A Little Light Magic

by Joy Nash

  She smiled. “Oh, he isn’t half-bad.”

  “That’s a relief.” His tone was carefully light.

  She met his gaze. “It’s just that Macey’s in love with someone else.”

  Johnny’s blue eyes were soft. “Hunter knows that. He just wishes he could’ve kicked some sense into the stubborn ass’s head for you.”

  “Thanks,” Tori said. Silence fell. When it started getting awkward, she asked, “When’s your screen test?”

  “Next week. And if that goes okay, they’ll call me back for a final. Since my day job’s history, I’m giving Ma my slot at the club and blowing town. I’ll be staying with friends in Manhattan for a while.”

  He paused, and the silence settled around them again. When she didn’t reply, he let out a long breath. “Nick cares a lot about you, Tori.”

  She tried for a laugh. “I don’t know about that. He’s in lust with me; that’s all.”

  “No, it’s more than that. After what I saw last night, I’d run over to the Borgata and put money on it. I’ve never seen my brother so tied up in knots over a woman.”

  She sighed. “All we do is fight.”

  “It’s the baby thing,” Johnny said. “It’s thrown him.” He hesitated. “Did he tell you Leigh almost died when she was a baby?”

  She looked up, startled. “He said something about Leigh being a difficult baby, but I thought he was just talking about colic.”

  “It was a lot more than that. It’s a miracle she’s still alive.”

  “I had no idea.”

  “Nick never talks about it,” Johnny said. “I don’t remember too many details about Leigh’s birth—I was only seven at the time. She came six weeks too early. She was in the hospital for a couple months. After she finally came home, she had this problem where she’d just stop breathing. She had to sleep wired to an alarm for more than a year. The thing used to go off two, three times a night.”

  “Oh, God.”

  “Once it was really bad. She was turning blue. Nick couldn’t get her breathing again and Ma called the ambulance. After they got her stabilized, Nick just lost it. He threw up, and then broke down sobbing. I’d never seen him cry before—I thought he was invincible. That image never left me. He’s human, Tori. He’s stubborn and can be an ass, but gets scared shitless sometimes, too. Just like the rest of us.”

  Her own eyes filled with tears as she thought about it. She couldn’t begin to imagine how Nick must have felt that night.

  Johnny straightened away from the counter and paced a few steps toward the door. “When Leigh got older, she developed asthma. She’s mostly outgrown it now, but she was in the emergency room plenty of times when she was younger. She still carries an inhaler everywhere.” He stopped, drew a breath. “It’s why Nick’s so hard on her. He just wants to protect her.”

  “I didn’t realize.”

  Johnny turned, his eyes seeking hers. “Leigh’s put Nick through hell over the years. If he doesn’t want another child, well, that’s why. He doesn’t think he can handle it.”

  Tori’s hand stole to her stomach.

  No condom, and it was the fertile time of her cycle.

  Nick might not have a choice.

  Nick came awake with a start, heart pounding inside his ribs. He’d fallen asleep sprawled on top of his comforter—even though he hadn’t meant to doze, didn’t even remember lying down.

  He’d dreamed of Leigh, her infant body limp in his hands, her lips turning blue before his eyes. The shrill bleat of the sleep apnea alarm still rang in his ear.

  He sat up, trying to shake the past from his head. His hands were actually trembling. His stomach felt sick.

  He glanced at the clock and saw it was past seven. Damn. He had a job site meeting at seven thirty. Shoving himself off the bed, he stripped and dressed without even taking a shower. He’d grab coffee on the way in. With any luck, he’d make it on time.

  As he descended the stairs, Leigh’s voice drifted up from the foyer. An adolescent male voice answered her.

  Nick halted in midstep.

  Jason.

  The idiot must have a freaking death wish.

  “…sorry,” Jason was saying. “I just wanted you to know.”

  “You shouldn’t be here,” Leigh returned in a low voice. “My dad—”

  “Leigh, give me a minute. I was a jerk last night. I’m sorry.”

  Leigh’s reply was tight. “You didn’t say a word the whole time we walked home.”

  “I know, and I’m sorry. But don’t cut me off now. I need to—”

  “I’m not cutting you off. My dad caught me climbing up the balcony after you left. I thought he was going to have a stroke! If he sees you now, he’ll—”

  “Beat you to a bloody pulp,” Nick said as he descended the last steps into the foyer. “Or maybe I’ll just beat you senseless. You’re not welcome here, MacAllister. Get out.”

  Jason met his gaze unflinchingly. He was so tall, his eyes were on a level with Nick’s. “Mr. Santangelo, I—”

  Nick advanced. Jason, wisely, took a step back.

  “Leigh’s forbidden to see you,” Nick said, trying to keep his voice even, but not quite succeeding. “But somehow, you can’t get that through your thick skull. Can’t keep your pants zipped. Well, think of this the next time you get a hard-on: Touch my daughter again and I will take you apart piece by piece.”

  “Daddy!”

  Real fear registered in Jason’s eyes, but to Nick’s amazement, the kid held his ground.

  “You don’t understand, sir. Leigh and I—”

  Nick wrenched the front door open. “Get out, MacAllister. Get out now, or so help me God, I won’t care what I do to you.”

  Jason stumbled backward so fast he nearly fell down the damn front steps. That kid screwed my daughter, Nick thought savagely. My daughter. He felt like pounding Jason’s face into the sidewalk.

  Somehow, he managed to keep from laying a hand on him.

  He slammed the door shut and turned to face Leigh. Her blue eyes were blazing with fury. Well, too bad. She wasn’t the only one royally pissed.

  “I can’t believe you talked to Jason like that!”

  “You’re on shaky ground, young lady. I suggest you don’t make things worse for yourself.”

  “Worse? How could I possibly make things worse? I’m the daughter of a raving lunatic!”

  “And I’m the father of a little slut. How long have you been sneaking out to screw Jason? A month? Two months?”

  “Oh!” Leigh’s fingers curled into fists, her whole body shaking. Her blonde hair whipped around her face as she shook her head. “Why do I even bother talking to you? You never listen.”

  “I’m listening now,” Nick said evenly. “Tell me. How long?”

  Her chin lifted. “Oh, probably just about as long as you’ve been screwing Tori.”

  There was a long, thick silence.

  Nick’s face went hot. “You leave Tori out of this. She’s a grown woman. You’re not.”

  “So you keep telling me.”

  “At least tell me Jason used a condom. A baby is the last thing you need. A pregnancy at your age will screw up your whole life.”

  There was another beat of dead silence; then pain blossomed in Leigh’s eyes.

  “Yeah. You should know all about that, huh?”

  Ah, shit. Nick dragged his hand over his head. “I wasn’t talking about you. You know that.”

  “I do? Could’ve fooled me. I know I was your big screwup. I know you didn’t want me. But you can relax. I’m smarter than Mom was. I carry my own condoms.”

  “You do?” Nick was stunned.

  “Yeah. In my purse. I never know when I might need one.”

  “Shit.”

  She tilted her head, her heavy blonde hair brushing her shoulders, and for a moment Nick saw Cindy, looking just like this on the morning she’d left him. He shut his eyes.

  “You want to know where I got them?” he heard her say. “F
rom Tori, that’s where. She gave them to me.”

  He opened his eyes and sucked in a breath.

  “Tori gave you condoms?”

  “Yeah. She told me I needed to be prepared, because guys screw first and think later.” She crossed her arms and waited a beat. “But I guess you know all about that, huh, Dad?”

  Jesus. How could Nick possibly come up with an answer for that?

  He was guilty as charged.

  “You gave my daughter condoms,” Nick shouted. “Condoms, for chrissakes.”

  “Nick.” If Tori had thought Nick had been angry the night before, it was nothing compared to how enraged he was now. She found herself wishing Johnny hadn’t left fifteen minutes before.

  “Good morning to you, too. Do you want to come in? Or would you rather wake my neighbors?”

  “Are you saying you didn’t do it?” he demanded, striding into the shop. He pivoted to face her. “Are you saying my daughter is a liar?”

  “No,” Tori replied quietly. “I’m not saying that.”

  He paced the cramped space in front of her counter, like a wounded panther trapped in a cage.

  “I caught her sneaking into the house last night. She’d been with Jason.” He scowled in Tori’s direction. “She said she talked to you about sex. She said you gave her condoms. Goddamn it, Tori. Is it true?”

  “Yes, but—”

  Nick swore. “How dare you tell my daughter to have sex with her boyfriend.”

  “I didn’t tell her that! Not in so many words. I just talked to her. She came to me for advice.”

  “For what? Which position to do it in?”

  “Don’t be crude,” Tori said sharply. “Leigh was trying to decide whether she should do it at all. I told her to trust her heart.”

  “What kind of crap is that to tell a teenager? You should’ve told her to keep her goddamn knees pressed together.”

  Tori drew a breath. “Leigh’s seventeen, Nick. She’ll be eighteen before the year’s out. She’s not a child anymore.”

  “She’s not your child, you mean.”

  He started pacing again. “You had no right to interfere, Tori. Do you know what it does to me, thinking of Leigh taking off her clothes for that kid? He’s a jock out for whatever he can get. If he gets her pregnant, she’ll be paying for it for years.”

  “Which is exactly why I gave her the condoms.”

  “She wouldn’t need condoms if she’d just stay away from him. He’s leaving for college in a couple months. She doesn’t need to be pining over him once he’s gone. Letting him go would’ve been a hell of a lot easier if she hadn’t slept with him.”

  “A lot of things are easier if you don’t get close to someone.”

  He exhaled. “Tori—”

  But he didn’t have time to finish the sentence, because just then Tori got her third early-morning visitor.

  Leigh.

  Nick’s daughter faltered briefly in the doorway as her father swung around to confront her. Then she marched into the shop, chin lifted. Nick’s face flushed purple. Tori thought he was going to explode.

  “What are you doing here, Leigh?”

  “I work here, remember?”

  “Oh, no,” Nick said. “Don’t even try to go there. You do not work here. Not anymore.”

  “You can’t tell me what to do!”

  “I certainly can. If I have to lock you in your room to make you obey me, I will.”

  “That is so wrong! You just can’t—”

  “Leigh,” Tori said quietly. She moved to the girl’s side and laid a hand on her arm.

  Leigh looked at her, probably for the first time since entering the store.

  “Do what your father says.”

  She gave a disbelieving gasp. “You agree with this fascist?”

  “No. Not completely. But he’s your father. You have to do what he says.”

  “So you’re firing me? Because he told you to?”

  Tori glanced at Nick. His grim expression and rigid stance told her he wouldn’t budge an inch on this. And things would only be worse for Leigh if she tried to defy him.

  She sighed. “Yes, I suppose I am.”

  Leigh drew a ragged breath. “Fine. Just fine.”

  She whirled around and stomped out the door.

  Silence ensued. It continued for the longest time, stretching and settling all around like a thick, putrid fog. Tori eyed Nick. He’d gone unnaturally still, his eyes flat. It was as if he’d drawn so far into himself that he didn’t even see her anymore.

  “We should talk,” she ventured.

  He dragged a hand down the side of his face and looked at her. He blinked and gave a small shake of his head, as if coming out of a dream. Or a nightmare.

  “Talk? What the hell about?”

  “Leigh. I think…Don’t get me wrong; I know you want to protect her. I know you love her so much you’d lay down your life for her. But did you ever stop to consider that you might be coming down on her a little too hard?”

  “And you’re qualified to tell me that because…?”

  “Because I care about her. And you.” She took a deep breath. “I love you, Nick.”

  He stared at her. “You love me. That’s a joke. How could you love me? You don’t even know me.”

  “I think I do.”

  “No. If you did, the last thing you’d do is give my daughter condoms behind my back. Why didn’t you come to me with this? Tell me what Leigh was planning?”

  She bristled. “And betray her confidence? I couldn’t do that.”

  “No, you just encouraged her. Tucked condoms into her purse, for chrissakes.” His head snapped up, eyes widening. “Shit. Don’t tell me they were the condoms I bought for us!”

  She flushed crimson. “I only wanted to protect her, Nick.”

  “Damn it, Tori, that’s my job. And I’ll do it the way I see fit. I don’t need your interference.”

  “You’re overreacting. I know Leigh almost died as a baby, and you’re scared to death something will happen to her, but—”

  He paled. “Who told you that?”

  “Johnny.”

  He was silent for a long moment. Then, “The two of you discussed me?”

  Tori bit her lip. “He told me some things, yes.”

  His jaw worked. “He had no right to.”

  She put out her hand, but he was so distant, so out of reach. “Nick, Leigh’s not a fragile little girl anymore. She’s a young woman. She needs some space to figure things out on her own.”

  “So what are you suggesting? That I turn my back and let her screw her boyfriend in her bedroom?”

  “No. Of course not. I—”

  “Tori, Leigh has been the most important part of my life for almost eighteen years. I’m her father. Do you have any idea what that means?” He gave a short laugh. “But what am I thinking? How could you know? You think fatherhood’s a five-minute job.”

  “Nick, I—”

  But he was already moving toward the door.

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  What ever you do, try not to get married for the wrong reasons.

  Tori didn’t see Nick for a while after that sorry scene. She didn’t see Leigh, either, or any of the Santangelos. Johnny called twice from New York, but both times there had been a party going on in the background, and they didn’t talk long. He told her he was meeting with his agent and prepping for his screen test with some of his actor friends. Tori wished him luck and kept her problems to herself.

  It was the height of the summer season. The sun was hot, the beach crowded, and Destiny’s Gate was making money hand over fist.

  And Tori was miserable. She was out of candle magic kits, too, and none of the tarot readings she tried provided any insight. She was just going to have to get through this without magic.

  She was thankful she had Chelsea and Mags. They tried hard to talk her out of her funk.

  “There are plenty of other fish in the sea,” Mags said. “And anyway, you s
aid yourself you and Nick were too different to last.”

  “She doesn’t need to hear that right now,” Chelsea said, frowning at her partner. “God, you can be so insensitive sometimes.”

  Mags shrugged. “I’m just stating the obvious.”

  Tori let Lily pull on her necklace. Her arms tightened around the little girl’s wiggling body. She was so sweet, so innocent. Tori’s throat clogged.

  “Now see what you’ve done,” Chelsea muttered to Mags. “You’ve made Tori cry.”

  Tori shook her head, but succeeded only in dislodging a few tears from her eyes. She nuzzled Lily’s hair, trying to hide them.

  “I’m not crying,” she said. But it was a lie. For the last few days she’d been sobbing nonstop. Probably PMS. She was expecting her period any day now.

  Except days passed, then a week, and it didn’t come.

  It didn’t come, and she dared to hope.

  Nick showed up a few days later. It was late afternoon, and Tori was closing early. South Jersey was suffering from a wicked heat wave, and the shop was unbearable, even with three fans blowing.

  The first thing Nick said when he stepped through the door was, “You need air-conditioning.”

  Her heart lurched. He looked so good, so impossibly handsome, so heart-stoppingly sexy. He must have been spending some time outside lately, because his face was sunburned.

  “And you need sunscreen,” she replied.

  “I know, I know.” He rubbed the back of his neck, then winced. “I keep forgetting. We just broke ground on a new job, and I’ve been out on the site a lot.”

  They stood there a few seconds longer, just looking at each other. She noticed the tired lines around his eyes, and the unfamiliar way his shoulders hunched.

  “Why are you here? Is something wrong? Is Leigh—”

  “Leigh’s fine.” He advanced farther into the shop. He was too big for the place; his elbow knocked into a wind chime. The tingling bells faded before he spoke again.

  “I came to see how you were.”

  “I’m fine.” Tori’s fingers gripped the sharp edge of the counter. Suddenly, she knew why he’d come. And it didn’t have anything to do with her.