Eight Long Years (Heart of Hope 5)

I was so glad I went with sexy witch instead of Strawberry Shortcake or Little Orphan Annie to April and Jude’s Halloween party. As a short redhead, I normally went with the cuter costume options, but after spending a year lusting over a man who has become one of my best friends, I decided maybe it was time to broaden my dating opportunities. Cutesy children’s doll costumes didn’t scream dating material. For a minute, I considered Jessica Rabbit. I had the boobs and big ass, but my waist wasn’t quite narrow enough to pull off her type of voluptuousness, and I worried I’d look ridiculous. So sexy witch it was. But not the black outfit with the pointed hat. Mine was more like Sarah Sanderson’s dress from Hocus Pocus, except shorter and tighter along the hips. I wore my hair down in long curls like the blonde Sarah did instead of up in the strange doo that redheaded Winifred wore in the movie. I wanted to look sexy, after all.

The costume worked, as several men watched me, and few chatted with me.

“I had fun,” I said to Cyrus, my friend-zone date for the night as he took me home. He was dressed as Zorro and by all accounts was the sexiest man at the party. In fact, he was probably the sexiest man alive. I really should call People Magazine and let it know.

“Me too.”

His voice didn’t sound like he had fun. I looked over at him, his mask and hat were off, yet he still looked lethal as he walked me to the entrance of my building. I lived above my cupcake shop, Petal’s Cupcakes, and had an entrance to the apartment inside my shop as well as on the street.

“Did something happen?” I asked him as I unlocked the door to the building.

He grunted a response. Cyrus was a great guy. He could be funny and so generous. But it could be hard to find all that sweetness because of the wall he kept up. I wondered if it was his time as a Navy SEAL that made him so closed off.

“Do you want a drink?” I asked him. “Then Don Diego can tell me what’s got his mask all in a twist.”

He frowned, his eyes cruising down my face to my chest. Then, like someone had tossed water on him, his gaze jerked back up. “I’m Zorro.”

“Not with your mask off, buddy,” I said. I’d been drinking and felt fairly toasty. Too much so to drive, but since Cyrus and I had gone as friend-zone dates, he drove. I couldn’t imagine he’d ever drink enough to get drunk. At least not silly fun drunk. He was too in control for that. Pity, it would be fun to see.

I opened the door and started inside to the stairs. “You coming Zorro or not?”

He followed me, shutting the door behind him. I often had a secret fantasy that he’d come to my place, we’d talk, and then he’d ravish me. He often came to my place, but usually it was the shop for coffee and a cupcake. And he never ravished me. Hence, the attempt to attract another man.

Up the stairs, I opened my apartment door and let him in. Cyrus was huge and my apartment was small, so it always felt like he was everywhere the few times he’d been up to my place.

“Wine, beer or something stronger?” I asked him as he made his way to the couch.

“Beer is good.”

I got us both a beer, popped the tops and brought them to the couch. I sat next to him, taking the heels that were killing my toes, and tucking my feet under me. I clicked my bottle with his.

He pointed at me with his beer bottle. “What’s with the witch outfit? I thought you were going as a cartoon character or something?”

“I was but then decided on sexy witch.” I grinned. “I think I pulled it off. Do you?”

His jaw clenched as he sipped his beer. “It’s nice.”

I frowned and tried not to be hurt. I looked down at the cleavage of the girls. Sensual without being skanky, or so I thought.

“Lyle Simmons and Jacob Donner thought it was more than nice.”

His dark eyes cut to me. “Is that what you want? Those to fuckwits to be nice to you?”

My brows shot up. He wasn’t wrong about Lyle and Jacob. They weren’t at the top of the gene pool, and Lyle was a bit of a pervert, but they were nice. I wasn’t interested in them as dating material, but it was nice to be noticed.

“Careful Zorro, I might think you were jealous,” I teased, because come on. Cyrus was all beefcake and broody sexy man, with sweetness hidden deep inside. Guys like him choose women who were at least five inches taller and twenty pounds thinner than me.

He looked away and drank his beer.

“So, the witch is in session. What’s on Don Diego’s mind?” I asked knowing there was something going on with him.

He sighed and shrugged, then took another sip of his beer.

“Seriously Cyrus. You’ve been out of it all evening. Since you picked me up. Did something happen?”

He sat playing with his beer bottle. “Just some concerns about my mom.”

“Oh? Is something wrong?” A part of me thought he’d just said that to give me some excuse. But I went with it.