“It’s snowing and freezing outside. Are you sure?”
“I do not have a choice, do I? Please open the door for me.”
I climbed out from the warmth of the quilt, pulled my pants, shoes and coat on and walked outside with Fudge right on my heels. The snow was already deeper than Fudge was tall, and he plowed his way through it toward the back of the cottage. The door opened and Gregory poked his head out.
“Is something wrong?” Gregory’s voice sounded concerned.
“Fudge had to pee.”
“Bollocks. My apologies. Call him back. I will get his things from your house.”
I’d totally forgotten that as an Air-affinity, Gregory can transport things through the ether. I called to Fudge in my mind, telling him that Gregory was getting his litter box from our place and he didn’t have to freeze his balls off any longer.
“Now he remembers. I am nearly through and will join you shortly. But thank him. I do not wish to repeat this experience anytime soon.”
“Why didn’t you remind me sooner?” I asked as I attempted to dry Fudge off with a towel Gregory had thoughtfully provided.
“I did not think of it. On the days you study, I am used to waiting until we get home to do my business. It was only when the urgency struck that I remembered.”
“His litter box is in the bathtub,” Gregory called from the kitchen. “I also took the opportunity to get his food in case you can’t go home tomorrow. I’m putting that down next to the bowl of water in here.”
“Enough with the towel,” Fudge told me as he batted my hands away. “Please convey my thanks to the wizard.”
Fudge hopped back on the couch and started to finish drying himself. I thought that would take longer than the towel, but he was a cat, after all. I gave Gregory both our thanks and heard him head back into his bedroom as I crawled back under the quilt, wrapping myself tightly to dispel the chill from standing outside. It took a bit, but I finally got warm again and drifted back off to sleep.
It was still snowing and blowing the next morning, although it wasn’t quite whiteout conditions – I could just barely make out the garage and main house, when I hadn’t been able to see them at all the previous afternoon.
“Unless it blows through by mid-afternoon, I would prefer you stayed here another night,” Gregory told me as he refilled my coffee. “The Hummer may go where other vehicles will not, but it would still be tricky driving until we got to the main roads.”
I heaved a sigh. I may fit on the couch, but it wasn’t as comfortable as my own bed. Not to mention just being home. “I understand. Since I don’t have any of my stuff here to work on, what can we do today?”
“Read? I have no more client work and can’t think of anything I need done for you to practice on. Or you could lose some more games of checkers.” The corners of his mouth turned up.
“I think I’m checkered out,” I grinned back. “I’ll just peruse your library for something to read. You undoubtedly have one or two I haven’t seen.”
At over two hundred years old and an avid reader (once he’d learned how), Gregory had filled an entire wall of the cottage with floor-to-ceiling shelves of books. Most of them were history or science but he had a lot of mythology, too. Current fiction? Not so much.
So, as Gregory hauled in several armloads of wood for the fireplace, I curled up in a chair next to the window and started re-reading The Complete Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen. At least I thought I was re-reading them. I must have gotten through them at least once as a child, right? But I discovered I either hadn’t, or my memory had totally failed because there were many that seemed brand-new to me.
As I read, I was aware of the almost complete silence. No refrigerator humming, no thrumming of the furnace, just the crackle and pop coming from the fireplace and the quiet sounds of Gregory puttering. I looked up to see what he was doing, and my jaw almost hit the floor. He was dusting! A man, actually doing housework!
I cleared my throat. “This is an unusual sight.”
He paused, the feather duster poised above a book shelf. “What?”
“You’re cleaning. I mean, with a duster. Why don’t you just blow the dust away with your magic?”
He chuckled as he put the duster down. “Where would I blow it to? I could certainly gather it all up and dump it in your lap, if that would make you happy.”
“But…”
“I’ve charmed the duster so it catches it all instead of just moving it around. Besides, I like the physical act. It’s satisfying to see the fruits of my labor. I like a clean house.”
Well, that certainly wasn’t the reason he was single. Any woman would kill to have a man who liked housework enough to do it himself. I smiled and went back to reading.
The Elf of the Rose brought to mind Ev and the “investment.”
“Did you ever find anything about that elf?” I asked.
“No, but it’s not surprising. They don’t usually have much to do with anyone outside their race and those that do, don’t speak of their own kind. At least not the few that I know. Why?”
“Just wondering. I’m sure that Martin is going to tell Ev not to have anything to do with it and I thought if you’d turned up anything shady about the guy that it would help the cause. You know, the more ammunition we have…”
He took a sip from his ever-present cup of coffee and went back to dusting. “I know but you and Martin will just have to argue with logic.”
I snorted. Ev and logic were mutually exclusive. But I’d already said my piece, so it would be up to Martin. If Ev was adamant, there was nothing we could do about it – it was his money, after all.
My phone rang, shattering the peaceful, electricity-free world.
“Hiya,” Cassandra’s voice came through. “You staying warm?”
“We’re at Gregory’s. I take it the power went out over that way, too?”
“Yep. News sites are saying it’s out in various sections of the city and because of the snow and wind, it’ll be a day or so before they get it all back. Did you stay overnight?”
I filled Cassandra in on the weekend thus far, including playing a board game with Ev. At that last, she choked on whatever beverage she was drinking.
“He’s good at something that requires strategy? That means thinking.”
I laughed back. “Believe it or not, yes. He even won a game off Gregory.” As my BFF, she naturally knew of my miserable failures at Chinese checkers when going up against the wizard. As the landlord for our office, she also knew Ev quite well.
“Okay, I’m picking my jaw off the floor now. I also gotta go. Don’t want to use too much battery or I’ll have to go out and start the car to charge my phone. Tommy’s already had to do it once.”
We hung up and I went back to reading as Gregory continued cleaning. I couldn’t help but sneak a peek every now and then. It was just weird to see a man enjoy doing housework!
Chapter Five
The wind quit blowing, the snow quit falling, and the power finally came back on sometime in the middle of the night. Monday morning dawned bright, the sun glaring off the snow. Gregory managed to maneuver the Hummer through unplowed streets and around stranded cars, dropping us off at my doorstep about the time I’d normally be leaving for the office.
Someone had obviously already been at work because the sidewalk in front of my building and the stairs down to my apartment had already been shoveled. For this I was glad. That stairwell collected snow like a vacuum and in storms like the one we’d had, the pile was high enough to make traversing the stairs treacherous.
An hour later, I made it to the office – after I’d luxuriated in my own shower for far too long. The city had plowed the main drag and most of the building owners had shoveled their portions of the sidewalk so the walk wasn’t too bad. I still had to peel off the wet pants and boots I’d worn. I’d put on the heels I’d carried when Ev made it to the office. When no one else was there, my shoes sat under my desk and I walk
ed around in bare feet. I hate shoes.
Although the sidewalk in front of the deli was clear, there was no sign of Cassandra. Even though it was closed on Mondays, she was usually in the back, catching up on paperwork. This day, though, the door was locked, even to me (it was spelled to allow certain people through when she was closed) so I had to make do with my coffee instead of a latte from her. Not my favorite way to start my least-favorite day.
I had just finished reading the weekend’s reports and emails, compiling a list of things to talk to Ev about, when he stomped in the door.
“I need to move back to LA,” he growled. “I’m sick of snow and cold.”
“What’s your beef?” I called from my office as I gathered my notes in preparation for our morning meeting. “You don’t have to drive in it, don’t have to shovel it, and are only out in the weather from door to car to door.”
“I hate cold. When it snows hard, Gregory won’t drive me anywhere. And I’m tired of looking at nothing but white out the windows,” he groused some more. “My phone didn’t ring at all, so I assume there were no emergencies. What happened over the weekend?”
“Nothing much,” I said from the kitchen, where I was topping off my coffee. As I walked toward his office, I continued, “Myron knows his contract is up in a month and wants a raise; John called about providing a guard for a possible new client he’s speaking with…”
I sat in my usual chair, continuing down my list of notes. Ev listened, making an occasional comment and notes of his own. I finished and handed him a list of calls to return. I’d just risen to go back to my own office when the phone rang. Reaching over Ev’s desk, I answered it from his extension, listened for a moment and handed the receiver to him.
“It’s Martin. He’s finished that tome of a business proposal from the elf and wants to talk with you about it.”
“Oh, good. That was on my list of things to do today.”
I headed back to my office with my list of things to do longer by half since talking with Ev. Thankfully, Sally would be in shortly and I could hand off some of it to her. I tackled the phone calls first.
Less than an hour later, I was working on a contract for a new hire when the outer door opened. Knowing Sally wasn’t yet in, I slipped my shoes back on and headed out to the reception area.
“Good morning, Miss McCollum,” that heavenly voice greeted me. My eyes were treated, too, as Perchaladon took off his outer coat, revealing another exquisitely tailored suit showing off his …um…assets. “Is Evander in? I’d like to speak with him.”
I really hated when people didn’t make appointments. “He is,” I replied, only drooling a little bit. It really was difficult to look at him and stay focused on work. “I’ll ask if he has time to see you.” I didn’t want to offer coffee or anything, just in case Ev had other ideas.
I poked my head in his office. “Perchaladon is here and would like to see you. I wasn’t aware you’d made an appointment with him.”
“I didn’t but it’s okay,” he said. “Show him in.”
I walked back out to the reception area. “Ev can see you. May I offer you a beverage?”
“No, thank you. I am fine for now. And I know the way to his office.” I stayed where I was and watched him walk down the hall to Ev’s office, sighing when he closed the door behind him. I shook my head clear of un-work-like thoughts and went back to my desk.
Not too much later, I heard the door open and Perchaladon say, “I am disappointed in your decision. It is one I believe you will come to regret.” I watched as he strode past my door and heard the outer door close.
Ev and his aroma drifted into my office. That reminded me: I needed to order more scented candles. I made a note. “You should be proud of me, Amy.”
I looked up from my work. “You said no?”
“I did. Martin told me the history of these sorts of companies and how much money he was sure had been lost over the years. After that, I decided not to invest. See? I can say no!”
“It’s about time you listened to one of us,” I told him. “While I have you, what do you want to do about the workers’ comp insurance? The premium is going up by a third this year.”
“Don’t we have an agent for that stuff? See if he can find something else.” Ev left and I heard his office door close once again. The light for one of the phone lines blinked on. I added a note to call said agent to my list. An administrative assistant’s work was never done.
***
And life went on. The snow melted and spring finally arrived. It felt like I’d only blinked and the heat of summer was upon us. My Saturday sessions with Gregory moved from his workroom out to his garden. Although Cassandra’s garden was larger and lusher (she was, after all, an Earth witch), Gregory’s was nothing to sneeze at. While I helped him weed, we discussed the properties of all the herbs and vegetables he grew.
“Your book contains correspondence lists but if you get to know the plant, you may find a different use for it,” he intoned. Gregory didn’t drone like the college marketing professor who’d nearly put me to sleep but he was definitely in teaching mode. “Therefore, you need to really listen as you’re weeding a bed. You never know what you might hear.”
I sighed as I pulled another piece of grass out of the bed of catnip. “I know. Cassandra said the same thing. I do get some flashes but so far, nothing that’s not on any of the lists.”
“You just don’t spend enough time with the plants. Once a week definitely isn’t going to build up any relationships.”
“I have a wonderful relationship with catnip. It smells so good!”
I laughed. There was a reason Fudge was still inside the cottage while we were out in the garden. Gregory didn’t trust him around the herbs. After Fudge’s reaction to a valerian plant in Cassandra’s greenhouse, I understood why. He and Merlin, her cat and familiar, had tried to dig it up to get at the roots.
My life wasn’t all work, though (and I considered my lessons with Gregory work). I’d finished my final manuscript and fired it off to the editor in May and made her suggested revisions in June. Ev was on the party circuit, which always was at its height in the summer when people could gather on patios and lawns instead of cramming themselves into living rooms. That meant he wasn’t in the office as much. I spent a lot of my free time biking around the lakes, enjoying the exercise – and the people-watching.
As Cassandra and I sat on the deck of an ice cream parlor with a couple of other girlfriends, admiring the tight behinds of the male rollerbladers who skated on the path mere feet from our perch, I mused aloud that maybe now I was done with my writing contract, I had time for a love life again.
“You have been a hermit lately,” Louise quipped. “Every time I’ve suggested a girls’ night out in the last several months, you’ve been too busy. It’s time you were in circulation again!”
“Oh, I know,” I sighed. “I really have been. Between regular work, studying this magic stuff, and finishing with my writing, I haven’t had a lot of time. But now one of those things has dropped off my list so I can at least think about getting involved again.”
“I wish I could do magic,” Elsa moaned. “You three are so lucky.”
“It depends,” Cassandra replied. “Sure, we can do things you can’t but on the other hand, we have twice the homework as teenagers, or sometimes as adults, like Amy’s finding out. I hated all the studying I had to do between regular school and Mom’s assignments.”
“Yeah, but it’s still cool,” Louise grinned. “I love being able to warm a snifter of brandy from across the room if I’m interested in the guy holding it!” Louise was a rare Fire witch and had the temperament to match. “But back to your love life, Amy. I hear that new country bar out at the mall has lots of cute guys and mostly our age!”
I grimaced. Country music wasn’t my thing. “I hate cowboy boots,” I ventured a lame excuse.
“You don’t have to wear them, just snare a guy who does!” I should introduce Lou
ise to Ev. Their minds ran along the same track. Ev had started trying to fix me up with a multitude of guys within a month of Tony’s untimely death. I kept telling him I wasn’t ready. Ev’s taste in men and mine didn’t exactly match up and given that I knew most of the men he mentioned, I could have come up with even more excuses if that one didn’t fly.
“Oh, come on,” Elsa added. “One night out watching guys in tight jeans and fancy boots won’t kill you. It’s Saturday. We can go tonight. At least three of us could.” She eyed Cassandra.
“It’ll have to be just the three of you,” Cassandra rejoined. “Tommy and I have dinner plans with his dad and some other people tonight. And since I left the deli early today, it wouldn’t be fair to skip tonight, too, leaving Tommy with all the work.” She looked at her watch. “As a matter of fact, I need to run. It’s a dressy dinner and I have to get ready.”
“Okay, then, the three of us?” Louise fixed a stare on me. “We’ll pick you up at seven.”
I sighed. “Okay, fine. I’ll go. But no promises.”
“None asked for. It’ll be good just to see you out and about.” We parted company, Cassandra and I taking the city streets eastward while Louise and Elsa headed south on the path around Lake Bde Maka Ska. They lived together in an apartment right on the western shore of the lake.
I left Cassandra at her driveway and continued home, hauling my bike down the stairs, through my apartment and into the boiler room across the hall. While I could have locked it on the bike rack at the corner, I wanted to see it again. Although where I lived was fairly safe, one didn’t leave belongings outside unattended for very long in any neighborhood, not just mine.
I had about three hours to get ready to go out. Apart from the occasional party Ev had thrown where my attendance was mandatory, I hadn’t been out in quite a while. I may not really enjoy country music, but I couldn’t argue with the blue-jeans-atmosphere of that type of bar. It made the choice of outfit so much easier!
Promptly at seven, a car honked outside. I shoved cell phone, identification, money and credit card in my pocket, grabbed my keys, blew a kiss goodbye to Fudge and headed out. Once I’d thought about it some, I was actually excited to be going out partying, regardless of the venue. It had been a long time!
Transformation! Page 4
