I gave it the best go I could, but all I managed to do was bend the knife from the pressure I was exerting on it. Great. Why hadn’t I bought sturdier flatware? Who knew how important 18/10 stainless steel could be? Not me, that’s for sure. Of course, I never thought I’d be in a position like this.
I tossed the knife on the counter and gave my fist another hard pull. Still no dice. Giving up and swallowing my embarrassment, I yelled, “Nate? Can you come here?” I mean, I guess it was good he was even there. What would I have done if I’d been alone? I couldn’t reach the phone from where I stood. But come on—like I wanted Nate to see me like this?
“I can’t find the phone book. Are you sure . . .” He broke off. “What’s going on?”
I pivoted at my waist so I could see him. I tried to stand up straight. I tried to look poised. I’m sure I failed. “I’m stuck. Can you help me?” I tugged my arm again.
His lips quirked into a grin. “What is it with you getting stuck in small spaces?”
I shrugged, but because one arm was pulled tight, only one shoulder lifted. “Really, it doesn’t happen that often.” God, I wanted out of this sink. “Help me? Please?”
He came next to me and rolled up his sleeves. “What did you do, exactly?”
“There’s a cup wedged in the disposal. I was just trying to get it out.” Oh. Wow. He smelled really good. I scooted closer so I could smell him better.
He looked at me curiously. “What are you doing?”
“Um. Nothing.” And then I maneuvered myself so I was even closer. I leaned in more. I wanted to kiss him. Just once. But before my lips made their way to his, he’d turned back to the sink. I didn’t know if he’d purposely avoided my kiss, or if he just hadn’t seen it coming. I still wanted to kiss him.
Plunging his hands into the water, he grabbed my wrist. And then, he twisted it slowly back and forth. I felt some of the pressure bubble away, and then—bam—the suction released and my hand came free. Why hadn’t I done that?
“Thank you.” I dried my hands off on a towel. “But the cup is still stuck.”
“Why don’t you go get the phone book, and I’ll work on that?” He was still grinning.
Before I could answer, my phone rang. My embarrassment fled. Worry slammed through me as I thought of Grandma Verda. “Maybe they have news.” I picked up the receiver. “Hello?”
“Your grandmother is at the hospital with her friend Vinny,” my mother said. “He had a heart attack, so she’s been waiting for word on how he’s doing.”
Relief poured into me, and the weight sitting on my shoulders disappeared. “She’s okay?”
“She’s upset. We’re going over there now to pick her up. Do you want to meet us there?”
“Are you taking her back to your place?”
My mother snorted. “If she lets us. She’ll probably argue.”
“Why don’t you go ahead, and I’ll call Alice, Scot, and Joe and let them know Grandma is safe. How’s Vinny doing?”
“He’s stabilized.”
“Well, that’s good. I know how close Grandma is to him. Let me know if she needs anything and tell her I’ll come see her tomorrow after work.”
After I informed my siblings of Grandma Verda’s whereabouts, I closed my eyes and sighed.
“You look exhausted,” Nate said. When I opened my eyes, he was standing directly in front of me, the plastic cup in hand. He set it down on the counter.
“How did you get that out?”
He shrugged, but another glimmer of humor lit his eyes. “You must have loosened it. So Verda is safe?”
I nodded.
“Good. I’m glad.”
“Me, too. Thanks for being so great. I completely appreciate it.” I realized he’d played my hero four times now: the window saving incident, my sister, the sink, and now my grandmother. God, my family really was crazy.
“That’s what neighbors are for.”
I truly hoped he thought of me as more than a neighbor, but I wasn’t sure how to broach that, so I kept my mouth shut. You know, the “silence equals mysterious” thing? Better late than never, right? But he didn’t say anything, either. Maybe he was trying to be mysterious? Finally, I said, “I’m really sorry I woke you up.”
“I’m a cop. It’s normal. Nothing new there.” He hooked his thumbs into the belt straps on his jeans. “At least tonight it was a pretty face that broke into my dreams.”
The teasing quality of his voice made me smile. “What kind of dreams?”
“Oh, something about a woman stuck in a window and having to rescue her.”
“Sounds like an amazing dream,” I teased right back.
“It was, Liz. It definitely was.” His arm reached out and hooked around my waist. One good yank and I was right there. “I’ve missed you the last couple of days.”
“I’ve been around.”
“But busy.”
I refused to explain anything, so I just stood there watching him. Maybe, just maybe, if he fessed up about the red-haired chick from the other day, I’d explain who Jon was.
Nate already knew about Kevin.
He angled his head downward, and I knew he was going to kiss me. I couldn’t wait for him to kiss me. Closer his lips came. Closer. Tilting my face upward more, I closed my eyes, breathed to the beat of my heart, and waited.
His lips rested on the tip of my nose, moved to my forehead, and then he unhooked his arm. “I’m going to get some more sleep. You’re all set now, right?” Whipping open my eyes, my gaze on my feet, I swallowed frustration.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks again for your help.” And then, my stupid phone rang again. He stepped backward. Coldness at his absence surrounded me. I answered the phone.
“I thought you were going to call me back?”
“Sorry, it’s been a crazy evening.” I glanced at Nate. “Hey, Jon? Can you give me a second?”
“Sure,” Jon replied.
I hooked the receiver over the top of the phone base. “I need to take this.”
“Alrighty then. Get some rest.”
I lifted my chin and met his eyes with mine. “You too.”
After he left, I willed my racing heart to slow down and tried to convince myself I wasn’t really disappointed. That I didn’t really care Nate’s kiss reminded me of a kiss you’d give a child. Of course, that didn’t wash. I recognized myself for the liar I was. Not only did I care, I cared far more than I should.
Picking up the phone once again, I said, “I’m back. What’s up?”
“I’m nervous about the Henderson gig. I wanted to go over a few things with you.”
Sighing, I plopped into a chair. Knowing Jon, I figured he mostly wanted company to take his thoughts off his domestic issues. “What’s worrying you? Let’s start with that.” I settled myself into friend mode, all the while trying to expunge Nate from my mind.
This? Not an easy task, I assure you.
“She’s gonna drive you crazy. You know that, don’t you?” Scot asked, as we assessed my bedroom. “Are you sure you want her here?”
“Yes and yes.” At his doubtful grin, I chuckled. “Fine. I’m not sure. But she’s coming.” After the scare with Vinny, Grandma Verda, for some reason, had finally decided to move in with me. Temporarily, she claimed. But seeing as it was her idea, I wasn’t so sure.Regardless, for the time being anyway, she would be my roommate. She and her cat. While we could certainly share my bed, I preferred not to. I move when I sleep—a lot. I figured we’d both be more comfortable if we had our own bed to sleep in.
Luckily, even though my apartment was only a one-bedroom, that bedroom was huge, so it was easy to fit in two beds. Even more fortuitous, Scot had an extra bed he’d hauled over for me. Gotta love big brothers. Sometimes they come in handy.
“Let’s move the smaller boxes into the closet and the larger ones can be stacked over here, by the bed,” I said. Mainly, I was trying to clear the far corner of the room so there’d be a spot for the bed Scot ha
d brought over on his truck.
“Why don’t you unpack everything and throw the boxes away?” my brother asked with a smirk. “Rather than just find another spot to stack them?”
“I don’t have time to do that; she’ll be here in the morning. So, help me or leave, but quit being a butthead.”
He put his hand over his heart. “Ouch. You wound me, baby sister. I shall cry a thousand tears at your hurtful remark.”
“Not likely. How did you get an extra bed, anyway?”
“It’s my old one. It was still sitting in storage. You may as well use it for now.”
“I appreciate it. You know, your place is bigger than mine. Grandma could stay with you easier than with me.”
“No.”
My brother, the one-word wonder. I actually didn’t mind Grandma moving in, but teasing Scot was just so much fun. “Aw, come on. Think about it at least.”
“I’ll think about it.” He picked up the box closest to him and stuck it in the closet. “Thought about it. No.”
“She stayed with you before. When her condo was painted.”
“Uh-huh, which is why I’m saying no. You’ll find out why soon enough. If you really don’t want her here, call Alice.”
“She’d probably be good for Alice, but she wants to stay here. You and I both know there’s no talking her out of something once she makes up her mind.”
“Then quit haranguing me.”
“Whew, that’s a big word for you! Is that your word-of-the-day?” I grinned to soften the insult. “Sorry, couldn’t resist.”
“Bite me. Are we doing this or not?” Scot asked, gesturing to my room.
“What? You can’t talk and move silly little boxes around at the same time? It’s called multitasking.”
Scot crossed his arms over his blue T-shirt. “I’m going to leave, and you’ll be stuck sharing that bed with Grandma.”
“Doesn’t bother me.”
“And her cat. The cat likes to crawl on your face when you’re sleeping. You’ll wake up with hair in your throat and the taste of the litter box in your mouth.”
I shuddered. “Gross. You’ve made your point.”
Once the room was rearranged appropriately, I asked, “Hungry? I can make something if you are.”
“No thanks. I’m going out tonight.”
Something in his voice startled me. I’d always been fairly attuned to my siblings. Well, all except for Joe. I’d never figure him out. Scot and I were close, being the two eldest, and we’d always had an especially strong connection. “Out to dinner with whom?” I watched him closely.
His eyes shot downward and he brushed his hair off his forehead. “Did I say I was going out with anyone?” If there was a picture next to the word avoidance in the dictionary, it would most definitely be one of Scot. Trust me. He was, beyond a doubt, hiding something.
“You’d like me to believe you’re eating at a restaurant by yourself? Come on, bro—I know you better than that. You despise eating in public by yourself.”
“Not true. I eat out by myself all the time.”
“Where? McDonalds?”
“And this is important to you why? You sound like Mom.”
“Ouch. Don’t ever say that to me again.”
He didn’t speak, just shifted a few more boxes around in the closet—which was totally unnecessary, by the way.
“Don’t tell me, then. What ever.”
“You’re such a whiner. I’ve been meaning to talk to you about this anyway.” He hesitated for a second and then continued, “I’m meeting Marc for dinner tonight.” It was way too evident he didn’t like admitting it to me. We were both silent for a minute while I took it in. I wasn’t completely sure how I felt about it.
That’s a lie. It bugged the hell out of me.
“Marc? My ex-husband Marc? Why in the world would you be doing that? You hate me that much?”
“Give me a break, Liz. He’s my financial consultant, you know that. You hooked us up.” Lifting his gaze from the floor, he said, “He does a good job with my money.”
Silly, but I wanted to scream “Traitor!” at him. I wanted to stomp on the ground like a three-year-old. Basically, I wanted to be an obnoxious brat. Obviously, I didn’t. Because while I didn’t like it, I did understand. I hated that I understood. Sometimes, being mature sucks. “Well, okay. Marc is exceptional at what he does,” I grudgingly admitted.
“You’re not going to cry or anything, are you?”
I laughed at the expression on Scot’s face. As soon as I did, all the tension in the room evaporated. Poor guy. “Of course not. It’s up to you who you hire. I won’t say I’m happy about it, but it’s your call.”
“Don’t think I didn’t lay into him after he left you. I did. Hell, I even gave him a black eye.” Scot grinned at that statement, and my heart warmed. Like I said, sometimes, older brothers rock. Even better, I remembered Marc showing up at the house with a shiner. I didn’t bother asking him about it because that would have shown I cared. And you don’t want to show a man who’s just left you for a Barbie doll bimbo that you cared. “That was you?”
With a sheepish grin, Scot nodded. “And then, we just got back to business. That’s how it is with guys. I showed my respect for you, he took it like a man, and we forgot about it.”
Ha. I wished I could forget about it so easily. Maybe I should punch Marc in the eye. I almost told Scot that Marc was sticking his nose into my bakery business, but really, what would that have solved? Absolutely nothing, that’s what.
With a smile as bright as I could make it, I said, “Let’s go haul the bed in so you can head out for your date with Marc.”
“Brat.”
“Snot.”
An hour later, after we’d finished setting the bed up, Scot took off. I wondered if he’d ever give up his bachelorhood. I kind of doubted it. Years ago, I’d tried to fix him up with Maddie, only it hadn’t clicked. For either of them. I was tempted to remedy that with a magical batch of cupid cookies but quickly decided against it. After all, I’d be ticked off if I was magically coerced into falling in love with someone. Besides, it was unlikely it would work anyway. The result would probably be something entirely unexpected. Not to mention, something entirely disastrous.
Yeah, I caught on quick.
What I could do was go check on Maddie. I’d only seen her a minute the other night, so I was really curious if she was back to normal or not. Then, I had a mile-long grocery list of Grandma Verda’s to fill.
I tucked my keys in my pocket and took the stairs to Maddie’s. She answered the door with a smile on her face. “Oh. I thought you were Spencer.”
“Don’t sound so disappointed.” Wow. Points for me and for Miranda’s magic. “You look amazing,” I said, taking in her shining hair, rosy cheeks, and sultry-shaded eyes.
“Thank you! I’m feeling so much better.”
“Can I come in? Or is he going to be here at any minute?”
“Oh, of course you can. Want to join us tonight? We’re going to check out a new comedy club Spencer’s all excited about.”
She stepped aside, and I walked past her. “Nah, I don’t think Spencer would be thrilled with an add-on.” Before she could argue, I said, “Besides, I have plans with Dominick’s to-night.”
“Oh! If I give you a list, could you pick me up a few things? I know that’s awful of me, but I’ve been so miserable lately I haven’t even bothered shopping.”
“Sure, that’s cool. So, you’re really feeling back to normal?” “Better than normal.”
She grabbed a note pad out of her desk and wrote a few things down. Handing it to me, she said, “This will do until I can get to the store. I really appreciate it.”
“It’s the least I can do,” I said without thinking.
“What do you mean?”
“Oh, well. Hmm. We need to talk, but this probably isn’t the best time with Spencer showing up soon. Tomorrow, if you can, let’s get together.”
I needed to share the weight of this with somebody, and Maddie was my best friend. And now that she was feeling better, I didn’t have to worry about her reaction. At least, I didn’t think I did. Before, well, who knew what she might have done. Visions of a girl fight flashed in front of me. Trust me, she’d win, hands down.
A curious light glinted in her eyes. “You want to come here, or should I come to your place?”
Good question. Grandma Verda would have moved in, lock, stock, and barrel by then. It could be a good thing, since she knew the story better than I did. Or, it could go the other way, if she decided I should keep my mouth shut. Making a decision, I said, “Here. I’ll come up here.” Later, if Maddie wanted to talk to Grandma about it, she certainly could.
“What’s this about?”
“Nothing to stress over. Something I want some advice on. That’s all.”
A knock on her door brought another smile to her face. “How do I look? Tell me the truth.”
“Breathtaking,” I said. “I’m gonna take off. Have a great time tonight!”
“I plan on it. In more ways than one.” She opened the door. Spencer, a blond cutie with glasses, smiled in appreciation as his gaze flitted over Maddie. I couldn’t blame him. She was a knockout.
“Hi, Spencer. Bye, Spencer.” I walked to the hallway and waved behind my head as I took the steps. “You guys have fun!”
At my place, I found the list from Grandma, jotted Maddie’s items on it, and went off in search of delicacies such as Spam and Wonder Bread.
Yep, my thoughts exactly. Absolutely disgusting. If nothing else, living with Grandma Verda would be a culinary experience I wouldn’t soon forget.
Chapter Fourteen
“Grandma, what is that smell?” I asked, coming into the kitchen. The move-in over, I was trying to adjust to having a roomie. Already, I recognized I’d have to relax on a few things.
A Taste of Magic Page 19
