by Tara Lain
Delly pressed her wand to her chest.
Asher slowly opened the box to show the red silk lining, and she reverently fit the wand inside.
“It’s so beautiful.”
“Oak with heart of alder, a pinch of borage, and a sprinkle of protea for strength and courage.”
She looked up shyly. “Me?”
“You.”
“But you made the wand—”
“Before I knew you, yes.”
“How did you know?”
“Because I’m blessed, remember?” He slid his arm around Nate, and Delly jumped into his lap to join the hug.
The day was, in fact, blessed. They ate Asher’s delicious breakfast, and then Ophelia arrived and she brought—Bob. He’d come to the door of the shop looking for hot chocolate, and she’d asked him if he’d like to see Delphine again. His smile was the answer, and he’d followed her over.
“Hey, Delfin.” He grinned, showing his gold tooth. His clothes were cleaner than the last time Nate saw him, but he had no idea why. Bob glanced at Nate and Asher and raised his hand. “Hey.” He walked over to Delly where she sat with her wand case on the floor and plopped down beside her. “What ya got?”
“I found my wand, Bob. And this is my wand case that the Fairy Master made for me.”
He reached out and she raised a hand. “Be very gentle.”
He nodded solemnly and barely touched the box.
She said, “Let me show you my wand.” She raised the lid, and they both stared in awe. Nate gripped Asher’s hand more tightly.
“Wow, Delfin, that sure is pretty.”
“Want to see something just as pretty?” She glanced at Nate and Asher with a grin and scampered to her feet, taking her wand case with her. A minute later, minus her case, she walked back to where Bob still sat, looking around a little absently. She had one hand behind her back. She knelt in front of him and slowly brought the brown-and-gold wand from behind her back. “Look what I have.”
His mouth opened in awe. “Wow, that sure is nice, Delfin. I’m really glad you got that one. It’s my favorite.”
“I know, Bob. That’s why I got it for you.”
He frowned in confusion. “What?”
“I got it for you.” She held it out.
“Oh no, I can’t do that.”
“Sure you can.” She pushed it closer to him.
Ophelia moved from the chair to sit beside Bob. “Bob, this is your wand. You chose it, and that’s very powerful.”
He shook his head over and over.
Asher’s voice was soft and yet filled the room. “I made the wand for you. It’s a wand of stability, prosperity—and peace.”
Bob gazed at Asher. “Really?”
“Yes.”
He inhaled and put out his hand, which was pretty clean. Delly lay the wand in it. She beamed. “Now say abracadabra!”
“What?”
“Repeat after me. Abra.”
“Abra.”
“Cadabra.”
“Ca-cadabra.”
Ophelia raised a hand into the air and spread her fingers. “I create as I speak.”
“What’s that, Ophelia?” Delly looked at her with fascination.
Asher replied, “It’s what abracadabra means.”
“It does?” Nate echoed the thought.
Suddenly, Bob rose, glancing around. “Better get goin’. Sure do like my wand, Delfin. I’m gonna take good care of it too.” He looked at her and frowned. For a moment, his mouth worked. “I—I promise.”
She jumped up and hugged as high as she could reach, which was pretty much around his legs. “Remember about the peace, Bob.”
“I’ll try.”
Ophelia stood. “Bob, can we persuade you to stay and have some breakfast, and then I can take you to the shelter? It’s pretty cold out there.”
“No, ma’am. Most kind. Most kind, but I gotta be goin’.”
Delly ran to the kitchen and came back seconds later with one of the shopping bags Asher had brought. “Here’s some food, Bob. And you can stay with us.”
Nate swallowed hard since he wasn’t quite sure what he’d do with Bob, but it was such an amazing day, they could probably work it out.
“That’s kind, Delfin, but I’m not much fer indoors. I better be goin’.”
Nate said, “Hold on a second.”
Nate grabbed a heavy coat from the hall closet that was a bit too long in the sleeves for him. He held it out to Bob. “Here. Give this a try.”
“Well now, that’s really nice of ya. Really nice.” He took off the coat he had on that was so thin it hadn’t even been too warm in the house and slid on Nate’s coat. He smiled as he ran his hands over it and tested the pockets. Carefully he removed a quarter from one pocket and gave it back to Nate. His grin kept getting bigger. “Know what’s the best thing?”
Delly clapped. “What?”
He picked up his wand and slid it into an inside pocket. “It’s got a place for my wand.” His gold tooth flashed around the room. “Sure is nice. Most grateful.” He picked up the bag of food and nodded. “Mighty nice. Mighty nice. Most grateful.”
Delly said, “Merry Christmas, Bob.”
“Merry Christmas, Delfin.” He walked out the door without looking back, on to his next adventure.
Delly said, “Will he be okay?”
Ophelia said, “We’ll keep working on him.”
Delly tugged on the flowered cape Ophelia wore over her long green dress. “Ophelia. Tell me that thing about abracadabra again.”
“I create as I speak. It means when you really know something is true in your heart and you say it, it has a much better chance of coming true.”
Delly seemed to think for a minute, then leaped to her feet and ran out of the room. They all looked at each other, but she raced back in with her wand. Standing in the middle of the floor, she waved it. “My mommy will know that he’s not a good boyfriend and will tell him to go away and she’ll be happy again. Abracadabra!”
Nate jumped up and caught her up in his arms. “We’ll keep hoping that, sweetheart.”
“And saying it out loud.”
“You bet.”
They made more food, sang carols badly, and helped teach Delly to ride her new bike. As the sky started getting gray, Ophelia said, “How about I stay with Delphine tonight and teach her some magic card tricks and you two go celebrate Christmas together?”
Nate looked at Delly. “Would that be okay with you?”
“Sure. I want to learn card tricks that are magic. And Asher’s a good boyfriend.”
Nate nodded slowly. “I’m finding that out.”
Nate got Delly in her new Harry Potter pajamas, and he and Asher gave her Christmas hugs.
Asher said, “We’ll have lots of fun this week. You can come to the workshop if you want.”
“Yes!” She punched the air.
With a wink from Ophelia, they walked out into the crisp night. When they were a few feet from the house, Nate’s phone rang. He felt the crease pop out between his brows. “It’s Raina.” He clicked the phone. “Hi.”
“Nate, I kicked out Ernie and told him I’m done. He threatened, but I told him I’d go to the police and if that didn’t work, I’d get your boyfriend back to beat him up. That worked. I’m really sorry. I just wanted him to be the one so bad.”
“That’s good news if it lasts.”
“It will. I promise. Can I see Delly?”
“Of course. Come over tomorrow and we can have lunch together.”
“She can’t go out with me?”
“Not a chance.”
She gave a loud exhale. “Okay, I understand. What time?”
“How about eleven?”
“I’ll be there. Did she have a nice Christmas?”
“Yes. She really missed you, but she had a great day.”
“Oh good. See you tomorrow.”
Nate clicked off his phone and slid it in his pocket. “Abracadabra.”
/> “What?”
Snowflakes drifted down around their heads. Nate laughed. “It appears this magic stuff works, my man.” And that was the truth. How could one lonely guy just looking for a quick hookup have found his own heart and soul? If that wasn’t magic, what was?
Asher wrapped his arm tightly around Nate’s shoulders, and they stepped in unison, Asher adjusting his longer stride to Nate. Asher whispered, “You’ll have to find your own wand.”
Nate threw his head back and laughed as he wrapped his other arm around Asher’s neck and hugged for dear life. “I found it already.”
TARA LAIN believes in happy ever afters—and magic. Same thing. In fact, she says, she doesn’t believe, she knows. Tara shares this passion in her stories, which star her unique, charismatic heroes and adventurous heroines. Quarterbacks and cops, werewolves and witches, blue collar or billionaires, Tara’s characters, readers say, love deeply, resolve seemingly insurmountable differences, and ultimately live their lives authentically. After many years living in southern California, Tara, her soulmate honey, and her soulmate dog decided they wanted fewer cars and more trees, prompting a move to Ashland, Oregon, where Tara’s creating new stories and loving living in a small town with big culture. Likely a Gryffindor but possessed of Parseltongue, Tara loves animals of all kinds, diversity, open minds, coconut crunch ice cream from Zoeys, and her readers. She also loves to hear from you.
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.taralain.com
Blog: www.taralain.com/blog
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/4541791.Tara_Lain
Pinterest: pinterest.com/taralain/
Twitter: twitter.com/taralain
Facebook: www.facebook.com/taralain
Tara Lain’s Beautiful Dream Reader Group: www.facebook.com/groups/255111391312743
Barnes & Noble: www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Tara-Lain?keyword=Tara+Lain&store=book
Amazon: www.amazon.com/Tara-Lain/e/B004U1W5QC/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
Not for publication in books:
Tara’s Review Crew
Form Link: https://goo.gl/forms/gggLfO25aor77cte2
By Tara Lain
The Fairy Shop
Hearts and Flour
Home Improvement – A Love Story
Trex or Treat
ALOYSIUS TALES
Spell Cat • Brush with Catastrophe
Cataclysmic Shift
BALLS TO THE WALL
Volley Balls • Fire Balls
Beach Balls • FAST Balls
High Balls • Snow Balls • Bleu Balls
Balls to the Wall – Volley Balls and Fire Balls Anthology
Balls to the Wall – Beach Balls and FAST Balls Anthology
Balls to the Wall – High Balls and Snow Balls Anthology
COWBOYS DON’T
Cowboys Don’t Come Out • Cowboys Don’t Ride Unicorns
Cowboys Don’t Samba
DREAMSPUN BEYOND
#15 – Rome and Jules
DREAMSPUN DESIRES
#5 – Taylor Maid
LOVE IN LAGUNA
Knight of Ocean Avenue • Knave of Broken Hearts
Prince of the Playhouse • Lord of a Thousand Steps
Fool of Main Beach
LOVE YOU SO
Love You So Hard • Love You So Madly
Love You So Special • Love You So Sweetly
A Love You So Anthology – Love You So Hard and Love You So Madly
A Love You So Anthology – Love You So Special and Love You So Sweetly
MIDDLEMARK MYSTERIES
The Case of the Sexy Shakespearean
The Case of the Voracious Vintner
MOVIE MAGIC ROMANCES
Return of the Chauffeur’s Son
Love and Linguistics
PENNYMAKER TALES
Sinders and Ash • Driven Snow
Beauty, Inc. • Never
Sinders and Ash and Beauty, Inc. Anthology
SUPERORDINARY SOCIETY
Hidden Powers
TALES OF THE HARKER PACK
The Pack or the Panther
Wolf in Gucci Loafers • Winter’s Wolf
The Pack or the Panther &Wolf in Gucci Loafers Anthology
Published by DREAMSPINNER PRESS
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
Published by
DREAMSPINNER PRESS
5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886 USA
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
The Fairy Shop
© 2019 Tara Lain
Cover Art
© 2019 Brooke Albrecht
http://brookealbrechtstudio.com
Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.
All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or www.dreamspinnerpress.com.
Digital ISBN: 978-1-64405-772-8
Digital eBook published December 2019
v. 1.0
Printed in the United States of America
