Half Moon Chronicles: Legacy by J Michael Gonzalez

Author:J Michael Gonzalez
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: love and trust, redemption, premonitions, vampire hunter, exconvict hero, lovers again, family abuse, spirits help, second courtship

Chapter Twenty-Two: Déjà vu

IT had all been a hallucination, she thought. A hallucination brought on by stress and lack of sleep. Maybe she needed to say something to Garcia about her cracking up, that she needed help...but another part of her was completely convinced that it hadn’t been a hallucination at all. She wasn’t sure which instinct to trust...but she was absolutely terrified at the thought of Mr. Ford returning for another round.

But he hadn’t returned the next morning -- or this morning, for that matter -- breaking a pattern that hadn’t changed since the first time he’d visited shortly after she’d started. She was relieved, but some part of her was worried at the change.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the heavy throb of an engine as a large vehicle pulled up -- a giant Ford pickup, maybe. She signed heavily, squared her shoulders and approached the window, preparing to take her customers’ orders and earn her keep, putting on her best professional smile as she unlocked the window. She put her elbows on the counter and leaned forward, consciously arching her back slightly, “Welcome to Coffee Beach! What can I...”

Her spiel faltered as she found herself face to face with a very astonished Daniel. They experienced another moment of time dilation, the moment stretching, seconds becoming hours. Distantly, she noted how well the uniform suited him, the light blue shirt emphasizing his broad shoulders and muscular upper body, the aviator shades folded into the V of his shirt drawing her eyes. She had a sudden impulse to cover herself with her arms and duck behind the counter, embarrassed he should see her half naked, mugging shamelessly for tips.

Even as they froze, staring at each other through the little window, an absurd thought flitted through her mind: Don’t move! Maybe he hasn’t seen me!

“Daniel,” she breathed, shaking off her momentary paralysis, “we have got to stop meeting like this! What brings you here?”

Daniel smiled uncertainly, torn between checking out Nikki in her tiny yellow bikini and his sense of propriety which suggested he should be staring fixedly at her eyes (so she’ll think I’m a psychotic lunatic instead of a perv, he thought sarcastically). She was still wearing the necklace with the inner loop worn as a choker sporting the circle and triangle pendant, the outer loop supporting St. Jude.

His eyes jerked up to meet hers as he realized that St. Jude -- at the end of his longer loop -- was pointing straight down into her cleavage, his eyes unthinkingly following the chain. For a brief second, he thought she might duck behind the counter and pretend no one was there. The black lace gauntlets covering the backs of her hands and forearms made her bikini seem more like lingerie than swimwear. He was surprised when his face heated at the realization, memories of their previous meeting intruding into his thoughts.

He stared at her, almost as surprised and embarrassed as she was, caught between wanting to stare at her in her state of undress while simultaneously sensing her surprised desire to hide.

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