“STDs aren’t romantic, Lenora,” Zinnia said, closing her eyes. The man she’d been making out with less than two hours ago had just brought his co-star into the clinic for an STD. He’d only do that if he was involved, right? Humiliation settled in her bones and made her want to kick something. Or someone named Reed. How could she be so naïve? Had everything he’d said been an act? Or did he have some sort of friends-with-benefits relationship with Krissy? Her stomach turned at the thought of being lied to.

  “Jackass,” Zinnia mumbled under her breath as she unconsciously curled her fingers into a fist. Pain shot through her hand and up her arm, making her stifle a groan. Dammit, she’d been so caught up in her thoughts about Krissy and Reed she’d almost forgotten about her cut.

  “I read last week in Shifter magazine that they’ve been destined to be together since birth,” Lenora continued as if Zinnia hadn’t just sworn for no apparent reason. “Isn’t it interesting that in this day and age a pseudo-arranged marriage actually seems to be working out? When I read about it, I thought that was creepy. Who wants their parents to pick their lover?” The woman gave a visible shudder. “And even though they seem to be having some sort of private issue when it comes to the bedroom, it’s obvious they are meant for each other. They’re a perfect match. You should’ve seen the love that was wrapped around them like a cocoon. I couldn’t have found them better matches if I’d tried.”

  Zinnia didn’t trust Lenora’s judgement on love matches any more than she did Reed at the moment, but the comment about seeing love wrapped around them made her give Lenora a second glance. “You saw their love for each other?”

  “Oh, yes. It’s sapphire blue, indicating deep affection. When you see couples like that, they almost never break up. Lifers is what I call them.” She grinned. “I can’t wait to watch them get married on that show of theirs. Will you be making the cake?”

  “Yes,” Zinnia said flatly. She wanted to beat her head against the wall. How had she fallen for his bullshit about how they weren’t together? Of course they were. They had a show called Engaged to a Werewolf. On top of that, she’d been stupid to believe that he’d have any sort of feelings for her after all the years that had passed. If he’d wanted to find her, to get in touch, it would’ve been simple enough. And it would’ve had to be him who reached out to her. He was far too insulated for her to just pick up the phone and call him. She’d been played. There was no doubt about it.

  “Zinnia?” Nissa called, poking her head out from the back. “Mystia has a few minutes to patch up that hand now.”

  “Coming.” She strode forward and followed Nissa back into the exam area, more than ready to end the conversation about Reed and Krissy. She braced herself, praying she wouldn’t run into either of them. To her relief, Nissa opened one of the exam rooms and waved her in.

  “Mystia will be right with you.” She smiled and closed the door.

  Almost immediately, Mystia appeared. Her dark curly hair was swept up into a messy bun, and she had something that looked like a ketchup stain on her white lab coat. Or was that blood?

  Zinnia frowned. “Busy day?”

  “You have no idea,” the healer said. “Now, let’s see what you’ve done to yourself.”

  Mystia gingerly took Zinnia’s hand and gently unwrapped the towel. The wound immediately started to well with blood. “Oh, yeah. You’re definitely going to need stitches.”

  Zinnia groaned. “I was hoping some of your magic skin glue would do the trick.”

  “Sorry. Not this time. But the stitches have been spelled for rapid healing. Two, three days and you’ll be as good as new.”

  “Well, that’s something,” Zinnia said. “What about water? Can I get it wet?” With her work, not washing her hands wasn’t an option.

  “Yep. Water is fine as long as you take the herbs I prescribe. They keep infection at bay.” Mystia got to work on flushing the wound. While she cleaned the cut, she ran her magic-filled fingertips over Zinnia’s skin. Magical light shimmered and clung to Zinnia’s flesh, numbing the area. The healer glanced up at the patient. “Feeling better?”

  Zinnia tried to flex her hand and felt nothing. “Much,” she said with a sigh of relief. “I hadn’t even realized how much it was throbbing before you did that.”

  “It’s the adrenaline. This should be easy to stitch. I’m going to go grab my sutures. Hold tight. I’ll be back.” The healer swept out of the room, leaving Zinnia on the table.

  The clock ticked loudly in the silent room, and when five minutes went by, Zinnia started to get restless while her bladder got impatient. She got up off the table and poked her head out the door. There was a murmur of voices from an exam room a couple of doors down and a unisex restroom at the end of the hall.

  Zinnia glanced around for Mystia, and when she didn’t spot her, she scurried off to the bathroom. A few minutes later she popped back out, intending to head straight to her exam room, but the voices stopped her in her tracks.

  “Oh, yes. Right there,” the familiar female said with a moan. Krissy. Zinnia would know that high pitched voice anywhere. “More. More!” she demanded. “Oh, goddess, yes, that’s it.”

  “God, Krissy,” Reed said and then groaned.

  Zinnia’s stomach turned, and she pressed her good hand to her mouth, fearing she’d get sick right there in the hallway. Were they really doing what it sounded like they were doing? And while they were in to get an STD checked? What kind of kinky crap were those two into? She started to scurry back to her room but froze when she heard Mystia’s voice.

  “That’s good,” Mystia said. “Continue spreading the cream over her back, and once it covers the rash, help her into the healing bath. Okay? I’ve got another patient who’s waiting, but I’ll be back as soon as I’m done.”

  Rash? Back? Healing cream? Zinnia blinked. That didn’t sound anything like an STD. A small bubble of laughter escaped her lips just as the door swung open, and Mystia swept out of the room.

  “Zinnia,” the healer said, surprised. “Were you looking for me?”

  “No… I was just coming from the restroom,” she said, waving awkwardly behind her.

  “Zinnia?” Reed’s voice floated from the exam room, followed by heavy footsteps.

  “Reed? Wait, come back. I think you missed a spot,” Krissy called.

  He was out the door before Zinnia could escape to the safety of her own exam room. “Hey,” he said, concern shining in his eyes. “What happened?”

  “Cookie cutter accident,” she said with a sheepish smile. Then she glanced at the exam room behind him. “And what brings you here?”

  He glanced over his shoulder. “Krissy. Remember when she fell into the bushes back at the springs?”

  She nodded. “Sure. How could I forget?”

  “Well, it turns out she wrestled with a poison ivy plant, but Mystia here is fixing her up.”

  “Reed!” Krissy called from the room. “I need you.”

  He groaned, the same type of groan she’d heard earlier and had mistaken for one of pleasure. It wasn’t. He looked anything but happy at the moment. “Sorry. I’ve got to get back in there and calm the drama queen.”

  “Sure,” Zinnia said, wondering how he had the patience to deal with his costar. Zinnia would’ve lost her mind by now.

  “If you’re up to it, maybe you could come by the set later?” he asked. “I’d really like to catch up with you and find out what you’ve been doing all these years.”

  She shrugged. “I’ve just been baking. Not much to tell.”

  He swept his gaze over her then shook his head. “I’m not buying it. Thirteen years is a long time, Zin. I know you’ve got at least a few stories for me.”

  Zin. It’s what he’d used to call her back in the day. Her resolve melted, and she found herself nodding. “Okay. I have to drop off the cookies anyway.”

  “Good.” He reached out and squeezed her good hand and then disappeared back into the exam room.

  “It took you long enough!” she heard Krissy say.

  Mystia raised both eyebrows and gestured to Zinnia’s room. “Ready?”

  “You have no idea.” Zinnia followed her, and once she was back on the exam table, she blew out a long breath.

  “You can say that again,” Mystia said, gently taking another look at Zinnia’s wounded hand.

  Zinnia blinked. “Crazy day?”

  “Not as crazy as yours,” she said with a soft chuckle.

  “Huh?” Zinnia glanced down at her hand.

  “I just mean that it’s not every day a handsome television star looks at a girl like that. Whatever he has planned for later, I think it’s certain romance is in your future.”

  Zinnia glanced away, heat crawling up her neck. “That’s not…” She shook her head. “You’re reading too much into it.”

  “Am I?” Mystia laughed again. “We’ll see.” She winked then turned serious as she reached for the wounded hand. “Ready for me to stitch this up?”

  Zinnia nodded, her mind already running away from her as she imagined being back in Reed’s arms. A small smile tugged at her lips and five minutes later, without her even noticing, her hand was stitched.

  Chapter Five

  Zinnia balanced the pink bakery boxes in both hands and carefully maneuvered down the narrow hallway of the old Victorian mansion that now served as the set for Engaged to a Werewolf. An assistant had let her in and pointed her toward the parlor room that was apparently somewhere in the back of the 9000 square foot home.

  The place had been on the island for over two hundred years and was a landmark. Six months ago, it had been sold to some LLC and completely remodeled. No one knew who owned it, but whoever it was had clearly demanded perfection. The place was gorgeous with crown molding, wainscoting, fresh paint, gleaming hardwood floors, and gorgeous antiques everywhere. There was no doubt it would shine as the backdrop to the show’s fourth season.

  The hallway opened up into what had to be a ballroom. There were two hallways, one toward the back of the room on the right and the other on the left.

  “Okay, now where?” Zinnia asked herself. She glanced down both, seeing nothing particularly identifying, and then took the closest one, the hallway on the right. Electric light flickered from ornate candelabras, illuminating the portraits of characters from the show.

  One depicted Reed and Krissy, their heads together as they both gazed at the giant rock on her ring finger. And even though Zinnia knew the image was one from the show, it still made her stomach turn to see them together. Seeing Reed after all the years that had passed, had awakened something in her she thought she’d long gotten over. Her feelings for him hadn’t ever faded, they’d just been buried.

  She sighed. This couldn’t be healthy. Maybe she should get her sister to cover for her at the bakery and take a nice long vacation before she completely lost her mind. Reed might be interested now, but the day would come when he’d leave and return to Hollywood, and she’d be left with the fallout… again.

  Zinnia crept along the hallway until she heard a muffled woman’s voice, followed by a small sob. She froze, glancing around to see who was there. She didn’t see anyone, but a door to the left was barely cracked opened.

  “I can’t… do this… anymore,” a woman said, her voice hitching on her words. “It’s too hard, Kat. I should’ve taken the other costume design job out in L.A. instead of this one.”

  “Shhh. Don’t say that. It’s going to be okay, babe. You just have to trust me.”

  The second voice was familiar and sounded an awful lot like Krissy’s. Zinnia knew she should move on. The conversation was private, and she had no business eavesdropping. She turned to go, but her shoe got caught on the edge of a throw carpet, and she went down on one knee, barely managing to balance the cookies.

  “You’ve been saying that for two years!” the other woman said, her voice now full of anger. “Why should I believe you this time?”

  There was a heavy sigh and then Krissy said, “Because our breakup is about to become very public. And once that happens, we can be together.”

  Unable to get up without losing all the cookie boxes, Zinnia placed them on the ground and pushed herself to her feet. As she leaned down to get the boxes, the conversation continued.

  “Right. Because after all these years of expecting you to marry for the family dynasty, your dad is really going to just accept that you’re a lesbian and you’re in love with a nobody from Nowhereville, Montana? Come on, Kat. You have your head in the clouds.”

  Lesbian? Kat—err Krissy was a lesbian?

  “Holly—” Krissy started.

  “Just go away,” the other woman ordered. “I need time to think.”

  “But I—”

  “I said go!” she shouted.

  Zinnia got the cookies balanced in her arms and started back down the hall, but the door flew open and Krissy barreled out. The television star once again knocked right into Zinnia, sending her into the opposite wall as the cookies went flying.

  “Oomph!” Zinnia cried out.

  “What in the hell are you doing here?” Krissy demanded. Her face was set in a scowl, and her eyes flashed with anger.

  Zinnia stared down at the crumpled boxes and wanted to scream. Roughly half of the cookies had tumbled out onto the floor, and she had no doubt the rest were ruined after the fall. She waved at the boxes. “I was delivering these to the parlor.”

  “This is the costume department. The parlor is on the other side of the house,” Krissy said with a hiss. “Were you spying on me?”

  “What?” Zinnia jerked back, rubbing at her shoulder. “No. Of course not. Why would I do that?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because you’re afraid Reed’s lying to you about us?”

  Zinnia definitely wasn’t afraid of that. Especially not now that she had reason to believe Krissy played for the other team.

  The door creaked open, and the most beautiful woman Zinnia had ever seen peeked out. She had wide dark eyes, alabaster skin, and shiny black hair. She was wearing skinny jeans and a satin blouse that hung off one shoulder. Everything about her was perfect except for her tear-stained cheeks. The woman placed a hand on Krissy’s arm. “Kat, this isn’t helping anything.”

  Krissy glanced at her, and in a very faint voice, she said, “Sorry.” Then she shoved her hands in her pockets and stalked down the hallway.

  “I’m sorry about that,” Holly said. “She’s having a bad day.”

  “I guess so,” Zinnia said, kneeling to clean up the cookie mess. “Is she at least feeling better after her trip to the healer?”

  Holly nodded as she helped Zinnia collect the wolf cookies. “The rash is mostly gone. By tomorrow, she should be as good as new.”

  “That’s good.” Zinnia clamped her mouth shut, not knowing what else to say.

  “Zinnia, right?” Holly asked.

  “Yeah.” She shoveled the last of the broken cookies into a box.

  “Listen, about Kat, I mean Krissy—” Holly started.

  “Zinnia?” Reed’s voice came from the end of the hallway. “What are you doing down here?”

  She glanced back at him.

  He was wearing sweats and a T-shirt and striding toward her, his hand outstretched. “What happened? Did you get lost?”

  Zinnia stood and nodded. “I was having trouble finding the parlor and ended up surprising someone.” She waved at the mess at her feet. “This is the end result of an unfortunate collision.”

  Holly rose gracefully. “Krissy was upset and didn’t see her.”

  “Right,” Reed said, his expression darkening. “I’m sure it was an accident, just like it was earlier today at the café.”

  Zinnia shook her head. “No, I think this time really was an accident. She didn’t see me.”

  “Kat ran into her at the café?” The pain in Holly’s dark eyes was unmistakable.

  “She was just being obnoxious. I wouldn’t read too much into it,” Reed said, giving her a sympathetic smile.

  “As usual.” Holly smoothed her blouse and without another word she strode back into the nearby room.

  Reed held his hand out to Zinnia. “Leave the cookies. We’ll get one of the crew to clean them up.”

  “Oh, no.” Zinnia took a step back. “I couldn’t do that. Just point me to some cleaning supplies and I’ll—”

  “Hey, Paul, it’s Reed,” he said, talking into his phone. “Can you send someone from the cleaning crew down to the west corridor? We’ve had a cookie incident. Thanks.” He winked at her and grabbed her hand. “Let’s go. I have a scene to get ready for.”

  Zinnia opened her mouth to protest, but Reed was already ushering her down the hall, shaking his head.

  “Nope. I’m not leaving you here and I’m about to be late for my call time. You’re just gonna have to come with me, or Delaney is gonna lose her mind. You don’t want to get me into trouble do you?”

  She rolled her eyes but had to suppress a smile. The boy she’d been best friends with thirteen years ago hadn’t changed. Not one bit. He could still charm her into anything, and that thought sent a thrill straight to her toes.

  Delaney, the five-foot-eleven, redheaded goddess waved a hand at a canvas foldup chair and said, “You can watch from here.”

  “Thanks,” Zinnia said, smiling at the gorgeous assistant director.

  She stepped back and swept her gaze over Zinnia before narrowing her eyes at her. “This is a professional shoot. One peep out of you and you’ll be shown out. Got it?”

  Zinnia resented the woman’s tone and had to bite back a snarky reply. She wasn’t a damned groupie. Zinnia had only agreed to stay because Reed had asked her to. But instead of making waves, she just nodded and took her seat.

  Delaney raised one skeptical eyebrow, but then someone across the set called her name, and she stalked off.

  Reed, who’d left to get into wardrobe, appeared on set and strode over to her wearing a robe.

  Zinnia swept her gaze over him. “I thought you were filming a dinner scene? Are you two engaging in a bedroom picnic or what?”

 

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