Fall Into Magic- A Novella

by Melissa Baldwin

  I hear my phone buzzing from the kitchen. I’m getting a text message, but I decide to ignore it.

  “Honestly, I don’t know,” I reply as I lower my head. “I admit you’ve known certain things . . .”

  She gets up from the chair and sits down on the couch next to me. “To answer your question. Yes, Jake will be back. And in regards to the new man, you should know that there is another woman involved.”

  What other woman? My phone starts to buzz again.

  “You should answer that, and I will let you be,” she says as she gets up to leave.

  I want to ask her more questions but that’s not really fair considering I basically said that I don’t believe she has magical powers. “Thank you for the soup,” I call as I go to grab my phone.

  I almost drop my phone when I see the text. It’s from Jake.

  I was wondering if we could talk. Let me know.

  My legs feel weak, almost like I may pass out. Okay, now I’m freaking out. Did Mrs. Rothera know Jake was texting me? The question is what do I do? Should I listen to what he has to say? The one thing I know is that I can’t reply to him tonight. I’m completely exhausted and I need time to think—about everything.

  ~*~*~

  Maybe I do have decorating magic? Alexander’s office looks fantastic, if I do say so myself. I stand back and look around proudly. I’m not usually one to toot my own horn but I did a great job with this room. Alexander already had a gorgeous mahogany desk, so I just had to work around that. I found two chaise lounges and they matched perfectly. Then I added some wall décor, an area rug, and some amazing artwork with different views of the New York City skyline. I hope being in here gives him a sense of “home.”

  I happily wander back into the kitchen and sit down at the table. I’ve been trying to avoid my phone (mainly the text messages). It’s been a few days and I still haven’t responded to Jake’s text. I know I need to say something, even if I just tell that I’m not ready yet. I hear the front door open; it’s probably Melanie because she doesn’t like me being at Alexander’s house alone for too long. Maybe she thinks I’m going to prance around pretending to be the lady of the house. Not that the thought hasn’t crossed my mind, but only because I love it here and not because of Alexander (well, not entirely).

  “Hey. I thought you would be gone by already,” Alexander says, dropping a bunch of bags on the floor. He looks really tired.

  “Oh, I’m almost done,” I say worriedly.

  “No. I didn’t mean it like that,” he insists. “You’re just working so late, but I’m glad you’re still here.”

  We smile warmly at each other, and I hope that I’m not starting to blush. I’m not going to lie; I really enjoy it when he’s home.

  “I just finished hanging everything in your office,” I say without taking my eyes off him. “Would you like to see it?”

  He loosens his tie. Why is it so hot when men do that?

  “Of course,” he exclaims. “Let’s see if you live up to your reputation.”

  I lead the way. I feel like I should do a drum roll or say ta-da, or something.

  Alexander walks in and looks around. He turns toward me and nods. “Wow, this is very impressive. I may never want to leave now.”

  “Thanks,” I say proudly.

  He leans against the front of his desk and rubs his temples. I don’t know why but I get the feeling something is bothering him.

  “Alexander, is everything okay?”

  He drops his hands. “Yeah, it was just a hectic day at the office. That combined with seeing my ex-wife, I’m worn out.”

  My curiosity is piqued at the mention of his ex.

  “Oh,” I reply as I grit my teeth.

  He sighs as he sits down on one of the new chaise lounges. “Yeah. Helena can be a handful, to say the least.”

  My mind starts to wander back to what Mrs. Rothera said about another woman. Maybe she was referring to his ex-wife. I sit down on the edge of one of the chairs.

  “If you don’t mind me asking, how long were you two married?” I figure now is the best time to ask him. And since he brought her up, it doesn’t sound like I’m being nosy. Besides, he asked me about Jake, so I shouldn’t feel weird asking about his ex-wife.

  He undoes his top two buttons. First the tie and now the buttons . . . Whew.

  “We were married for four years,” he replies. “It was kind of a whirlwind romance. She’s originally from Sweden, and she was here working for a modeling agency. We met at a party in the city, and from that night on, we were inseparable.”

  A Swedish model—I think I’ve changed my mind about wanting to know more about her.

  “The last year and half were rough,” he continues. “I guess the intensity between us finally wore off.”

  I give him a sympathetic look even though I really don’t want to hear anymore. I can only imagine what kind of intensity the two of them had.

  “When did you divorce?” I ask. I know he’s been in the house a few months, but he never mentioned how long he’s been divorced.

  “Our divorce was final in May, on our fourth anniversary actually.”

  I scrunch my face. “Oh wow.”

  “Anyway, we’re still friends so it’s fine. She stopped by my office today, and as I said, she can be a lot to deal with.” I know I shouldn’t have this feeling but the thought of Helena the Swedish model spending time with Alexander makes me really jealous.

  “And . . . she heard about the Halloween party,” he adds. “Unfortunately, we still have a lot of the same friends.” Crap. I bite my bottom lip, but there is nothing I can say. This may be our party, but it’s Alexander’s house.

  “I told her about you,” he says softly.

  I give him a curious look. “You did? What exactly did you tell her?”

  He sits up and runs his fingers through his hair. “I told her about you decorating the house.” He laughs nervously. “And . . .”

  I swallow loudly. “And . . . what?”

  He leans his head against the back of the couch. “And I told her that I like spending time with you.” My pulse picks up again. He’s now looking at me, obviously waiting for me to say something. I have so much going through my mind right now.

  “I like spending time with you, too,” I reply. The corners of his lips curl into a smile. The next thing I know he’s leaning over me and he’s kissing me. I start to run my fingers through his hair. I realize how much I’ve wanted this to happen. At the same time, I feel like we shouldn’t be doing this.

  All of a sudden, I hear Melanie’s voice. “Alexander. Did you get . . . Oh my gosh!” Alexander jumps off the chair and I sit up straight.

  She’s standing in the doorway with the look of shock on her face. “I’m so sorry,” she says quickly and rushes out of the room. I close my eyes and put my face in my hands. This is bad. What was I thinking?

  “Hey,” he says, tapping me on the shoulder. “Don’t worry about her.” I nod my head, but I feel horrible. Not only have I broken my own rule of not getting involved with a client, now Melanie will hate me more than she already does.

  “You should probably go talk to her,” I say as I stand up. “I need to get going anyway.”

  I start to walk out of the office, but he catches my elbow. “Summer, please don’t go yet. I meant what I said.”

  I smile. “I know, but you need to check on her. We can talk later.”

  I pack up my laptop and my things, which are strewn all over the table. I’m not sure where Melanie ran off to. As I walk to my car, I almost feel like I’m doing the walk of shame after being caught making out. When I’m safely in my car, I run my fingers across my lips. Wow. I smile to myself. Other than Melanie walking in on us, it couldn’t have been any more perfect. One thing is for sure, I also meant what I said. I really enjoy spending time with him, too.

  Chapter Six

  “Do you like any of these costumes?” Angie asks for the hundredth time. “What do you think, Gina?�
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  It’s Saturday morning and the three of us are having brunch. I’m hardly paying attention being that I’m still in a bit of a daze since my intense encounter with Alexander. He texted me after I left and told me he talked to Melanie and everything was fine. And then he said he was looking forward to continuing our conversation. Conversation? I guess that’s one way to describe it.

  “I think you should do your own thing,” Gina says. “Forget this one over here.”

  She’s pointing at me.

  I roll my eyes. Gina dresses the same every Halloween and her costume is always some kind of sexy animal. Meaning lingerie with some kind of animal theme. Last year, she was the sexy tiger.

  “I told you they were all fine. You can choose.”

  She glares at me. “What’s your deal? You seem really distracted. Do I need to call Mrs. Rothera here to help?”

  I snort. “No way. I have enough going on without being told what my future holds.” I pause. “Jake texted me. He wants to talk.”

  Both of their mouths drop open, and then they both start yelling at exactly the same time. “What? When did this happen?” Angie asks.

  “Just let me make one call,” Gina exclaims. “One call and this will be taken care of.”

  I ignore Gina’s mention of the phone call. “He texted last week sometime. I haven’t responded yet because something else happened since then.”

  They glance at each other. I guess I made it sound worse than it really is. “Nothing bad,” I assure them.

  “Well, are you going to tell us?” Angie asks.

  I tell them about Alexander and that amazing kiss. And then how the moment was ruined when Melanie interrupted us.

  “Not that assistant again,” Gina says, sounding exasperated. “Please tell me you aren’t letting her get to you.”

  “Why are you upset?” Angie asks. “You made out with Clark Kent. He’s freaking hot.”

  I laugh. “Yes. He’s attractive, but I guess I’m confused. What do you think Jake wants?”

  She rolls her eyes. “Who cares what he wants. He probably noticed the intense attraction between you and Alexander that day we saw him at lunch. I’m sure he’s jealous.”

  “Forget about him. He abandoned you when you were on a vacation with him,” Gina exclaims. “He ended things, so now he has to live with his stupid mistake. Serves him right.”

  “I agree,” Angie says as they toast their glasses.

  Could that be it? Is he jealous? He only saw us for a few minutes. I don’t think we acted like there was anything going on between us.

  “I doubt he’s jealous,” I say. “We were just having lunch when we saw him. It’s not like we were on a date.”

  Angie folds her arms. “Don’t underestimate him. Guys can be just as jealous and catty as women. The question is, would you really give him another chance if he asked?”

  Both Angie and Gina are looking at me, waiting for my answer. But I don’t have an answer because I don’t know. I was so hurt when he ended things, but there is a part of me that still has feelings for him. You just don’t stop loving a person because they hurt you.

  “Let’s decide on our costumes,” I say, changing the subject.

  Thankfully, that is the perfect distraction. I know I won’t be able to avoid Jake forever, but making him wait is nothing compared to what he put me through this summer.

  “Let’s go with the Disney Villains—Cruella de Vil and Evil Queen,” I say finally.

  Angie claps. “Finally.”

  Both Angie and Gina leave after brunch. The café is right near a small park, so I decide to take a walk since I have the day off. There has always been something magical about this time of year. I notice the leaves changing, the smells, even people seem to act differently. I sit down on a bench and take it all in for a few minutes. I know I need to call Jake, and even though he’s the one who wanted this breakup, I’m really nervous to talk to him. I’m assuming he’s finally ready to give me the real explanation, so I plan on being honest with him and tell him how much he hurt me. I don’t know what’s going to happen with Alexander but maybe that’s okay. Maybe I can just enjoy being single and my friends and my job. I take my phone out of my bag and scroll through my messages until I find Jake’s. I finally send him my reply:

  Okay. I will meet you. When?

  A few seconds later, my phone rings. Jake is calling me.

  I take a few deep breaths.

  “Hello.”

  “Hi, Summer. I just wanted to thank you for agreeing to meet me.”

  Ugh. This is almost as awkward as seeing him in person, but somehow I muster up a huge dose of courage.

  “That’s fine. I will be home this afternoon if you want to stop by.” I’m not planning on putting a lot of effort into this, so I will make him come to me.

  “That sounds good. How about this evening? I can bring something from Antonio’s.”

  My heart sinks. What’s he trying to do, twist the knife even further? Antonio’s was one of our favorite takeout spots.

  “Um . . . don’t worry about it. Just come by anytime,” I reply.

  After I hang up, I’m practically shaking. It’s done. Jake and I are meeting tonight. It’s going to be okay, I tell myself. I need to get this closure in order to move on with my life. I enjoy the park for a few minutes, and then I head home. I hope this isn’t a mistake.

  ~*~*~

  There’s a knock at my door, and I close my eyes and take a few breaths. I’ve spent most of the afternoon trying to mentally prepare myself to talk to Jake. Except when I answer the door it’s not Jake, it’s Mrs. Rothera.

  “Hi,” I say, trying to hide my surprise. She looks very concerned.

  “I’m sorry to bother you. I was just making sure you were okay.”

  I have an uneasy feeling. What does she mean by that?

  “I’m fine.”

  She still doesn’t look convinced, and now she’s starting to scare me. I guess I should just tell her about Jake coming over.

  “Okay, fine. Jake sent me a message last week about wanting to talk. He should be here any minute.”

  I bite my lip and wait for her chime in. I’m sure she has something to say, and I kind of want to know what it is, but she doesn’t say a word.

  “Okay, I give in—am I making a mistake?” I plead as I grab ahold of her arms.

  She stares into my eyes. “Well, that all depends on what you want to come out of this meeting.”

  That’s not the answer I was expecting from her. I turn around, leaving her in the doorway.

  “I want closure,” I say as I fall down on the couch. “I want to know why he ended things so abruptly with no warning.” I cover my eyes with my arm. “We were on vacation, enjoying our time together, and he just left.”

  She closes the door and joins me in the living room. “You will get your answer. As long as you ask for the right reason.”

  What is she saying? Why is she talking in code? Just then, there’s another knock at the door.