“Rory, please,” She pulled away from him. “I can’t do this now. I don’t know what’s happening to me, and I can barely concentrate as it is. My emotions are all over the place. Something tells me you have answers, but I need to get through this shift first. I need this job.”
“Of course,” he said. “Don’t worry about us. Take your time. We’ll talk after your shift.”
Jennifer nodded and moved away from him.
“Damn, Rory, she’s paid to come to our table, and ya still can’t get her to talk to ya,” one of the MacGregor’s teased him.
“Quiet, Uncle Chicken,” Rory said. “She’s busy. Show some manners.”
Jennifer went to the computer to input her orders and found herself staring at it for a long moment.
“Some lady is asking if I can take over your table,” Kay said beside her. “She said she ordered a margarita and cheese fries an hour ago. What’s going on? Did you forget to put it in?”
Jennifer automatically turned to look in the direction of the redhead. “It’s hardly been twenty minutes. I’m getting her damned margarita.”
“Want me to spit in it?” Kay offered.
Jennifer forced a laugh. “Maybe later.”
They would never do such a thing, but the idea was tempting. Jennifer studied her notepad and began keying in her backlog of orders. By the time she got to the MacGregors, she could only guess what they had wanted.
With her performance, tonight’s tips were going to be some of the worst in history.
Don’t forget the margarita.
Chapter Ten
“How big is this place? I’ve heard about it, but I haven’t seen it.” Jennifer leaned to look out the passenger window as they turned off the city street onto the driveway.
Rory hoped that she would be able to relax a little. Any fool could see she’d had a hard work shift. Two tables had complained to Earl, who was acting manager for the night since the owner was gone. She’d messed up his family’s order, though not as badly as some of her other customers’. He’d seen trays of food being sent back to the kitchen. The other waitress, Kay, had seemed annoyed with Jennifer. By the end of the night, Kay had stopped speaking to her.
“About eighty acres, something like that,” he answered. “Not the house, obviously, that’s only twenty thousand square feet, but the property includes all of this hill, a fair bit of forest, a stream, walking paths, cultivated gardens in the back, and an old coach house from the late eighteen hundreds that we converted into a garage.”
Jennifer leaned farther out the window. The wind hit her face, wildly blowing locks of her hair that had come loose from the twist tie. Rory was more interested in watching her than the road. He pretended to drive while his magick guided the car up the curving driveway toward the mansion.
“Lydia owns the only other house on the hill,” he said. “That’s where she and Erik stay. She runs the business Love Potions out of it. Have ya heard of it?”
Jennifer shook her head in denial.
“All the women in the family seem to love it. They make homemade lotions, candles, teas, bath soaps, girly stuff. I’ll take ya by there sometime if ya like.”
“Yeah, maybe,” she said, appearing as if she were trying to get a better look at the house as they drove closer.
Headlights shone in his rearview. Jennifer turned her head away from the side view mirror and sheltered her eyes. Euann came speeding past to beat them up the hill. Usually, Rory would race, but he let his cousin win this one. He knew once he’d reached the end of this drive, things would change drastically for Jennifer. He still hadn’t figured out how to tell her magick was real. It’s not a conversation they liked to have with mortals.
“We’ve been discussing putting in a golf course, but it would be a shame to cut down so many trees to make it happen.”
There. Golf. Normal.
“Trees are better than golf,” Jennifer said. “I can’t stand it. Watching golf is like receiving a lobotomy in slow motion.”
“Och, no lassie, don’t let my family hear ya say that.” Rory placed a hand over his heart. “Perhaps ya didn’t have the right teacher.”
“If that’s an invitation, thank you, but I’ll pass,” she said. “So they say you all moved here recently.”
“They?”
“They, people, townsfolk,” she answered with a smile. That one expression lit up his whole body with pleasure.
“Aye, we did.”
She sat back in her seat. Her hair still whipped a little from the wind but not as much as before. “Where did you move from? Scotland?”
“The family hasn’t lived in Scotland for many, many years. We discuss going back at various times, but honestly, we’ve been here so long, America has become home.”
“Where did you live before here?”
“New York, most recently. Before that in Philadelphia, and before that a Southern plantation, basically anywhere we can find big enough to fit us all. I think this area might be one of my favorites.”
“Really? You have lived all over the world, and Wisconsin is your favorite?” She seemed skeptical. “From the pictures I’ve seen, Scotland would be amazing. I don’t know how you left.”
“We left when it was time to do so.” Rory still didn’t push a more serious conversation. “Finding a home that can fit us all with so much untouched beauty is rare. I have a feeling we’ll be calling Green Vallis home for a long time.”
He pulled up in front of the Georgian-style mansion, parking the car so that her door faced the house's front. Spotlights were aimed at the stark white siding, causing the home to practically glow against the dark sky.
“Holy crap, you are rich,” Jennifer whispered.
“It’s family money.”
“Still…” She opened the door and slowly stepped out of his car. “I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who could afford to live in a palace.”
“It’s hardly a palace.”
“Um, I live in a seven-hundred-square-foot trailer.” She tilted her head back to look toward the roof. “This is a twenty-thousand-square-foot house. A hundred of my homes could fit in here.”
“Not quite that many,” he denied. Rory started walking toward the house, expecting her to follow.
“Regardless, compared to where I live, this is a freaking palace.” She took a deep breath and didn’t look like she was going to go inside.
“What is it?” Rory walked back toward his car.
In the valley at the bottom of the hill, lights created a beautiful pattern. It was far enough to look like stars covering the earth but close enough that he could still make out which line of light was Main Street.
“Are ya embarrassed because ya live in a trailer? I guarantee that no one here will care,” he said, trying to put her at ease.
“Why would I be embarrassed about that?” She frowned. “There’s no shame in living in a trailer. Or being poor. I don’t regret any of the decisions that have led me to where I am. Sure, if I would have gone to college, I might be making more money right now, but then I wouldn’t have been there to take care of my dad for the last years of his life. I don’t regret a second I got to spend with him. People win over material things any day of the week.”
“I fully agree.” Rory nodded. “But then, can I ask why ya look nervous?”
“I think there was someone in my home earlier,” she said. “That’s why I agreed to come here. I was too scared to go home, but I’m not sure…”
“Ya are most welcome to stay as long as ya need,” he said. “My family can be a handful, as ya well saw, but they mean well.”
“I’m not trying to move in,” Jennifer assured him. She frowned and looked around the lawn. “Do you hear that?”
“What?” He didn’t hear anything.
“You don’t hear someone speaking?” She turned to a line of trees and inched toward them, craning her neck as if that might help her see past them.
“Only ya,” he said. “Lydia’s ho
use is that way. Maybe she and Erik’s voices are carrying?”
“No. I’ve been hearing this one all day.” She frowned. “You don’t hear another voice? A woman?”
“What’s the woman saying?”
“There you are,” Jennifer answered. “Over and over. There you are. It’s like she’s been looking for me but…I sound insane.”
“You’re not insane.” Rory put his arm over her shoulders. “Let’s go inside.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure. I swear, I saw your uncle’s hands glow.” Jennifer resisted going into the house with him. “I think maybe I hit my head the night you found me in the woods, and I should have gone to a doctor. That’s the only explanation.”
Rory furrowed his brow. “Well, not the only.”
“The most likely, then,” Jennifer insisted. “Audible hallucinations, lack of focus, trouble remembering people’s orders, emotional distress.”
“Emotional distress?” Rory found himself wanting to pull her closer. “What do ya mean by that?”
“When I’m near you, I…” She refused to meet his gaze.
“I feel the same way.” Rory cupped her cheeks and pulled her in for a kiss. Pleasure and anticipation erupted inside of him.
“What?” Jennifer swatted at his hands. “I didn’t mean I want to make out with you. I meant that when I’m near you, I want to hit you over the head with a bat.”
“Ya don’t want to…?” He pulled back.
Wow. He’d read that signal wrong.
“I mean, yeah, of course, I want to kiss you. You’re handsome and nice and wear a kilt like some kind of romance movie hero. It’s hard not to see the fantasy there.” She took a step back. “But I also have this undeniably strong urge to run you over with a car.”
“Sounds like marriage.”
Rory stiffened to hear his father’s voice coming from the front door.
“My Cait threatens to run me over all the time, though she usually says she wants to trample me with wild horses,” Murdoch said. “Can’t say I don’t sometimes deserve it. Take my word for it, son. Apologize. It doesn’t matter what for. Always assume when it comes to your woman’s anger, you’re in the wrong.”
Rory flinched. Referring to Jennifer as his “woman” after she pulled away from his kiss probably wasn’t the best flow of conversation.
“Da, I’d like ya to meet Jennifer,” Rory introduced. “She’s a friend.”
“Mr. MacGregor.” Jennifer gave a small wave but didn’t go closer to the house.
“Murdoch,” his father corrected. “Listen, son, your ma and aunt Margareta are waiting for ya in the dining room. They look serious. There’s cheese and wine.” He switched his language so Jennifer couldn’t understand and added, “Plus, they are discussing binding spells, just in case.”
“No, Da,” Rory said, keeping to English so Jennifer wouldn’t be uncomfortable. “This was probably a mistake. I’m going to take her to the motel. Maura will love the company.”
“Too late. Euann, Cora, and Raibeart already told them you’re coming, and they saw your car pull up. Ya might as well come and get it over with.” Murdoch smiled at Jennifer. “I promise it’s not as painful as it sounds.”
Jennifer smiled politely. “I’m sure everyone is very nice. I’m not worried.”
“Then it’s settled.” Murdoch gestured for Jennifer to join them in the house. “Jennifer, do ya like wine?”
“Not as much as I like cheese,” she answered.
“Perfect.” Murdoch led the way into the house. “We have an assortment from all over the world.”
“Ya don’t have to,” Rory said. “Everyone will understand if you’re too tired after your double shift.”
“I don’t want to be rude to your family,” Jennifer said.
“I don’t want them to overwhelm ya,” he answered. What had he been thinking to bring Jennifer here? Did he think his family would just let him waltz her up to a guest room?
Well, in truth, he hadn’t been thinking about that. He’d been too busy trying to make sure she came with him someplace away from the public to talk to him. He couldn’t exactly tell her what she needed to know while she was working. “Oh, hey, by the way, I’m a warlock, magick is real, you’re possessed, and table five needs beer when ya get a chance. Try not to freak out.”
“We haven’t had a chance to talk about the forest,” he said.
“Yes, we did. You said you found me on the ground. Did you lie? Was there more?” she asked.
Lie was such a harsh word, and yet…
“I’m not sure we completely understand what is happening,” he said. “I think we should compare notes.
There. That wasn’t a lie. It was an avoidance, but not a lie.
“Compare notes?” Jennifer chuckled. This time she walked up the front steps with Rory to go inside. “What is this? Math class?”
“I’m sorry for whatever is about to happen,” Rory whispered.
“Why? What’s about to happen? Wine and cheese and a chance to see inside the infamous MacGregor mansion?” Jennifer softly laughed. “This will give me something to talk about to entertain customers for the next couple of weeks, at the very least.”
“I…” Rory wanted to tell her everything. “I know how overwhelming my family can be.”
“You are worried about me being here, aren’t you?” Jennifer touched his arm briefly before pulling her hand away and balling it into a fist. “Perhaps you’re right to be. I don’t exactly trust myself when I’m next to you. We can say hello to be polite, and then you can take me to the motel.”
Chapter Eleven
“This recipe is from right here in Wisconsin. It’s an enchanting blend.” Cait MacGregor held out a silver tray containing a cheese ball with a shaved almond crust surrounded by crackers. It looked like something served at a football party, not at an international cheese and wine tasting. If they brought out a box of wine next, Jennifer would know she was on a prank show.
“Looks great, Ma.” Rory reached to take a cracker, but Cait slapped his hand. “Ladies first.”
“Think of me as the royal taster,” Rory answered.
“I raised ya with better manners than that,” Cait warned.
Jennifer wasn’t sure if Cait was serious or not, but Rory looked properly scolded and withdrew his attempt.
Jennifer glanced at the tray they offered to her. Besides Rory’s parents, his aunt Margareta and uncle Angus were also in the dining room. She heard activity in other parts of the house, but no one else came to join them. Aside from those footsteps and the subtle brushes of movement in the dining room when her hosts adjusted their stances, the place was quiet.
Too quiet.
Jennifer felt their eyes on her, studying her. She slowly reached for a cracker.
Cait and Margareta both nodded that she should try it.
Since Cait still held the tray, when Jennifer tried to scrape the firm cheese with the cracker, it snapped in half.
Murdoch cleared his throat. “I thought ya said we would be having cheeses from around the world.”
“Wisconsin is part of the world last time I checked,” Cait said.
“What about that nice Brie Fergus brought back from France? Or the Airedale from New Zealand?” Murdock suggested.
“Shh,” Cait admonished, only to whisper loudly, “This is the first stop on the world tour.”
“You’re doing things out of order,” Margareta added.
“My apologies,” Murdoch muttered. “Though that doesn’t explain the lack of wine.”
“Then why don’t ya fetch a bottle?” Cait urged, her pleasant smile tightening slightly.
Murdoch made a soft noise and walked out of the room.
The quiet house and the seriousness of the cheese conversation reminded Jennifer of all those quiescently boring sitcom scenes of people sitting in bed-and-breakfasts listening to a monotone voice talk about bird watching.
“I wanted to come in and meet all of you and than
k you personally for the invitation, but I really should be going,” Jennifer said.
“Knife,” Cait stated.
“Excuse me?” Jennifer glanced at Rory for help.
“For the cheese, dear,” Margareta said before Rory could speak.
Cait set the tray on the dining table and disappeared into another room. She came back with a butter knife. “Here we go.”
Jennifer slowly took the knife the woman offered. They all watched her like she was to kick off the start of the festivities.
“Hey, I heard we’re breaking open the New Zealand Airedale.” Raibeart appeared in the doorway with a grin. “I’ll take a wedge of that.”
“Ya aren’t invited,” Margareta said, shooing him from the room.
It didn’t work. Raibeart dodged her hands when he saw Jennifer. “I see ya met my future bride. How’s it going, love?”
“Wrong woman,” Rory stated. “Your fiancée was out front. She didn’t appear very happy with ya. I think she said she was taking to the woods.”
Raibeart’s eyes strangely caught the light as he glanced over his shoulder in the direction of the front door. “Excuse me.” He rushed to go outside. The door slammed shut behind him.
“That was mean,” Cait chastised Rory with a small laugh.
“My love?” The windowpane muffled Raibeart’s yell.
Jennifer turned to peer out the window. “Oh!”
Raibeart streaked past as his kilt fluttered behind him to land on the lawn. He ran across the yard toward the forest.
“Not again.” Margareta sighed. “I’ll send Angus after him.”
“We can do this later,” Jennifer said. “If you need to—”
“He’ll be fine. It’s not the first time, and it won’t be the last.” Cait gestured at the tray. “Try the cheese ball.”
Jennifer took the knife, more out of duty than excitement, and cut a piece of the firm cheese before squishing it on top of a cracker. The speckled insides of the ball had a green tint to it. She lifted it to her mouth and bit.
“Mm,” she nodded that it was good even before she tasted it. She set the knife down.
A Dash of Destiny (Warlocks MacGregor Book 8) Page 8
