“Refurbishing actually. Just down the street—714.”
“On this street? Really? Is that about a block south?”
“Just about.”
“Oh, don’t tell me—714. I think I know it. Jake, it’s the one with the green door. Isn’t it, Vince?” She turned to him, her long, curly hair swinging.
“That’s the one.”
“We wondered what the owner was doing.”
“Mostly the downstairs. Got workmen in. I’ll paint the upstairs. Not much to do there that I can’t get done.” He hesitated then added, “Stop by there sometime and I’ll show you around.”
“We’ll do that, man. It’ll be our turn next. We’ve sort of outgrown Kat’s condo.” Jake tilted his head at the woman and she grinned.
“Jake, don’t even talk about doing something like refurbishing with those two around. Our kids,” she said to Vince. “Two boys.”
“With way too much energy,” Jake added. “And that reminds me, I want to get done so I can enjoy the rest of the evening without them.” He swooped to give Kat a kiss and she touched his cheek, her hand lingering. “You doing okay, sweetheart?”
“I’m fine. Go do what you have to.”
“Nice meeting you, Vince.” He walked off whistling.
“The boys are with my parents tonight. It’s a rare treat for us,” Kat explained.
He nodded. “So this is your third?”
“In a way. Actually, my second. Our oldest is Jake’s son from his first marriage. And this will be it,” she added firmly, taking a sip of her drink.
Vince stayed, strangely reluctant to leave. Something about this woman was so soothing, so restful. The sheer contentment in her face made him feel at peace … and envious.
“You’re troubled, aren’t you, Vince,” she asked, her quiet voice wrapping around him.
“Excuse me?” Had Leena told them?
“No, she didn’t really share the details.”
How the hell—
“But I know she’s troubled and so it seems are you. See Vince, I can sense your feelings. I’m a witch, too.”
He stared. This sweet, pregnant woman was a witch?
“We’re really quite ordinary people in general you know. And we can’t help being born into this way of life. Just like Leena can’t help it or change it. It’s her destiny.”
He gulped down some beer, not sure what to say.
“You see, I think I know what you’re feeling. Jake went through the same skepticism when we first met. He was kind of scared of it all, and worried about his son. And for a while he just didn’t believe. Some day, ask him to tell you the whole story. The point is he put aside his disbelief and his suspicion. And once he did that, he was able to relate to me. We’ve been married for almost five years. And I swear to you, we’ve both never been happier.”
He raised a brow.
“I’m not telling you to go propose to her.” She laughed, a husky sound that drew an answering smile from her husband as he went by, lugging a section of fence. She blew him a kiss. “I’m suggesting an open mind. Right now you don’t trust her. First, witches really aren’t allowed to use their powers for personal gain. And while some do, the consequences are pretty bad. Second, Leena’s been fighting not to use her powers.” She glanced at his face. “I don’t want to interfere. If you want me to stop, I will.”
“Go on. Please.” He wasn’t even going to ask how she could be so dead on about his feelings.
“Go with your gut, Vince. Not your head, your reason. Just your heart. Just try it—just once and see what happens.”
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
“Right now you’re questioning her ability, her very existence. You’ve never believed in the paranormal. So how can you trust her, given all that disbelief?”
He gaped. Was she reading his mind?
Jake spoke up from behind Vince. “Floored me, too. Just go with it, though. She’s got an amazing ability to sense your feelings.”
Vince jumped, not having heard Jake come back.
“I’ll tell you one thing, Vince. For me, opening my mind was worth it.” He rounded his wife’s chair and clasped her shoulders. “I’m not given to sentimentality. But I can’t imagine my life without Kat. She’s saved me in more ways than one.” He dropped a kiss on her head. “And I could have easily lost her because of my inability to accept her for who she was.”
“Boy, that’s a lot coming from you. What turned you so romantic?” She chuckled. “That’s some endorsement, Vince, from my usually reticent husband. Here, take my hand.”
Vince hesitated, giving Jake a quick glance. He nodded.
Taking her fingers in his, he allowed her to grasp them. She reached for his other hand. “Close your eyes and concentrate. I’m going to make you see how I feel. How we feel.” His eyes fluttered shut and he absorbed the feel of her cool touch.
A tiny flutter in his chest, almost like a little butterfly testing its wings gave him a slight start. The sensation grew, gradually, until it seemed to consume his chest. At first he couldn’t identify it—then he realized what he felt was a complete and utter peace. Sheer happiness like he’d never really experienced before. He smiled, couldn’t really stop it. Was this what she could give him?
He almost protested as she withdrew from him. His gaze met her knowing one. “Remember that feeling. And then you can decide if it’s worth taking a chance for it.”
Vince nodded, not sure if he should thank her or not. Still feeling a little stunned, he rubbed a hand over his eyes.
“You have a lot to think about, Vince,” she said.
“I know it’s intense, man. Go take a breather.”
He looked at Jake in gratitude, raised a hand to them both and walked away. He strode around the block several times before settling down to brush primer over the walls in one of the upstairs rooms of his new house. This was the room he chose for his bedroom. The large bay window faced west, giving the room a warm glow this time of the afternoon.
Glancing around, he mentally placed his wrought iron bed facing the door, his antique dresser by the opposite wall. What would she think of his furniture? Did she like old things? Or did she prefer the clean, simple lines of something more modern?
He blinked as he realized his brush dripped on the floor. With a curse, he dropped it in the pan and sponged the excess paint up.
Man, she had him tied up in knots. He sat on the floor, back against the wall and tried to sort out his feelings. Other than this supernatural power stuff, he liked everything about her. He’d come to respect her quick intelligence, her attention to detail. Just the sound of her voice was enough to send his pulse into overdrive. He loved how she cared for her sister, raised her, so matter-of-factly. She’d be like that with anyone she cared about he guessed. Her loyalty—
Had he just said loved? He stood and walked to the window, gazing out at the overgrown backyard. Another image appeared, wavering, over the scene in front of him. A garden, flowers and a lithe woman tending to the plants. The sounds of laughter floated up to him. He blinked and saw once more, the old landscape. But there was no escaping the vision he held in his heart. The truth that somewhere along the line, he’d fallen in love. And that, somewhere on that journey, his heart had stopped caring about who she was and what she could do.
His chest tightened as he realized he might have lost her for good. To smother the fear, he picked up the brush and began painting again, his mind racing. No, he couldn’t let that happen; at least not without a good fight on his part.
The soothing motion of brushing primer on the wall calmed him somewhat. His arm rose up, then down, then sideways. He grinned as he realized what he’d done.
Nine
“Yes, Ms. Reese. We do have a twenty-four hour cancellation policy. If you cancel after two on Thursday, we will need to charge you for half the amount. See on Friday then.”
She listened to the woman agree, thanked her and hung up. Rubbing her ear, she took
advantage of the rare silence from the ringing phone and marveled at the scene in front of her. Three women waited for appointments. There was someone at each of the five manicure stations. The rest of the place hummed with activity.
If it weren’t for her wayward heart, she could have honestly said she hadn’t been happier. The house sold for the asking price, the closing was a week from today. They had a month to move out, and Leena already had apartments scouted out. After paying the mortgage, they would have a little left over to set up a cozy nest egg.
She sent up a silent prayer of thanks for her new friends Gina and Kat. The salon turned out to be a great place to work. She met new people almost everyday. And her jewelry sold so well, she started staying up late to make more. Even with the percent she paid the salon, it looked pretty lucrative.
Now if only her heart wouldn’t leap every time a tall, wavy haired man walked by. She sighed and turned back to the computer.
“Hey, I’m ready for the next one,” asked Kat from beside her in a low voice.
“Hey, you. Mrs. Sexton, in the red,” Leena muttered, then turned her laugh into a cough as Kat turned toward her and grimaced. The very low-necked sequined top and tight pants with a cabbage rose pattern should have alerted the fashion police.
“Lee, will you check into those display stands we talked about? I didn’t have time last night.”
The previous evening they’d discussed ordering some for the new artist who would do a show of her pottery. She had several large pieces and they weren’t sure how sturdy their present ones were.
“Sure. Busy night?”
“Jake had to check out some broken water main and I had the honor of getting the boys to myself all evening.”
This time Leena laughed out loud. She’d met Kat’s boys—adorable but with enough energy to send a mini-rocket into space.
“Go, I’ll check it out.”
She clicked on the icon that took her to the internet and printed out some specs. Then because they were still in a lull, she logged into her new email account, the one Carly had insisted she set up after she left the ad firm.
Five new messages. Probably from Carly and from the self-help listserv she signed up for. She clicked on Check Messages. Later she would swear that her heart came to an utter stop before it raced like it would burst out of her. In the From column she read vince@adcom…
Oh god, what did he want? She scrunched her eyes shut then opened them. The subject line said, Please Read This.
A deep breath, then another fortified her somewhat. She double clicked, but the line stayed highlighted and nothing happened. Her fingers hadn’t worked fast enough. With a swipe of her hand on her pants she tried again. This time the message opened.
“Leena, The attached photo is really how I feel.”
What photo? Where was it? She scrolled down the page until she saw where she could open the attachment. Somehow, the feeling that her life would never be the same again came unbidden to her mind.
Seize opportunity. That was yesterday’s self-help message.
She went through the motions of opening the document. A photo with a whitish background began a slow download. A thick pale green, curved line appeared. She shut her eyes, knowing she would probably get nauseous if she watched it appear.
One, two … she counted the seconds in her head. She got to twenty when a voice startled her.
“Just check in with Leena and she’ll set up your next appointment.”
Gina stood there, concern written all over her face. Warmth crept up Leena’s neck. Had they thought she was sleeping?
She tried to act nonchalant. “Sure. It’s for a facial and…”
“The Urbanite package,” Gina broke in.
Gina hovered as Leena entered the appointment in the computer. The photo automatically minimized when she clicked on appointments. Because it hadn’t downloaded fully yet all she got was an impression of white and green lines. They said goodbye to the client.
“Okay, what’s going on? You looked like you were headed to your electrocution.” Gina came around the counter.
“I … I was just waiting for something on the computer. A photo to download.”
“And this photo is something bad?”
“Yes. Well, no. I don’t know.”
“Lee, what is it?”
“It’s … oh, Gina. It’s Vince—he sent me an email with this picture. Said the photo was how he felt. I was waiting for it to come up on the screen. And I’m scared.”
“Of what, honey?”
“What if it’s an awful picture? That he hates me or something?”
“Yeah, right. He’s going to go to all the trouble of sending you a photo that depicts how much he hates you?”
“Well, when you put it that way.”
“Just look it at. Want me to go?
“No, please stay. I need some moral support.”
Taking a huge breath in, she clicked to maximize the photo. And forgot to let it out.
She barely heard Gina. “If that isn’t the goofiest, sweetest thing I’ve seen. If you decide not to go with this guy, send him my way, okay?”
The pale green heart on the white background wavered before her gaze. Inside, shaky letters filled the heart. Vince + Leena. The words blurred as tears filled her eyes.
“Wait! What’s that along the bottom?”
Leena blinked and read the caption aloud. “I’m really sorry for being a jerk. Second chance?”
She blinked away the tears.
“So, what’s the verdict?” Gina asked.
“So … I guess I’ll talk to him.” If she could hold back from jumping his bones when she saw him.
“Go talk to him. Now!”
“But, we’re still open for the afternoon. How—”
“We’ll cover. Hey, gals,” Gina called out. “Leena’s got to go take care of her relationship issue. Can we cover the desk?”
“As long she comes back looking happier, I’ll do anything,” said Sandy, one of the manicurists, with a laugh.
“That’s it then. Go,” ordered Gina. “Oh, would you mind leaving that photo open? I want to show Kat.”
She would do anything for these women. Who knew she had such good friends just waiting to be found?
She closed out her email but left the photo minimized and waved goodbye to the group. This called for opening her purse a little. She took a cab home instead of the bus. In the kitchen she paced, phone in hand.
What if he didn’t really mean it? So why would he send the email? Could she call him at work? He tended to stay really busy. Fully realizing her procrastination for what it was, she sat on a chair. Exasperated with her dithering, she forced herself to think in rational terms.
She loved the man, even if he was slow on the uptake. What did she stand to lose if she didn’t contact him? Could be everything. But if she did, and he didn’t respond like she wanted him to, needed him to, then she was back where she was now.
His brave … and sweet gesture deserved more than a call. She wanted to settle this now and in person. What if she called and he wasn’t there? Then she’d leave a message, and end up chewing her nails until he got back to her. At least this way, she would be doing something, not waiting around, trying to calm the flutters in her stomach.
She drove to the office.
“Hey, Leena. What are you doing here?” The young receptionist asked in surprise.
“Just needed to finish up something. Is Vince in?”
“Yeah, I’ll call him.”
“It’s okay. I need to get some things from my desk anyway,” she lied. “I’ll stick my head in and see he has a minute.”
Feigning nonchalance, she walked to her old office. Everything looked like it had before she left. Even his door stood ajar like it usually did.
Leena put a hand to her belly and knocked.
“Yeah, come in,” he called.
A stone seemed to drop in her stomach, leaving a hollow feeling there. She pressed ag
ainst the area then stepped in. He stood leaning over a new drafting board.
She cleared her throat and he turned. If she had any doubts, they fled before the light in his eyes, the sheer welcome on his face.
“You came!” He took a step toward her and stopped. “Leena?” Uncertainty took over his expression.
“Hi, Vince.” He looked so familiar and so very dear.
“Hi.” They stared at each other then spoke at the same time. He said, “You go first.”
If there was ever a moment to seize opportunity, this was it! Leena went for it. “I … got your email.”
He nodded but didn’t say anything.
“Er … I saw the photo.” What now? Why didn’t he say anything? Sweat trickled down the back of her neck. “And—” She just couldn’t go on without some hint from him.
“And?” He quirked that brow, still remaining still and so far away from her. “And what, Leena? Do you accept my apology?”
She nodded. “Of course. It was a heated moment. We were both felling a little … intense.”
He rolled his eyes in agreement.
“So what now?” he asked, walking to his desk and leaning a hip against it.
“I don’t know. What do you want?”
He rubbed a hand over his eyes and she noticed the tired lines on his face. “I’d like us to start again. We had something great. Until I screwed it up. And I want to know if you’re open to that.”
She had to know. “What’s different now, Vince?”
“Well, I did a lot of thinking. And realized I was a fool to turn my back on something that had so much potential just because it was … unfamiliar.”
Leena tried to absorb what he’d said, letting the good feeling that his words brought, sink into her mind.
“Do you think this … we have potential?”
“Oh, hell yes! A lot of potential,” she said. “A whole lot.”
He opened his arms and she rushed into them, crowding him back against the table. Leaning back and opening his legs, he cradled her between them. With his hands on either side of her head, fingers threading through her hair, he brought his mouth to hers. Like coming home all over again. She stopped thinking and simply felt.
She cherished the familiar comfort of his chest against hers and the summer-evoking scent of his aftershave. His firm lips against hers, the clever tongue plundering her mouth. His heat surrounded her as he wrapped his arms around her, then broke the kiss.
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