Holiday Vacation

by Amy Gregory

  “You can’t count murder twice, and he’s not a vampire. He’s not here to murder you. I don’t know on the talking to him, but you’re a wee bit correct on judging his wealth. But don’t hold that against him. He’s actually a really nice guy. I talked to him about the whole biting comment. I can assure you, it didn’t come off as he meant it. He’s explained himself, in detail, trust me, more times than I even care to hear. He feels bad about that and won’t let it go. That’s why we’re here, actually. He wants to apologize to you in person."

  Jenny turned, backed up, and eased down onto the cushion of the window seat next to her familiar. He groaned and moved over, not wanting to share his spot the late morning sunshine was providing him.

  “Move over, sun hog. Geez, just act like you own the joint. Crabby ass,” Jenny muttered to herself. She dared to look up at Lessy, not prepared, but at least sitting down for any more information overload to be dumped on her. But Lessy’s attention had focused on something else completely.

  Oh, shit on a shingle.

  Chapter 10

  Lessy moved her pointer finger, obviously counting the suitcases, duffel bags, and a lone backpack that Jenny had sitting open on her floor. After waking with a horrible stiff neck, Jenny had snapped her fingers and moved them on the floor. Hopefully, she’d be able to make up for last night’s lack of decent sleep. There weren’t any clothes piled in neat stacks, there were no toiletries, nothing else prepared for any type of travel. But evidence was evidence, and Lessy wasn’t born yesterday. Jenny waited her out, not offering up even a morsel of information.

  “Wait. That book you showed me. Are you going to do it? Are you really going to go visit Hawaii? Did you talk to your dad?” Lessy peppered her with questions.

  “Um. I don’t know. I dug all that out in sort of a rash decision after leaving your place last night. Then I woke up late for work and haven’t thought about it since until I came in here and saw all of it still on the floor. And as far as my dad goes, I really don’t know, Lessy. I don’t know if I have it in my heart to ask him. I think it hurts his feelings to bring up my mother.”

  “I don’t think you have a choice anymore, honey. You have to know exactly what happened. And it might be good for you both. Air out the family secrets that have you both walking on eggshells—and because of it, you’ve both been missing out on so much in life. This trip, for instance.”

  Jenny eased back, staring at the bags, and sighed. “I got frazzled last night at your house. I came home ready to escape. Then, after I started shaking so bad, I couldn’t even get the first shirt off the hanger, I gave up. I should just shove this crap back in the closet where it belongs. As for him…I thought I’d text you when I was at work, figure out how long he was going to be here, and do my best to avoid him. But then Wanda needed a favor, and I had no idea you’d bring him here.”

  “Can I tell you something and have you promise not to hate me?” Her best friend looked a tiny bit greenish.

  “Maybe?”

  “No, please.” Lessy approached her, pulling her hand and holding on to her tight. “I’m begging, Jenny. I’m only trying to help.”

  “Okay.” She drew out the one-word response.

  “I sort of possibly turned to Bill’s mom for help.”

  That wasn’t the big information bomb she was prepared for. Jenny waited. Hearing the oven timer, she made quick work of snapping things into place to keep the cupcakes baking so she could return to the diner as soon as possible.

  “Did you hear me? I asked Vivian for help—with Joshua…and I had her sort of help me just double-check where you landed on the subject as well.”

  “No wonder I’ve been shaky and startled so easy. You told her to mind-walk me? Lessy.” Jenny wanted snap herself anywhere else in the entire realm. As much as she didn’t want to hurt her dad, she had to get the hell away from this place, at least until everything was back to predictable and boring, exactly the way she preferred her life. “Besides, you know me. Deep down, I’m not a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants, jet-setting, fancy-pants person.” She lifted her hand to snap the bags back to the dark corners of her closet, where they’d remain until she passed on to the next stage of witch-hood.

  * * *

  Joshua heard the description the amazing baker gave of herself. It was wrong to eavesdrop. He really had only been looking for the bathroom to clean off as much of the dripping chocolate as possible and had headed in the direction Bill had pointed him. Hawaii. A beautiful state, a long-time favorite of his. Hearing that word come from her bedroom stopped him cold.

  He needed to back away quietly and get to the kitchen again before they heard him out in the hall. At least he wasn’t the only one having his most private thoughts wandered through without his consent, though he was pretty sure Jenny’s predicament was entirely his fault, due to Lessy’s determination to couple them off into bliss and love.

  When Jenny all but called herself a wallflower, Bill’s vision of traveling came to a screeching halt. He’d always gone alone, on purpose, and loved it that way. Yet he had the most vivid vision of walking along a secluded white sand beach at sunset, hand in hand with Jenny along Oahu’s North Shore, especially when the big waves were rolling in. Something about watching the power of Mother Nature was alluring to him.

  If she’d never traveled there, he wanted to be the one to show off the islands to her in all their glory. He wanted to be the tour guide she’d never be able to hire, not for money, but purely because he loved every part of that state with his entire being.

  “Knock-knock.” The door was open as the girls spoke quietly. He tapped the doorframe before he could stop himself. The body and mind doing their own things and not working together was going to throw Joshua into a tailspin. Both women glanced his way, and he knew it was too late to stop now. “Jenny, is there any way I could have a minute alone with you?”

  Lessy’s grin was way too wide. Jenny, on the other hand, simply stared back at him, her light-brown eyes bright with so much power over him. He could almost read her soul, see how caring, kind, and soft-hearted she was, all in a look. She still hadn’t invited him across the threshold of her room, but she hadn’t said no. When Lessy darted around him, Joshua stayed near the door, not wanting to make Jenny uncomfortable.

  “I know I haven’t made the best first impression on you. I wanted to apologize, to explain, to see if you could find a way to maybe forgive me for being an ass. I just have never in my life been around someone that flusters me like you do.”

  She remained quiet but tilted her head, and a line appeared between her brows as if she didn’t understand, or maybe didn’t believe him. He dared to take a handful of steps into the room.

  So unlike his family home, which was crisp, neutral, decorated by only the best and with no amount of money spared, Jenny’s home felt like a breath of fresh air. She was an obvious clean freak. The furniture, though, was inviting and comfortable. A handful of picture frames were placed around the house, and she had a plant or two in every room. Her bedroom furniture was antique and looked like it’d been lovingly restored. The only thing in her entire home he was unsure of was the gray familiar curled up next to her on the window seat.

  Joshua nodded toward the cat. “I’m not sure he…? She? Um, whichever, cares for me much.” Joshua attempted a joke to break the tension building between them.

  “Oh.” She shook her head. “He. Gonzo doesn’t act like he likes me that much most days. But he does his job, and I feed him, so it works for us.”

  “If he was in human form, I picture him as a frail, grumpy old man.” He forced a chuckle.

  “More like a teenager with a resting bitch face and an attitude no parent could tolerate without wringing his neck.” She shrugged, then ran her hand over the cat’s gray fur. He groaned and flicked his tail, then scooted away from her as if he didn’t want to be touched. Definitely the opposite of any pet he’d ever been around in his life.

  “Wow, remind me never to piss h
im off.”

  “Don’t bother trying. There is no rhyme or reason to his mood of the day. You’ll never guess correctly. You’ll only waste your time.”

  Then she smiled.

  He knew it was an optical illusion, as she was sitting on the padded window seat, but the sun coming in from behind her formed a perfect circle, as if her smile made her entire being glow.

  Chapter 11

  Out of left field, Joshua heard his mother’s words replay in his mind. “You need a partner.” He’d spent so much energy trying to avoid entanglements, he didn’t know how to proceed with what could possibly turn out to be the missing link in his life.

  “So, can I tell you a little bit about myself?” he asked. “Maybe then you won’t hate me so much.”

  “Who said I hated you? I simply don’t know you.”

  Her voice was so kind, it threw him. He was used to accusatory tones, sharp claws defending themselves and their motives. Soft, truthful words were almost as foreign as a different language. Jenny was out of his league. She deserved someone more like herself, not a warlock who was jaded by the big cities and blue bloods.

  “I…I assumed. I apologize. I just can’t seem to find the right words when I’m around you. I’m messing this all up—again. Wow, all right. Let’s do this, start from the very beginning. Hi, I’m Joshua.” He held out his hand. “I’m from Vermont, and Bill and I have been good friends since freshman year of college.”

  He took in every movement she made, from her unsure gaze on his hand to the methodical and tentative motion it took for her to reach for it. Once their skin touched, they both jerked back as if they’d been jolted by a static shock. The sharp intake of her breath was audible in her small bedroom, enough so Gonzo glanced up and one of his ears lay back as if he was perturbed.

  Joshua rubbed his left hand over the palm of his right. It still tingled where she’d touched him. She was holding her own hand over her heart. “So, I’m not crazy. You felt that too?”

  Jenny shook her head, then nodded, but worry lines crossed her forehead, and he’d put them there.

  Damn it, I can’t read her mind. Shit. Not crazy? Yeah, she felt it? Which is it, or is she agreeing to both? Ball up, dude.

  His internal pep talk was a joke and absolutely hopeless. He was the man. It was his responsibility to ease her nerves around him, and he was doing the opposite. If he were in a different part of the country, he would have cut bait and said ciao. His manners were too ingrained for that kind of behavior this time.

  Forget introductions.

  “So, are you going on a trip? Or did you just get back?” Joshua asked the fake question. He knew the truth from what little intel he’d gathered while listening to the two women talk before. But it was a safe subject.

  “No.”

  Fuck a duck.

  Her answer was quick and left no opening for more conversation. Strike two. He’d never been a quitter, though. “No, not leaving, or no, you didn’t just return? Do you like to travel?” She shrugged. “Do you have a favorite destination?” She kept silent, only shaking her head to answer. Something was definitely off, and he made a mental note to ask Lessy if she knew anything.

  He went for a different approach. “Give me a beach and the sound of the waves any day. I could walk for miles along soft sand or sleep for hours in a hammock next to the waves in a light breeze. Perfection, I swear. Don’t get me wrong, it’s fun to browse little shops in Europe, or go to museums and see all the natural wonders of the world in person. But when it comes to finding utter peace, nothing beats a hidden beach only locals know about, the quiet and serenity—you’ll never want to leave.”

  She’d focused on his face so intently, he’d kept talking almost in circles, feeling like he was repeating himself. But he didn’t want to lose the connection. She was absorbing everything he fed her about islands. “Do you mind?” He motioned to her bed, easing back to sit across from her. He inhaled deeply, memories of the ocean’s scent rushing to him. “There is nothing like the smell of salt water early in the morning, walking at dusk, or wading just ankle-deep in warm water after you’ve eaten a meal and you’re so full, you have to walk, because if you sat down, you’d never get up again. Kind of like a Thanksgiving food coma, but over and over again, every night you’re away.”

  Her eyes lit up like diamonds shining in the sun. Her pink lips tipped up with a slight smile, and the worry lines across her forehead disappeared as she listened to each word he spoke. Joshua realized he’d never had someone so interested in what he was saying before. Of course, there was business, and that was different. But this woman sat only a few feet away from him, her attention solely on him, and yet he felt deep down she wanted nothing from him—except maybe more details.

  Jenny wasn’t hinting at him whisking her away to such a beautiful place. She wasn’t suggesting he romance her, wine her, dine her, spoil her until she was bored of him.

  “If you had to name somewhere off the top of your head you’d like to go, where would it be?” he asked.

  The joy slipped away, taking every trace of happiness lining her face with it. She swallowed hard. Joshua scrambled for one of his top five beaches he could describe for her.

  “Hawaii. I think maybe Oahu,” she replied.

  Her answer was quiet, but it was a full sentence, not just a nod.

  “You have great taste. It’s unreal there. All the islands are gorgeous, but that one has my heart.”

  “What you said about being on a beach matches the pictures in the book from my dad’s house.”

  Were they really going to engage in a full conversation? Joshua had never felt like he was so unprepared for anything in his life. She stood, walked to her dresser, and opened a bag. He tried not to watch her like a complete stalker, but when he recognized the book she was retrieving, it was as if they’d been put in this town to meet on purpose.

  “I have that exact book back home in my office. I sell real estate, high-end real estate, all over the world. It’s sort of my job to find unique, exquisite, one-of-a-kind places that no one else will find the buyer once they’re there.”

  “Like movie stars?” she asked.

  She returned to her seat, placing the book on her lap as she asked him about celebrities. Her fingers delicately touched the cover of the book, treating it as if it were fragile sea glass.

  It was Joshua’s turn to nod. “Sometimes, yes. Some are just plain loaded. Sounds kind of bad when I put it so bluntly, but I make a damn good living off of pleasing them. So if they’re so rich they want a house in each part of the world, I’ll make it happen.”

  He’d gone too far. He’d slipped into being the man she’d first met at the diner, the one he was trying to show her was not the real him. “I’m sorry. That came out extremely…” He paused. “Rude.”

  “Who am I to judge?”

  A five-word question and one sweet voice with a hint of a smile to match.

  “You’re so unlike anyone else I’ve ever met, Jenny.”

  Lessy cleared her throat. “Jenny, I hate to interrupt, but the cupcakes you had cooling for Bo are ready to frost. Do you want to me to help you out?”

  “Oh, crap on a cracker, I’ve got to get those done and get back to work. Fuck a duck.” She jumped from her spot, handed the book to him, and practically jogged out of her own room.

  “Well, fuck a duck is right.” Joshua smiled to himself, then realized he’d been caught by Lessy.

  “Told ya.” She waggled her brows at him and followed her friend down the hall back to the blissful smell of warm chocolate.

  Chapter 12

  Jenny wiggled the old door handle and put her shoulder against the frame to push her father’s front door open. No WD-40 allowed, at least not on the exterior, for their own protection. It was an Assjacket city ordinance to remain historically accurate. Also known as so run-down that mortals would speed up on the highway instead of stopping and interrupting the balance the townspeople loved so much.


  “Dad? You around?” She wandered around chairs, end tables, and shelves, all in need of a good dusting. “Dad?” She heard movement toward the back of the house in his kitchen.

  “Hi, honey, I didn’t hear you come in. Would you like some?” he asked, holding out a plate of crackers, each piled an inch high with canned cheese spread.

  “I could have brought you lunch, Dad. That’s not considered a meal, or even remotely a healthy snack.”

  “Pfft, I’ve been eating this combo since the mortals invented it. And I’ll outlive every last one of them.”

  “Not because of your diet.” She shook her head. It was no use. He was a junk-food-aholic and very happily set in his ways. “I brought you some extra cupcakes. I made them yesterday for Bo, and Wanda had me bake some for the diner, but I knew they were your second favorite.”

  “I do love a good German chocolate with that gooey frosting, but you know I’ll never turn down sugar.”

  He was eager to accept the simple gift. His face was a bit lined by time, but he was still a handsome man. His smile was genuine, and he was a kind and compassionate person. Jenny suddenly wanted to bolt, leave him alone with his so-called lunch, and not bring up the one subject that would wipe away the smile on his face.

  “What is it, honey?”

  Worry lined his forehead, and Jenny’s guilt started making her stomach churn. Grateful she’d been too busy to consume anything but coffee and had nothing to vomit, she rolled her neck.

  “Jenny? What’s wrong? Whatever it is, you know we’ll get through it together. Just as we always have.” He placed his plate on the open cookbook lying on the counter and reached for her.

  She walked into his hug and held on tight. He was right about one thing, they’d always done life their way, getting through it all together with no other family around. “I have to ask you something, and I know it’s going to upset you.”