Sticks and Stones (28 page)

          Janice’s eyes crinkled.
“Would you like to come into my office?”

*        *        *

          At Gatsby’s,
Blake and Max waved to Rick from a corner booth. Rick pulled the cap over his
head tighter. No need to call attention to himself.

          A bottle of
Corona awaited him. “Hey thanks!” he grinned, taking a long pull from the
bottle. “I needed this.”

          “Rough day?”
Blake asked.

          “Kinda. I’m an
assistant captain now since Brice is out and I’ve made it my mission to whip
the guys into shape so we can win the cup.”

          Max lifted his
beer. “Congratulations! Seems like everything is falling into place for you
both professionally and personally.”

          “Thanks, man,”
Rick grinned, leaning over the table. “This Christmas is going to be the best
for me.”

          Blake wiped the
condensation from his beer bottle. “Hm, will we be hearing wedding bells soon?”

          “Yep! Grace put
a spell on me the minute we met and I don’t plan on letting her go.”

          “She’d never do
that!” Blake gasped.

          Rick choked on
his beer. “What the hell are you talking about?”

          Blake waved a
dismissive hand. “She once said casting a love spell on someone wouldn’t last
because it’s not real.” Max nodded in agreement.

          Rick opened his mouth to
speak, but no words would form. Instead he pulled his cell phone from his
pocket. After four rings he mumbled into the phone. “Zee? Is it true love
spells don’t last?”

*        *        *

          “Grace, I don’t
understand why you’re being so nice to me. Is this plant cursed?” Janice asked
pointedly.

          Rolling her
eyes, Grace shook her head. “For Goddess sakes! It’s a bamboo plant for good
luck.” She shrugged, “I’m not one to hold grudges. It’s baggage that I don’t
need to carry. I just came to wish you well with your company and with Ben. I
would like to ask you something though.”

          “Okay,” Janice
replied, unsure.

          “Why?”

          “Plain and
simple, I was jealous.”

          Grace lifted
her eyebrows. “Of?”

          “Oh Grace,
everything! You were going places in the designing community because you went
to a great school. I didn’t have those options growing up.” She lifted a
shoulder. “You know it was just me and my mom. She was always struggling.”

          “I helped you!
I let you into my life, mentored you. Hell Janice! I treated you like a part of
my family!”

          Janice wrung
her hands. “For what it’s worth, I wish I could take everything back.” She
knelt in front of Grace. “Grace, I’m so sorry. I stole your boyfriend, your
clients, cast a spell on you. I don’t understand how you can forgive me.”

          Grace’s voice
shook. “What spell?”

          “To fall in
love with Rick O’Shea.”

*        *        *       

          “What did you
do?” Zee snapped.

          Rick palmed his
face and turned away from Blake and Max. “I was desperate. She was skittish
about our age difference so I helped someone and in return this person cast a
spell on Grace to fall in love with me.”

          Zee slid on the
silk sheets, away from Dmitri. “Who’d you help?”

          “The suit’s wife.”

          “Janice?” she
screeched.

*        *        *

          “Grace?” Janice
said shakily, not liking the ashen tone Grace’s face had taken on. “Trina!
Bring me some water!”

          Trina, the
receptionist, quickly brought a Styrofoam cup filled with water. Her eyes
widened. “Should I call 9-1-1?”

          Grace blinked,
causing tears to run down her cheeks. She pushed the offered water away.
“Remove it!” she cried.

          Janice bit her
quivering lip. “I don’t know how! I swear, I would, but I don’t know how!”

          Gaping at her,
Grace rifled through her purse and snagged her phone.

*        *        *

          “I’m not
finished with you! Hold on! Grace is on the other line!” Zee hissed at Rick.

          “Grace?”

          “Can you remove
a spell from me?”

          “Where are
you?” Zee asked, softly.

          “I’m at
Janice’s office.” Grace rubbed her eye. “I knew it was too good to be true! I
knew the bottom would fall out!”

          “What kind of
spell, baby?”

          Grace narrowed
her eyes at Janice. “She cast a spell for me to fall in love with Rick.” She
stopped abruptly and pinned Janice with a glare. “What did you have to gain if
I fell in love with him?”

          Janice
swallowed hard. “He gave me your client’s names.”

*        *        *

          Zee promised
Grace that she’d meet her at the office before disconnecting the call.

          When she
transferred back to Rick, she growled, “You bastard! You helped Janice steal
Grace’s clients?”

          Rick stood so
quickly that his chair fell backwards. “How do you know that?”

          “Because Janice just told
Grace everything.”

*        *        *

          Grace threw a
twenty dollar bill at the cabbie and ran into the office building, straight to
her office. It was hell to unlock the door with shaky hands.

          Once inside she
went to the large meeting room and poured Jameson into a crystal cut glass. The
amber liquid flowed slowly into her stomach as she walked towards her office. As
a second thought, she grabbed the crystal decanter and took it with her.

          She kicked off her three
inch heels and dropped onto the chair in front of her desk. After taking
another healthy swallow, she placed the glass on the desk and spotted a
business card. She picked it up and read aloud. “Justice Flynn, Crisis
Negotiator.” She turned the card in her hand and on the back he wrote his cell
number.

*        *        *

          “Ricky? Are you
okay?” Blake asked, worriedly.

          Sweat beads
formed on Rick’s upper lip and his hands shook. “I’ve fucked up.” He gripped
his cell phone and sprinted from the bar to his car.

          He pressed a
pad on his phone and lifted it to his ear. “Please answer.”

          Grace dropped
the card on her desk as if it were on fire when her phone rang. After three rings
she pulled the phone from her purse, and glared at the caller ID. “What?” she
snapped.

          “I’m so sorry
Grace! Please let me explain,” Rick begged.

          “Okay,
explain.”

          He took a deep,
shaky breath. “You dwelled on your age so much but I knew when I first saw you
that you were the one for me. I wanted you to feel that way too.”

          “So, you sold
me out to the person who stole my boyfriend?” she hissed. “What did you do,
Rick? Go to her office and offer a deal?”

          Rick fidgeted
in his car. “No! She came to me! Somehow she got my phone number. She made the
offer!”

          Grace stood,
unsteadily and paced the office floor. “Do you know how much money I lost when
you gave her my clients?” When he didn’t say anything she continued to rant. “I
don’t make the kind of money you do, playing a silly fucking game, Rick! I have
to work hard for every fucking penny I make! You skate around on the ice and
beat people up!”

          Anger flared in
his face.
A silly fucking game?
“Look sweetheart, I earn my money, too.
You think what I do is easy?”

          “Save it, Rick.
I don’t give a fuck. And after Zee gets here I won’t give a fuck about you,
either!”

*        *        *

          Grace hated
that when she was angry, she’d cry. So, while she waited for Zee to arrive she
drowned her tears in more Jameson than she should.

          When Zee
arrived with Dmitri, they found Grace in the meeting room, sprawled on the
conference table, singing an Adele song.

          Zee turned the
radio off, causing Grace to open her eyes. She tried to sit up, but
giggled-cried when she couldn’t. Dmitri grabbed her arm and placed a hand on
her back, gently lifting her to a sitting position.

          “Why are there
two Da mitri’s?” She slurred.

          “Dear Goddess!
You’re drunk!” Zee admonished.

          Grace frowned
and shook her head. “No, I’m snot.” She giggled, “Not.”

          Zee took
Grace’s hands. “Baby? What kind of spell do you want me to cast?”

          Grace’s bottom
lip trembled. “I don’t want to feel anything for Rick. I want it to seem as if
we never met. You can do that, right?”

          “Yes, I can do
that. But honey, why?”

          A fresh tear
rolled down Grace’s cheek. “Because I don’t want to feel anything anymore.”

*        *        *

          Rick arrived to
practice late the next day.  When he got onto the ice he began barking out
orders to his team mates. Dmitri skated up to him. “You okay?”

          “I’m fucking
great!” Rick snarled. “We need to set up some skill stations. A few of the
newbie’s need to learn better puck control.”

          Dmitri lifted
his brows. “Is this going to be another long day?”

          “Yep,” Rick
replied, skating away.

*        *        *

          Grace awoke to
the ringing on the phone and her aunt’s hushed voice. “She’s still sleeping.
I’ll call you later.”

          “She looks
peaceful,” Reginald commented.

          “My poor
Poppet,” Tilda tsked. “I should’ve warned her.”

          Grace’s eyes
popped open and she sat up. “Warned me about what?”

          Tilda rose from
the rocker near the window and sat on the edge of the bed. She brushed the hair
from Grace’s eyes. “When you called and asked about my vision in the crystal
ball I went to double check.”

          “And…” Grace
prompted.

          “Oh Poppet! It
was hazy and unclear, but I saw you crying, hurting. I didn’t know how to tell
you or even if I should.”

          Grace frowned.
“It’s much worse.”

          “I know. Zee
told me when she and Dmitri brought you home last night. I’m so sorry, honey.”

          “Don’t be,”
Grace shrugged. “Zee’s magic must be very powerful because I don’t feel a
thing. Not even a hang over.”

*        *        *

          In the locker
room, Rick checked his phone. He threw it on the top shelf, in a huff.

          Dmitri watched
him from across the room. He took his time removing his gear in order to talk
to Rick privately. When the younger guys headed towards the shower he
approached Rick. “Wanna get a beer?”

          Rick shook his
head. “Nah. I’ve gotta go see Grace.”

          “She doesn’t
want to see you,” Dmitri blatantly replied.

          “I’m sure she
doesn’t, but I’m not giving her a choice.”

          Dmitri placed
his hand on Rick’s shoulder. “Let her go, man.”

          “Let her go?
Are you fucking crazy? I love her,” Rick hissed.

          “Zee cast a spell
on her last night to forget you.”

*        *        *

          Freshly
showered, drinking coffee, Grace mumbled. “Who called earlier?”

          Tilda placed
her coffee mug onto the table. “Ben. He and Janice are worried about you.”

          Grace snorted.
“I’ll bet.”

          “Are you and
Rick really over?”

          “I told you the
bottom was going to fall out,” Grace shrugged, indifferent. Worry lines etched
Tilda’s face so Grace took her hand into hers. “I’m okay, Aunt Tilda.”

          “But Rick…”

          “Is history,”
Grace vowed.

*        *        *

          “Here’s to
alcohol, the rose colored glasses of life!” Rick mumbled, lifting a shot glass
to Dmitri.

          “I wish I had
words of wisdom for you, my friend,” Dmitri smiled sadly. “She was a mess last
night, if that’s any consolation.”

          Rick’s eyes
lifted. “You saw her?”

          “Yeah. Zee and
I took her home because she was too drunk to drive.”