Carolina Moon

man, and she couldn’t deny she enjoyed his company. She was proud of how calm and mature that sounded when she practiced it in front of her mirror. Just as she was pleased with the rest of the little speech she intended to make.
    She was simply too involved with setting up her new business, establishing herself in town, reacquainting herself with the area, to put any time or effort into a relationship with him, or anyone else.
    Naturally she was flattered he was interested in her, but it would be best all around if they simply stepped back now. She hoped they’d continue to be friends, but that was all they could be. Now or ever.
    She scraped her teeth over her bottom lip. She could bring his taste back. She was good at bringing tastes back, even when she didn’t want to be.
    The hot, sweet flavor of the windfall peaches under the twisted old tree by the river outside of town. Bees, drunk on the fermented juice, swarmed the fallen fruit and buzzed cozily.
    She hadn’t expected his taste to be as hot and sweet, or as potent.
    She hadn’t expected to be linked so perfectly with him for that moment, as if he were one of the missing pieces of the puzzle of her life.
    That was romanticizing the casual, she reminded herself. It was foolish to pretend she hadn’t imagined what it would be like to kiss him. She was human, after all.
    She was normal.
    But when she’d imagined it, everything had been rather mild and pleasant and simple. The reality of it hadn’t really been a kiss at all, but more of a sample. And she supposed he’d done that on purpose, just to intrigue her.
    Clever of him, she decided. He was a clever man. But it wasn’t going to work.
    She was ready for him now, and her mind was set. There was no temper or embarrassment to blur her senses. She’d walk outside when he pulled up. In that way she’d block him from coming inside and having any opportunity to confuse the issue again. She’d make her tidy speech, wish him well, then go back inside and close the door.
    And stay where it was safe.
    The plan put her at ease again, in control again. So when she heard him drive up, she gave a little sigh of relief. Everything was about to be put back in order again.
    Then she stepped out, saw his face.
    He sat in the pretty convertible, his streaked mass of hair already windblown, his hands resting on the wheel. He gave her an easy smile, but behind it she saw anger and frustration. Most of all she saw bitter unhappiness.
    No maneuver he could have devised, no plan he could have calculated, could have hit her weakness more effectively.
    “That’s one of the things I like best about you, Tory. You’re prompt.” He got out, started to round the hood to open the passenger door.
    She didn’t touch him. The connection tended to become too close with physical contact. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
    “Wrong?” He glanced down, started to make light of it, then the shield went up. He stepped back, went around to his own side as she climbed in. “Do you just crack open a mind and take a peek at what’s inside?”
    Her head snapped back, as one would from a blow. Then she folded her hands in her lap. It was better this way. It would have happened eventually anyway, she reminded herself. Better to get it over with quick and early.
    “No. That would be rude.”
    He laughed, dropped back behind the wheel. “Oh, I see. There’s an etiquette to mind reading.”
    “I don’t read minds.” She gripped her fingers together—taut wires, white at the stress points. She let out a breath to relieve the pressure in her chest, and stared straight ahead. “It’s more a reading of feelings. I’ve learned to block it out, as it’s not pleasant, whatever you might think, to have other people’s emotions pounding at you. It’s fairly easy to filter it, but now and again, if I’m not paying attention, something, particularly strong emotions, slide through. I apologize for intruding on your privacy.”
    He said nothing for a moment, just sat with his head back and his eyes closed. “No, I’m sorry. That was nasty. I’m feeling nasty, as you picked up on. I guess I needed to take a swipe at somebody, and you were elected.”
    “I understand that it’s uncomfortable to be with someone you can’t trust. Someone you feel can and will take advantage of your own thoughts and feelings, use them to control you or hurt you or direct your life. That’s one of the reasons I tried to explain to you why I’m not good