by Maeve Hart
Before I could say anything, Milford picked up the menu. “Now let’s see what looks good here.”
A group of rowdy men in suits sat at the next table to us. I counted nine of them. They were talking loudly and laughing. The restaurant was now full so there was no chance of us moving to another table.
“How about the fresh oysters for an appetizer?” Jacques suggested to his uncle. “I know you don’t like oysters, Destiny.”
Milford nodded. “Yes, good choice. Last time I was here they were better than the ones I told you about that I had in New Orleans. They were meaty and just perfect.”
“You’ve been to this restaurant before?” I asked Milford.
“I’ve been here a few times; it’s one of my favorites.”
It had been hard for Milford to talk over the crowd at the table next to us.
When I glanced over at them I could see they were having a good time.
“Are they bothering you?” Jacques asked me.
“No. They’re okay.”
We chose our first course, and then the three of us chose porterhouse steaks for the main.
A waiter came over and spoke to Uncle Milford. “I’m sorry for the noise, Mr. Morrison. The manager said to tell you that the drinks you ordered are with his compliments. It’s his way of apologizing.”
“Thank you. Where is Norman tonight?”
“He’ll be out shortly to see you.” The waiter took our orders and left.
“That was good of him,” I said.
Milford nodded and I guessed he got that treatment a lot.
Uncle Milford then leaned closer to me. “How do you like being a shifter, Destiny?” He said it low enough that no one would’ve heard.
“I like it very much. I just feel like this is how I was meant to be from the very beginning.”
“That’s why Destiny never fitted in with her family,” Jacques said.
The waiter came with our drinks, and when we each had a drink in front of us, Uncle Milford said, “I’m going to make a toast.” He raised his glass. “To Jacques and
Destiny—may you have a happy immortal life together.”
It was short and simple and I was sure he meant it.
I sipped on my champagne. “Where do you live now, Milford?” I don’t know why I asked where he lived now because I never knew where he lived before.
“I live up north,” was all that he said.
“My uncle is a bit of a hermit,” Jacques said.
“That’s what everyone says about you,” I told Jacques.
Jacques gave a lopsided grin. “It must run in the family.”
“Tell me more about you, Destiny,” Milford said.
“There’s not much to tell really. Before I met Jacques, I had an interior design business.”
“And then I stole her away from that,” Jacques said.
“And do you miss it?” he asked.
“Sometimes I do. It was nice to have a creative outlet. My mother is an artist and my aunt’s a potter. I’ve been around artists all my life.”
“And have you ever painted?”
“Not for many years. I prefer pottery.”
“Interesting. Jacques, you’ll have to get some potters wheels and kilns out at the compound.”
“Sure, whatever you want. Just tell me,” Jacques said to me.
“Okay.” I nodded. “We’ll talk later.”
“You don’t want to talk in front of your Uncle Milford?” Milford asked with a twinkle of mischief in his eye.
I laughed. “It’s not that. I’ll have to think if that’s what I want to do in my spare time, or something else.”
“Fair enough.”
Throughout the dinner, Milford asked Jacques and me a lot of questions, but offered nothing about his own life. I decided to do some probing.
“Have you ever been married?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
He shook his head. “No.”
“Never found the right woman?” I asked.
“Either I’ve never found the right woman, or maybe I just don’t believe in love.”
Jacques said, “You’ll change your mind when you meet the right woman.”
I looked at Jacques and smiled.
Milford nodded. “Yes, you’ve stayed single for many years.”
So far, I had found out that he had never married, his only relative was Jacques, and he lived north of somewhere. That information added up to a smidgen above zero.
“What do you like to do in your spare time?” I asked.
“Spare time? I don’t have a lot of that.”
“Milford manages many of my business interests.”
I was quite surprised to hear that. “Really? I didn’t know. Surely you get some spare time?”
“I like to ski and snowboard, but I haven’t done any lately.”
“Do you travel there or do you live in a cold climate?”
His eyes locked onto mine. “You ask a lot of questions, Destiny.”
“I’m just trying to get to know you a little better, that’s all. You know everything about me and obviously everything about Jacques, but I don’t know much about you.”
He waved his fork about. “That’s what I like about you, Destiny. You’re a caring person, and you think of others.”
“So, we have your approval, Uncle Milford?”
“You had my approval as soon as I saw her. She’s quite a stunner.”
Now that they were both looking at me, I felt my cheeks warm and I gave a tiny embarrassed giggle. “I don’t know about that,” I said, deflecting attention away from me. “Shall we order dessert?” I asked.
“Yes, the dessert here is quite good too,” Uncle Milford said.
After desserts were decided upon and ordered, Milford asked Jacques, “How are the plans doing for the compound?”
“Do you mean the cabins?”
Milford nodded.
“I’m talking with an architect about the plans. They’re coming together.”
“Good. What’s your timeframe?”
“Two years to have everything completed, but by then, we might need to expand again.”
“That’s usually the way.”
“Do you have a pack you belong to?” I asked Milford.
“Yes, but I live a long way from here.”
I nodded and since he didn’t offer any more information, I didn’t ask.
When we finished the dinner, we said goodbye to Uncle Milford who had managed to make his way back to the bar for a post-dinner drink.
The restaurant was walking distance to the penthouse, so Jacques and I walked home in the cool night air.
As we headed up in the elevator, I said, “I can’t believe he’s never married. He’s quite handsome.”
“He’s had a lot of women friends, but he’s never had just one love of his life that he wanted to marry.”
“He doesn’t say much about himself.”
“No, he doesn’t.”
The elevator doors opened, and we stepped into the penthouse.
“I’m glad I met him.”
“Do you still think he was the one at Granny’s place?”
“I do. Do you think I should’ve asked him outright?”
Jack shook his head. “No, that would’ve been the worst thing you could have done.”
“How do we find out why he’s befriending Granny?”
“Maybe pay your grandmother a visit and try to work things out from there.”
“Really? You’re always telling me to stay away from her.”
“Well, you never take my advice.”
“Yes, I do.”
He laughed. “Only when it suits you.”
CHAPTER 15
T he next morning Jacques and I sat eating bacon and eggs and drinking black coffee. Jacques had told me he had many meetings lined up for the day.
“What are you going to do with yourself today?” he asked.
“I’m going to stop by Granny’s and ask abou
t the man she brought home from the bridge night.”
Jacques grimaced. “I guess that’s the only way to get the information.”
“I won’t ask outright about him. I’ll be more subtle than that. Don’t you want to know what he was doing there?”
“I do, but I don’t want you putting yourself in danger.”
“Trust me. I won’t be in any danger. She doesn’t suspect anything about you, or me, even after she met you.”
He nodded. “Okay, but just be careful.”
“I will be.”
“I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something.”
I put my coffee cup down. “What is it?”
“Many years ago, I purchased an island and I’ve been thinking of moving the pack there. That’s why I bought it in the first place. There’d be more security and we’d be able to do whatever we wanted. If we have children, they can grow up naturally and we won’t have to worry about them scaring people by changing suddenly.”
I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be isolated on an island, but it sounded good being worry free.
“What do you think?” he asked.
“I really don’t know.”
“You’ll love it. I’ll take you there soon. If I don’t move the pack there, I’ll go ahead with the plans of building cabins in the compound so the couples can have more privacy.”
I nodded enthusiastically, liking that idea far better. “That sounds like a really good idea.”
“Don’t rule out the idea of the island. It’s a tropical island with beaches and palm trees.”
“Tsunamis and storms.” I pulled a face.
He shook his head as he cut his toast and arranged egg and bacon on top.
“I’m happy to go and look at it,” I said, not wanting to be a downer all the time. I was glad he wasn’t the kind of man who told me what to do all the time. Donald would’ve never asked my opinion about anything. Jacques was respectful and I liked that.
“Good. I’ll arrange for us to have a look at it very soon.”
“I can’t wait.”
He stared across at me. “You’ll love it.”
I had another mouthful of coffee and then ate my breakfast, hoping there was no more talk about islands.
On the way to his meetings, Jacques had his driver take me to Granny’s house.
“Wish me luck,” I said as I got out of the car.
“Good luck. I’ll see you tonight. Stay safe.” He pulled me back into the car and kissed me.
I giggled. “You might not get to your meetings if you kiss me like that again.”
He laughed. “Okay. You’ll have to stop being so delicious.”
When the car drove away, I knocked at the door and waited.
When Granny opened it she was surprised to see me. “Destiny!”
“Have I caught you at a bad time?”
“No. Come in. Would you like a… You don’t like tea, would you like coffee?”
Knowing it would only be instant coffee I shook my head.
“What about a herbal tea?” she asked, peering into my face.
“No thanks.”
“What about some hibiscus tea?” she persisted.
“Yes, that sounds interesting. I’ve never had that before I don’t think.”
“Come into the kitchen with me while I make it.”
As she fussed about making the tea, she asked, “What brings you here today?”
“I just thought I would come and visit you because—”
“Because the last time you were here you ran out on me when you were supposed to look after me when I had that fall?”
I frowned. “Was that the last time I was here?”
“I think so.”
“Granny, it wasn’t like that at all. I’m sorry I ran out on you, but you told me that you had poisoned Don. We talked about this at the restaurant.”
Granny laughed. “I didn’t kill him.”
“That’s only because Jennifer had given him the strychnine after you poisoned him and it was the strychnine that delivered the fatal blow, so to speak. And you’re lucky the police aren’t still investigating who gave him the puff adder venom. Actually, they could be for all I know.”
“I wouldn’t go to jail for murder. I would go to jail for intending to murder someone. Poisoning with an intent to murder, I think it would’ve been, but I don’t know the technical word for it.”
I shook my head. “How can you stand there and talk about killing someone as though it’s nothing? We’re talking about a life.”
“I wasn’t the only one who wanted to kill him. His sister got in before me.”
“That’s no excuse. You can’t go around killing people. It’s not acceptable.”
“Yes, yes, I know. Anyway, when you ran out on me that day I felt the hands on my back and was pushed over, it was lucky that my lovely man friend called in to see me just a few minutes after you left.”
I rubbed my forehead and noticed it felt hot. “You don’t have any friends apart from the people you play bridge with and the witches in the coven. What friend?”
“I’m sure I told you about him. His wife left him, and he was paying me to do a spell for him.”
This was the very man I’d come to ask her about. “That’s right—he was paying you to do a spell to get her back. So, how’s that going? Did she come back to him?”
“Now that a little time has passed, he said he can see they’re not suited. They’ve had different lives for years. He wants a quiet life, and she wants to live in the spotlight—in the limelight, or whatever you say.”
“Is he pursuing you, Granny? It sounds like he’s spending some time with you.”
“No, it’s not like that at all. He’s just a friend.”
“Are you sure?”
At that moment, the water boiled. “Why don’t you sit in the living room and I’ll bring this out to you when it’s ready?”
I nodded. “Okay, but you’re not going to get out of telling me more about this man.” I walked into the living room and sat down with my hands in my lap. What would Jacques’ uncle want with my grandmother—revenge? Revenge for Granny killing his father? But if he wanted to kill her, he could’ve done so before now.
Granny came out of the kitchen carrying a tray with a teapot, two teacups, and two slices of chocolate cake—my favorite.
“Granny, you shouldn’t be fattening me up just before my wedding. How will I ever fit into a nice dress?”
“If he loves you, he can take you any way you are.”
I sighed. “He does, but I want to look nice for myself.” My weight was the biggest problem in my life and always had been. The more I thought about it the more I ate, so I mostly kept my mind off it. Jacques always commented he liked my soft curves.
Granny poured the tea. “Why does everyone think being skinny is looking nice?”
“That’s only something that a slim person would say. If you’ve never been overweight, you’d never know.”
“You’re not overweight at all. You were chubby when you were a pre-teen and then you lost all that weight. Now you’re fine. I think you still picture yourself as that fat child with the puppy fat. You’re not seeing yourself as you are now.” Granny handed me my tea.
I lifted the cup and sniffed the strong floral aroma.
“Go on, taste it,” Granny urged. She was really into her teas.
After I tasted it, I had to admit that it was quite good. “It’s nice.” I looked longingly at the chocolate cake. Maybe half a slice wouldn’t hurt. With my teaspoon, I cut one slice of cake in half and scooped the other half onto my saucer. “Now, you were going to tell me about your new friend.”
“I don’t think there’s much to tell you.” Granny stirred a spoonful of sugar into her tea.
“How often does he come here to visit you?”
Granny fluttered her dark lashes at me. “Maybe once or twice a week.”
“Hmmm. Doesn’t that stop you from doing your work?”
I knew Granny was obsessive about doing her spells at certain times of the day each and every day.
“I can’t work every hour of every day, Destiny. I have to have some leisure time. That’s why I have my garden and my bridge games.”
“What do you have in common with him?”
“Why this sudden interest in him?”
“I’m not interested in him. I’m interested in the two of you together. You’ve never had a boyfriend before, so why wouldn’t I be interested?”
Granny cackled. “I told you he’s not my boyfriend. He’s simply a friend who happens to be a male. Are all you young women like this—so man crazy?”
“I guess.” I took another sip of my tea. How would I find out why the man was befriending her? “Has he asked you to do any more spells for him?”
“No, only that original one to get his wife to come back to him.” Granny sighed and brought her teacup delicately to her lips.
“That didn’t work, obviously.”
Granny shook her head. “I told you about that. It would’ve worked if I had kept it going. You should listen more. You were like this when you were a child. He didn’t want to go ahead with getting her back.”
I stuck my spoon into the rich, creamy chocolate frosting and when I popped it into my mouth it melted as smooth as butter. “This cake is delicious.”
“My new male friend, the one you’re so obsessed with, made it.”
I stopped savoring it and wondered if I should spit it out. What if it was poisoned? When I reminded myself Granny was still alive, I forced myself to swallow what was in my mouth, but I wasn’t going to have any more. “He can cook?”
“Apparently. Shouldn’t you be focusing on your wedding plans rather than worrying about my social life?”
“That’s months away.”
“You should really give bridge a go. You’d really like it if you tried it.”
I remembered years ago, Granny had tried to teach me the rules of bridge and it seemed too complicated. “I prefer easier card games.”
“They wouldn’t keep your interest. That’s why people like bridge—because it’s interesting.”
“Maybe when I’m older I’ll give it a go.”
Granny shook her head in disgust.