, Michael had pulled away emotionally, and so had Jade, as memories of her own loss haunted her

He’d taken over the tavern after the deaths and Jade had tended bar with hih she never failed to ave her The hint of “what if?” in his chocolatey gaze

But eight years had passed, and although he still had the ability to rin or a chuckle, a romantic reunion didn’t seem to be in the cards Mainly because neither one of the they both knew necessary in order to reconcile their inner turround they’d once shared

Instead of delving into painful nore them Keep them buried and securely locked within their hearts

In fact, Jade didn’t reminisce about the years as they drifted by She focused solely on the present On surviving when evil hovered too close for coes of the mortal realm

Pushing her distressing thoughts aside, she said of the wine, “Not bad at all The Delfinos will be very pleased” One of their best customers

The evening progressed in its norot a bit tipsier than others, which no oneout of the repressionunder the thu ho an accident

Jade, on the other hand, worried about what awaited her as the village’s bell tolled at ht and the bar closed She, Michael and Josh, the server working that evening, cleaned up and locked the door behind them

They bid Josh good night Then, as he did six nights a week, because the tavern wasn’t open on the holy day out of htered ancestors, Michael turned to Jade and asked, “Want e?”

She shook her head, as always, when his query came “It’d hardly make sense and you know it We’re on opposite sides of the village You’d have to walk all the way back here And then some”

“Yeah, I know,” he said, hedging as though he had soaze locked with hers, his brown eyes full of unexpressed feelings Jade couldn’t quite wade through “I keep thinking someday you’ll say yes”

To what? She couldn’t help but wonder Yes to an escort? Or yes to so much more?

He brushed away a strand of dark hair that had blown across her face and stuck to her eyelashes Tucking the lock behind her ear, he said, “I hate to think of you all alone in the cottage You don’t have any neighbors, Jade It concerns me”

With a soft s care oftime”