“When we decided to open White Magic, Harper, Erin, and I went in together and rented a three bedroom. It’s nice and it saves us all on rent money. It’s close to the shop and it’s close to my other job at the San Marcos.”
“You work at the hotel too? What do you do there?”
“I used to be an events coordinator, but when we decided to open the shop, I couldn’t do the events full time. My boss offered me a part-time day shift, three days a week, at the front desk. It works out great for me.
“I love the San Marcos, especially the original buildings. It has great ambience. I’ve never stayed there.” He shrugged. “But I have been on a few calls to the hotel. Even the San Marcos has trouble with guests every so often. I’ve heard the old section is haunted. Are there really ghosts?” he asked her.
“Oh, yes. There are,” she assured him. “Most of them are friendly. I’ve never really encountered a bad one, but there is a very sad one, a lady who committed suicide in one of the rooms in the thirties.”
“So can you hear spirits? See them? Feel them?” he asked.
“Yes, it’s kind of crazy, sometimes I see, a few times I’ve just heard something. I usually can feel them but sometimes I just know they are there. It’s different with each ghost, or spirit, I encounter.”
“Yeah, I find it’s the same way for me. I honestly think it depends on the spirit. I hear my mother every once in a while and sometimes I just feel her,” Decker offered. “I’ve only come in contact with a few other spirits.”
“You’re intuitive? Why am I surprised? You read the cards.” She shook her head and smiled. “Wow.”
“Yeah, it kind of runs in the family. My parents were both intuitive. My brothers and I are also. I get you, Jade. I understand what you do,” he assured her with a smile.
“Nice! I like that you do understand. A lot of people don’t.”
Decker took out his cell. “I agree. There are many skeptics in the world. What’s your number? I’ll call you so you have mine.”
She gave it to him. He punched in the number. Her phone was on her reading table. It rang. He waited for her voicemail.
“Don’t lose my number Jade.” He grinned at her as he rang off.
“I promise that I won’t.” She laughed.
“Why don’t we just have some Mexican food tonight at Valle Luna? It’s in the same plaza as the Waterfront. Then we can walk over to the bar when we are finished. You know how crazy that parking lot gets on weekend nights. This way, we’ll already be there and have a decent parking space. Next time, I’ll take you someplace nice, when we aren’t expected to meet up with your friends afterward.”
“That sounds perfect. I love Valle Luna.”
“Me too. They have good food.”
“I don’t live far from you. I’ll call you when I’m on my way and you can tell me which apartment is yours.”
“That works.”
“Let’s go see what my brothers are up to, shall we?” He placed his hand at her back and opened the door for her. “I need to pay for my reading.”
“You didn’t get a reading.” Jade shook her head.
“I did. I received excellent advice. And I have a date with a beautiful woman tonight because of your advice! I thought it was an awesome reading.” He winked at her. “No arguing. I’m paying you.”
“Fine, but in my opinion I owe you a reading at some point in the future,” Jade countered.
“Fair enough,” he agreed.
“Hey, Mikey. We’re going to meet the girls tonight at the Waterfront. Some friends of theirs are playing there tonight.” Liam grinned at Decker as he walked toward them with Jade.
“Yes, I know. Jade just invited me.” He smiled down at her and gave her another wink.
“Nineball is a lot of fun. They play a little bit of everything,” Harper told them.
“I’ve heard of them. I’m looking forward to it.” Decker looked to Jade, gave her a quick smile.
“We always try to go when they play at the Waterfront,” Erin offered. “We used to go out somewhere as a group at least once a month, for girls night out, but after we opened the shop and we work together all the time here, we make it once every three months now, if we’re lucky.” She laughed.
Decker noticed there were three more ladies hanging out in the sitting area. Jade quickly introduced him to Annie, Claire, and Riley, the three other girls who worked at White Magic. His brothers were all smiles, no doubt, because they were in the company of six attractive women.
“Annie, Claire, and Riley will stay and close tonight after we leave,” Jade mentioned.
“And after we close at nine, we’re joining you guys at the bar.” Riley smiled. She added, “So save us some seats.”
“We will.” Brody gave her a nod along with one of his most charming smiles.
Liam walked to the counter with Erin so he could pay for some books.
Decker couldn’t help but notice that Brody was being Brody and flirting with the ladies. All of them. He was in his element. He could also tell Liam’s leg was bothering him. It was usually sore after physical therapy.
Some customers, a group of four women, entered the shop. Harper and one of the other girls went to greet them.
“Hey, I’ll see you tonight at six-thirty. I’ll call about six fifteen.” Decker leaned close to Jade as he spoke.
“Perfect.” She gave him a brilliant smile.
“How much for the reading?” he asked her.
“I don’t think it even lasted five minutes. If you feel you must pay me, how about ten dollars.”
Decker gave her a determined look and pulled a twenty and a five from his wallet. I know you charge more than that for a reading. I’ve also gathered you’re a little bit stubborn, just like I am, so, we’ll compromise and I’ll give you half. I know a reading has to be at least fifty bucks, even a short one.”
“I’ll accept your compromise this time, seeing as how you’re stubborn yourself, and I don’t want to do anything to mess up our date later.” She gave him a pleased smile.
He flashed one more heart-stopping smile her way before he turned to follow his brothers to the door. “See you later!” He turned to wave.
When he and his brothers were out of the shop and safely out of hearing distance, Jade joined her friends. “I need to leave exactly at five tonight.”
“Why? Do you think it will take you three hours to get ready to go to the bar?” Harper teased her. “Do you need to wash your hair or something?” She gave her a wink.
“I have to be ready at six-thirty. That’s what time Decker is picking me up. We’re going to dinner before we go to the Waterfront.” Jade blushed when her friends all turned to look at her. She hadn’t gone out on a date since she dated Austin, that was over nine years ago. She hadn’t thought about dating in so long. She’d turned down several offers for dates in the past four years since Austin was killed. There was just something different, special even, about Decker. She really did want to go out with him.
Her friends were rendered speechless for a few seconds.
“You have a date with Hot Officer Decker?” Harper finally squealed and gave her an excited hug.
“OMG! You haven’t been on a date in years. That’s great, Jade.” Riley smiled at her. “We’ll talk later, I’ve got a reading appointment, and my client just walked in.” Riley grinned at her as she walked off.
“It’s been too many years, so I don’t want to think about it, or I’ll get nervous.” Jade sighed then laughed.
“What are you wearing?” Erin asked her.
Jade shrugged. “Jeans and a top, I guess. We’re just going to Valle Luna since we’re meeting you at the bar later. He said he’d take me some place nice next time.”
“No jeans and top.” Harper shook her head. “Wear that new black sundress you bought last month. You’ve never worn it. You look great in it, and you’re going out with Hot Cop, remember?” Harper raised a brow and gave her a look.
&nb
sp; “Yeah, but…”
“Wear it. It’s not revealing at all. You have great legs. He’ll appreciate that you wore a dress for him.” Erin hugged her. “You always said you wouldn’t go out with someone again unless you got a good feeling, so I take it that it felt right again today with Decker?” Erin asked.
“It did, it does. It just feels like the right thing to do, somehow.” And there was that unexplained energy between them whenever they touched. She had literally bumped into him. A coincidence? Maybe not. The gooseflesh raised on her arms. Ah, confirmation chills. She thought of the cards she had been pulling lately. Did it feel so right because she was meant to meet Decker?
Erin smiled at her. “He seems like a nice guy, and there’s no denying he’s great looking. All three brothers are.”
“He does seem nice. I’m hoping so, in any case. He’s intuitive and so are his brothers.”
“I could tell Liam was,” Erin said.
“And Brody’s a flirt. Adorable, but a flirt.” Harper laughed. “I had no idea he was intuitive, I just noticed he likes the ladies. All of them.”
“So you’re not pissed we kind of accepted the invitation to join the girls at the bar tonight?” Brody asked Decker from the back seat as Decker started the SUV.
“No,” Decker said as he backed out of the parking space.
“Whew, that’s good. Liam and I figured you’d accuse us of meddling in your business.”
“I was already going to the Waterfront with Jade tonight. I asked her out for dinner and a movie. She asked if we could have dinner and go meet her friends instead,” Decker mentioned casually. He had to work hard to keep from grinning ear to ear.
“You said you weren’t going to ask her out today!” Liam, sitting in the passenger seat, turned to him with a highly amused grin on his face.
“I changed my mind.” Decker shrugged after he pulled from the shopping plaza parking lot onto the main road.
Liam turned to Brody in the back. They both grinned.
“She’s the one, Mikey!” Liam said as he gave his brother a confident nod.
“She has to be. You moved faster than you ever have with a chick before. You chucked those rules of yours right out the window,” Brody chimed in. “Besides, she’s the woman I saw you meet in my dream.”
Liam turned to give him a nod. “Same as in mine too.”
“Whether or not she’s this one, or I go out with her a second time remains to be seen,” Decker reminded them. He had rules, and so what if he’d broken a couple today. He still planned to take this slow.
“Jade seems like a real sweetheart,” Liam offered.
“Yeah, so far, she does,” Decker agreed. “I think she is.”
“She’s really hot!” Brody added. “Those long legs are exactly the same as I saw them in the dream.”
“She’s beautiful, you’re not allowed to think she’s hot or talk about her body parts, and we’re done talking about this now.” Decker looked into the rearview mirror and glared at his youngest brother.
Brody chuckled. Liam laughed.
“F-off, both of you,” Decker grumbled.
“Yeah, whatever.” Brody crossed his arms and grinned at Liam. Then he laughed again. It earned him another glare in the rearview mirror.
“Nice place,” Decker commented as he followed Jade up the stairs into the living area on the second level. God she looked amazing in that black dress. As he was behind her, he couldn’t help but admire her figure. The dress was simple, sexy in a tasteful way. The hem hit her only several inches above her knees. Not too short, but short enough to show some leg, which he appreciated. Very much. Two straps supported the straight, fitted bodice that molded to her breasts, instead of showing a lot of cleavage. Yeah, he’d noticed those beautiful breasts first thing. He liked a woman who didn’t feel like she had to show a lot of cleavage to get attention. The skirt flared with her hips and hung gracefully. She wore strappy, silver wedges with a modest heel. She looked casual and classy.
She wore a large, oval moonstone pendant and silver hoops in her ears. Simple, but elegant. He definitely liked her look.
“Thanks. It’s starting to feel like home. We moved in nine months ago. We mixed and matched some of our furniture we had and put the rest we didn’t need into storage.”
It was one big open area with a vault in the great room. The two large ceiling fans with dark wood blades would definitely help to keep the space cool, even in the hottest part of the summer. The double French doors leading onto the long, wide balcony let in a lot of natural light.
There were two sofas, one was dark brown leather with a matching recliner, and the other was cream leather. There was a colorful floral rug situated between the sofas on the rich, wood floor. Pillows in a mix of bright colors and patterns lined the backs of the sofas and recliner. Mission style side tables held glass lamps. The dining table was dark wood and the matching chairs boasted aqua cushions. There was a nice flat screen TV on the wall. The kitchen was modern, uncluttered, and clean. Clean was always a plus with him. His first serious girlfriend had been a slob. That had caused problems between them.
He guessed the eclectic artwork and mirrors decorating the walls were chosen for the splashes of color they provided.
“You have a great view of the golf course and hotel. This is a nice big covered patio too. You probably can’t grill up here, huh?” he asked as he peeked out the French door.
“No, no grilling allowed except on the ones down at the cabana or the pool area. I do miss having my own grill handy. That’s one of the things I miss about owning a house. It’s somewhat gross using community grills. When you want to grill, you have to clean it really good first.”
He nodded. “I imagine it could be scary, some people are slobs. You had a house? In Chandler? Did you move out recently?” he asked before he remembered that she had been married before.
She nodded. “I sold it and moved into an apartment two years ago. It was time. Oh, I don’t believe I’ve told you. I was married before. He was in the marines and was killed in action, four years ago.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. That’s a tough thing to go through.”
“Thank you. I’m okay now.” She gave him a reassuring smile.
Decker nodded. “Liam was in the army. We almost lost him. He was shot, badly burned and his leg is still messed up, but it’s healing, slow, but sure.”
“You’re lucky he’s okay.”
“I know we are. There’s only the three of us brothers left. My parents were killed in a freak car accident six years ago.”
“Oh wow. Decker, I’m so sorry.”
“It was a difficult time. But at least we have each other.”
“My parents retired and moved to Santa Fe to be closer to my grandparents, my mom’s parents. I wanted to stay in Chandler, it is home.”
“I’m glad you did stay here.” The corners of his mouth lifted.
She offered him a smile.
A sleek black cat sauntered in and stopped between them. She looked up at Decker with large, golden eyes.
“Who’s this?”
“That’s Sam, short for Samantha. She runs the place. She was mine. I had her at the house.”
He chuckled as he bent over and scratched Sam behind the ears. She purred loudly as he petted her.
“Loud motor, Sam!”
“Yes, it is. She has the loudest purr I’ve ever heard on a cat.”
Jade picked up her small black clutch from the table.
“You ready to go?” he asked.
“I am.” She smiled and nodded.
He slid his arm around her waist and led her toward the stairs.
Jade thought he looked great in dark jeans, and a well-fitting, slate blue, v-neck t-shirt. His brown Sperry top-siders looked new. She did notice he wasn’t wearing socks. It was just too hot for socks in Arizona in the summertime.
He led her to a shiny, charcoal gray SUV with tinted windows in one of the visitor parking spaces. He
opened the door and helped her in.
“Nice ride.” Jade smiled at him when he started the SUV and backed out of the parking space.
“Thanks. I like it. I used to drive a truck. When Liam came back several years ago, he was in the hospital for a month and a half. When he was released, he had a walker for months, then crutches. He couldn’t really bend his leg much at all for a long time, and his back was messed up too. He was still healing from his burns and injuries and needed lots of room. I traded the truck in for this the week before he was released. It was more comfortable for him and it was easier to tote all his gear around to his appointments in the beginning.”
He added, “He’s made a lot of progress since then. He still can’t drive. I think he will be able to in the next couple of months. He has a lot more use of his leg than he did at first. He’s had two more surgeries since he was released; the last one was four months ago. Between Brody and me, we can get him anywhere he needs to go. He lives with me. Brody’s house is a two-story and that would have been difficult for Liam to maneuver. Brody is close though, he lives on the street behind me.”
“That’s nice that he lives so close to you. It sounds like the Decker brothers are close-knit and get along well.”
“Yeah, we do. After my parents passed, I think we got closer, but we were close before.” He shrugged.
He gave her a smile. “I’m hungry, how about you?”
Jade nodded. “I am.”
“Let’s get some dinner then,” he said as he pulled out from the complex exit gates and headed north on Alma School Road.
Decker was pleased they were led to a small booth in a far corner. It was a bit more private than sitting at one of the tables in the middle of the colorfully decorated restaurant.
They ordered drinks. She asked for iced-tea and he did the same.
“I’m driving tonight, so you can have a margarita or something else if you like,” he offered with a smile.
“No. I don’t drink much at all anymore. I will have a beer or two at the bar. That’s my limit.”
After ordering their meals, they talked of their families, growing up, their jobs, and travels while they snacked on chips, salsa, and fresh guacamole.
Decker's Fate (The Decker Brothers Trilogy Book 1) Page 5
