Holiday Magic

by Tl Reeve

  “That might be true, but no one else really knows what it’s like to be you, right?” she asked with a weak laugh.

  “There’s not knowing, and there’s not having a clue,” Zane replied. “There aren’t too many dragons, not compared to witches, and certainly not compared to humans, but I know quite a few. I know a number of young men who live close enough to Colorado.”

  Aubrey shifted uncomfortably. She’d thankfully avoided having her parents pressure her to find “a good match” since she wasn’t a witch, but she knew the drill all the same. “Don’t you think it’s a little soon for all that. I’m still learning what all this means, being a dragon.”

  “Being with another dragon would help you learn, help you find yourself.”

  She laughed softly. “I think I know where to find myself. And I appreciate the offer, but I’d rather take some time to learn on my own.”

  “Well, think about it a little longer before you make any decisions. Now, we should get you to the airport.”

  15

  Aubrey’s phone had been off since she’d left Waldenburg. As she walked off the plane, she turned it on and waited until it stopped buzzing with all the messages she’d missed over the last few days. Her stomach growled as she made her way through the airport and past several eateries.

  She had plans to get dinner with her brother and Chuck, but the smell of cinnamon rolls was testing her willpower. Just one on the way out. . .her feet treacherously stopped in front of the display window of pastries. Before she could send a message to Riley, her phone rang.

  Nate.

  She had taken the flight home to think about the last few weeks. When she looked at the days so few in number since she’d met Nate, she realized she’d forced him into that role of the hero, attaching to it a romance that probably had been one-sided if she were honest.

  Aubrey accepted the call despite not knowing if she was ready to talk to him, and knowing how she’d embarrassed herself.

  “Hey,” she said, staring at the cinnamon roll in front of her and trying to sound completely unaffected by both the sticky bun and the man on the other end of the line.

  “Blondie.”

  She’d hated that nickname, and now it made her heart ache. Her stomach growled again, kicking her out of pity land. Food would have been a good thing before talking to Nate.

  “Nate,” she replied with a wince. Why had she answered this call?

  “Look, I never meant for you to get that text.”

  “I kind of assumed it was sent to me by mistake,” she replied, a little more emotionally than she’d intended.

  “It was meant for my sister. I wanted her advice on how to deal with my mom. Not you.”

  Her phone buzzed in her hand with another incoming message. Probably from Riley. He was probably wondering if she’d landed yet.

  “Yeah, I got the message loud and clear. Your job is really important to you. You pour yourself into it. I respect that. My job is important to me too. So I get it. I was an assignment, nothing more. I understand that now.” Aubrey was saying to him everything she’d said to herself on the plane. And it sounded like shit. She hated it. But sometimes the truth sounded like crap, and you just had to be a big girl and deal.

  “My job is important to me, but—”

  “Don’t worry about it, Nate. I’m okay. Great even,” she winced at the sound of the lie. She sounded exactly like the big fat liar she was. Except, she was going to be great. Right after she recovered from this stupid love-sick puppy thing she had going. Her phone buzzed again. “Crap. Sorry, Nate. I’ve got to go.” When Aubrey turned to head toward the exit, she bumped into another woman staring lustily at the cinnamon buns and dropped her phone. “Oh fuck.”

  The screen wasn’t cracked. The phone was fine. But the call had been dropped. Probably for the best. That was painful. With a sad wave to the sticky buns of wonder, Aubrey moved on. She sent a text to Riley to let him know she was on her way, and then pocketed her phone.

  “So I know we said dinner, but there’s been a slight change of plans,” Riley said after Aubrey was settled in his car.

  “I hope these plans involve food because if not, I need to head back inside and apologize to a cinnamon roll,” she replied.

  “What? No, that won’t be necessary. For one, I brought us snacks since we’re in this car for basically the rest of our lives.”

  “It’s an hour drive,” Chuck reminded Riley from the backseat.

  “Fucking forever,” Riley said in agreement.

  “Snack me.” Aubrey held out her hand. Chuck deposited a baggie of trail mix in her hand. “Thank you. So these plans?”

  “Well, since your parents and sister aren’t making it up this way for winter solstice, we’re taking you out for our own celebration,” Riley informed her.

  Aubrey looked down at her yoga pants and puffy jacket. “Out?”

  “I brought you a dress. Summer picked it out,” Chuck said.

  “So I’ll be freezing to death. Perfect,” Aubrey said around a mouthful of granola. She deeply regretted not buying that cinnamon roll. And maybe some of the duty free booze. That conversation with Nate left her wishing she had a drink and comfort food. It hadn’t been bad by any stretch of the imagination, but it had felt so weird. Off. Whatever chemistry they might have had a few days before was gone. So maybe she had imagined it all.

  “She included your nice coat,” Chuck said, leaning forward again from the backseat while she talked.

  “And so we’re going where?” Aubrey asked, offering up her snack bag for the others to grab a handful.

  “To where solstice is always celebrated. Outside. In the woods.” Riley shot her a grin.

  Aubrey turned on the seat heater and sank back. This wasn’t how she usually spent solstice, but she was okay with that. She was with family. New family. And new friends. And both could distract her from thinking about Nate.

  “How was the trip? Learn more than you ever knew you wanted to know about dragons?” Riley asked.

  “It went really well. Today was a little weird. Zane offered to help me find a good mate.”

  “Ugh, solstice talk,” Chuck commiserated.

  “Yeah, I told him that I wasn’t interested in looking for love right now.”

  “Riley and I were talking about love while we were waiting for you. You know winter solstice is supposed to be a big night for love. True love reveals itself under the night sky in our myths, and Riley was saying dragons have the same lore,” Chuck said rather pointedly. Aubrey wondered what she was missing. Perhaps they were about to announce that they weren’t just friends. She prepared herself to sound shocked.

  “Yeah, for dragons the night strips away any pretenses and all disguise. The moonlight washes you in truth’s light so you can see your love’s true heart.”

  “Okay,” Aubrey said, still waiting for the big announcement. It never came. For the rest of the car ride, she listened to Riley and Chuck talk about witch and dragon traditions that were shockingly similar. Aubrey didn’t pipe up with any of the ones she’d learned that weekend that were markedly different. She got the point. Witches and dragons shared a lot of the same lore. What she didn’t get was why this message was being drilled home.

  They reached the big red barn, and Chuck led Aubrey inside to a bathroom where she changed into the dress. She grinned at herself in the mirror. The dress Summer had “picked out” of Aubrey’s closet wasn’t Aubrey’s at all. In fact, it still had the tags on it. But it also looked amazing. She touched the soft lace of the body hugging dress. It managed to be both modest and sexy, and Aubrey felt completely herself in it.

  The shoes, on the other hand, sucked. Summer had grabbed those killer heels, the ones that hurt the most but looked the best. Aubrey promised her feet that she’d wear the heels for thirty minutes, and then carry them.

  With the makeup pack from her carry-on, Aubrey applied eyeliner and mascara, trying to look a little less fresh-off-the-plane. She spun her hai
r up into a high bun. Good enough for a party.

  Outside, she found Chuck, who handed off Aubrey’s bag with her clothes to Riley. When Riley returned from the car, the three of them headed off toward the path they’d taken the last time they’d all been out for Festival.

  “Maybe a swimsuit would have been more practical? I do have one with me,” Aubrey said when they were halfway down the path.

  “Oh, that’s an idea. Hey, Rye, would you go back and get our suits? Mine is in the trunk,” Chuck said with a huge grin like she was up to something.

  When Riley had disappeared back up the path, Aubrey turned on Chuck. “So, what’s going on? Is there something you two are trying to tell me?”

  “Tell you? What do you mean?”

  “All that stuff about traditions. How similar witches and dragons are. Is this because you and Riley want to tell me something?”

  Chuck stared at her for a second, her eyes narrowed in concern. “No.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Pretty sure. But I am realizing that we should have grabbed a bottle of wine from the party. I’m going to run back and get one. Go on down to the end of the path to the clearing and wait for us there. You remember the way, right?”

  Aubrey looked down the one path ahead of her. “Uh, I mean, I just walk until I can’t anymore.”

  “Exactly. See you in five minutes.” Chuck waved and then darted back the way they’d come.

  That’s one way to avoid answering questions. She winced with the next five steps. Leaning against a tree, she took her heels off and let her feet recover on the cold ground.

  “Oh, so much better,” she whispered to the night. Shoes in hand, she followed the path. The closer she got to the end, the more light shone through branches. They’d set something up all right, and Aubrey was pretty sure she knew what was going on. They were throwing her a party. Summer was probably already there. And Quincy. They’d put together a little party so she wouldn’t feel alone on solstice. Just thinking about it had her tearing up.

  When she rounded the last bend in the path, she saw the clearing was decorated with dozens of strands of lights, dotted with a few large hanging stars. At the center was a table with a crisp ivory tablecloth. A mixture of candles and pine sprigs serving as a centerpiece. Aubrey dropped her shoes by the opening of the clearing and walked toward the table, completely bewitched by the sight.

  “You look beautiful.”

  She nearly screamed at the sound of Nate’s voice. She’d not seen him standing on the far side of the clearing. One hand over her racing heart, she gripped the back of a dining chair with the other to steady herself.

  “Shit, you scared me,” she gasped.

  “I hope you don’t mind me enlisting a little help to get you here. I was going to invite you myself, but you didn’t give me the chance.”

  Aubrey looked back toward the path, toward the barn. Then she looked back to Nate. Those sneaky assholes. They’d tricked her into thinking tonight was going to be a perfect night. And now she was here continuing this awkward conversation with Nate. “You put this together?”

  He nodded and motioned for her to sit. Aubrey didn’t move. She wasn’t sure she wanted to stay. If she went back now she could probably catch Riley and convince him to take her home. Looking around now at all the decorations, the table, the candles, and the silver cloche covering the plates, she wasn’t sure what to think. He’d put this together for her?

  “Why?”

  “It’s winter solstice, Blondie,” he said with a grin. “And I wanted to spend it with you.”

  “This is really lovely, but—”

  “Aubrey, I’m sorry about the other day. I should have called you back, and I shouldn’t have ripped into you like that to begin with. I also should have told you that I get a little focused sometimes when I’m working, and I’m not always the most responsive boyfriend when I’m working on a big case.”

  “Boyfriend?” she asked with a nervous laugh.

  “Right, okay, that’s presumptuous. I just meant that if—Aubrey, I really like you. I know I sent mixed signals. I’m sorry. But as much as I tried to tell myself the attraction was because of the winter solstice, or this buzzing thing, or that I’d stepped into your life when you were vulnerable and so you felt like you needed me, those were all bullshit excuses. I like you. And I want to take you out on a proper date. Maybe one where I don’t have to beg your brother to help me.”

  She bit back a laugh at the idea of Nate begging for Riley’s help. Nate was saying everything she wanted him to say, and yet she was still wary. He said his reasons had been excuses, but maybe they were valid.

  “I like you too, but maybe you’re right. Maybe this attraction is something else.”

  He shook his head and moved around the table toward her. “No. I know it’s not.”

  “You know it?”

  The buzzing sensation rolled over her, a familiar pleasure she nearly craved. He stood in front of her, so close now, but still not close enough.

  “Yeah, I know because I missed you, Blondie. This attraction is real, not magic or the winter solstice playing with our feelings. When I thought you’d gone off to be with some dragon, I wasn’t pissed because I wouldn’t feel this again,” he held his hand inches from her arm and a spark jumped between their skin, “I was pissed that I hadn’t had the chance to take you to this little Italian joint down the street from my apartment. I was pissed that I wouldn’t get to see you first thing in the morning before you’ve had time to tame your wild hair, when you look like the sweetest angel in front of your kitchen window. I was pissed that someone else would be holding you, touching you, making you come.”

  Aubrey could hardly breathe. Nate spoke with such certainty and such a serious look on his face. And so she nodded. She wanted him to take her to that restaurant, to be there in the morning when she woke, and the one to make her come.

  “So then I’m not just an assignment to you, or another part of your job, or a nuisance you put up with because you have to?”

  “No, never. You’re not a nuisance, and I want to be with you, but only if it’s not part of my job.” He gestured to the table. “Will you have dinner with me?”

  She knew they had more to discuss, but it could all be said over dinner. “Yes.”

  16

  Sometimes all you needed was a little magic. Magic kept the food warm while Nate waited for Aubrey to arrive, and then while he’d apologized. Magic kept the lights hanging in the sky above the table. There was no way he could have made the strands stretch from one side of the clearing to the other, and even if he had, there wasn’t a power source. Magic supplied that as well.

  And then there was the chemistry rolling from one end of the table to the other. That could have been magic. It could have been Aubrey’s magic. But Nate knew it wasn’t. His gut told him it was just simple chemistry.

  Aubrey ate like she always ate, like it was her last meal. Nate found himself pausing to watch her face contort in pleasure while she devoured the chocolate truffles he’d brought for dessert. She drove him wild licking her fingers clean of the ganache filling.

  “How was your trip to California?”

  She smiled at him, her face washed in moonlight and the soft glow of the candles. “Good. I learned a lot. Not enough, but a lot.”

  “Sounds like a good start,” he replied. “Are you going back?”

  “I think Zane and I can accomplish what we need to via video calls for awhile. I might go back for more hands-on training at some point.” She was staring at her empty plate in a contemplative fashion. “What about you? How’s work?”

  “Good. Closing up the Mansfield case.”

  “That’s great news. Congratulations. That was a big one for you, right?” Her enthusiasm surprised him. His past girlfriends didn’t care about his work except when it interfered with their plans.

  “Yeah, it was big,” he replied with a grin.

  She refilled her wine glass and then rai
sed it toward him. “To new adventures for the both of us.”

  “To new adventures, together,” he replied as he touched his glass to hers.

  “Together? I think I’m done being part of your work adventures, thank you.”

  Nate laughed. “Yeah, I think I’d prefer if we had adventures that didn’t involve my day job.”

  Aubrey raised her glass again. “I’ll drink to that.”

  “I think we just did, Blondie,” he teased even as he clinked his glass against hers.

  “Hey, babe, what’s the plan now?” she asked, pushing aside her empty plate to put her wine glass down centered in front of her.

  “That’s the one you’re sticking with? I kind of liked Hawkeye.” He winked when she stuck out her tongue at him.

  “You’re right. I think I like peanut better.”

  “Oh, peanut?” That wasn’t happening.

  “Or maybe sweet pea?” Aubrey was studying him with mischief in her eyes. “Prince Phillip?”

  “Which one is he?” he asked, although he knew. Lauren had made him dress up as Prince Phillip on more than one occasion. She loved her Aurora dresses when she was eight.

  “I’m pretty sure he’s the Duke of Edinburgh. You know, married Queen Elizabeth.”

  Nate choked on his wine and then laughed. She’d turned that around on him quickly. “Oh, so I’m a king now? That’s an upgrade.”

  “No, you’re a Duke,” she said sternly.

  “But you call me a prince?” He shrugged. “Yeah, that’s fine.”

  “We can sort out nicknames later,” she said quickly, apparently realizing she’d lost this round.

  “That’s fine too.”

  Nate motioned for Aubrey to stand, and then handed her their wine glasses while he took care of the table. The plates, serving dishes, and cutlery he shrunk until they sat in a neat three by three inch stack. The white tablecloth came off in a flourish and folded back into the bag he’d used to carry everything into the woods. The table twisted away to the tree root it had been, and their chairs receded back to flowers.