“Was,” he corrected her. “Those two are a force of nature. Better to just stay out of their way.”
She shook her head. “I guess I could do some laundry. You could do whatever work you need, if you want.”
“I might log on and check emails at least.” That gave him an idea. “Hey, you want to see my secret project?”
She grinned. “If you’re willing to show me, I’m more than happy to look. Although, fair warning, I may not understand it.”
He laughed softly. “I don’t think that will be a problem. Come on.”
He took her back to the guest room, fired up his laptop and brought up the CAD sketch of the prototype membrane. “This is Freshwater. It’s a membrane that will easily desalinize sea water. Mostly to help poorer countries that need drinking water but also to help in disaster situations. Any time or place fresh water is needed in an area with access to the sea.”
“That’s quite a project. It could be life-changing for some countries. How’s it going?”
“It’s…going. I can’t quite get the membrane right. It either won’t hold the ionization or it can’t take a functioning amount of water pressure or it breaks down too quickly. Let’s just say there have been a lot of hurdles to overcome. But I’ll get there.”
“When you do, you’ll have another billion-dollar sale on your hands, no doubt.”
He shook his head. “I’m not selling this one. I’m giving it away.”
Her brows lifted. “Really?”
“Yep. I want to do some good in the world. If my name has to be synonymous with something, I’d rather it be for humanitarian work than because of my bank account. Not saying the money isn’t fun. It definitely makes life easier. But it’s not the end-all. Not for me, anyway.”
She smiled. “That’s amazing. I love that.”
His phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and glanced at the screen. “It’s Nina. Should I answer it?”
“No. I don’t see any reason for you to talk to her.”
“Good.” He tapped ignore and put the phone away. “Because I don’t care if I never speak to her again. In fact, maybe I should block her.”
“No, not yet,” Undrea said. “Not until this is all completely over. You may still need to get in touch with her.”
He frowned. “For what?”
“We might need her in person for whatever plan my friends come up with.”
“Oh.” He thought about that a moment. “I guess I didn’t think about that.” He exhaled. “I’m not crazy about having to see her again. Not now that I know what she’s been doing to me. And what she’d like to do to me again.”
“I can totally understand that. Hopefully, my friends will come up with a plan that doesn’t require you to be there. That would be the best, actually. Then you and your mom and Sarah Jane could be out of harm’s way.”
He glanced toward the kitchen. “I don’t want my mom involved at all, if that can be helped.”
“Agreed. I don’t either.” Her phone buzzed. She took it out and glanced at the screen, where a text had popped up. “It’s my friend Mattie. She wants me to call ASAP.” She looked up at him. “They have a plan.”
He backed toward the door. “I’ll go help my mom in the kitchen.”
“Okay. I’ll let you know what I find out.” She tapped the screen.
He left her alone to give her some privacy. He and his mom had sort of taken over her house, the kitchen in particular, which now looked like a hub of activity.
He leaned against the framed entrance. “Hey, what are you guys making?”
His mom was measuring flour or confectioners’ sugar. He couldn’t tell. “Texas sheet cake.” She glanced past him. “Where’s Undrea?”
“On the phone. Her friends seem to have come up with an idea to deal with Nina.”
His mom nodded. “Whatever you need Sarah Jane and me to do, we’re in.”
“No, you are not. You’re staying here. Where it’s safe. In fact, I might not even be going. Undrea thinks that’s best.”
“You sure about that?” Sarah Jane asked. She pointed with the spatula she was holding. “Why don’t you ask her yourself?”
He looked over. Undrea was standing just slightly behind him. He shifted to face her a little more. “Is there a plan?”
She nodded, but he couldn’t quite read her blank expression. At best, she looked less than happy. “There is. Unfortunately, you’re going to be right in the middle of it.”
An hour later, and one of Undrea’s friends had dropped off a few key items. He’d also been fully briefed and felt confident in his part. He’d never been much for acting or pretending, but if there was ever a time to embrace a role, this was it.
Now he stood by a bench just outside of Ruffin’s Paddleboat Rentals, waiting on Nina to show up. If she didn’t buy what he was selling, this whole thing was going to crash and burn faster than the Hindenburg.
He had a single long-stemmed rose in one hand, one of the things he’d been given, and in the pocket of his jeans was the other thing. A little velvet box carrying the very item Nina had been dying for him to give her.
Granted, the engagement ring in that box wasn’t a real diamond. The jeweler it had been borrowed from, a woman named Willa, had assured them as she’d dropped it and the rose off that no one outside of a highly trained professional with a magnifier would be able to tell.
Willa was a fae and had used her power to enhance the ring in such a way that Nina would apparently be mesmerized with it. Among other things.
All of this supernatural stuff was so new to him that he had no choice but to go along and trust that it would work out the way it was intended.
He heard the familiar click-click of heels behind him and turned. Nina was walking toward him with a wary smile on her face. “What’s this all about?” She glanced at the lake, then the paddleboat dock a few yards away. “Why are we meeting here?”
“Because I have something very special planned. Something I should have done a long time ago.” He held out the rose. “For you.”
The rose was also enchanted. Or bespelled. Whatever the right terminology was. Willa told him it had come from a witch’s garden, a green witch by the name of Marigold who ran the florist shop in town. An apt name, he thought, for such a woman with such a business.
Nina’s smile broadened, but he could tell she still wasn’t sure about all of this. She took the rose and smelled it.
He almost exhaled in relief. Getting her to smell the flower was important. He’d been told that.
A moment later, her wariness was almost completely gone, but her questions continued. “What are you up to, Ethan? This seems awfully sudden. And considering you wouldn’t answer my calls or texts and—”
“Did it ever occur to you I had errands to run? And that maybe I’m trying to do something romantic?” He gave her his best innocent-but-holding-back-a-secret look. “Long-stemmed roses don’t just grow by the roadside. And then there was the…never mind.” He shook his head. “You’ll find out soon enough.”