A Stroke Of Magic

by Tracy Madison

“Aw, come on.” He stood and then, before I realized what he was doing, pulled me to my feet. “There, just spin around. Let me see what you got.”

  “If I spin, I’ll get dizzy.” I returned to my seat. “Did you hear me say that Chloe’s inside? I bet she’d like to say hi.” I curled my fingers into a fist, so I wouldn’t wave him off like you do a pesky insect.

  “I definitely want to see her, but let’s talk more. Shelby hooked us up, and I don’t want to annoy her. Ever since she’s been pregnant, ticking her off isn’t a good idea.” Rubbing his arm with his other hand, he shrugged. “She has a solid punch.”

  Now here was an image I enjoyed. My lips twitched. “You probably deserved it. What did you do?”

  “I didn’t say I didn’t deserve it.” He picked his chair up and set it down at an angle. Resuming his seat, he stretched his legs out, crossing them at his ankles. “I stopped by last week with tickets to a ball game. Thought me and Grant could go, have a few beers, hang out for a few hours. He was stuck at work.”

  “That’s it?”

  “Nah. I hadn’t seen her in a while, and—” He fiddled with his sunglasses. “There should be a manual that tells guys what not to say to pregnant women.”

  I gave in and grinned. “What did you say?”

  His eyes shifted away from mine. “Are you gonna punch me too?”

  I laughed. Okay, so the guy wasn’t my type, but he wasn’t all bad. “Maybe,” I admitted. “Because if it had to do with her size, you’re in trouble. You can’t talk about a woman’s size ever. Especially when she’s pregnant.”

  “Like I said. There should be a manual.”

  A flicker of movement caught my attention. Chloe and Shelby approached from behind Kyle, but he didn’t see them. “Come on—’fess up. Why’d she punch you?” I asked again.

  “He wanted to know if I had to have the dress I was wearing specially made,” Shelby said, stopping next to Kyle. “To cover my—what was it you said? Girth?” She squeezed his shoulders, leaned over and kissed the top of his head. “This guy is good at heart, but has some lessons to learn.”

  Kyle smiled the first real smile I’d seen yet. He reached one of his hands up and tugged at Shelby’s hair. “Hey. I’m learning. You feeling okay?”

  “I am.” Shelby took the chair next to Kyle and motioned to Chloe. She rounded the table and pulled out the chair on the other side of me, directly across from him.

  I noticed the two women seemed more relaxed around each other. Good. Chloe’s eyes skirted over Kyle, and she gave sort of a half smile. He didn’t notice; his attention was still on Shelby.

  With a grin, Shelby asked, “Hey, Kyle, have you told them about your work with Habitat for Humanity?”

  Kyle shifted uneasily in his chair, and then shrugged. “Nope.”

  “You work for Habitat for Humanity?” I asked.

  Shelby shook her head. “No, he’s a volunteer. He gives up a ton of his weekends and a chunk of his vacation each year to help build houses for people who need them.” She reached over and squeezed his hand. “Aren’t you taking off again soon?”

  Wow, talk about seeing someone in a different light. Especially because it was something I never, in a million years, would have guessed about Kyle. “Really? Where to?”

  Obviously uncomfortable, Kyle slid his sunglasses back on, hiding his eyes. “Two more months. I’m going to New Orleans again.” Before I could ask anything else, he nodded toward Grant, and asked Shelby, “He hasn’t figured it out yet?”

  “Nope, and I’m not positive, but I don’t think we filled the tank at the end of last summer.”

  “I brought another tank like you asked. I left it in the garage. How long are you going to let him play with it?”

  She shrugged. “Not much longer. But it’ll be better if he figures it out for himself.”

  “Wait a minute.” I laughed. “You’re saying the grill isn’t broken?”

  “I don’t think so, but shh. Grant’s an engineer, so he tends not to think of the easiest, most obvious solution right away.” Shelby grinned conspiratorially. “Besides, he’s getting to know Ethan, so it’s all good.”

  Chloe still hadn’t said anything, but she also hadn’t taken her gaze off of Kyle. I cocked my head toward him and gave her the eye, but she ignored me. Deciding to step away for a minute and let Chloe handle this one all on her own, I said, “Shelby, may I use your restroom?”

  “Of course. It’s the second door on the left, coming from the kitchen.”

  I excused myself and escaped. I didn’t really need to use the restroom, so instead I leaned against the counter in the kitchen. Maybe by the time I got back out there, Chloe and Kyle would have acknowledged each other and actually struck up a conversation.

  The sliding door creaked open and Grant stepped in. “Hiding out?”

  “Is it that obvious?”

  “A little. Why do you think I’m here?” He crossed the room and opened the fridge. “We figured out what was wrong, by the way. I swear we filled that tank last year, but apparently we didn’t. Hey, you want a soda or something? I’m getting a beer for the guys and Chloe.”

  “Kyle brought a propane tank, I guess. He said it was in the garage. And no, thank you. But maybe it will help loosen them up.”

  He grabbed the beverages. “That’s my hope. And yeah, Kyle’s hooking up the tank now, so I’ll start cooking soon.” I trailed after him, thinking I’d reclaim my seat now that I had Ethan to talk to, but Grant stopped me. “Wait here, okay? I’d like to chat with you for a second. I’ll be right back.”

  “Um. Sure.” I tried to think of what he might want to say to me, but nothing came to mind.

  I didn’t have long to wonder. In less than two minutes, he’d returned. Pushing his glasses up on his nose, he said, “Thank you for being so nice to Shelby. It’s been tough lately.”

  “Oh.” Was he being sarcastic? I certainly hadn’t been all that nice when I’d originally seen Shelby at the doctor’s office. “Um. I don’t know if I was that nice, or if I deserve a thank-you. I sort of ignored her. It was a gut reaction.”

  “But you were willing to give her a chance when she called you. She was so excited that night when I came home.” He grabbed a large white platter from a cupboard, placing it on the counter. “It’d be great if Chloe gives her the same chance.”

  “I can’t speak for her. I have no idea how she’s feeling at the moment.”

  “I know. But Shel’s a different woman now, and she had reasons for behaving the way she did.” He swung his gaze to the door, as if making sure no one was about to walk in. “You comforted her once, a long time ago. I think you guys were in junior high. Do you remember?”

  This piqued my curiosity. I thought back, tried to bring forth whatever moment Grant was referring to, but nothing came to me. “I don’t. I’m sorry.”

  “She was crying. You found her in the restroom, and you asked her what was wrong,” he offered. “Does that ring any bells?”

  Suddenly, the memory returned. How had I forgotten? Had I even realized that was Shelby? “Oh my God. Now I remember. Her dad had just moved out. She was upset her parents were getting a divorce.” I shook my head. “Wow. I’d pretty much forgotten that.”

  “Her dad walked away one day and never returned. She hasn’t seen or heard from him since,” he said, anger evident in each abruptly spoken word. “She was young. Confused.”

  “I had no idea.”

  “She missed her dad. She was pretty much alone all the time then, because her mom had to work a couple of jobs to keep the bills paid.”

  In a flash, I understood what he was getting at. “I’m so sorry.”

  Grant ran his hand over his face. “Look. I know this doesn’t change how she hurt your friend, but I hope it gives you a little insight into her and what she was going through at the time. Shelby is a good person. She just made a lot of mistakes.”

  A sigh escaped. I felt bad for Shelby. “I hope we can remain friends. But
…” Ugh. How to say what I had to?

  I didn’t have to; Grant understood. “I get it. You’re tight with Chloe and she might have issues with this. I hope it works out. Shelby could use a friend. A real one, and not someone who will disappear.” He hesitated. “Can you do me a favor?”

  “Maybe. Probably. What’s the favor?”

  “If you decide, for whatever reason, you can’t associate with Shelby…tell her. Don’t just ignore her phone calls. That will just hurt her more. Okay?”

  “Of course!” I agreed. “She’s a lucky girl. I’m glad she has you.” And I was glad. But at that moment, the green-eyed monster roared to life inside of me too. Not over Grant, but because of the love and concern he had for his wife. I didn’t think—no, I knew I’d never experienced that with a man outside of my family.

  “We’re both lucky. But we work really hard at it.” He angled his eyes toward the door. “Ready to go back out there?”

  “I am. Thanks for sharing this with me.”

  “You’re welcome! And I hope we see lots of each other.” Opening a drawer, he pulled out an apron. Also white. Tying it around his waist, he said, “Go on. Ethan’s waiting for you. By now, things might have loosened up a bit.”

  I nodded and let myself outside. Ethan was in the chair I’d vacated, but there was another empty one next to him. As I approached, his eyes caught mine and he smiled. Anticipation shivered down my spine. More good news met my gaze. Apparently, they’d all played musical chairs or something, because now Chloe sat next to Kyle. And they seemed to be in the middle of a discussion.

  Except, she didn’t appear comfortable. At all.

  When I reached the table, Shelby stood. “I’m going to help Grant. You guys keep chatting and we’ll get the food all set.”

  “Wait, Shelby,” Chloe spoke up. “Let me help Grant. You should rest.”

  “I’m fine! Besides, you’re our guests.” Shelby disappeared into the house.

  “Shouldn’t she be on bed rest or something?” Chloe asked. “She looks so uncomfortable.”

  “Shelby on bed rest? Not likely. The woman doesn’t know how to sit still,” Kyle replied. He took a long swig from his beer bottle. “Grant says she’s doing good, though. He goes to all her appointments, so he’d know.”

  I sat in my chair, happy to be next to Ethan. “He definitely seems like an attentive husband. I think that’s great.”

  Kyle nodded. “Those two are meant for each other. If you believe in that stuff.”

  “What stuff?” Chloe asked.

  “Happily-ever-after love stuff.”

  “You don’t?” Chloe frowned. “So, you don’t believe in love? You don’t think there’s a soul mate for you out there somewhere?”

  Oh, God. I couldn’t believe she was going there.

  “Soul mate? What is this, the romance hour or something? Nope. I’m not saying love doesn’t exist, but it’s not what most people think.” Kyle picked at the label on his bottle.

  Chloe arched an eyebrow. “Is that so? And what do most people think love is?”

  “Hell, I don’t know. Rainbows and puppy dogs. All I know is I’ve dated a lot of girls and I’ve never felt the need to propose to any.”

  Her eyebrow arched higher. “Really? Do you remember dating me?”

  “Of course I do. We had some great times together.”

  “We did.” She nodded, a slight smile appearing on her face. “We talked a lot about the future. You don’t remember that?”

  Oh, God. He was in trouble. And the poor guy didn’t have a clue. “We never talked about rings, Chloe,” he replied. “It was all about college and having fun. Maybe living together. But that didn’t work out, and it was a long time ago.”

  She snorted. “Not that long, you dolt. I remember our conversations and our relationship very clearly. I certainly believed that after college we were planning on a wedding.”

  Things were getting out of control fast. Fortunately, Kyle seemed to finally recognize he’d made a misstep. He drained the rest of the beer from his bottle and then sent a pleading look at Ethan. “What about you? Have you ever thought about proposing?”

  Ooh. Good question. I turned to Ethan, awaiting his response.

  He looked startled, and at first I thought he wasn’t going to answer, but then he cleared his throat. “I proposed once. We never made it to the altar, though.”

  Before I could even think about this oh-so-surprising bit of information, Chloe stood and stomped away from the table. She could have waited a second, because I’d really have liked to hear more about Ethan’s proposal. But, “I should go talk to her,” I said, pushing my chair back.

  Kyle shook his head. “Nah. It’s my fault. I’ll go apologize.”

  “You might—” I was about to say he should stay out of her way for now, but when I glanced in her direction, Chloe was shaking her head at me. It took me a few seconds, but when she held up a beer bottle, I realized what she was doing. “Oh. Okay. That’s a good idea,” I said, settling back in my seat.

  “I need to buy body armor,” Kyle muttered. “Wish me luck.”

  And then, for the first time since arriving at Shelby’s, I was alone with Ethan. “I’m so sorry. I knew today might be a little awkward, but I didn’t know it would be this bad,” I explained.

  “I’m enjoying myself, madness and all. Besides, I’m here to be with you.” He turned toward me. “I’ve thought about you all week.”

  The words were simple enough, but something about the way he looked at me set off a spark of longing. “I’ve looked forward to this too. There’s so much I want to know about you.”

  “Really? Ask away,” he said.

  I wanted to ask him to expand on his answer to Kyle’s question, but I didn’t. Instead, I stuck to a general—and safe—topic. “You grew up in Ireland?”

  “I did, but I was born in Chicago. My father died when I was young, so my mother and I moved to Dublin and lived with her parents.”

  “Oh. Wow. I’m really sorry.”

  “Don’t be,” Ethan replied. “He drank himself into the grave, and while my mother still mourns him, I only have the faintest recollection. I was quite young.”

  “Still, that had to be tough. Growing up without your dad.”

  “It was. But realistically, I had three parents: my mother, grandmother, and grandfather. It was a good childhood. Probably better than it would have been.”

  I thought of my dad and how important his support had always been to me. No way could I imagine growing up without his presence. And even though Ethan seemed okay with it, I felt sad for him. For missing out on that. Then I thought of my daughter, and how strong the possibility was that she’d grow up without a father. “Did you miss him?” I asked softly.

  “I’m not sure if I missed him, per se, or if I missed having a dad in general. But family helps.” His hand found mine under the table, and he grasped it. “Are you worried about that? Your child missing out on a father?”

  “Maybe a little. But there’s nothing I can do about it.”

  He paused, then said, “May I ask a personal question?”

  “Go for it.”

  “The father—he doesn’t want to be involved?”

  I chewed on my lip. After the Missy incident, I worried Ethan would think the same things she did: That I’d known Troy was married. That I hadn’t cared. “This is going to sound bad, but give me a chance to explain.”

  “I’m happy to listen,” he promised. “And I don’t make judgments without knowing all the facts.”

  “His name is Troy. We dated sporadically for about six months, and then more seriously for another six.” My voice caught. What a stupid mistake it had been. “But he was married the entire time we were together. I didn’t know.”

  He took my words at face value, which I appreciated. “I’m sorry that happened to you.”

  “Me too. It was a bad time and I’ve blocked a lot of it out—other than feeling completely stupid for not reco
gnizing he was lying. He said all the right things and I foolishly believed they were true.” My throat felt dry and tight.

  “It happens. Don’t beat yourself up over it. He knows about the baby?”

  I shook my head. “He’s moved or something. I can’t find him.” I almost told him about Missy, but decided not to. This wasn’t the time or the place. Besides, I still had hope she’d give me the information I needed.

  He let go of my hand. “You have something in your hair.” Then his fingers touched my hair and gently pulled. “Just a piece of lint. See?”

  This action, as small as it was, brought my attraction to the surface. Warmth climbed through me, saturating my entire body in barely the time necessary to take a breath. “Thank you.”

  “What are you thinking right now?”

  “I’m not thinking. I can’t think.”

  “I feel much the same.”

  Ethan scooted his chair closer, leaned in, and before I could blink, his lips touched mine and I forgot about everything else. Everyone else. A swirl of sensations began in the pit of my stomach, crawling up and out, until my entire body shivered with them. His hand came to my chin, and then to my cheek. The kiss deepened. We could have been sitting anywhere in the world, and I wouldn’t have known it. Because all I knew was his scent, his taste, his touch. Every part of me yearned for Ethan, and that startled me. Maybe it even scared me a little.

  I pulled back. As we separated, I sighed. “Wow.”

  “Wow, indeed.” He brushed my hair away from my face, kissing me softly on my forehead. His gaze moved past me, and he blinked. Then he half smiled. “How odd. Chloe has dumped her beer on Kyle’s head.”

  “What?” I tried to make sense of his words, but his kiss had muddled everything. When I realized what he’d said, I leapt up and said, “I should make sure she’s okay.”

  I strode toward Kyle and Chloe, trying to forget how Ethan’s kiss had made me feel. This wasn’t easy, because my lips still tasted like him, but I refocused and attempted to appraise the scene ahead of me. I should have been there the whole time. After all, Chloe had emptied her beer on Kyle for me. Well, mostly for me.

  Chloe’s arms were crossed. Kyle was tugging at his now-wet shirt. By the time I got to them, he was pulling it up. I stopped and held my breath. Chloe stared at me, obviously waiting for my reaction because she stood in front of Kyle. It was as if everything stopped and then started again, but in slow motion.