by Ashlyn Chase
“Brandee,” Amber whispered as quietly as she could.
When no one appeared, she tried the other one. “Bliss? Bliss can you hear me?”
She figured if she could get someone to find Mother Nature for her, she’d gladly take the goddess up on her offer. Being the muse of air travel actually sounded interesting—depending on what the job entailed. And her actual job was getting so rote that she was thinking of switching to one of the bargain airlines just to have a little fun over the PA system.
When Bliss didn’t show up either, Amber decided to try the goddess herself.
“Mother Nature?” she called out quietly.
Rory’s voice answered her from the living room.
“If nature is callin’, the bathroom is free.”
“Crap.”
“Don’t stink it up,” he called out.
She marched over to the bedroom door and opened it. “You are the most disgusting man!”
He had the nerve to laugh. “Aren’t you glad we’re roommates?”
As gorgeous as he was, she would not tolerate bad behavior. This guy seemed to think he could do no wrong. “Arrogant Irish prick,” she muttered.
“Oh! That’s hardly ladylike language, me darlin’.”
“I never said I was a lady.”
He grinned and spread his arms across the back of the futon. “Is that so?”
She blushed and quickly added, “I don’t usually talk like that, but you deserved it.”
He laughed. “Perhaps you’re right. I’ll try to be less—what was it you said? Ah, disgustin’, I believe.”
“Good. And while you’re at it, maybe you could try to be less arrogant too.”
He crossed his long legs at the ankles. “That’s unlikely. Where I come from, a little arrogance is a positive trait. We call it self-confidence.”
“Oh, is that what it is? I thought it was overconfidence, conceit, and false pride.”
His big hand pressed his broad chest. “You wound me, luv.”
“I’m not your love or your darling. Let’s get that straight right now.” She crossed her arms and tried to look tough. The smattering of freckles across her turned-up nose made that a difficult task, and she knew it.
So did he, apparently. He just continued to grin at her, his green eyes twinkling mischievously.
“Why don’t you come and sit next to me? We should get to know each other if we’re to be livin’ together.” He patted an empty spot on the futon. He hadn’t left much room on either side, and she suspected that was on purpose.
She made a noise of repulsion and stared to her left. With no retort coming to mind, she shuffled into the bathroom and locked the door. She had to get some of those muse powers—and soon. Sure, she could have groceries delivered, but she’d prefer to pick the freshest items herself. She was used to being trapped in small spaces, but off the clock, she loved the feeling of being in an open space all her own.
She could barely breathe in Rory’s presence, but the enclosed space wasn’t entirely responsible. The handsome, infuriating Irishman filled the room with his presence and took her breath away.
Then Amber remembered something. When she met Brandee’s husband, he’d introduced himself by first and last name. Maybe he’s in the phone book. But she’d left her phone in her purse in the bedroom.
Panic seized her. Rory wouldn’t invade my privacy by going into my purse, would he?
She tore out of the bathroom and was relieved to see he was still on the futon. Whew. As soon as she grabbed her purse off a hook in the bedroom closet, she glanced through the contents. Everything seemed to be there.
Now, how would she explain needing her purse in the bathroom? Aha! Two can play the gross-out game.
Chuckling, she slung the purse over her shoulder and returned to the bathroom. “I needed something important. Something I use on a monthly basis.”
He laughed. “You didn’t even have to hint at it, me darlin’. I have sisters. You may think that’ll put me off, but it won’t a bit. Now, go take care of the responsibility Mother Nature gave you.”
Hmmm…Mother Nature. Interesting that he referred to her, specifically. Amber hoped the deity wasn’t too hard to reach. If she didn’t take this job… Her posture sagged. Nothing was going to discourage this stubborn Irishman.
“Why do you want this place so badly?” she asked.
“Because it feels like the right fit for me and me family. What’s your reason?”
She didn’t answer him—just humphed and shut the door.
Why did she want it so badly? Sure, she’d always wanted to live in the beautiful, historic Back Bay area. She’d grown up in the suburbs, but they were meant for families. This area was full of young, urban professionals. Okay, so that could mean a yuppie, but she really didn’t care. Someday she wanted to marry a well-paid guy and transition to being a dink—short for “dual income, no kids.”
This was the perfect area to meet someone of that caliber—when she was ready to date again. At the moment, she was still smarting over the pilot she’d dated for about a year. They’d only flown together a few times, but on the last flight, she’d overheard his outrageous flirting with one of the other flight attendants. He hadn’t realized she was listening, and when she confronted him, he admitted to having a little something on the side. Correction…a lot of little somethings.
Ouch.
With her luck, the hunk in her living room would be the same way—but probably not if the guy never left the apartment. She chuckled to herself. That’s one way to keep a man’s eye from roving.
Amber took a seat on the edge of the bathtub. It wasn’t the most comfortable place, but all she wanted to do was look up the muse’s family in the phone book. What did he say his name was again? “Nick Wolfensomething…” she muttered.
Her phone’s automated voice answered her. “Nick Wolfensen. Wolfensen Investigations. 555-4321. Do you want me to call the number for you?”
Stunned, Amber stammered, “Y-yes.”
“Calling Nick,” her phone said, and before long a male answered.
“Wolfensen Investigations. Wolfensen here.”
“Hi, um…Nick?”
“Yeah. Who’s this?”
“Oh, um. It’s Amber. I met you earlier today. Is Brandee around? I really need to speak with her.”
“Oh sure. She’s not here right now, but I can get in touch with her. It sounds important.”
“It is. Can you call her for me?”
“Sure. Brandee…” he yelled. Amber thought he was being a smart-ass.
“I’ll give you my number and— Eep!”
Amber startled when red-haired Brandee joined her in the bathroom…seemingly out of thin air.
Nick chuckled. “I guess she found you.”
When Amber could breathe, swallow, and make sounds again, she said, “Um, yeah. She’s here. How did you do that?”
“It’s our little secret. If you’re all set, I’ll let you go.”
Brandee pried the phone from her hand and spoke into it. “I’m here, hon. Thanks for the message.” After a couple of murmured endearments, she clicked off and handed the phone back to Amber.
Then Brandee sat on the opposite edge of the tub, facing Amber. “So, what’s up?”
“I—um…I think I’d like to take Mother Nature up on her generous offer, but I can’t seem to get in touch with her on my own.”
“Oh. Sure.” Brandee rose and said, “I’ll take you to her.”
“Wait.” Amber held on to the lip of the tub as if she might be swept away against her will. “I can’t leave yet.”
“Oh?”
“It’s hard to explain, but here goes…” She took a deep breath and launched into her view of the situation at hand.
Brandee nodded, but the crease in her forehead made it look lik
e she either wasn’t getting it or didn’t approve.
At the end of Amber’s long-winded explanation, Brandee held up one finger. “Stay here. I’ll be back in a flash.”
A moment later, Mother Nature took Brandee’s place, sitting on the edge of the tub. Her expression seemed grim.
Huh? I thought she’d be happy to know I want to be a muse.
“Amber,” the Goddess of All said.
“Yes, Mother Nature?”
“Call me Gaia. If we’re going to be working together, you may as well use my name, not my title.”
Whew. At least it sounds like I’ve got the job. “All right. Thank you for coming, Gaia. I imagine Brandee didn’t have time to fill you in on my situation…”
“Actually, she did. We discussed it at length.”
“You did? But I only told her a few seconds ago.”
“Yeah. We’re good at cutting out the baloney and getting right to the point.”
“Oh. I guess I’ll have to learn how to do that.”
“You’ll have to learn a lot of things. I have Brandee on another assignment, and Bliss is busy with a new baby. That’s why I’m assigning you to Euterpe for training.”
“You-what-e? Who is she?”
Mother Nature rolled her eyes. “Yoo-tur-pee. You weren’t paying attention during your class on Greek mythology, were you?”
Amber shrugged and grinned sheepishly. “I guess not.”
“Well, according to my horny son Zeus, he bemused young Mnemosyne and slept with her for nine consecutive nights. The nine muses were the result of their encounter. When the muses grew up, they showed their tendency toward the arts and were taught by Apollo. Ever since, the muses have supported and encouraged creativity, enhancing imagination and inspiring artists.”
“Okay. So Euterpe is one of the nine?”
Mother Nature snapped her fingers and a beautiful brunette woman appeared, wearing a white off-the-shoulder maxi-dress that barely covered her boobs. She was holding a small flute.
“This is Euterpe. She discovered several musical instruments and dialectic.”
“What’s a dialectic?”
“It’s like a debate… Considering the situation you’ve gotten yourself into, I thought she’d be the best possible fit.”
Amber had to admit that Euterpe seemed like the perfect muse to help—or hinder—her goal of being the sole occupant of the apartment. She simply had to persuade the muse to see it her way.
“And don’t think that because she’s training you, she’ll be partial to your side of the argument.”
Damn. I hate it when she knows what I’m thinking.
“Get used to it, muse of air travel.”
“Oh. I’m already a muse? But I have questions…”
“And Euterpe has answers.”
“I guess there’s no formal ceremony or papers to fill out?”
Mother Nature smirked. “You wanted a ceremony and paperwork?”
“No! No, I really don’t. I just never thought it would be this easy.”
“Well, it isn’t. You’ll need to learn a lot from Euterpe. If you screw up—and please don’t…but if you do, there’s a nice family in Atlanta looking for a child to adopt.”
“But I’m not a child.”
One finger snap later, Amber was lying on the floor, waving her baby-sized fists and feet in the air. Fortunately, the goddess snapped her fingers again and returned Amber to her adult size. She was still lying on the floor though.
“Oh! You mean…”
“Yes. I can be very mean. That’s why they tell you not to mess with Mother Nature.”
Amber pushed herself up to a standing position and said, “Well, um…thank you, I guess. I’ll try not to screw it up.”
“Good.” Gaia smiled at the other muse. “She’s all yours, Euterpe. Good luck.”
The muse bowed and the all-powerful one disappeared.
“So, that’s it? You’re my teacher? I’m a muse now?”
“Yes. Let’s leave this tiny room and meet your unintentional roommate.” Euterpe started toward the bathroom door.
“Wait!” Amber grabbed the muse’s arm. “He’ll wonder how you got in here. You have to pop out to the street and come in through the front door.”
“Hmmm…” Euterpe tapped her lower lip. “I could do that, but supernaturals aren’t supposed to expose their powers to humans. There are people on the sidewalk. On the other hand, I could go out to the back alley. My senses aren’t picking up any large life forms, only the tiniest—probably birds and insects.”
“Okay. As soon as you’re gone, I’ll go out to the living room and wait for you to ring the bell.”
“Agreed,” Euterpe said and disappeared.
Amber opened the door slowly and peeked out. She was startled when Rory appeared. Apparently he’d been hiding on the other side of the doorjamb.
“Nervous?” he asked.
“No.” Amber crossed her arms. “And why were you skulking about?”
He raised his brows. “There was no skulkin’. I was merely waitin’ me turn.”
“Yeah, right.”
They traded places, but before he shut the door, he asked, “And who were you talkin’ to?”
Her jaw dropped. “Uh, nobody. I was…um…rehearsing.”
“Rehearsin’? Are you in a play?”
“Not exactly. I—um…I read books to the blind. I mean, I make audiobooks. I was just testing the acoustics in the bathroom.”
“And are they acceptable for your purposes?”
“Yes. It should do nicely. I may have to tie it up for a few hours at a time…”
A sly smile stole across his face. “No matter,” he said. “There’s always the sink.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Ewww… Don’t you dare. Just tell me when you need the privacy, and I’ll pause the recorder.”
He shrugged. “That seems fair. By the way, where is your recorder?”
“Um. It’s…well…”
“Still at the store?”
She gritted her teeth and couldn’t think of a retort. Damn this man. One look at him and she forgot everything but her name. Wait. What’s my name again? Disgusted with herself, she just bit out, “Ugh. You frustrating, arrogant—”
“Now, now. I must use the facilities. Perhaps you can finish your insult later.”
He shut the door in her face, and it was all she could do not to scream.
Chapter 5
“I tell you, there’s a castle there that didn’t used to be,” Finn insisted from his perch at O’Malley’s Tavern.
Mr. O’Malley laughed. “You must have hit your noggin pretty hard when you fell off my bar stool the other day.”
The villagers who overheard crowded closer.
Pat grabbed Finn’s shoulder. “What did I tell you? People will think you’re crazy. Keep that foolishness to yerself.”
One of the local farmers piped up. “A castle, you say? Whereabouts might that be?”
“Near the Arish cottage, but it’s built into the cliff beyond.”
One of the local fishermen turned to his mate and said, “And you thought I was daft.”
“You are daft, but that’s beside the point.”
Finn focused his attention on the first fisherman. “Did you see it? From the ocean?”
“I did.”
The other fisherman said, “It looked more like rocks crumbling into the sea.”
“That was down below. I saw something that looked like a castle at the top of the cliffs.”
One of the elderly female shopkeepers spoke up. “Maybe the legends are true.”
Her friend elbowed her in the side. “You can’t be serious, Margaret. The legend of ancient dragons livin’ in the cliff caves is just a story our mothers told us to
keep us in line. Is that the one you’re talkin’ about?”
“To be sure,” Margaret answered.
“I admit it sounds far-fetched,” Mrs. O’Malley said. “But the lad could have seen what started the legends in the first place.”
“There’s only one way to know for certain.” One of the farmers gestured toward Finn with his beer mug. “You could take us there.”
Finn shot a panicked look at Pat.
“Now you’ve gone and done it,” Pat said. “The whole village will follow you to the cliffs, and now that it’s dark and everyone’s had a few pints, we could lose a few over the edge.”
“We’ll go in the mornin’,” the first farmer said. “Right after the milkin’.”
“Ha. We’ll beat you to it,” said one of the fishermen. “We’ll cast our nets out there and have a better view to boot.”
“’Tis not a good fishin’ spot,” his mate said.
“I wonder why not? Perhaps the fish have all been eaten by dragons,” one of the farmers quipped.
The whole pub erupted in laughter.
Pat leaned in and whispered to Finn, “Perhaps you can laugh and pretend you were jokin’. All this talk of people fallin’ over the cliff is makin’ me nervous. If it happens, it will be blamed on you.”
Finn shook his head. “I can’t lie.”
“Then you should learn to shut up when liquor loosens your tongue.”
“’Tis not the liquor, Pat. I need answers. I need to know what happened. Maybe they moved into the caves.”
“And were eaten by a dragon?” his friend asked without saying the rest of what he was probably thinking…something like, “you love-besotted fool who can’t or won’t believe your lady up and left you.” Patrick sighed. “Whatever the reason, she’s gone. You may never know why. You must accept that.”
“I’ll accept nuthin’ of the kind. She will find a way to contact me.” He lowered his voice. “Or I’ll find her, by God.”
“Meanwhile, gettin’ the whole village lookin’ for a castle on the side of a cliff? Think, Finn. It’s an accident waitin’ to happen. Tell everyone you were jokin’. Please.”
Finn stubbornly shook his head. “I’ll not take back the truth.”
“Then whatever happens is on you.”