“That’s exactly what I mean.” Suddenly, Miranda was next to me. “Be very careful.”
Anger and sadness collided. “Why do I even have this power? If I can’t show it to those people I draw?” I so wanted to give Chloe this picture, but of course I wouldn’t. Not if doing so would erase her glorious day.
“All power, all magic, has…hmm, what’s the right word—Side effects? Repercussions?—if not used correctly. The magic is changing, and part of your magic is exactly what you’ve guessed. You have the power to see glimpses of the future, but you’ll need to learn how to use those glimpses appropriately. I’ll help you, and you will learn. I promise.”
Understanding what she said didn’t make it easier to take. “What about the wishes? Is that me or the baby?”
“A little of both. You have some power with wishes, more with the presence of your daughter. It will grow as she grows.”
God. Chloe had basically been right about that too. Smart lady, my friend. “Okay then, what about Elizabeth’s picture? Can I show her?”
A ghost of a smile touched Miranda’s lips. “Yes. Because the steps to achieving that future have already begun. She might not want to know, though, so be careful before you show her.”
Holding up the sketchpad, I stared at Chloe’s beaming face again. It was there; I could see it—all of her dreams about love were going to come true. “When can I show her?”
Miranda sighed. “You’ll know when. Trust me on this, Alice. When the moment arrives, you won’t doubt it. If there is doubt, it’s not the right time.” And then, in her normal annoying way, she hazed out of my living room without another word.
“Come back! I want to talk to you about Ethan,” I half shouted. Nothing. “Please?” Still nothing.
Honestly, if she weren’t my great-great-great-grandmother, I’d have cursed the day she was born. Freaking ghost, blipping in and out with a mishmash of advice, warnings, and whatnot, but nothing real. Nothing tangible to give me what I needed to know.
Of course, that was probably because she couldn’t tell me. Otherwise, just like Chloe, my happily ever after might never occur. And wow, I so wanted that future.
Very carefully, I ripped the Chloe picture out of my sketchbook and put it away, high up in my closet. For now, at least, I’d have to forget it existed, even if it went against every bone in my body. Me and Chloe? We’d never kept secrets. We’d never had anything we couldn’t share. This was a first, in more ways than one. I hated it.
Deciding I needed some company, I figured a visit to my sister’s would do the trick. Grabbing my sketchbook, I headed out the door without a backward glance. I hoped sharing her drawing with her would lift my spirits.
An hour later, I was at Elizabeth’s place. We were seated on her couch in her tiny living room. And I do mean tiny. Elizabeth’s apartment was about half the size of mine.
“I baked brownies yesterday. Do you want one?” She hadn’t yet asked what I was doing there unannounced, but the question loomed between us.
“No, thanks. How are you? You didn’t sound like yourself the other day.” I eased in, trying to take the conversation slowly.
A wide smile broke. “Is that what this is about? I’m sorry I worried you. My past caught up with me, and I began to worry the same thing might happen again. But Nate’s different, and what we have is special. I’m okay now.”
“You’re the happiest I’ve seen you in years. And I like Nate a lot.” My eyes whisked over her apartment, which she’d completely redecorated not that long ago. It was stylish and chic, but homey too. Exactly right for my sister. “I still need to paint you a portrait. Maybe as a wedding gift…” I let the words trail off.
Her gaze narrowed. “Wedding gift? What are you talking about?”
“Um. Well, I have it on good authority—”
Before I could finish my sentence, she leaned over and lightly smacked her hand over my mouth. “No, Alice. If you know something like that—I don’t want to hear. Let me be surprised if and when it happens.”
Damn. There went that thought. I nodded, and she removed her hand. “I don’t know anything for sure,” I lied. “Mostly, I was prodding. You’ll tell me right away if he proposes, right? Like, immediately? I’ve just been thinking about your situation and it seemed to make sense.”
“Of course I’ll tell you! Right now, I think we’re good where we are. We might move in together soon, though. It seems wasteful for both of us to keep paying rent when we live right next door.”
“Will you move to his apartment or will he move here?”
“No idea. I’d prefer here after all the work I’ve done on the place, but what’s important is being with the person you love. I’ll go wherever.” A light of knowledge danced into her brown eyes. “What’s going on with you? Making any headway on the soul mate front?”
“Not really. Ethan and I had a date yesterday. It was really nice.” Biting my lip, I asked a question I hadn’t planned on: “How did you know you’d fallen in love with Nate?”
“That serious already? That must have been some date.”
I gave my sister a glare. “Just answer. How’d you know?”
She shrugged, some of her chestnut hair falling into her eyes. Whisking it away, she said, “I can’t answer that. I just…knew.”
“That’s no help! Can’t you be more exact?”
I must have looked as miserable as I felt, because she squeezed my hand. “Aw, sweetie. Trust me. You’ll know. When it comes right down to it, you won’t have a question or a bit of doubt; your entire being will sing with the knowledge.”
Weird, really, how her answer about love and Miranda’s about magic were so very similar. Heck, it was even a little eerie. “Yeah. I’ve been hearing a lot of that lately.”
“Come on. Let’s get a brownie and a big glass of milk, and you can tell me all about your date. Sound good?”
“Yeah. I’d like that.” And then, together, we talked it out over chocolate.
By the time I left, I was in a better frame of mind. If what Elizabeth said was true, then maybe I already had my soul mate question answered. Of course, a stupid little inner voice reminded me that, no matter how strong my feelings for Ethan were, it did not mean he was the man in my drawing. But that little voice? It pissed me off, so I tuned it out.
I waited for Kyle in a window booth at a local hamburger joint a few blocks away from Enchanted Expressions. I wasn’t sure what I was going to glean from this meeting, but I hoped something would come out that would settle the Kyle-as-soul-mate subject once and for all.
When he loped into the restaurant, I saw him immediately. Today, he wore casual dress slacks, a tucked-in long-sleeved shirt, and a tie. A flutter of surprise had me taking a closer look. Dressed like this, he was actually fairly handsome, even with his apparently trademark sunglasses pushed up on his head. His gaze landed on me and he gave a small, tight smile.
Sliding into the seat across from me, he tipped his head in greeting. “Hey, Alice. Have you been waiting long?”
“No. Thanks for meeting me. I appreciate it.”
The waitress stopped at our table, delivering two glasses of water and two menus. After she zipped away, Kyle opened his menu, his long fingers tilting it upright so I couldn’t quite see his entire face. My stomach hurt, probably from the tension emanating off of Kyle. It appeared we were equally unhappy with this get-together. I knew what caused my stress, but I wondered what caused his.
As I watched him, I tried to imagine being with him the way I was with Ethan, but the image wouldn’t take. It wasn’t that I found him distasteful, because I didn’t. Especially now that I knew more about him. There just weren’t any sparks, any energy, any anything between us.
He set his menu down, and a hint of irritation existed in the way he sat, in his stiffly held shoulders. “What did you want to see me for?” he finally asked, his voice calm but abrupt.
“Um. Well, we’re both friends with Shelby and Grant. And Chloe
. I thought it might be nice to get to know each other a little better, that’s all.”
His eyes skittered to the window and then back to me. Instead of the casual, even funny Kyle I’d seen at Shelby’s, this Kyle was all about business. “This is probably a really rough time for you, isn’t it? Being pregnant and the father skipping out and all. I’m sorry you’re going through that.”
“It hasn’t been easy,” I agreed, once again surprised.
“And you’d probably like to find someone else. Another man or…well…even a woman if you go that way, to help you out a little. I get that. I do.” Fidgeting, he played with his napkin-wrapped silverware. “Do you go that way? Or are you set on finding a man? Maybe I can fix you up with some people, if you tell me what you’re looking for. There’re a couple of divorced guys at work who are seriously into the daddy scene.”
Was he trying to match me up? Seriously? “Kyle? What are you talking about?”
“I’m just saying I understand.” The words were said slowly, as if he were talking to a child.
“Understand what, exactly?”
“You’ve called almost every day for the past week. I thought by not returning your calls I’d have given you the message I wasn’t interested. But you haven’t gotten that.” Slouching back, he watched me carefully. “You’re not going to cry or something, are you?”
“No, I’m not going to cry.” I took a slow breath to battle the annoyance rising up in me. Maybe he wasn’t getting at what I thought he was getting at. “But you’ll need to spell this out for me, because I’m a little confused.”
“Look, Alice. There have been girls I’ve really liked in the past. I know how it feels to want to hook up with someone so much you can’t get them out of your mind. If it weren’t for Chloe, I might even think it was cool you’d chosen me.” Now he fiddled with the saltshaker. “Not that I want to be a dad to your tyke-to-be, ‘cause I don’t. I’m not in that place right now, if you get my gist.”
I stared at him, incredulous. He thought I wanted to hook up with him? Ew! Just…ew. The waitress appeared then, thank goodness. She took our orders and then rushed over to the table next to us. Unfortunately, the brief respite didn’t give me one iota of clarity as to why he’d made this leap. “I’ve been calling because I wanted to talk to you. That’s it.”
“You’re nearly stalking me! Chloe won’t go out with me because of you. Shelby keeps asking if we’ve done anything together yet. And you drew a picture of me? It’s crazy. The only reason I came today was to tell you in person I’m not interested.” He shifted around in his seat, and a sideways grin popped out. “I know I’m nearly irresistible, so it’s not even your fault. The ladies dig me, so you’re in good company, but please chill out on the phone calls.”
Okay, maybe it was rude, but I laughed. “You think I’m stalking you?” Another burst of laughter escaped. “Oh, Kyle, that is so far from the truth. I’m sorry if I…er…frightened you.”
It was his turn to laugh, and he looked obviously relieved. “You didn’t scare me. But between Chloe and Shelby, and you calling so much, it really felt weird. So…you’re not on a daddy hunt?” He gave me another nervous look.
“No. I’m not on a daddy hunt. Chloe wanted us to get to know each other better, so that’s what I’m doing.” It was another lie by omission of some key facts, but somehow, I didn’t think exposing the soul mate hunt to him would go over any better than a supposed daddy hunt.
“Uh…what’s the deal with drawing me then? And why is Chloe so adamant about us talking?”
“I drew a picture that Shelby thought looked like you.” At his doubtful glance, another laugh escaped. “Seriously, Kyle. I drew it before I even saw you at the cookout. As far as Chloe goes, we’re close. Friends check out guys for their friends. She’s a little nervous, that’s all. With the past you two have, you can’t really blame her.”
Something—remorse?—trickled over his features. “I know I didn’t treat her right. Shelby came along, and I was hooked. She was all I could think of. But that was high school. It’s different now. I’ve grown up a little, believe it or not.”
Both of us relaxed then, for real, and finally I was able to just talk to him. You know how they say first impressions can be deceiving? Well, in Kyle’s case, that was definitely the truth. Sure, the guy had some serious hangups about commitment, but he was nice, smart, and really quite funny. By the time we finished lunch, I could honestly say that being Kyle’s friend might be a cool thing.
But as far as the soul mate issue went, I thought I could safely cross him off my list, scar or no. Because that was the only fact lining up on his side. Attraction between us was nil, he was not seeing marriage in his near future, and, yeah—the daddy thing? Completely freaked him out. And the fact I hadn’t been able to draw his wedding day made me think he wasn’t going to have one. Ever.
Also, seeing as how the man in my drawing wore a wedding ring, well—that was something that made me feel oh-so-much better. We left the restaurant together, stopping outside to say our good-byes.
“It was nice hanging with you today.” Bending down, he smooched me lightly on my cheek. “Now maybe Chloe and I can go out.”
I almost told him that Chloe was on a different track, that she wanted to get married and have kids someday, but luckily common sense won out and I kept my thoughts to myself. If anything I said or did changed Chloe’s future, I’d never forgive myself. “Good luck,” was my only reply.
“Thanks! And hey, if it doesn’t work out with her, maybe we can hang out some more.” He winked. “You’re pretty hot for a pregnant chick.”
“Um. Thanks?”
Seeing as I already knew that things weren’t going to pan out between Chloe and Kyle, his little statement gave me pause, even if it was only a joke. I strolled back to work slowly, thinking about Kyle and trying to be sure that I truly felt nothing for him. My emotions for Ethan were strong, intense, and had been almost from the beginning. Was that coloring my thoughts about Kyle? My attraction to him? No. I didn’t think so. For now I was keeping Kyle crossed off the soul mate list. If following my heart didn’t lead me to happiness, and I had to end my relationship with Ethan, well…maybe I’d give Kyle more consideration. But I didn’t think that was going to happen, because everything about Ethan just felt right.
Returning to my office, I beelined for my desk, pushing all other thoughts straight out of my head. I needed to be able to concentrate. We had just gotten a new account that required my attention, and while the original meeting with Mr. Kendall had been delayed, the new date was fast approaching, so I had plenty to keep my afternoon occupied. When I pulled out my chair, a large manila envelope sitting on the seat grabbed my attention.
My heart stopped. Well, not literally, but for a second it felt like cardiac arrest. I opened the envelope and pulled out the sheaf of papers within. Yep, just what I’d figured. These were the papers from Troy requiring my signature to end his rights with our child. As if he’d never existed.
My fingers closed around the pages so tightly that my knuckles turned white and then pink. Even though this was what I wanted, pain still churned inside of me, because no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t understand how anyone—even someone as jerky as Troy—could ignore his child coming into the world.
Instinctively, I rubbed my belly with my other hand. “We’ll be okay, kiddo. I promise.”
She moved then, in a mixture of tiny kicks and butterfly wings, as if in agreement with my words. Silly to think that way, but it still put a smile on my face. “Yeah,” I said with much more confidence, “One way or another, we’ll be fine.”
After I read the papers clear through, I made a copy of them and gave the originals already bearing Troy’s signature to Ethan to pass to his attorney. Soon, at least one area of my life would be finalized. Not exactly something to celebrate, but hey, any progress was better than none.
And tonight, Ethan and I were meeting with Beatrice. Maybe, if I were
really lucky, by the end of the evening I’d have a few more answers.
Chapter Fourteen
Beatrice Bellamy looked nothing like her son. Or, rather, he looked nothing like her.
Where Troy stood barely taller than I am, Beatrice towered over me. Compared to Troy’s dark hair and eyes, Beatrice seemed faded. From her gray-dusted light brown hair, to her pale brown eyes, even to the lackluster tone of her skin, everything about her was just a tad washed out. And if she was a witch, I sure as hell couldn’t tell. It wasn’t like she wore a pointy black hat or had warts on her nose—which, by the way, hadn’t twitched even once so far.
I’d partially expected her to be the woman from my rocking chair drawing, but she wasn’t. Probably this should have relieved me, and I guess in a way it did. But I still didn’t know who the mystery woman was, and I remained just as clueless as to what that specific drawing meant.
Beatrice ushered Ethan and me into her home. I scrunched up my nose at the odd mixture of lemon, coffee, and tuna scents that wafted in the air. Three meowing cats trailed along with us. Cats were said to be familiars for witches, so was their presence a sign of witchcraft or merely a lonely woman? Or just a cat lover?
Ethan’s hand stayed firmly on my waist as we walked, his touch centering me. Even though I could have met Beatrice on my own, I appreciated that he’d wanted to come. And somehow, his being there with me seemed natural.
We stopped in a small room off the front hallway. The two back walls were lined with shelves, and books, stacked two deep, were crammed into them. She’d placed two small pink and beige chairs in the center of the room, with an octagon-shaped table between. Across from them rested a white and pink flowered love seat held up by wooden curlicue legs. A couple of embroidered throw pillows perched atop the cushions.
I chose the love seat. One cat immediately jumped into my lap, purring and rubbing its calico head against my hand. I scratched behind her ears, which brought forth even louder purring. Ethan sat on my left side, slinging his arm over my shoulders. A nervous tingle dotted my skin.
A Stroke Of Magic Page 21
