“Your aunt was special, Dr. Coulter.”
“I know.” My stomach is in knots, my chest tight. I’m so fucking excited to go on this adventure I can hardly stay in my chair. I want to leap up and go right now.
But Lena hasn’t agreed to go with me, and she’s the key.
“School’s finished,” she murmurs. “Do you need to know right now?”
“I’m afraid so,” Alan replies. “Once you agree and leave my office, I set everything into motion. I’ll call you both at six in the morning to tell you where to go.”
“Six in the morning?” Lena demands. “Why would anyone be awake that early?”
I laugh and sit back, watching all of the emotions roll over her face. God, she’s fucking gorgeous. Spending the next week, on the ultimate treasure hunt, is going to be spectacular.
She worries her lip between her teeth, thinking it over.
“Can I send a quick text?”
“Of course,” Alan says, and we both sit quietly as she types furiously on her phone. A reply comes almost immediately. “Okay. I’ll do it.”
“Who did you text?” I ask, curious.
“Mallory. She’s going to check my mail.” She smiles widely. “I might regret this, but I’m in. I might just learn something.”
“Are you sure?” I ask and take her hand in mine again. “I know it’s asking a lot, and if you’re uncomfortable with it, I understand.”
“I’m okay,” she says with a nod. “I mean, we’ll have separate sleeping arrangements, and—”
“Actually,” Alan interrupts, “You’ll be sleeping in the same hotel room. Claudia was specific about that as well. She didn’t want Mason sneaking out to go find anything on his own. She wanted you to do this together. One hundred percent.”
“I’m not sleeping with him,” she says, and I tilt my head to the side. Is that a challenge? Because right now all I can think about is getting her on a plane and joining the mile high club.
“I don’t believe she was insisting on the trip to be consummated,” Alan says with a wink. “Just that you sleep in the same room.”
Lena frowns and sits back in her seat. “Do I have to go to the bathroom and shower with him too?”
Yes to the shower.
“No, ma’am.”
She nods. “Okay. Let’s do it.” She looks over at me and a slow smile spreads over her face. “With Indiana Jones leading the way, we can’t lose.”
Chapter Four
~Lena~
I’m on a freaking plane with Mason Coulter. A private plane, headed God knows where, and I’m not freaking out, which surprises me.
Yesterday, when I agreed to do this, I talked myself into seeing this as a great adventure. One I wouldn’t get to experience otherwise. I also foolishly believed that I could be alone with Mason and not want to climb him like a tree.
That last part isn’t true. Not at all. Because the man is sitting across from me, reading his iPad, sipping coffee. He’s in blue jeans and a simple, white button down shirt, untucked. The sleeves are rolled on his forearms, showing off his tan and the chorded veins that run from his hand to his elbow. His dark hair is a bit too long, but even without a fresh haircut, it’s sexy. He shaved this morning. And all I want to do is climb in his lap, push my fingers in his hair, and kiss the hell out of him. My whole body is humming in anticipation and excitement.
And sexual tension.
Mason is a toucher. He always was. He puts his hand on the small of my back to lead me to a seat. He covers my hand with his when we’re laughing.
He touches me all the damn time.
And I like it. A lot. Probably more than I should. I sneak another glance his way and am mortified to find him watching me.
“What?”
“You’re thinking awfully hard over there.”
“Well, I’ve been given a lot to think about over the last twenty-four hours.”
He nods. “What did the letter say that Alan gave you?”
I smile and cross my legs. “It’s a private letter.”
He smirks. “Okay. I can respect that.”
“Do you know where we’re going?”
He shakes his head. “No idea. But I’m excited to get there.”
“I can see that. You’re like a kid on Christmas morning.”
“It’s Christmas and my birthday, all rolled into one.” He sets his iPad aside and turns to face me. “When I was a young boy, I went on adventures with Aunt Claudia at least once a year. But once I reached about fourteen, she went less and less, until ultimately she was a recluse, staying home.”
“That must have been hard for her.”
“I agree, but she never complained. I think she just got older, and it was more difficult physically for her to travel.”
I nod and sip my water. “It sounds like you’re a lot like her.”
“I am.” He nods and smiles widely, which does not help the whole want to climb him like a tree thing. “I sent her photos and stories from my digs often, and she was proud of me.”
“Of course she was.” The plane dips. “Feels like we’re descending.”
He looks out the window and points. “Look. I think that’s Mount Hood.”
“Isn’t that in Washington?”
“Oregon,” he replies and smiles over at me. “Looks like we’re going to Oregon.”
“I’ve never been,” I say, suddenly excited again. “What could we possibly be looking for in Oregon?”
“A million different things,” he murmurs, still looking outside. The pilot comes over the speakers, telling us that we’re about to land in Portland. Mason grins. “Are you ready for this?”
“Yes.” I nod. “I’m ready.”
We’ve landed in Portland within a half hour, and as we leave the plane, the pilot passes an envelope to Mason.
There’s a rental car waiting for us. Once our luggage is loaded, and we’re in the car, he opens the envelope and I lean over to read it over his shoulder.
Your journey is just beginning. You must be starving. A little Seduction should satisfy you.
We frown at each other. “That sounds like a strip club.”
“Portland does have the most strip clubs per capita in the United States,” he replies, making me frown deeper. “But I doubt that’s it.”
“I hope not. It’s too early in the day for strip clubs. And I do not want to know how you know that little bit of trivia.”
He laughs and I pull my phone out of my handbag, typing Seduction and Portland into Google.
“There’s a restaurant here called Seduction.”
“That’s where we’re going,” he says. I pull the restaurant up on the GPS and it only takes us about thirty minutes to arrive there. We left so bloody early this morning that it’s still before lunchtime, with the time difference, when we arrive.
“They’re closed.” I point to the hours of operation on the door. “We’re too early.”
Suddenly, a woman appears and opens the door for us. “Are you Mason and Lena?”
“We are,” Mason replies.
“Great, come on in.” She opens the door wide for us to step inside, then locks it again behind us. “I’m Riley, one of the owners here. I’m to give you this envelope, and feed you before you go on your way.” She leads us to a table, already set with steaming plates of delicious smelling foods.
“You knew we were coming,” I say and Riley nods happily.
“Oh yes. This is fun. You must be excited.” Mason nods and thanks her for the meal. I had no idea I was so hungry until I dig into the food and sigh in contentment.
“So good.”
“Mm,” he says. When his plate is half clean, he opens the envelope, reads the clue and then passes it to me.
There’s a fire in you that can’t be extinguished, not even with all of the water in the lake. You will see.
I blink rapidly and hand it back to Mason. “What lake?”
He’s chewing, his brow furrowed, thinking. “I’m not sure. Crat
er Lake is very popular in Oregon, but I can’t think of anything with fire there.”
“Hmm. Fire. You will see.” I nibble on my lip and stare at my water glass.
“What are you thinking?”
“Well, this probably isn’t it at all, but the first thing I think of is a fire opal.”
“You get an opal out of that clue?”
“I told you it probably isn’t right. But fire opals are known to improve sight. They’re quite powerful. They also protect against disease and ease pain from grief.”
My eyes fly up to his.
“Ease grief,” he murmurs and takes his phone out of his pocket. “You’re good, Lena. There is a fire opal mine here in Oregon.” He smiles at me. “In Lakeview, to be exact.”
I gasp, and then clap my hands. “That has to be it!”
“I agree.” He punches more information into his phone and frowns. “It’s a six hour drive from here.”
I check the time. “That would put us there mid-afternoon. Would that give us enough time to find an opal?”
“It looks like the mine is open until six today, so we should have plenty of time.”
“Let’s go.” We finish our meal, and when Mason tries to pay, Riley just smiles.
“It’s all taken care of,” she assures him. “Have an amazing journey.”
There’s a bit of traffic out of Portland, but once on the freeway it opens up, and I sit back, content to watch the scenery as Mason drives.
“It’s so green here,” I murmur.
“It’s a beautiful state,” he agrees. He glances my way and then returns his attention to the road. “Tell me about yourself.”
I frown. “You know me.”
“I knew you,” he says. “But it’s been a while, and people change. Do you enjoy teaching?”
“Very much.” Talking about my job is easy. “The kids are fun. Sometimes you get a difficult one, or three, but on the whole, kids just want to be heard. They want kindness, with a little badass thrown in.”
“I would imagine that you have the kind badass gig down pat.”
“Oh yeah,” I reply with a laugh. “Teaching is what I was put here to do. I love it.”
“Are you still practicing magic with your grandmother?”
I bite my lip, wondering how to answer this question. One of the things I loved most about Mason when I met him years ago was that he listened to me. When I told him about my gifts he didn’t recoil and mock me. He asked intelligent questions and didn’t judge me.
I’d never met anyone like that in my life, and talking about the craft with anyone that doesn’t practice makes me nervous.
“Hey,” he says and reaches over to take my hand. “You can still talk to me.”
I pull my hand out from under his and shift in my seat. “I do still practice.”
“You’d never show me.”
“Unless there’s a need, it’s not something to just randomly show off.” I shrug. “Now it’s your turn. Tell me about where you’ve traveled.”
“First, we should clear the air.”
“Okay.” I turn to face him now, pulling one leg under me in the seat. “Where the fuck did you go, Mason? And why did you ignore me? If you didn’t want to see me anymore, all you had to do was say so. I’m a pretty reasonable girl.”
“I know.” He changes lanes and takes an exit, then parks in the parking lot of a McDonald’s.
“I’m not hungry.”
“I can’t drive and concentrate on this at the same time,” he says as he turns to face me. “I told you before that I was sorry, and I meant it, Lena. But I’m saying it again. I apologize for the way I handled it, and the way it had to make you feel.”
I tilt my head to the side and listen.
“I was young, relatively inexperienced with women because I had focused on academia for so long, and I panicked.”
“You panicked? It’s not like I told you I was pregnant.”
“Oh my God, were you—?”
“No. God, no. I’m just saying, there was no reason for you to panic.”
“I was offered a job in Tibet. Tibet, Lena. And I knew that I had to go. It was everything I’d ever worked for in my life.”
“Okay.”
“But I didn’t want to. I wanted to stay in New Orleans, with you. You’d told me how close you were to your grandmother, and that being in New Orleans was all you ever wanted. I didn’t want that life. And we hadn’t been together for long. Asking you to go with me—”
“I would have said no.”
He nods. “But then I would have been tempted to stay. I was so fucking lost in you. You’re so beautiful, and you were smart and interesting, and everything in my life shifted because of you. I was losing focus on everything I’d worked so hard for.”
I blink rapidly, soaking in his words.
“And I knew, I had to just go. I’d worked my entire life for that opportunity, and it was the springboard to the rest of my career. I couldn’t pass it up.”
“No. You couldn’t.”
“But I hurt you, and I’m so damn sorry, Lena.”
“You did hurt me.” I nod and look out the windshield, blindly watching a traffic signal turn red. “I’ve worked through some baggage because of that experience. I had trusted you with a lot of myself, emotionally and physically. And then you left, without a word, as if I meant nothing to you.”
“I wish I could undo it. Or at least have this conversation six years ago.”
“You could have been honest with me,” I reply and turn to face him, much of the old animosity gone. Because the truth of it is, he was young, and so was I. “You can always be honest with me. It would have still hurt, but I wouldn’t have wondered what I did wrong to make you go.”
“You didn’t do anything wrong.” He leans over and cups my cheek. “The only thing you did was be everything wonderful and sweet. And I’m sorry that I ever made you doubt that. Can you forgive me?”
I swallow hard, unable to look away from him. “Just don’t do it again. I know this time is different, and that I’m here because of your aunt, but when you leave, just tell me you’re leaving.”
“I can absolutely promise that I won’t ever just disappear on you ever again.”
“Okay.” I nod and take a deep breath. “I don’t know about you, but I feel better now.”
“Me too.”
“We’d better go, or we’ll get there too late.”
“We could go in the morning.”
“We might have to travel again all day tomorrow.”
“Good point.” He pulls back onto the freeway and takes my hand in his, then kisses my knuckles. “Thank you.”
“Just drive, Dr. Jones.”
“I love Indiana Jones,” he says with a smile.
“Me too.”
***
“We’re closing in a half hour,” the man behind the counter says. We’ve just arrived, both of us panting from running in from the parking lot. “What’s your name again?”
“Mason Coulter.”
“I’m Ted.” He smiles and reaches out to shake Mason’s hand. “And you must be Lena.”
“I am.”
“You actually have excellent timing,” Ted says and locks the door, turning the sign to closed. “The last group of tourists just left a few minutes ago, and for what I have to show you, well, you’ll see.”
He winks and motions for us to follow him out back. The weather is beautiful today, and the hottest part of the day is over, leaving us with a pleasant evening.
“What are these buckets?” I ask Ted.
“These are the buckets we give to customers to sift through, looking for opals,” he replies. “We do the actual mining, and customers pay for the bucket, then sift through them.”
“That seems like cheating,” I reply, earning a smile from Mason.
“It’s easy,” Ted says with a shrug. “And profitable for us. Not to mention, you wouldn’t imagine the liability cost of allowing people down
into the mine.”
“Oh, that makes sense,” I reply with a nod. “So where are we going?”
“Into the mine,” Ted says with a smile. “Something tells me that Mason wouldn’t be content with a bucket.”
“You’d be right,” Mason replies with a laugh. “But your operation here is impressive, and for novice customers, it’s perfect.”
“Thank you,” Ted says as he passes us each helmets. “We’re not going in deep, but you never know what might fall. We’re going to dig for a bit, and then you can sift through what we pull out.”
“Fun,” I reply and watch in awe as Ted sets about pulling dirt from the ground. The operation is bigger and louder and just more than I ever expected.
Before long, we’re standing before a huge, square machine that sifts the earth, making the dirt and sand fall through the mesh and leaving behind large rocks.
“We’ve got it from here,” Mason says to Ted when we have plenty of earth to wade through. “Do you need us to leave soon?”
“Take your time,” he says with a wink. “I’ll be where you found me.”
Ted walks away and Mason begins to show me how to find our opals. “Like this,” he says, shaking the box. The dirt falls away, and there’s nothing left.
“Well, that was a dud,” I say as Mason shovels more in.
For the next half hour it’s the same. We shimmy and shake the box, and we’re left with rocks or nothing at all.
Until, finally, we hit the motherlode.
“Look at that,” Mason says and holds a rock up.
“It just looks like a pretty rock.” He turns it over, and I gasp. “Oh, it’s beautiful.”
It’s brilliantly red and orange.
“Can you imagine how pretty it’ll be when it’s polished?” Mason asks. “This is a beauty.”
“So pretty,” I agree and rub my finger over the smooth side. We did it! We found what his aunt wanted us to find.
I can’t help it, I launch myself into his arms for a big hug. “I’m so proud of us!”
He laughs and hugs me back, and as I begin to pull away, he kisses my cheek. I still and stare into his eyes, and the next thing I know, he’s kissing me. Not a gentle kiss, but a crazy, passionate kiss that I feel all the way down to my toes.
Easy Fortune: A Boudreaux Series Novella (The Boudreaux Series) Page 3