by Rose Pressey
“To me?” I lightly touched his glass against mine, but had no idea why we were toasting to me.
“For being beautiful,” he offered as if he’d read my thoughts.
I looked down as I felt the heat rush to my cheeks. Okay. He was definitely trying to charm me. What did he want? I was suspicious.
I sat my glass down and stared out at the water. “I should do this more often. Thanks for reminding me how beautiful it is out here.”
“You’re welcome.” He took a bite of his food, then asked. “How long has the manor been a part of your family?”
“For as long as I’ve known. It’s never left family’s hands.” I spun pasta around my fork.
He took a drink, then asked, “Who was the original builder?”
“My great-great-great-grandfather.” I looked away, hoping he wouldn’t ask for more information.
And what did he do? I should have known he’d ask that question. What would I tell him? That he was esteemed in the witchcraft world? That gene surely hadn’t been passed down to me. I had to get more answers from Nicolas. I couldn’t allow him to direct the conversation. I didn’t want to talk about me. I wanted to find out everything about him.
“He was a… a pharmacist.” That wasn’t entirely a lie, right? I changed the subject before he had a chance to ask more questions. “You still haven’t told me what brings you through Enchantment Pointe. I know you have business in New Haven. But what is that business? Tell me about Nicolas Marcos,” I said, then took a sip of my wine and waited for him to answer.
“I am a consultant for people.” He focused on his plate of food.
“A consultant? What do you consult on?” I asked, not taking my eyes off his face.
Okay, now I sounded like my mother. But apparently this was the only way I’d get answers.
“Let’s just say I help them save things.” He took a bite.
That was a weird answer, but before I could ask for more information, a bird flew from a treetop, cawing and capturing our attention.
“The surroundings are great here,” Nicolas said, pointing toward the trees.
I nodded. “Yes, they are, I’m glad you’re enjoying them. You seem to be getting along better with Mr. Rankin.”
“I wouldn’t say we are getting along, but I am tolerating him. If he won’t leave, then I don’t have a choice. He just rubbed me the wrong way on that first day.”
“I guess that’s understandable. Some people just don’t click, I suppose. Is that all you can tell me about yourself?” I pushed.
“There’s not much to tell really.” He took another drink.
“Where are you from?”
“I live in New Orleans.”
“Were you born there?” I asked.
“No, I was born in Bayou L’Ourse. I left for college and never went back,” he said, looking down at his plate.
“What do you do for fun?
This was like twenty questions. He seemed uncomfortable with my questions. But he couldn’t retain his mystery man status forever.
“I don’t have a lot of free time, but I enjoy reading and golf.” His expression eased.
Uh-oh. I was staying out of his golf game. I’d learned my lesson.
“How old are you? If you don’t mind me asking.” I hoped I didn’t sound too rude.
He chuckled. “I don’t mind. What do you think my age is?”
“I’m not very good at guessing things like that.” I grinned.
He fixed his gaze on my face. “Why don’t you give it a shot?”
I looked down to avoid his stare. “Well, if you won’t be offended if I guess incorrectly.”
“Not at all.” He smiled.
“Okay. Are you thirty-two?” I asked.
“You got it.” He stared for a second.
Was he just telling me that? He didn’t have any reason to lie. I didn’t care how old he was though. I had other things on my mind. I hated to ask such personal questions, but it needed to be done. Surely he wouldn’t ask me out if he had a girlfriend, right? That was something I should have asked before I even agreed to have dinner with him.
“Do you have a significant other?” I asked.
He smiled. “No.”
“You’re not married, are you?”
“Of course not. You’re not married, are you?” he asked around a smile.
“Of course not. Don’t you think you would have seen my husband in the house?”
He flashed his perfect teeth again. “Yes, I think I would have. Would you care to dance?” Nicolas reached out his hand to me.
“But there’s no music,” I said.
Nicolas pulled out his iPhone and touched the screen. Music spilled out from the little speaker. It wasn’t loud, but it was just enough for me. I took his hand and we stepped away from the table. Nicolas pulled me close and my heart sped up. He smelled so good. His gaze traveled over my body and searched my eyes. The smoldering flame in his eyes startled me and excited me at the same time. His nearness made my senses spin.
The song was talking about yearning arms and being lonely. Did he have to pick such a sensuous song?
A lonely rustle of the night wind carried across the air. The stars twinkled overhead and I knew this might be the most romantic evening I’d ever spend in my whole life. And with a stranger. There was no way Liam could top this, right? The grass was hard to dance on, but I didn’t care. I was having fun and that was something that hadn’t happened since… well, I couldn’t remember when I’d felt like this.
When I was in Nicolas’ arms, I was able to forget about everything. I wasn’t worried about pleasing the coven, or not disappointing my mother. For once life was carefree. But all good things must come to an end and my happiness lasted a nanosecond.
Chapter Nineteen
There was a constant whispering in the woods. I had figured it was the farewell of the leaves as they fell to the ground, but now I knew better. The elderly man was hiding behind the big oak tree, watching us. I’d seen his little head peek out. How was I going to get rid of him? Nicolas must have recognized my tension because he pulled away slightly.
“Is everything okay?” He caught me looking over his shoulder.
“I’m fine.” I plastered a smile on my face. Would he see through my charade?
He looked over his shoulder, but fortunately, the man had retreated behind the tree again. Nicolas frowned, but didn’t say anything about what he’d seen. We continued dancing, but after a couple seconds, the man popped out again. Movement on the right caught my attention and I looked over to discover a woman hiding behind another tree. She looked to be younger than the man, maybe in her fifties. She had the same blurry appearance though. Her dark hair was cut in a chin-length bob and she wore a green sweater and black pants. Was he bringing his dead friends now?
An eerie white glow surrounded the ghosts, shining brightly in the darkness of night. I swallowed hard, fighting off the panic that was about to set in. What was the worst that could happen if I told Nicolas that there were ghosts hiding behind the trees? I could never again share a dance with him? That was the worst that could happen. I was afraid that my date with Nicolas was now officially over.
The man ghost stepped forward and a tree branch popped. I hadn’t thought a ghost could make that kind of noise. The ghost zipped behind a tree. I didn’t know that an elderly ghost could move that fast either. Nicolas whipped around.
“What was that?” he asked.
“I’m not sure. It was probably just an animal. My cat is probably chasing a mouse. Or it could be a bird,” I said casually.
Just then the old man peeked out. It didn’t go without Nicolas noticing this time.
“Who was that?” he asked. Before I answered, he called out, “Who’s there?”
Of course the man didn’t answer.
“I didn’t see anyone,” I said.
Like that would keep Nicolas from looking for the ghost. Would the female ghost come out too? Nicolas wa
lked toward the tree.
“I saw you. There’s no reason to hide now,” he called out.
Silence filled the night air, and the distant cloudscapes shifted slowly across the sky. Maybe Nicolas had scared the ghost away from LaVeau Manor. I might as well tell Nicolas the whole story. Isabeau would probably blab every last detail the first chance she got. She’d probably embellish the story. I’d stand a better chance if I told him first before he heard her skewed version. Nicolas made his way around the tree and I followed along, preparing my story in my mind. The man had vanished and was no longer hiding behind the tree.
Where had he disappeared to? I glanced to my right and spotted the female ghost. She watched us, but Nicolas hadn’t noticed her yet. I tried to avoid making eye contact, but it didn’t work. Nicolas walked all the way around the tree. The branches popped and crunched under each step. The man was still nowhere in sight.
“Where did he go?” he asked. “I know I saw someone. You didn’t see him?”
I shook my head. “No. Maybe it was a shadow that looked like a real person,” I offered.
It was bad of me to lie to him.
“No, I definitely saw his face. He looked like he was around eighty years old and he wore a suit with a Fedora hat.” Nicolas spoke with his hands, showing his anxiety.
Yeah, that was the man. Another noise sounded from the right where the woman stood. She had disappeared this time too. Were they playing a game of cat-and-mouse with us? Maybe this was payback since I wouldn’t bring him back to life.
“I know I heard something that time.” Nicolas moved over to the tree where the woman had been.
How long would he search for them before he gave up?
“Come on. I don’t think it’s safe out here anymore. We should go inside.” Nicolas packed the dishes into the basket quickly, then grabbed my hand. “I’ll get the rest in the morning.”
I grabbed Nicolas’ hand. As we neared the house, I felt eyes on me. I looked up at the upstairs window and saw Liam looking down at us. He had a look of determination in his eyes. He turned around and walked away. Where was Isabeau? I was surprised she hadn’t been spying on us too.
Nicolas held my hand as we walked across the grass and around the house. The touch of his skin against mine set shivers through my body.
Nicolas opened the front door and gestured for me to go first. “After you, gorgeous.”
My cheeks probably turned bright red as I flashed a shy grin his way.
Once we’d entered the foyer, I asked Nicolas, “Would you like some coffee?”
“Sure, I’d like that,” he said as he sat the picnic basket down.
The house was quiet, which made me suspicious. No footsteps sounded from upstairs. Nicolas followed me into the kitchen, but I stopped on the spot when I crossed the threshold. Water dripping from the faucet played out a steady rhythm against the sink basin. Broken eggs and their shells covered the tabletop. Empty wrappers were strewn about. Flour covered the floor with footprints tracked through it. Dishes were tossed everywhere with food containers.
“It looks like someone was hungry.” Amusement flickered in his eyes.
“Oh, no. I didn’t do this.” I waved my hands.
“Liam made this mess? I’ll straighten this out,” Nicolas said as he spun around.
I grabbed his muscular arm. “No, Liam didn’t do it either.”
His expression eased. “Oh, well, who did it then?”
“I guess I made a mess, huh?” the sweet voice said from over Nicolas’ shoulder.
Isabeau even looked stunning in my old T-shirt and sweats. Her blonde hair glistened and her skin looked flawless under the soft glow from the light.
“Aren’t you going to introduce us?” Isabeau wiggled her eyebrows at Nicolas.
I tried to focus on what Isabeau was saying, but I felt the pull from that darn book again. The book was the giant piece of metal and I was the tiny magnet. It felt as if I had no control over my body. I had to go to the book soon. What did it want this time?
Nicolas looked at me. “This is your new guest?”
“This is Isabeau. She’ll be staying with me for a while. Isabeau, this is Nicolas.” I half-heartedly gestured toward Isabeau.
“Well, well, well, you’re just as handsome as the other one.” She drank in every inch of him with her eyes.
Nicolas frowned. I knew he didn’t like being compared to Liam.
“Did you find what you were looking for?” I asked, pointing around the kitchen.
Isabeau stared straight at Nicolas with a devilish grin on her face. “I sure did.”
Chapter Twenty
“I guess I’ll clean up my mess now,” Isabeau said as she moved forward.
I blocked her. “No, you’re a guest. It’s not necessary.”
She smiled as if she was proud of what she’d done. The sly look on her face let me know that she was aware of my desire to keep her away from Nicolas.
“I’ll help you clean up,” Nicolas said, avoiding Isabeau’s stare.
“Oh no, I wouldn’t think of it. I’m real particular about cleaning,” I said as I directed Nicolas out of the room.
He looked confused, but allowed me to guide him away from the kitchen. Isabeau wasn’t complaining about not having to clean. I knew she didn’t want to clean it or she wouldn’t have left the mess in the first place. Isabeau looped her arm through Nicolas’ as he walked across the library toward the staircase. Nicolas looked back at me as if to say he was sorry. It wasn’t his fault that I’d brought back a slutty ghost.
Isabeau glanced back at me. If she thought her flirting would make me jealous… well, she was right. I had to get rid of her. I turned around and looked at the mess. If only I could wave my hand and do the cleaning spell that my grandmother used to do. I’d tried it before, but it always had the opposite effect. It created more of a mess. What was that spell? What were the words? I tapped my finger against my chin, trying to remember.
Oh yeah, now I remembered.
With one sweep, carry the unwanted away. Make it sparkle, make it gleam, it is now clean. So mote it be.
With a wave of my arms, a whirl of wind whipped around the room. I blinked several times, unable to believe my eyes. Items were moving through the air on their own. Spills were disappearing as if they’d never been there and trash was finding its way into the garbage can. How was this happening? I’d never been able to perform magic like that before. My mother wouldn’t believe me. She’d also be so excited that she’d pee her pants. I stared around in awe at my sparkling clean kitchen.
“Wow. That was quite impressive.” I spun around to find Liam standing behind me.
How long had he been there? Had he seen the magic? Of course he had. I could tell by the look on his face. How would I explain this? I stared, unable to say a word.
“You’re a witch. I know,” he said.
“How did you know?” I managed to sputter out.
“You don’t hide it well,” he said.
I’d admit to the truth gracefully, but only if forced.
Silence filled the air for a moment before I finally said, “I didn’t want to scare you. Some people are funny about being around witches.”
“I’m okay with it.” He waved his hand and moved a plate around the kitchen until it finally came to rest again on the table.
“You’re a witch too.” I stared in disbelief.
“Yes, I’m surprised you didn’t know before now,” he said with humor in his eyes.
“How would I know?” I shrugged and busied myself picking up around the kitchen.
Liam stepped further into the kitchen. “Didn’t you feel the magic around me?” His eyebrows rose inquiringly.
I had felt something, but I didn’t want him to know that my feeling had come from the book. But there was no way for me to know if it was the book for sure.
“No, I didn’t. Am I supposed to?” I asked.
“Most witches sense other witches.” His mouth cu
rved into an unconscious smile.
“Is that why you’re here?” I asked with a hint of anxiety in my voice.
He stared at me. “I needed a place to stay.”
Something told me he wasn’t being truthful with me.
“Are you part of a coven?” I asked.
“Yes, in New Orleans,” he said.
I nodded. That seemed legitimate enough. I’d have to ask my mother about them. I tucked that thought away.
“Your powers are quite impressive.” Liam leaned against the counter.
His statement surprised me. Hadn’t he seen my mother’s missing eyebrow?
He wouldn’t think that if he’d seen me a few days ago.
“Not really. I’m nothing special,” I said.
“I think you’re very special.” Tenderness flickered in his bright clear blue eyes.
“You don’t even know me,” I said.
“I’d like to get to know you.” His smile was so warm and his voice was so sincere it would be hard to say no.
It was hard not to melt on the spot. But I had to resist his charms.
I had to pull my thoughts together. “I’m sorry. Did you need something?”
A subject change was definitely in order. Perhaps we should discuss the weather.
“I just came down for a drink of water.” He pointed at the faucet.
“Oh, I have bottled water in the refrigerator. Let me get you one.” I reached in and grabbed a bottle.
When I turned around Liam was right behind me. Dangerously close. I sucked in a deep breath, almost hypnotized by his warm touch. Liam’s breath was minty and a whiff of spice tickled my nostrils. There was an inherent strength in his face.
“Oh, you scared me,” I said, clutching my chest.
“Did I startle you again?” His voice was barely above a whisper.
“Yes, you’re becoming very good at it.” My heart thumped wildly. I tried to ignore the pulsing knot that had formed in my stomach.
“I’m sorry.” A secretive smile curved his lips.
When he took the water from my hand, his fingers lingered for a moment too long. Unfortunately, his hand against mine felt good. How could I possibly have feelings for two strangers? I needed to get out of the house more often.