A Breath of Magic (17 page)

“Well, that was a bust,” Grandma Verda said. “I’m sorry
this didn’t work, Chloe. I thought it was going to at first, what with the blowing wind and all, but then nothing.”

I stared at her, incredulous. “You didn’t hear or see anything? Really?”

“Nothing at all. What about you girls?” Verda asked Elizabeth and Alice.

They shook their heads.

Okay, so Sara’s spirit had contacted me and me alone. I opened my mouth, all set to share everything I’d seen and the little bit I’d heard, when Verda’s eyes widened and her chin trembled. “Girls!” She squeezed my hand hard. “Close your eyes again and think of Harry. He’s here!”

“Who’s Harry?” I asked. But then I realized. Harry was Verda’s late husband. He was here?

“Grandpa,” Elizabeth answered. “Are you sure, Grandma?”

She snorted. “Of course I’m sure. We were married enough years for me to recognize his presence. Think about him, girls. Remember what he looked like and how he sounded and help bring him in closer.” Her voice shook with indignation. “I have a few things I’ve been waiting to say to him!”

Wrung dry myself, I doubted I’d be of much help but closed my eyes and thought about Harry. Not that I’d ever known him well. He’d passed away just a few months after Alice and I became friends. But I had a vague recollection of his face and a slightly stronger remembrance of his voice. I focused in on those and tried to re create the push of power I’d experienced with Sara.

The energy fluttered in, even lighter than before but still there. I grasped hold and switched my focus to Verda and how this was important to her, even if I didn’t know why. A slight tremble whisked along my skin, and the power throbbed from inside of me, catapulting out through my hands to Alice, then on to Elizabeth, and returning to me through Verda.

“You want me to apologize to you? Why, you old coot! I’m
not the one who took a mistress!” Verda’s voice reached my ears, but I didn’t open my eyes. Obviously, Verda heard her late husband just as I’d heard Sara. I clasped her hand tighter.

“Grandma? Are you okay?” Elizabeth whispered. Verda didn’t respond. At least not to her.

Verda huffed out a breath. “Oh. Well, I suppose that’s okay then. I’m sorry I used magic on you, but that spell was supposed to lead you to me. Not to Shirley. How was I supposed to know that you’d choose that ridiculous woman over your own wife?”

I opened my eyes to find Verda had opened hers. Her face was all scrunched up, and if lightning bolts could actually shoot from one’s eyes, well…let’s just say she had that look.

“What’s that? I can’t hear you. Haven’t you learned to speak up yet?” Verda sighed, as if totally exasperated. “That has nothing to do with you! I know what I’m doing, and it has to be done. You don’t understand any of this, and I don’t have to listen to you anymore!” She huffed. “Oh, just go back to wherever you came from.”

As soon as she uttered those words, the energy whipped away in a blinding flash. Verda tilted her head, as if trying to sense if Harry had truly left. Apparently, he had.

“Well…that man hasn’t changed one iota in the twenty-plus years he’s been dead! Telling me I owed him an apology, and then telling me how I should conduct my life. As if he has any right!”

Alice eyed Elizabeth, and Elizabeth shrugged. Turning to her grandmother, she said, “Are you sure Grandpa was really here?”

“I might be old, but I’m not senile. That was him. Sneaky old man, finding a way to reach me.” Verda’s voice quavered and her eyes were misty. “I shouldn’t have told him to leave. But he got me so mad, I spoke without thinking.”

Elizabeth scooted her chair closer and gave Verda a hug. “What did he say that made you angry? Is he worried about something?”

Verda’s cheeks became a rosy pink. “None of that matters. Not now, anyway.” Looking at me, she asked, “Did Sara contact you?”

“Yes. But are you positive you’re okay? It’s not every day you have the chance to talk to your late husband.” Or argue with him.

“I’m fine. I do not wish to discuss Harry any longer. What I want”—she swung a defiant look to each of us—“is for you to share your experience with us. That’s what matters.”

Elizabeth and Alice narrowed their eyes but didn’t argue. Taking my cue from them, I nodded. “Okay. Let me tell you what happened.”

When I finished, all three of them gaped at me. “You have to tell Ben now,” Verda said. “He needs to hear Sara’s message and what you saw. You can’t keep this from him, Chloe.”

“I don’t intend on keeping anything from him, but I’m not going to tell him just yet, either. I’m going to try to talk to Mari first and see if I’m right. I…can’t tell him that Mari might not be his biological child unless I know that’s actually what Mari heard her mother say. I could be misinter-preting, and if I’m wrong…” I blinked away tears. “No way will I hurt Ben like that without knowing.”

What I didn’t say, what I wasn’t ready to admit out loud, is that I
was
sure. Between what Sara had shown me and things that she, Mari and Ben had said, well…I couldn’t see how my perception was off. But there were still things I needed to know, so I held on to the belief that waiting just a bit longer was the smart way to go.

I wanted to protect him. I wanted to hide this from him for as long as I could. Besides which, being the messenger for this totally sucked, and I wished I could forget about
everything I’d seen and heard. But I couldn’t. Not when this information might be the answer to setting Mari free.

I pulled my car to a stop in front of the house Verda shared with her live-in boyfriend, Vinny, and turned the ignition off. Elizabeth had brought Verda to the Mystic Corner, but I’d insisted on taking her home. She’d been uncharacteristically quiet for the entire drive. Normally, she had a million and one topics of conversation right at hand.

I pivoted in my seat to see her. “Thank you for insisting on doing the séance tonight. I wasn’t sure about it, but at least I have a few more answers now.”

“You’re welcome. I’m sorry you’re having such a struggle with all of this, but you know I’m here if I can help. Don’t forget that, Chloe.”

“I won’t. But right now I want to talk about you and this promise we made to each other. Alice”—I swallowed heavily—“told me that you’ve been having a dream, and that’s why you wanted the magic back. Is that true?”

She arched an eyebrow. “So you know, eh? I shouldn’t be surprised. You girls share everything. I shouldn’t have tricked you into returning the gift, but after Alice and Elizabeth reacted so strongly, I was afraid you’d respond the same.”

“That’s okay. I’m not worried about that, and I would’ve helped you even if I had known. But I’m worried about you. And I’m curious if whatever Harry had to say to you tonight has something to do with all of this.” I broached the question carefully, not wanting to upset her again, but also with the full desire to figure out exactly what was going on.

She unbuckled her seat belt and took a long, deep breath. “I’m not ready to explain. There are certain steps I’m taking right now that I don’t want anyone to interfere with.” A small laugh tittered out of her. “None of this is important in the scheme of things, sweetie. But yes, Harry thinks I
meddle too much, and he told me so. But he doesn’t have all of the information. Or if he does, he doesn’t understand it. He’s still the same stubborn man I married all those years ago.”

I wanted to push her for more but didn’t. She had the right to a few secrets at her age, and I had to believe that she’d come to me, to her granddaughters, when she was ready. “Okay. I trust you and trust that you know what you’re doing, whatever that is, but remember that I’m here for you too. That road goes both ways.”

With a quick, tight squeeze of my hand, she smiled. “I know that, dear.”

“Good. I’m glad.” I paused. “What was it like, talking to Harry after so many years?”

“Wonderful! I do wish I hadn’t sent him away, though. As much as I care about Vinny, Harry was my first real and true love. We built a life together, and for most of those years it was a good life. I’ve missed him just as much as I’ve missed butting heads with him.” Her smile brightened even as her eyes grew misty again. “That probably sounds silly to you, doesn’t it?”

“Not at all. Maybe when this is all over with and things are settled with Ben and Mari, we can have another séance. For the express purpose of contacting Harry, so you can finish your conversation with him. When you’re prepared to talk with him.”

“Oh, yes. I would like that.” She closed her eyes, sighed and opened them again. “There should be plenty of time for that. Thank you for offering, Chloe, but now I need to get inside and check on Vinny.”

I watched her until she was inside the house before driving off, wondering what she had going on inside of that head of hers. No matter what she said, hearing her dead husband’s voice couldn’t have been easy. And that, of course, brought my thinking back to Ben, and to how in the world I was going
to explain the fact that I saw and spoke with his daughter on a somewhat regular basis, and that his wife had given me a message to pass on. Why the responsibility had fallen on my shoulders, I didn’t know. What I did know, to the bottom of my soul, was that the conversation would be the hardest of my life.

From the second Ben arrived at my door on Friday night, I felt like a princess being taken to the ball. He looked princely in his black tux, and while my classically styled black evening dress wasn’t exactly Cinderella’s luxurious gown, that didn’t stop Ben’s eyes from nearly popping out of his head. Everything seemed perfect. As if we’d truly stepped out of real life and into a fairy tale, where nothing could go wrong and good always triumphed over evil. I knew that this night was going to be fantastic. Well, I thought I knew that. I changed my mind shortly after we actually arrived at the charity event.

Nearly two hours later, I sipped my wine in an attempt to calm my jittery nerves, no longer basking in the fairy-tale glow. Glancing around the room, I tried not to stare too hard at Chicago society’s crème de la crème. They were all here: politicians, local and a few nationally known celebrities, and anyone else who might be found on a list of who’s who in Chicago. Not to mention gazillions of Ben’s relatives. Yes, I mean gazillions. They were everywhere. So to say I was slightly overwhelmed would be a huge and complete understatement.

His family members, upon introduction, always looked at me oddly, as if they were startled to see that Ben had brought a date. After that moment of shock, they began sizing me up. In all likelihood they were comparing me to Sara, and I had no way of knowing how I measured up. Mostly I tried to keep a smile on my face, my posture straight and—throughout dinner—to use the correct piece of silverware.

At the moment, it was dessert: a luscious-looking chocolate mousse of which I’d barely eaten three bites. I gulped another sip of wine before inhaling a breath. Ben’s hand skimmed along my knee as if he sensed my discomfort, while he chatted with the man on the other side of him. It didn’t help, but I appreciated his awareness.

As people finished eating, they began strolling out of the room, moving into various other areas that had been set up to reflect a casinolike atmosphere. Instead of winning cash, there were donated prizes up for grabs. I’d learned that tonight’s event was to benefit a local charity for the homeless. Apparently, Malone & Associates hosted the event annually, choosing a different charity each year out of hundreds of applicants.

Ben leaned over and whispered in my ear, breaking into my thoughts, his breath warm and tingly upon my skin. “There are a few more people I have to say hi to before I’m all yours. Do you want to come along, or are you still finishing dessert?”

“I think I’ll wait here. If that’s okay?” With the room emptying at a breakneck pace, I might be able to reclaim my balance by the time he returned. Unlikely, but it was worth a shot.

He kissed my cheek. “Enjoy your chocolate and I’ll be back.”

I picked up my spoon and mashed the mousse around, not really interested in eating, just wanting to get through the evening so I could go home and be with Ben. Alone. Preferably in bed.

“Is there a problem with your dessert?” An older man, also dressed in a black tux—as were most of the men in attendance—eased himself into the chair Ben had vacated. He tossed me a mischievous grin. “Or are you as nervous as you look?”

“I’m nervous.” I dropped the spoon on my plate. “There
are so many people here, and way too many of them are staring at me. I’m the white elephant that no Malone can keep his or her eyes off.” It was an amazing moment of blurted idiocy.

“You’re Chloe, right? I don’t think we’ve had the pleasure of meeting. I’m Jason Malone.” His grin grew. “Ben’s father.”

My jaw opened. I snapped it shut. “Well, of course you are. Who else would you be?”

A delighted laugh boomed out of him. “Now, now, no reason to become flustered. I just wanted to say hello.” He angled his mostly gray-haired head ever so slightly toward the next table. “Don’t look, but my wife’s sitting over there. She’s also staring at you.”

I grabbed my wine. “It’s nice to meet you,” I said as primly as possible, hoping to come off as a little more withit than I felt. “I’m…uh…having a very nice time tonight.”

“No, you’re not. But you will. Soon enough the focus will change to something or someone else and you’ll be able to relax. We really don’t bite. I promise.”

I let out the sigh I’d been holding. “It’s just…a little overwhelming. Ben didn’t mention how many of you—um, of his family—would be here. I feel like I’m in the middle of some initiation ritual.” Immediately embarrassed, I set my glass down and placed my hands on my lap.

Jason Malone shook his head, chuckling. “Nah, that doesn’t start until the third family gathering. Seriously, we’re all happy to see you. I hope you’ll forgive us for being interested in the girl who’s found a way to make that boy of mine laugh again.” The man’s blue eyes—the same blue as Ben’s, by the way—twinkled with good humor, but beneath that twinkle, a layer of concern loomed. “He’s had a tough time of it. We all have, but him more than the rest of us.”

I angled my head to see if Ben was anywhere close, so I could wave him over, because I thought it strange that his father was totally at ease discussing any of this with me, let
alone with Ben in the same room. Unfortunately, Ben was nowhere to be seen. My nervousness ramped up another level.

“I’m…um…very sorry for all that he’s lost,” I murmured, not sure of the proper or expected way to respond.

The good humor disappeared as the man’s concern deepened. He lowered his voice. “Benjamin has built a shield around himself that none of us has been able to breach. It makes sense and it’s understandable, but that’s not the life I want for him.” Ben’s father’s gaze shifted away from mine for a second. “Has he mentioned his brother?”

“Well, I know he has a brother, if that’s what you mean. Is he here?” Curiosity made me search the room, which was silly, because it wasn’t as if I’d recognize him. Well, not unless he had the same bluer-than-blue eyes his father and Ben shared.

Jason Malone’s mouth straightened into a rigid line. “No, but he might show up later. I wanted to let Ben know. You might want to mention it if you see him before I do.” He cleared his throat as if suddenly uncomfortable, as if realizing that he’d said more than he should. “I’m pleased you’re here, Chloe. And I’m pleased to hear my son’s laugh again. I genuinely hope both continue.”

Emotion welled up in me, both at his candor and his geniality. “I hope so too. I’m…well, I care a lot about your son.”

“I can tell. And he cares about you. I saw the way he looks at you, and that’s something else I haven’t seen in a long time.” He brushed his clean-shaven jaw with his fingers. “Too long. Might I ask how you two met?”

Happy to be navigating a somewhat safer topic, I smiled. “He came into my store to purchase a gift for his assistant.”

Gray eyebrows bunched together, just the way Ben’s would. “You must have made some impression for him to ask you out. I don’t think he’s asked a woman out in”—he shook his head—“a very long time.”

Heat gathered in my cheeks. “I…uh…sort of did the asking.”

Ben’s father laughed. “Good for you! That’s how I met my wife, Clara.” He gestured again to the woman at the next table. “She decided I was the man for her and let nothing stand in her way. We’ve been together for going on forty years.”

Wow. Just wow. “You’re both very lucky.”

“We are.” His blue eyes latched on to mine, and I had the sense that he was staring right into my head, deciding my worth. “Ben’s going to do well with you. I can feel it.”

Before I could think of a reply, let alone voice one, Jason Malone stood and reached out a hand. “I have to schmooze with the guests now, but you have a good time. And don’t let any of the family worry you. We’re curious, but we’re harmless.”

I gave him my hand. He gripped it in a tight, firm hold. If a man can truly be measured by the strength of his handshake, then Jason Malone measured somewhere near the top. “It was very nice meeting you, Mr. Malone.”

“Jason,” he ordered. “Clara will probably bend your ear at some point tonight, but she’s harmless too.”

I stole a look at Ben’s mother. She smiled and nodded her head. I returned her smile, but the butterflies in my stomach fluttered harder. “I’ll try to remember that. I…ah…should probably find Ben and see what he’s up to.” Ben’s father nodded and gave me another searching look, but I was pretty certain I’d passed muster. At least for now.

After he walked off, I sucked in a breath. And then another. I drank down the last swallow of wine and forced myself to chill out. All of this was normal. Of course Ben’s family would be interested in the first woman he’d brought into their circle since his wife’s death. It made perfect sense. But wow, talk about unsettling.

Ben showed up, stopping beside my chair. “Have I told you how sexy you look tonight?”

“Yes, but that’s okay. I don’t mind hearing it again.” Relieved beyond belief to see him, I stood up. “You’re looking pretty sexy yourself, Mr. Malone.”

He chuckled, but an uneasy glint flashed over him, surprising me. The look vanished so quickly, I wondered if I’d imagined it. “Be careful, Red. There are close to a dozen men here who go by ‘Mr. Malone.’ I don’t want any of them to think you’re referring to them.”

Pleasure flushed through me, warming my limbs to a jellylike state. “I’m here with you. I’m not interested in any other Mr. Malone.”

“You have no idea how glad I am to hear that.”

“Though I did just meet your father. If I hadn’t met you first, he might be able to steal my heart,” I teased. “He’s quite charming.”

“How long did it take him to get over here after I left you alone?”

“About three seconds.” I was all set to give Ben the message about his brother when his mouth spread into a wide, teasing grin. I narrowed my eyes. “You knew your father would come over if you left? You should’ve warned me!”

“I wanted you to impress them, and if I’d warned you, then you might have worried too much about what to say.” His arm swept around my waist. “So, how’d the meeting go? Did Mom come over too?”

“The meeting went fine, and no, your mother just watched from her table. But she smiled and waved.”

Ben tipped my chin up and then bent over to kiss me softly on my lips. “My family will adore you. But even if they didn’t, they wouldn’t say that. They want me to be happy, Red. And right now, you make me very happy.”

“Oh, I feel…I’m happy too.” A cozy warmth curled out from somewhere deep inside, pushing all other thoughts away. At that moment, I decided to enjoy this evening and whatever
it brought. I, for the moment, had the seal of approval from Ben’s dad, and Ben was happy with me. Tomorrow or the next day, or whenever I saw Mari again, would be time enough to burst this bubble. And that day, regardless of how necessary it was, would come far too soon.

“So…what should we do now? I’m assuming you can’t leave yet?”

“Nope, not yet. We can get another drink, or we can try a bit of gambling, or we can meander around and I can introduce you to more of my family.” He waggled his eyebrows. “Whatever you want.”

“Gambling. Let’s do that!” I said brightly. “I’m sure we’ll bump into your family as we go, so no need to search them out.”

He laughed again. “Gambling it is, but first we have to register. There are prizes to be won, and one of them is a romantic weekend getaway.”

An entire weekend away with Ben? My skin warmed even more, and some of my tension eased. “We should go register, then. Before someone else wins our prize! Maybe Lady Luck will be on our side tonight.”

His hand flattened on my hip, and a thread of heat seared me. Just a simple touch, but Ben had that effect. “I’d say Lady Luck is already with us. Let’s go see if I’m right.”

Once we registered, we hit the blackjack tables. Ben sat on one side of me, and a woman he introduced as his cousin sat on the other. I expected a round of questions from her, but other than a friendly smile she focused on the game. Thank God for that.

The table started off hot, with the dealer losing the first five hands. Ben won three of those, his cousin one, and a guy at the far end of the table another. We stayed for four more rounds and then moved to the roulette wheel. Neither of us won anything there, but that was okay by me. Because
while we weren’t on the fast track to winning any prizes, Ben remained by my side the entire time. That, as far as I was concerned, was a win all on its own.

“Go grab a table and I’ll get the drinks. Do you want a chardonnay?” Ben asked as we stepped into the bar after deciding to take a break from the gambling. The room had been re created to look like a casino nightclub, with flashing lights, scattered tables and a makeshift dance floor.

“Yes, please.” While he disappeared into the crowd, I found a table, purposely choosing one near the dance floor. I wanted to dance with Ben. So very much. I wanted to feel his arms tight around me as we moved together to soft music.

I sat there for a few minutes, pleasantly distracted by those thoughts, when a new one reared its ugly head: did Ben know how to dance? Did he even like dancing? Ugh. How could I not know something so simple about the man I was certain I’d be spending my life with? New anxiety lashed through me, chasing away my momentary calm. I fidgeted in my seat, trying to work out why this bothered me so much. It shouldn’t have. After all, it took time to get to know someone, to learn about the different aspects of their personality, about what they liked and didn’t like.

“You have a frown on your face, Chloe,” Ben said as he arrived with the drinks. He handed me my wine and took the chair next to me. “Penny for your thoughts?”

I pushed my lips into the semblance of a smile and attempted to sound lighthearted. “They’re worth far more than a penny. You’ll have to cough up a whole dollar, at least.”

“A dollar, eh? How do I know the info’s worth it?” His voice was teasing, but he nervously strummed his fingers on the table. “Really, Chloe, what’s worrying you?”

“I’m just…” I told the truth because there were already so many secrets I was keeping from him, I didn’t want to add
even one more to the pile. “Well, I was sitting here waiting for you, and I realized how much we don’t know about each other yet. I feel so close to you that I guess that bothered me. Like I should know everything already.”