Spark Of Desire (32 page)

Jessica raised an eyebrow. Scaffolding and scenery. The model trains were out of hand. “You are planning on paying that professional artist, aren’t you?”

“Of course. Dan wouldn’t let me get away with not paying her now that he’s her fiancé slash manager.” He kissed her cheek. “You need ketchup, don’t you?”

Jessica looked at the tray. “Ketchup, napkins, straws. The works.”

Nodding, he headed for the condiments. He acted like a little boy with those trains. Between him and her father, they would work model trains into the wedding someplace. Not that she would mind. It made him happy. She touched the chain around her neck, where his great-grandmother’s wedding ring hung. In summer it had been loose, in winter it flew off if she gestured. The chain around her neck had been a good compromise. Not that everyone in the department didn’t know that by this time next year they were going to be calling her Marshall instead of Decker. They did it now sometimes, claiming it was practice, but she knew it was part of a running joke.

She looked up and smiled when Kevin set napkins on the table. Bobbie had a date tonight. A third date. They had even reached a point where they could discuss Kevin without awkward pauses.

Jessica leaned her head on Kevin’s shoulder. Everything would work out in the end. Kevin turned and kissed her.

“Will you two cut it out? That is just disgusting,” Dan announced, dropping his coat over the back of a chair.

Dan’s fiancée, Rebecca, leaned across the table. “He’d be doing it too if he thought he could get away with it.” She winked.

Dan tugged her braid. “When are you going to learn to respect me?”

“When you deserve it.”

Kevin sighed. “Go order already, or you’ll be stuck in line when the festivities start.”

“Oh, that’s right.” Dan grinned and hurried away from the table.

“What festivities?” Jessica asked.

Kevin bit into his burger and smiled.

“They won’t tell me either. Something to do with Leia and Lew, though.” Jessica dipped one of her fries into her ketchup. “Want to start a betting pool, or do you think you know, too?”

Christa Maurice

For my seventh birthday my brother gave me The Eagles’ Hotel California and I was completely enchanted by the title track. No clue what it meant, but I loved it and my fate was sealed. Unfortunately, as a hard core introvert, performing onstage in any capacity was off the table as a career choice. So I turned to writing and spent many boring college lectures detailing the adventures of Touchstone in the margins of my notebooks. Years later I decided to do something with them and wrote what became Heaven Beside You. These things do tend to get out of control with me. A fun side project that kept me entertained while I was teaching English in Korea turned into a series that I was working on through a stint in Chile, the US and the Middle East. And I’m not slowing down.

When not writing, I like to travel so much that I recently had to have pages added to my passport. I also enjoy eating, reading and listening to music. Often simultaneously.

Also by Christa Maurice

Drawn to the Rhythm Series

Satellite of Love

Heaven Beside You

Twenty Flight Rock

Let Me Be the One

Keep Coming Back to Love

Arden FD Series

Three Alarm Tenant

Struck By Lightning

Spark of Desire

Weaver’s Circle Series

Secrets Everybody Knows

Long Memory

One Ring to Rule

Melody Unchained

Lyrical Press books are published by

Kensington Publishing Corp. 119 West 40th Street New York, NY 10018

Copyright © 2010 Christa Maurice

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

Lyrical Press and the L logo are trademarks of Kensington Publishing Corp.

First Electronic Edition: January 2010

ISBN-13: 978-1-61650-111-2