Magic Man

by Ashley Hastings

  She stopped talking and snickered under her breath.

  “Anything else you want to add?” My voice was droll, and I tapped my foot under the table while I waited for her to answer.

  “No, that about covers it.” Ivy was smug, now that she realized she had guessed correctly.

  “How do you feel about him being my boyfriend?” Or my baby daddy?

  “I think it’s awesome. Just don’t use your tongue to kiss him. That’s as disgusting as fish eggs for breakfast.” She made a face and shuddered.

  I snorted with laughter. “I’ll try to hold myself back.”

  Our pancakes arrived, and just like that, one very delicate conversation had been handled.

  When we finished eating, we headed back to the estate. Ivy was yawning in the back seat, and I’m sure she didn’t get much sleep last night, either.

  Maybe we would both take naps later.

  When we exited the car, I was surprised to see Maxwell coming out of the barn. Coming out of the side entrance that led to my apartment, to be exact.

  He shoved his hands in his pockets and gave me a searching look when he saw me.

  Ivy bounded out of the car, oblivious to the tension in the air. “Hello, Mom’s boyfriend.” She shook his hand with a mock-serious expression on her face. “I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced. I’m Ivy.”

  Then, before he could recover, she hugged him. He hesitated for a second, surprise written all over his face, and then he embraced her back with an enthusiasm that equaled hers.

  I rolled my eyes at her antics, but secretly I was touched. I could tell she really liked Maxwell, and thank goodness for that. I tossed her the keys. “I’ll be up in a minute, okay?”

  She ran up the stairs, dragging her bag behind her.

  Maxwell turned to me with a tender expression. “You told her?”

  “Yep. She was all for it, just like I thought she would be. She did, however, make one stipulation, and I think we should honor her wishes.” I put my hands behind my back and tried to look innocent.

  Maxwell frowned, worried. “What stipulation?”

  “No tongue kissing. Ivy says it is too gross.” I failed to keep a straight face.

  We laughed together at that, and he leaned in and nuzzled me. “Are we okay, kitten?”

  “We will be, Maxwell. One way or the other.” I needed to believe that was true because Maxwell had become terribly important to me in such a short time. I needed him in my life, baby or no baby.

  His hand slid down to my abdomen and rubbed.

  Alarmed, I looked up at him. “You really think it’s true?” As much as everyone wanted to tell me that Maxwell knew things he shouldn’t somehow, and as much as I had witnessed his uncanny ability with my own eyes, the logical side of my brain didn’t want to accept that I could be pregnant.

  He nodded, solemn. “I’m sorry I messed up. I was up all night, torn between happiness at a possible baby, and kicking myself for putting you in this position.”

  Maxwell kissed me, and there might have been a little tongue involved. Oops.

  Sorry, Ivy.

  I sighed and leaned into him. “I love you, no matter what happens.”

  “That is all that matters.” He kissed the top of my head and squeezed my shoulder. “I love you, too.”

  “Now.” He straightened. “How would you and Ivy like a tour of Peacock Alley later today?”

  “We would love that. Ivy will be on ghost patrol, for sure. And I can’t wait to see the house.” I clapped my hands softly in anticipation.

  “Darby wants to give you the tour. She loves this place, too, and I think she gets a little lonely at times. She’s glad to have someone her own age on the estate these days.” Maxwell looked down at me. “You will make an excellent friend for her. Just don’t let the fact that she’s the owner of the estate intimidate you, okay? She’s a great person.”

  “Yeah, hanging out with all these old men must get tiring, so she needs me to give her some relief from all that.” I laughed and avoided the light swat he aimed at my backside.

  “Darby said to come up to the house after lunch, and she will be waiting for you, okay?” He brushed the hair back from my face.

  “All right. We’ll be there. Thanks for setting it up.” I leaned in for another kiss.

  This time there was definitely tongue.

  Twenty One

  After lunch, Ivy and I met Darby at the main house. Even though I had been at Peacock Alley a few weeks now, I had never been in here before.

  Darby caught me glancing around the huge foyer, taking in its double staircases that swept up to the second floor. “I know Maxwell wanted to give you a tour, but is this the first time you’ve been in the house ever?”

  I nodded, trying not to let my mouth hang open. The house was breathtaking. Ivy, however, didn’t hold herself back.

  “This place is huge!” Her eyes were round as she did one of her signature twirls, taking it all in. “All of this for just you and your husband?”

  “Ivy.” I put a hand on her shoulder, trying to get her to reel in some of her enthusiasm.

  Darby just laughed. “Well, it’s me and my husband, and our son, too, of course. Nathan’s mother used to live here, but she moved out several months ago.”

  “Please forgive my daughter. We’ve never been in a house this old and so grand in scale before.” I didn’t want us to wander through the tour like hillbillies, gaping at everything we saw, but damn. The estate was that impressive. It was hard not to show how impressed we were.

  “Oh, I get it.” Darby grinned. “The first day I came here, I had been married for like two days. I knew Nathan had money and lived in an old house, but I was not prepared for Peacock Alley.” She shook her head, remembering. “It was early morning, and a heavy fog covered everything, making the place extra dramatic. I met Maxwell and Nathan’s mother for the first time standing on the porch out there, and I was completely intimidated. I had never seen a house like this one, either.” She rolled her eyes.

  She indicated the twin staircases. “Nathan told me that morning that one side of the stairs was for men, and the other staircase was for women only.” Darby stopped and laughed.

  “What is it?” I kept an eye on Ivy. She was examining the marble fireplace in detail, and I’m sure she was thinking about making this room the subject of one of her paintings. She would be memorizing the details in that case.

  “My mother-in-law is an interesting woman. To say she hated me at first sight would be an understatement. She made it clear standing in this very foyer that morning that my marriage to Nathan would never last, and that I would be gone by winter.” Darby grinned at me. “Good times.”

  I laughed with her. I admired her spirit, and I couldn’t help but notice that the mother-in-law was gone, and Darby was still here. Something told me the free spirit standing in front of me was more than a match for any adversary, no matter how light and fluffy Darby came across at times.

  We started up the stairs. “I really owe you guys an apology. Maxwell comes and goes from this house all the time, taking care of various business as needed. He usually has lunch with us every day, too. I would love it if you guys would start joining us for lunch, as well. You live on the estate, and you should be comfortable here.”

  I hesitated. I didn’t want to impose.

  “Come on now. I really like for us to be a big family around here. It would mean a lot to me if you started coming up to the house.” Darby’s face was set with determination. “The house is stuffy and formal by design, and I wouldn’t change anything about the structure. The people, however, that’s a different story. I want us all to be warm and friendly. It’s the people that make a house a home.”

  “I don’t want Nathan to feel like we are in the way. Now that you have a baby, I’m sure that makes your time together all the more precious.” Darby was hard to resist when she was set on something, but I didn’t want to be the odd man out at the dinner table eve
ry day.

  “I won’t take no for an answer. Nathan already knows I was planning on asking you to join us. And Maxwell...well, Maxwell probably read my mind and knows, too.” She laughed once more.

  “What’s with the Maxwell is a psychic thing I’m hearing everywhere I go?” I was tired of tiptoeing around his unique ability.

  Ivy stopped to study a painting hanging in the upper hallway and wasn’t paying us any attention.

  Darby shot me an incredulous look. “You haven’t noticed?”

  I shrugged sheepishly. “Well, yes, actually, I have, but it just isn’t logical.”

  “Look, all I can tell you is Maxwell knows things before anybody else, and he always seems to know when something is needed, usually before you realize it yourself. In fact, the morning I started suspecting I was pregnant with little Nate, I asked Maxwell to drive me to town. I made up some excuse about needing something, and it was a solid lie. But I really wanted a pregnancy test.” Darby shook her head in mock disgust. “Maxwell drove me to town, and then he told me I had better stay in the car while he went in to buy the test because he knew I didn’t want the whole town to know I was pregnant.”

  She turned to me with a shrug of her own. “He had no reason to suspect I was pregnant. Nathan certainly didn’t have a clue. But Maxwell just knew somehow. I have a million stories like that, and Nathan says he was like that even as a child.”

  Ivy exclaimed over a window with stained glass and disappeared into the next room to get a closer look.

  “Millie, are you okay? You look pale.” Darby took me by the arm. “Do you need to sit down? It’s probably the heat. It gets to people, especially when you first come in from outside.”

  I shook my head. “Maxwell told me last night I was pregnant.” Oh, great. Probably that’s not something you blurt out to your boss.

  Darby’s eyes bugged out of her head. There was a long pause, and then she gasped. “Well then. That means you probably are pregnant.”

  Another long silence. A quick glance showed me that Ivy was too far away to hear us, wholly engrossed in the details of the lovely window.

  “Is Maxwell the father?” Darby raised an eyebrow at me.

  “Yes.” The fact that she had to ask emphasized how little time Maxwell and I had spent together.

  Darby squealed in delight, and then she took another look at my face. “Unexpected news, I guess?”

  I nodded.

  “Well, Maxwell will be the best father. I promise!” She clasped her hands together, and happiness radiated from her face. “Our children will be close in age. Maybe they will be friends like their fathers. Or maybe they will fall in love.”

  I laughed at her romantic notions. “It’s too soon to even confirm the baby with a home test. I am hoping Maxwell was wrong, however. I just started this job, and Maxwell and I are in a brand-new relationship. He’s got to be wrong sometime, right?”

  “Honey, something I learned when I met Nathan. The best stuff in life happens in a big hurry. I am a firm believer in instant love after the way that man swept me off my feet. And Maxwell looks at you the same way Nathan looks at me.” She stuck a head in the next room to check that Ivy was still too far away to hear her. “I promise you. He’s in love with you, and I’m betting he’s thrilled about you being pregnant.”

  I nodded again. “I wish I knew if it was true or not.”

  Did I? Right now I think I wanted to stay in denial for a long time.

  Darby gave me a look. “If Maxwell sees it, it’s true. But I think you can take a home test five days before your next period should start. Any idea when that might be?”

  I couldn’t believe I was having this conversation with one of my employers. But since another one of my employers probably knocked me up, I guess this all made sense somehow.

  “Another week, I think.” I had spent a lot of time the evening before trying to remember when my last period was, and I was reasonably sure it was exactly three weeks ago.

  “I’m going to New York with Nathan for the weekend. I’ll buy you a test while I’m there. Maxwell was right. Anything you do in this town is front page news, so let me take care of getting the pregnancy test.” Darby tapped a finger on her lips, thinking it over.

  “I’m going to wait on an official test before I decide Maxwell is right.” I put my hands on my hips. Surely, he was wrong at least some of the time? I was holding on to that thought until I had no other choice left open to me.

  Darby gave me a knowing look. “Okay, sure, that makes lots of sense. But do me a favor, and ask him if it’s a girl or a boy, okay? I want to start buying baby clothes, and I need to know what flavor you are having.”

  She laughed at my outraged look, and then she continued on with our tour.

  Later, after showing us the entire house, she took us out to her art studio that was located in the former kitchen building, dating back to when the house was a working plantation.

  Ivy was entranced. “You are a painter?” She hurried from painting after painting displayed on the walls and leaning in stacks here and there.

  “Yep. I sell a few of my things in a gallery in New York City, and of course, some are displayed in the main house as well.” Darby folded her arms and watched Ivy’s face as she turned to examine the paint supplies.

  “I love to draw.” Ivy looked up shyly, and I smiled.

  “She’s actually very good.” I was proud of my daughter’s talents, and like most moms, I didn’t hesitate to share them with the world. “We will have to show you some of her work.”

  Ivy nodded. “I’m in art camp right now at the public library in town.”

  Darby looked pleased. “Nathan and I are one of the sponsors of that camp.” She paused. “You know, Ivy, every great artist needs their own art studio.”

  I could see the scheming and plotting going on in her mind.

  “Let me talk to Nathan. We will find a spot to make you an art studio of your own. Won’t that be fun?” Darby’s eyes sparkled, and Ivy clapped her hands.

  “Wait a second. We have a spare bedroom in our apartment that will work just fine for an art studio. I don’t want to put you out, Darby.” I couldn’t believe how generous Darby was all the time.

  The Randolphs had already done so much for us.

  Darby rolled her eyes again. “Please. One thing Peacock Alley has plenty of is space. The only question for me is how close can we get the art studio to your apartment, so Ivy can come and go without you worrying about her safety.”

  I could tell there was no point in arguing with her.

  I said a quick prayer of thanks for landing this job. It had honestly been life changing in every possible way.

  Amen.

  Darby sat down on a small sofa and indicated we should pull up chairs of our own. Grateful to sit down after the lengthy tour of the massive estate, I did just that. Ivy elected to keep looking at Darby’s paintings.

  “There’s a lot of history here, obviously.” Darby paused and looked at the ceiling for the moment. “Some of it is very dark history and not pleasant. I try very hard as Nathan’s wife to maintain the history with respect for all the people who came before me.”

  Darby wasn’t usually so somber and introspective, so I waited to see where this discussion was going. I didn’t have to wait long.

  “Nathan had a wife before me. Her name was Savannah. She was a piece of work.” Darby grimaced.

  “Oh, I didn’t know he was married before. Were they divorced long before you met him?” I curled my feet under me, glad to learn about more recent history after hearing about the much older history of the estate during the tour.

  “They didn’t divorce. She died before Nathan could take her to court.” Darby spoke flatly. “Anyway, I bring it up because this room was her personal space, and I was delighted to turn it into my own little corner of the world, to erase the history she left behind.” She made a wry face. “So I will find some corner for Ivy, and we can make it her own. Everybody needs
their own special hangout spot.”

  “That’s very generous of you, Darby.” How would I ever pay back all the kind acts the Randolphs had shown me?

  Darby grinned. “I told Ivy we redheads had to stick together. Giving her some art space is another way to do just that.”

  Twenty Two

  The next morning, I found myself missing Maxwell. That was silly, of course, because he had taken Ivy and me to dinner the night before. Afterward, we had watched an animated movie with Ivy, curled up on my sofa together, fighting over a big bowl of popcorn.

  At the end of the evening, Maxwell kissed me goodnight and walked away. I couldn’t help but think how nice it would be if he didn’t have to leave, and we were a real family of three. Or four, even.

  Now as I saw the first hints of the sunrise, I was restless and lonely. I checked on Ivy, but she was sleeping soundly, and probably would continue to do so for another couple of hours. I left her a note by her bed saying I was going over to the silo and to call me if she needed me.

  Feeling like a bad parent, I slipped away. I knew she was safe enough, between the estate security team and the high tech fire suppression systems found in all the buildings, but I had feelings of guilt, nonetheless. I would try to make this quick.

  I used my key to let myself into the silo. The sun was just starting to rise, but the light hadn’t penetrated the windows in Maxwell’s living room yet. I tiptoed up the spiral staircase and made my way into his bedroom.

  I started having second thoughts about surprising him this way. What if he woke up grouchy? What if I startled him, and he punched me in the face, thinking I was a burglar? What if he just didn’t want to see me first thing on awakening? I mean, I was invading his space without an invitation. That could be annoying, right?

  But once I made my way over to the bed and looked down to where he lay sleeping, I was so preoccupied with how sexy he looked, I forgot all my crazy concerns. He was flat on his back wearing nothing but a pair of blue jeans.