Making Magic: Books of the Kindling, Book 3

by Donna June Cooper

  “Whoa, girl. You’ve got to learn how to play hard to get. You’ll give a guy the wrong idea.” He laughed as he walked through the great room and into the kitchen with her in his arms.

  Grace, Nick, Thea and their visitor were having an informal meal down in what Grace called the keeping room.

  “Bailey! Bad girl!” Thea came over with arms outstretched and a big smile. “She seems to like you, Sheriff Moser.” She gave him a wink.

  “All the ladies do,” he said.

  “It’s your eau de Beefcake.” Thea quipped. “Irresistible. To what do we owe the pleasure?”

  Damn, she looked good. There was no way this Greg guy made her glow like that.

  “I forgot to give you something.” Jake held out the leather shoulder strap. “For the dulcitar.”

  She put down the squirming dog and took it from him. “Really? This comes with it?”

  “We were running a special. Buy a dulcitar, get a free strap,” he said.

  She smiled. “That’s wonderful! Aaron will really enjoy this.”

  “Aaron?” he asked.

  Thea laid the strap on the breakfast bar. “Down at Dreaming in Clay? Aaron Croate?”

  “Oh, yeah.” He nodded. Jake remembered Aaron as the object of a big scare during his very first year in office. Aaron had been five years old and just disappeared one night. They had almost dragged the river before they found him again, safe and sound. “Good idea. He’ll like that.”

  “Have you eaten?” Thea asked. “We have these fabulous grilled mushroom sandwiches and sweet potato fries.” She walked down to retrieve her glass. “And this great wine that helps mushrooms almost taste like steak, according to Greg.” She made a face that only Jake could see and took a long swig of the wine. She was probably on her second glass.

  Jake relaxed, but only a little.

  “Please join us,” Grace said from where she half-sat, half-reclined on the couch. “We have plenty. Alas, I have resolved to eat all my meals on this couch until the baby is born. Luckily everyone seems to want to join me.”

  Jake thought Grace looked really good for someone who was pregnant enough to start exerting gravity on nearby objects.

  “Well I—”

  “Please?” Thea batted her eyelashes at him dramatically.

  “S-sure.” He managed not to laugh. Barely.

  Thank you, she mouthed silently at him.

  He raised his eyebrows at her and she stuck her tongue out at him. What was she up to? Was he saving her from an awkward evening with Greg?

  “Get a glass of that lovely red,” she said. “Or there’s beer in the refrigerator.”

  Jake opted for the wine, watching as she quickly put together a plate for him.

  “You ready for the festival, Jake?” Nick asked.

  “Never ready enough,” Jake quipped. “But we go on stage at one tomorrow regardless.”

  “You guys will be great,” Grace said. “You were wonderful at the wedding.”

  “Whose wedding, exactly?” Greg asked.

  “My brother Daniel. His wedding was last night,” Thea replied. “Speaking of which, is there any leftover dessert? Besides the cannoli you promised to Jamie?”

  “Tons. In the fridge in the mud room,” Grace replied. “Don’t worry. Jamie’s cannoli is safely secured for her return.”

  Thea handed Jake his plate. “Dessert?”

  “You pick.”

  “All right then,” she said and headed for the mud room.

  Jake walked down the two steps into the keeping room and settled into one of the plush chairs. “Thanks for this.” He raised the plate.

  “No problem. Ouida had a class,” Grace explained.

  “That woman can cook,” Jake took a bite out of the sandwich. “You guys may convert me to this whole semi-vegetarian thing,” he admitted. “This is delicious.”

  “Amazing, isn’t it?” Grace said. “If you know what you’re doing, you can eat healthier and reduce your impact on the world.”

  “By the way, I’m trying to get Thea to play with us tomorrow,” Jake said to Nick. “Put in a good word if you can.”

  Nick nodded.

  “What do you mean by impact on the world?” Greg asked.

  “Environmental impacts, for one,” Nick answered. “The kind of intensive animal agriculture that produces most of our meat, eggs and dairy products is more devastating to the environment than any other human activity.”

  Thea returned and put a slice of tiramisu on a plate next to Jake’s elbow. Jake noted that she sat in the chair that was furthest from Greg.

  “Oh, Greg knows about some of the impacts.” She gave Greg a pointed look. “Or he should. It’s one of Hartford’s profitable little niches. Because of the overcrowding in these factory farms, they use massive amounts of antibiotics on the animals. Eighty percent of all antibiotics sold in this country are given to animals, not humans. Then we wonder why we have antibiotic-resistant strains of some pretty terrifying bugs.”

  Greg looked around as if they were all out of their minds. “But that kind of farming is necessary with the population being what it is today. Little farms like yours certainly can’t feed the world.”

  Jake got a small amount of satisfaction as everyone turned to stare at Greg. Did he actually say “little farm”?

  “Actually, they can,” Thea said in a tone that brooked no argument. “And it’s not only the way we farm. It’s the way we consume. We have no concept of where the things we eat come from or how they impact the environment. How the imported palm oil in that box of cookies you treat yourself to is imperiling endangered species and the lives of indigenous peoples.”

  “But you can’t advocate trying to control the way other countries run their businesses.” Greg said. “I doubt anyone here would appreciate the EU or Asia telling us what to do.”

  “If we control the way we consume—what we buy and don’t buy—we can each have a positive impact on the world. I don’t have to tell a country, or a corporation, to stop destroying the rainforests, but I can choose not to buy products made with palm oil.”

  Jake knew the Woodsman would be proud. Poor Greg looked clueless. It was pretty clear that Greg had never really known Thea at all. He figured he’d save the poor guy and change the subject.

  “By the way, Thea. I brought the playlist up for you.” Jake pulled a folded piece of paper out of his back pocket and handed it to Thea. “Bring your flute tomorrow and join in. Please. The guys would love it. Hell, the audience would love it.”

  “Sounds like a great idea,” Nick chimed in.

  “I wish I could come and hear you,” Grace said. “But you’ll promise me to stay long enough to play for Lily.”

  Thea gave Grace one of those looks that Jake had seen women exchange from time to time—rife with all kinds of emotional baggage.

  “Don’t worry, Gracie. I’ll play for Lily,” Thea said in a quiet voice.

  “Where are you going?” Greg asked. “I thought you were staying here.”

  “No,” Thea answered quickly. “This is temporary. I’ll be moving on.”

  Jake thought about what Thea had packed in her trunk. “So, you aren’t going back to Philadelphia?”

  “I don’t work for Hartford anymore. I’m footloose and fancy-free,” she said, looking a bit guilty. “Sorry. I didn’t get a chance to tell you.”

  “You didn’t know that Althea took her share of the billion she just saved Hartford and quit?” Greg couldn’t hide a hint of a smirk.

  “A billion?” Jake asked. “With a B?”

  Thea had plastered on that fake smile that Jake knew so well. He wanted to step back. That smile usually preceded fireworks. Hopefully these would be aimed at someone else.

  “Greg, I’m surprised at you,” Thea said, taking a long swig of her wine. “Draw
ing conclusions based on rumor and innuendo.”

  “Thea, what did you do?” Jake asked. He’d used the same tone in the past to talk about her pranks and shenanigans.

  Thea smiled at him. “I got bored.”

  Jake raised his eyebrows. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”

  “It doesn’t justify tossing away a promising career and a potential CEO position at Hartford,” Greg said.

  Thea frowned. “I would never have aimed for that position. Where did you get that idea?”

  Greg shrugged. “It’s the logical path. Your father can’t always run the company, and nepotism is a perfectly legitimate business strategy.”

  Thea looked uncomfortable. Jake really wanted to punch the guy, and not only for being so completely obtuse.

  “If Thea left, Hartford is obviously a crap place to work,” Jake quipped. “Who would even want to be CEO of a place like that?”

  Thea raised her chin. “Exactly. But to be honest, it really was getting boring.” She paused and looked at Greg. “And so was Philadelphia.”

  Jake saw that telltale tic under Greg’s eye.

  “Well it’s certainly not boring these days,” Greg said. “In fact, it’s gotten quite interesting since the settlement was announced. Your father has made sweeping changes in some divisions. The executive committee is in an uproar. They’re talking about an emergency board meeting.”

  Thea looked intrigued. “Really? What on earth is he doing?”

  “A lot of good things,” Nick cut in. “At least, from what I’ve seen in the press. His statement after the settlement was also interesting.”

  “Good things?” Thea was clearly surprised. “Over and above what the Corporate Integrity Agreement required?”

  Nick nodded. “It seems so. And the stock price is going up, faster and further than the analysts expected.”

  “I wonder what the board is going to end up discussing, if that’s the case,” Thea said, giving Greg a pointed look. “Giving the CEO yet another bonus?”

  Greg had been intently following the conversation, but with Thea’s question his face went blank. “I have no idea. Just passing along the office gossip.”

  Jake was pretty sure he could actually see the steam coming out of Thea’s ears. If this guy and Thea had ever been involved, it was because she’d lost a bet.

  He cleared his throat. “Actually, I need to pass along something that’s not gossip,” Jake said before Thea could lose her cool. “I don’t think you guys need to worry, but three babies have been involved in some unusual circumstances in town.”

  Grace’s hand drifted to her bulging stomach.

  “They’re all fine, but they seem to get snatched from one place then either returned or dropped off at some safe, public place—in a matter of minutes. They check out medically, unhurt, but it’s still pretty darn scary for the parents.” He frowned. “The last one happened just this afternoon, right after you left my shop, Thea. Charlie finally called in the FBI. I figure anyone in town with a newborn, or about to have a newborn—” he nodded at Grace, “—should have a heads up.”

  “That’s…” Thea was unable to find the words.

  “They don’t hurt the babies?” Grace’s voice was tight.

  “Not that we can tell. Mostly they seem to sleep through it,” Jake said.

  Nick had reached out to take Grace’s hand.

  “So far it’s all happened downtown, right on Patton Street, so you guys should be all right,” Jake said.

  “As long as you don’t go shopping downtown with Lily,” Thea said. “But Jake, that is the strangest thing I’ve ever heard.”

  “Trust me, I saw it happen today and I still don’t believe it. I wanted you to be a bit more on guard until we figure this out.”

  Grace smiled. “Nick doesn’t let me out of his sight as it is. But thanks.”

  Nick leaned over and put his arm around his wife. “We’ll be fine.”

  “Well, I gotta go make sure everything’s in place for tomorrow.” Jake got up and took his plate to the breakfast bar.

  “But you didn’t have your dessert,” Thea said.

  “Sorry! Thanks for dinner. It was great, as always. Would you mind coming out to my truck for a sec?” he asked Thea. “I forgot something.”

  “Sure.”

  Jake could almost feel Greg’s gaze bore a hole in his back as they left. That made him smile.

  “What’s up? You didn’t forget anything,” Thea said once they were outside. Bailey scampered after them across the porch, but stopped at the top of the steps.

  Jake waited until he got past the shiny black SUV to his own battered pickup, then looked back at the house.

  “I don’t like that guy,” he said.

  “Join the crowd,” Thea agreed. “But he’s harmless. I have no idea why he’s really here, but he’ll head home tomorrow, if I have anything to say about it.”

  “Good.”

  “Is that all?”

  “No. Actually…” He couldn’t figure out quite how to bring this up. The pied piper of Patton Springs knows your tune? Whoever is kidnapping babies is playing your song?

  “Look, I apologize for throwing myself at you the other night,” she blurted out. “That cider was pretty powerful.”

  He would buy her a case of it then. “No, that’s not it.”

  “So you’re okay with me throwing myself at you?”

  “Sure.” Jake said without thinking. “I mean…uh…”

  He could see her smile even in the dim light from the porch. She rubbed her hands together, taking a step toward him. “Good.”

  Jake stood his ground, wondering what she was up to. But parts of him didn’t really care. He saw something over her shoulder. “Thea,” he warned.

  “Mmmm?”

  He leaned in. “Your friend Greg is standing at the screen door.” Bailey had noticed as well and began barking.

  “Even better.” She smiled and slipped her hand behind his neck, kissing him. He slid his own hands down to grasp her waist.

  She stopped smiling at some point. And Jake, or parts of him at least, decided to stop thinking. So what if she was using him to get rid of the lawyer?

  Underneath the sultry bite of red wine and the smoky flavor of grilled mushroom, he tasted Thea for the second time in his life—that hot, spicy flavor he would never forget.

  She wasn’t his Matchstick any longer. She was a bonfire that was going to burn him to ash. But damn, what a way to go.

  Bailey’s barking became frantic.

  The fool lawyer was probably out on the porch risking his ankles with that dog.

  Jake forced himself to pull away and stood for a moment with his forehead against hers, breathing hard. “Do you think that will get him to leave, or make him even more determined to stick around?”

  Thea yanked away from him so fast that her fingernails scratched his neck. “Ouch!” he yelped.

  And there she was, his Matchstick—hands on her hips, tendrils of auburn hair lifting into the air and gray eyes flashing like an oncoming storm. The soft fabric of her red top fluttered as if she was about to burst into flame, or already had.

  “What did you drag me out here for, anyway?” she asked.

  Telling her about the pied piper’s tune could wait.

  He got into his truck. “To kiss you, of course.”

  Chapter Ten

  As she gazed past the bustling festival crowd, Thea realized that she was worrying her bottom lip with her teeth and stopped. She didn’t care if Greg caught her staring at Jake, but she’d be damned if she let Jake catch her looking at him like some moonstruck groupie.

  She had spotted him on the main stage as she and Greg approached. Jake was wearing tight jeans, a sage-colored T-shirt with the band logo and worn boots. The two other band members were dress
ed the same, but Jake filled it out better. He was moving some equipment around as he finished the setup, the muscles of his back rippling beneath his shirt.

  “Will we have to stand up?” Greg asked in disbelief.

  The venue was already crowded, with people on blankets right up next to the stage and others in camp chairs behind them. The rest were standing or milling around the various vendor tents that surrounded the field.

  She held up the tote she had brought from the car. “I have a blanket in here.”

  Greg gaped as a unicyclist in a costume rolled by, pedaling backwards. Quite a few of the folks in the audience wore wild hats and even wilder outfits. Thea felt rather tame in her flowing flowery top and capris, but at least she wasn’t in a business suit. She pointed to a bare spot on the ground close to the stage and they maneuvered their way to it.

  “Hey, Thea!” someone yelled. “Why aren’t you up on stage?”

  The festival crowd was full of people who returned year after year, but she doubted anyone would remember her from so long ago. It was probably someone from town, but she couldn’t tell who. She waved and smiled as she shook out the blanket and knelt on it.

  Greg gazed at the people crowded around them, then at the blanket. He seemed to expect something to crawl out from under it and bite him. He was lucky that the festival didn’t allow dogs or Bailey would have come along. She tried not to smile at the thought. She didn’t want Greg to mistake it for encouragement, not after keeping him at arm’s length all morning.

  Odd, returning to this place after so many years didn’t bother her as much as she thought it would. For one thing, it was a bright summer afternoon, not a dark, gusty night. For another, Marilyn Moser would never return here. Not after she’d used the voice.

  “And don’t you ever say that again!”

  But part of what Thea had compelled Marilyn to do that night hadn’t seemed to stick. Even at Becca’s funeral, Marilyn had confronted Thea and Grace and accused them of being full of wickedness and recruiting others to it, whatever that meant. According to Mel, Marilyn had confronted her and Daniel right on the street last week. Marilyn just kept saying the same horrid things about any Woodruff she encountered.