by Ashlyn Chase
“Do you think a memory-loss spell is in order?”
“I already did it. I didn’t want to take any chances.”
“Good girl.”
“But now I don’t know what to do. I’m just panicking at the thought of being a single mother and losing the man I loved at the same time.”
Gaia heard Aaron grinding his teeth.
“I’m so sorry. Of course you can come home. I want you to.”
“Thank you, Daddy.”
“You don’t have to call me Daddy. I know when you’re feeling vulnerable and need my help. But you’re a strong woman. You’ll get through this.”
“I know. I guess I just feel like a scared little girl suddenly and need to be taken care of for a short while. Soon enough, I’ll be taking care of my own child.”
“I understand. When do you think you’ll get here?”
“To Puerto Rico?”
“I mean to our home in Brookline.”
“I’ve already started packing. I can pick up most of it later, but I can get there with a small suitcase in about an hour.”
“Okay. You have your key, right?”
“Yes. I’ll let myself in. When are you coming home?”
“As soon as possible.”
“Do you need me to pick up anything on my way? Some extra food maybe?”
“Just get whatever you need and want. Mrs. Rivera is on vacation, so the refrigerator is pretty empty. I’ll shop later.”
They said their goodbyes, and Aaron rejoined Gaia in the kitchen.
“I hate to impose upon you…”
“You need me to take you back to Puerto Rico, pack your things, and get back here as soon as possible?”
“Well, almost as soon as possible.” Aaron smiled. “As quickly as the airline can get me here, so only as quickly as humanly possible.”
“Are you sure? I can get everything taken care of in the blink of an eye,” Mother Nature said.
Aaron shook his head. “I know, but I can’t think of a way to explain the accelerated timeline. Ruth thinks I’m in Puerto Rico. I need you to take me back now. Then I will pack, say my goodbyes to Kizzy and the Fierros, and get myself home in a matter of hours. It’s no big deal.”
“It sounds like a big deal to your daughter.”
Aaron gave her the hairy eyeball.
She threw her hands in the air and said, “Okay. I understand. I’ll get you there immediately, and you can get yourself back the slow way.” She gave him a smirk. “Thank you for not alerting curious humans.”
Aaron chuckled.
She rose and put her hand on his shoulder, and the two of them reappeared in Aaron’s hotel room in Puerto Rico.
“Thank you, Gaia. Are you sure there was nothing specific you wanted to talk about?”
“Positive.”
“All right. Will I see you later?”
Gaia nodded. “Of course. When the mood strikes, give me a call.”
“Or you can call me.” Aaron shot her a quick grin.
Mother Nature left him throwing his things in a backpack and suitcase as quickly as he could.
* * *
Gaia wanted to talk to Kristine, her muse of cell phones, radios, and all the communication devices that go mobile. He had said to call him. Well, that was something she would have to learn how to do like a human so he didn’t have to stand in the middle of Boston Common and shout.
Kristine was at work when Gaia popped in. The young redhead turned around and shrieked. She was in her office with the door closed; otherwise, Gaia would have changed into street clothes and knocked on the door.
“Goddess! I didn’t hear you come in.”
“Yes, I suppose I startled you.”
“You really did. In the future, would you mind knocking?”
Mother Nature looked at the ceiling, and a knock, knock, knock sound came from above.
Kristine tipped her head as she looked at Gaia. “Was that you?”
“Unless there’s someone upstairs who knocks on their floor.”
The muse sighed, walked over to her door, opened it a crack, and didn’t see anyone around. She closed it again and locked it. “What can I do for you, Gaia?”
“I want to learn how to use one of those little black phones that you carry around—correction—that everyone carries around.”
Kristine’s eyebrows tented. “Seriously? What kind would you like?”
“How would I know what I need? I put you in charge of all that stuff so I wouldn’t have to know anything about it.”
Kristine slapped herself upside the head. “I forget how much you don’t know about modern technology. Let’s go to the nearest store as soon as I finish my shift. We’re going to have to use my address, and your bill will come to me, and I’ll pay it.”
Mother Nature rolled her eyes. “Don’t be silly. I’m not going to pay for this thing. Neither are you. Just get one and show me how to use it. I’ll borrow the airwaves.” She said “borrow” as if putting air quotes around it.
“Okay. I have an old one in my drawer at home. Give me a second to go get it.” It took about two seconds, but she popped out and back in with the item.
Kristine held out a black rectangle with one glass side, and on the other side was some kind of purple plastic coating. Plastic was something Mother Nature had never intended man to invent, but it was here now, and people seemed to think they couldn’t live without it.
“Okay this is the On button here.” Kristine pointed to a thin bar at the top. “But it has to be charged in order for it to work. This one is completely out of juice—I mean battery charge. Juice is an expression. Let me just plug it in for a couple of hours.”
Gaia said, “I don’t have that kind of time. You want it charged with electricity?”
“Yes, that’s the idea.”
Gaia grabbed the phone from her and shot a little lightning bolt into the box. Then she handed it back to Kristine.
She took it gingerly and inspected it. She touched the On button and said, “I’ll be darned. How did you know how much… Never mind. That did the trick.”
Kristine showed her where to put her contacts, how to take pictures, and imported a few apps she deemed necessary. She even taught her how to play solitaire if she had to wait for long periods of time. Everyone knew Gaia was not good at waiting.
“Thank you, Kristine. You’re very good at your job. I’m glad I made you a muse.”
“That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”
“Yes, I’m trying to be a little nicer these days,” Gaia said softly.
“For what it’s worth, I like the new you.”
Chapter 6
Ruth dragged her suitcase up the walkway of her old home in Brookline. She sighed as she looked up at the top step and the front door. I never thought I’d be moving back here again. Using her key, Ruth let herself in. Since the housekeeper and her father were both on vacation, she’d try to numb her mind in a constructive way by taking over some of the housekeeping duties. If she lived here long enough, of course, childcare duties would come first.
Boy, she wished Kizzy were here. Her sister and best friend would make everything so much more palatable. But Kizzy had moved out when she got married to Noah Fierro. Now she and her husband had relocated to Puerto Rico, and seeing her would be very difficult. Ruth would not be able to travel in her eighth month. Still, she really wanted her sister nearby for the birth in case something went wrong. She had been told she had very narrow hips, and as a maternity nurse, she’d seen more than a few emergency C-sections. The moms and babies usually came through them just fine, but Ruth knew there were always risks.
Kizzy’s witch power could save a life supernaturally. Just one life per day, but if it came down to a choice, Ruth would make it easy for her. The baby’s life shou
ld be saved, of course.
Her room was on the second floor, so she dragged her suitcase up the stairs one riser at a time, trying not to strain too much. I can’t believe that asshole Gordon let me do this by myself. Sure, he had surgery this morning. So what? I could have used some help moving out tomorrow, but he wanted me gone before he got home. Coward.
I guess that’s just the kind of thing I would’ve put up with for the rest of my life if we went through with our marriage. In a singsong voice, she spoke aloud to no one in particular. “The heck with what Ruth needs. The heck with what the baby needs. It’s all about what Gordon needs.” She shook her head.
Once she got everything to her room and heaved the suitcase onto her bed, she looked over at her little pink dresser. It was as empty as she felt. Fortunately, her father hadn’t done anything with her childhood room, like turning it into a gym. She burst into tears, falling on her bed. She clutched the pillow and cried hard.
A knock at her bedroom door startled her.
“No one is supposed to be here,” she whispered to herself.
A female voice from the other side called, “I’m a friend of your dad’s. Can I come in?”
“Oh!” Maybe her father had asked a neighbor to look in on her. Yes, of course he did. “Come in!” she called out.
A woman with long white hair entered the room. She wore a classic-looking powder-blue suit and a pillbox hat, like something Jackie Kennedy might have worn.
“Hello, dear. My name is Gaia. As I said, I’m a friend of your father’s, and I know Kizzy too. This is my first time meeting you though.”
Ruth managed to stand and shake the woman’s hand. “Then you probably already know I’m Ruth. Ruth Samuels.” Her lower lip quivered a bit, realizing she’d continue to be Ruth Samuels. Not Dr. and Mrs. Gordon Draper.
“Yes, your father called me. I’m sorry your fiancé is such a doofus.”
At first, Ruth was shocked, and then she burst out laughing. “That’s a good word for it. He’s being a doofus, and I feel duped.”
Gaia wrapped her arms around her and said, “Don’t be sad. You’re not alone. Your father cares about you very much, and you don’t know it yet, but so do I.”
Ruth stepped back and looked at this woman. She had intelligent eyes and soft, unlined skin. It was very difficult to pinpoint her age. Certainly, she was at least in her thirties, but the white hair really surprised her.
“So I guess you heard all about it,” Ruth said.
Gaia nodded. “Why don’t we go to the kitchen and have some tea? I think I know what you need.”
Ruth sighed. “Yes, tea would be lovely.”
She followed the woman down the stairs and into the kitchen. She filled the kettle while Gaia took an actual plant out of a satchel that Ruth hadn’t noticed before.
The plant was made up of a couple of leaves that looked like hearts. They were about two inches long and the same across. The pretty leaves were stuck together at the bottom, making the point of a heart shape, and about halfway up, they divided and made the rounded tops of the heart.
“I’ve never seen leaves like this.” Ruth picked one up, turned it over in her hand, and admired it. “It’s pretty. Kind of like one quarter of a large shamrock. Is it part of the clover family?”
“I know what you mean, but no. It’s a lovely plant that’s in a class of its own. I think you’ll be surprised how wonderful you’ll feel after having tea made with it.”
“Oh. This is a tea leaf?”
Gaia nodded. “It can be used in any number of ways. Tea is certainly one of them.” She dunked the leaves in two cups of hot water that seemed to have boiled much faster than Ruth would’ve expected.
“So this is your home now?” Gaia asked, looking around the room.
“I guess so.” Ruth took a sip of the brew and was surprised by the sweetness of the taste. She hadn’t even put any sugar in it. “This is delicious. What’s the name of this tea?”
Gaia shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s something your father found. He’ll have to tell you more about it—if he wants to.”
Ruth cocked her head and wondered at this strange woman. Well, whatever the plant was called, she was right. It made her feel better. In fact, she hadn’t felt this good in a long, long time. After another sip, she felt as if she could stand up and take on the world. This was definitely unusual!
“You say my father knows about this?”
“Oh yes. He wants to create some sort of medicine from it. He’s very excited about the discovery.”
“I’ll bet,” Ruth said. With each sip, she felt stronger and happier. It was hard to believe she had been in tears only a few minutes ago. “I should call my dad,” Ruth said.
“He might be in the air as we speak.”
“I know he was in Puerto Rico this morning, but I doubt he would be able to board a plane this fast.”
She fished her phone out of a pocket in her maternity top, then called his number. The number just rang and rang. Finally, she got his voicemail. “Hi, Dad. It’s Ruth. I’m in your kitchen—” She cleared her throat. “I mean, our kitchen, having a cup of tea with your lovely friend, Gaia. I feel a lot better now. I’ll see you when you get home. Thank you again for letting me move back in. I love you.”
Ruth hung up and tucked the phone back into her pocket. “Well, if you were supposed to check in on me and make sure I’m okay, you have done your job admirably. I can’t explain it, but I feel wonderful. I know my child and I will be all right. Thank you. If you have things to get to, I totally understand.”
Gaia smiled. “Yes I do have things I need to get to. And you’re right. You are going to be fine.”
Ruth shrugged. “I’ve never felt better in my life.” Then she beamed and escorted Gaia to the front door. “Thank you for coming and checking on me. I can take it from here.”
“I’m glad to hear that. I’m sure your father will be too.” She lifted the satchel and put it gently into Ruth’s hand. “I’ll just leave a few of these seeds with you. If your father can’t get the seeds to grow, tell him I’ll help. I have quite the green thumb. I can plant a whole greenhouse full of them.”
And with that, the strange woman walked down the stairs and around the corner of the house as if she were cutting through the backyard. Perhaps she was. Ruth knew their next-door neighbors but not the ones behind them. That must be where she lived.
* * *
The following day, Aaron entered his home in Brookline and dropped his suitcases. “Ruthie?”
Ruth strode out from the kitchen and over to her father. “Hi, Dad!”
“Sweetheart.” He spread his arms open wide. “I’m sorry it took me so long. I got rerouted and delayed even though I grabbed the first flight out.”
She hugged him as if she’d just come for a visit. Aaron had expected his daughter to throw her arms around him and burst into tears, but she seemed almost cheerful.
“I’m so sorry about what happened, honey, but it’ll be all right. You’re home now.”
“I know, Dad. I feel fine. Really. I know we’re going to be perfectly all right.”
Aaron was having a hard time believing what he was hearing. Why wasn’t she reacting as expected for a jilted, eight-months-pregnant woman? “Have you heard from Gordon?”
Ruth shrugged one shoulder. “Not a peep. And that’s fine with me. Would you like something to eat? I have some sandwich makings in the kitchen. I had to restock the shelves for myself, and I only got small amounts, mostly because I wasn’t hungry at the time. But I did get a gigantic amount of comfort food to share. How about some chocolate chip cookies and vanilla ice cream?” She winked and flounced off to the kitchen.
What the heck was going on? She was fine? She didn’t seem to even miss Gordon. She’d thought he was the love of her life. Aaron never cared for the guy. He was one of tho
se surgeons with a God complex, not that he was judging doctors in general. Gordon was a selfish prick. He was still a selfish prick.
He followed Ruth into the kitchen and said, “I’m not really hungry, but I could certainly use a cold drink.”
“Of course.” Ruth opened the fridge and said, “What would you like? We have your usual Heineken, or some Arnold Palmers…you know, the half lemonade, half iced tea drink. There’s no liquor in it. That’s what I’ve been drinking.”
“That sounds delicious. Let’s both have a glass of that.”
He couldn’t very well tell her how to feel. If this was just some kind of temporary upswing, he’d certainly let her have it. Grief and loss could bring on all kinds of mood swings. Perhaps she’d just listened to Gloria Gaynor’s song “I Will Survive”. Who knew?
The two of them sat at the kitchen table with their Arnold Palmers. “So, how are Kizzy and Noah?” Ruth asked.
“Kizzy and the whole extended Fierro family are doing great. You should see Noah’s fantastic building skills. I swear that boy can do anything…and all without breaking a sweat.”
Ruth chuckled. “Yes, she got a good one. And to think you didn’t like him at first.”
Aaron shook his head at himself. “It wasn’t that I disliked him. I’m afraid I just saw things…well…less clearly in the past. I’ll admit to being overly money-driven. And of course, no one was going to be good enough for my girls. But I’ve had my eyes opened in a few significant ways. Especially lately.”
He wasn’t about to say how he had not changed his mind about Gordon though. Instead, he let her steer the conversation.
“Boy, we really dodged a bullet with Gordon backing out,” she said.
“Oh?” At last, she was going to talk about the reason she was here.
“Well, yeah. He didn’t want kids. I have one on the way, and if he’s not into it, he’d probably be a terrible father. And husband.”
Aaron’s eyebrows rose.
“Of course I was devastated. At first,” Ruth said. “But then a visit from your friend and neighbor, Gaia, really helped me.”
