Mini suddenly flapped her wings. “I've got an idea!” She leaned close and whispered something in Reuben's ear. His eyes flew wide.
Before Zack's astounded gaze, the bird fell backward from the perch, landing on his back with his toes stuck comically in the air. “What happened to him?"
"He fainted.” She clapped a wing to her beak and giggled. “But I had to tell him sooner or later. Might as well be sooner."
Cautiously, Zack stepped closer to the cage and inspected the prone lovebird. He almost felt sorry for the arrogant warlock. “What did you tell him?"
"I told him that he's going to be a father."
Zack glanced at the nest. “Didn't he already know?"
Mini shrugged. “I told him a few days ago, but he didn't believe me. That was before I laid the first egg."
Reuben's foot twitched, and Zack took an involuntary step away from the cage. He flushed when Mini flashed him a knowing glance.
"He may be a bird, but he's also a warlock. You might keep that in mind when he awakens."
Zack did a perfect imitation of Reuben's earlier snort. “He doesn't scare me."
"He should,” she informed him in a tone too serious to ignore. “Reuben's always had a powerful temper. When he was a warlock he—” She broke off, casting a nervous glance at the unconscious bird.
"So, he's not a warlock?"
"He is, but he isn't."
"I'm confused."
"When he married me, he gave up his warlock ways—or most of them. He's still incredibly stubborn, horrendously hot-tempered, and totally insensitive."
Zack arched a brow at her descriptive, heartfelt words. “How did you become lovebirds?"
Mini groaned and rubbed a wing over her back. “Mortals and their curiosity! It's a long story, so you'd better pull up a chair. I've got to return to the egg before it becomes cold.” When Reuben let out a moan and began to stir, she quickly chanted a spell over his body. Intrigued, Zack watched as Reuben's beak parted. Soft snores erupted from his open mouth.
"I conjured a little sleeping spell to give him time to cool off and give us time to have a nice long chat without interruption. Meanwhile, you'd better be working on your apology."
"Apology?” She thought he should apologize to Reuben? Zack laughed, shaking his head. “Now I think you're confused. I'm the victim. I'm not apologizing to anyone."
"Okay. If you want to wear those donkey ears forever, that's your business.” She made the rings around her eyes wiggle suggestively. “I think they're kinda cute, but what will Justine think?"
As her meaning sank in, Zack felt the blood drain from his face, leaving him numb. He slowly lifted his hands to his ears and felt around.
Hair tickled his palms.
He moved his hands up, and found more ears covered with rough, bristly hair. Miles of ears...
They ended above his head in a hairy point.
When he opened his mouth to curse a blue-streak, a braying sound emerged. To think he had actually believed taking care of a pair of innocent little lovebirds would be a piece of cake compared to Dennis!
Her cab driver was definitely not female. He was thirtyish, with shaggy blond hair and a pot belly that his too-short jacket did not cover. He not only reeked of garlic and cigar smoke, he obviously didn't believe in car heaters, as her frozen toes could attest to.
Nevertheless, he'd gotten her home, and for that Justine thanked him and paid her fare without complaint.
Her van was parked at the curb, and acting on impulse, Justine climbed inside and turned the key. It would be embarrassing to call a towing service only to discover it was nothing more than a loose or corroded battery cable.
The van purred to life without a hitch.
She turned the engine off and tried again. It started instantly.
Justine frowned, tapping her fingers against the wheel. Her mind jumped from one possibility to another. Cold weather? Bad cables? Weak battery? Her knowledge about cars was limited, but in her opinion none of these possibilities fit the bill. Before her date with Zack, she had tried starting the van for five long, cold minutes. Not a single click or rumble did she hear.
What was going on?
She rubbed her frozen nose and stepped out onto the snow-crusted road, belatedly realizing she could be warm and cozy while she contemplated the mystery of her van. Besides, she needed a cup of hot chocolate to ease the ache in her throat, an ache that had continued to build during the cab ride.
The answering machine was blinking when she entered the apartment. By this time she figured Zack would have perfected his sorry story, so she ignored the blinking light and took her time boiling hot water for instant cocoa.
When the cocoa was ready, she braced herself and pressed the button on her answering machine. She felt a quick, illogical stab of disappointment as Jordan's boyish voice rose from the speaker.
"Aunt Justine, this is Jordan. Mom thought—well, I thought so too,” he amended, sounding sheepish, “I should call you and apologize to you personally. I know Zack's probably already told you, and I know you're probably disappointed in me."
Justine's anger at him began to melt at his sincere tone. Deep down she knew Jordan was a good kid. He'd learned his lesson, and had acted responsibly in paying the price.
His voice picked up, sounding excited. “I hope you had fun on your date with Zack. He's a pretty cool guy. I mean, any guy who would go through the trouble he did tonight—"
The machine beeped, ending the unfinished message and leaving Justine's curiosity highly aroused. She would have given just about anything to hear the rest of his sentence. Trouble? Chili, crackers, and milk. Granted, the chili had probably taken a bit of preparation, but she wouldn't exactly call it trouble.
Thinking the messages over, Justine turned away with every intention of finishing her chocolate and crawling into bed. She needed a good, cleansing cry.
Melissa Copeland's voice stopped her in her tracks.
"Justine, you won't believe what happened today! Mrs. Winberry came in with her cat, and she's claiming the goldfish you gave her attacked him! Can you imagine? A goldfish attacking a cat?” Melissa's disbelieving laugh rippled from the speaker. “His paw was mangled, so I'm guessing he tangled with a dog."
Justine swayed and grabbed the island counter for support, remembering big, impossible teeth grinning at her through a plastic sack the day she replaced Mrs. Winberry's fish.
"Anyway, just thought I would alert you. The old lady's said something about calling her lawyer. She thinks you should pay her vet bill."
Hot chocolate soaked through Justine's jeans. She let out a sharp cry and dropped the cup, staring at the shattered pieces with burning, stunned eyes.
Her heart thundered. Slowly, she reached out and pressed the button on her machine, replaying the message.
[Back to Table of Contents]
Chapter Twenty-Six
Beneath her mask of black feathers, Mini could feel the guilt-induced flush burning her skin. Throughout her entire story, Zack had listened patiently, interrupting only to ask a question or to correct a flaw in the telling.
Reuben still slept.
"So you see, Zack, tonight's fiasco was my fault. I suspected Justine's hackles would rise if she believed you were setting her up just to...to—"
"Jump her bones?” Zack supplied.
Mini cleared her throat, uncomfortable with the subject. If Reuben should hear her talking sex with another man, Zack would have more to scratch than just his ridiculously large donkey ears. “Yes. I was afraid tonight would be the night, and our assignment would be finished."
"And you believe Reuben would insist you leave the egg.” Thoughtfully, Zack rubbed his chin. “Sounds to me like you and Justine have the same problem."
"Problem?” Mini frowned. “I'm not following you."
"Well, Justine doesn't trust me to not love her and leave her again, and you won't give Reuben the benefit of the doubt that he might understand your mothering
instincts."
Sorrow welled in Mini's breast. “He thinks I'm crazy for making a nest. He'll think I'm even crazier for laying eggs and staying with them. I'm a witch, not a bird."
"Ah, but right now you're both,” Zack pointed out. “And so is he. He hasn't seen the egg, right?"
Mini shook her head. A single tear rolled from her eye and soaked the feathers on her breast. “No. I was afraid to show him. He's going to laugh—"
"Maybe not. Maybe he won't laugh. Maybe he'll get that same feeling you've got and want to take care of the eggs until you can safely leave them."
Despair thickened her voice. “But what if he doesn't have that reaction? What if he makes me leave the eggs?"
"That's where the trust comes in, Mini."
A shuddering sigh lifted the feathers on her breast. “Okay, so let's say he does agree to stay until they hatch. What then? What if I can't bring myself to leave the babies?” Her obsession over bird eggs had ceased to amaze her. Now it just seemed natural. She supposed the thought should have frightened her, but it didn't.
Zack pulled absently at his ear. “Do you think I took good care of Dennis?"
"Yes. Yes, I do.” She bobbed her beak. “I was proud of you. I'm not sure I would have been so patient with the little squirt."
"Well, there's your answer. Justine has experience, and she'll have me to help."
"And Jordan,” Mini added thoughtfully.
"And Jordan. Three people you trust. We'd take good care of them for you—if it so happens you have to leave after they hatch. I'm putting my money on Reuben, but just in case I'm wrong."
Reluctantly, Mini consented. “All right, and thanks, Zack. I realize you have problems of your own—"
"Which reminds me.” Zack crossed his ankles, his hip propped against the couch. “I think I'm going to lay all my cards on the table and let the chips fall where they may."
Mini struggled to translate. “Tell Justine everything?"
Zack nodded. “Yep. After tonight, what have I got to lose?"
His solemn expression tugged at Mini's heart strings and deepened her guilt. “Trust her, Zack. It's all about trust anyway, isn't it? If she's going to be your life mate, she has to learn to trust you now.” She paused to let that sink in before she added, “But Zack, don't expect her to believe you about us. When you and Justine were on the cruise ship, she was so happy I think she would have believed in anything—even magic."
"But now?” Zack asked softly.
"Now she's more cautious. Her mind has put up safeguards and I'm afraid they won't be easy to get around."
A knock at the door startled a shriek out of Mini. “Zack! Your ears! Get something and cover them up, and I'll wake Reuben. Maybe I can convince him to reverse the spell."
Zack scowled. “Maybe? He'll reverse it or I'll—"
"Zack!” Mini's voice rose as she glanced into her crystal ball. “We don't have time to argue. It's Justine!"
The urgency in Mini's voice moved Zack to action. With a string of curses spilling from his mouth, he raced to his bedroom closet and pawed through the clutter on the top shelf. Talking about amazing animal stories! He couldn't believe he was looking for a hat to cover his donkey ears. Zack shook his head at the absurd thought, shoving a football helmet into the floor in his mad search.
With a triumphant shout, he pulled out a battered baseball cap and clamped it over his ears. It was a tight fit, but it would have to do.
Justine nearly fell into the room when he opened the door as if she'd had her eye to the keyhole. He caught her against him, relishing the contact and inhaling the cold, clean scent of her hair. “Gee, when you fall for a guy, you really fall hard,” he teased gruffly. Had it only been an hour since he'd last seen her? It felt like a lifetime.
"I have to talk to you about Jordan,” she said breathlessly. She pulled away from his arms and brushed her hair from her eyes. “I think he might have been in your apartment tonight."
Zack shut the door and braced his shoulder against it. “What gave you that idea?” He knew from Mini that Jordan had helped set the romantic scene waiting for them, of course, but he was extremely curious to discover how she knew.
"It all makes sense. You were surprised, weren't you? You didn't just change your plans from Cornish hens to chili, did you?"
"Are you asking, or making a statement?"
Justine drew in an agitated breath, her eyes flashing him a warning. “Look, I'm trying to put this puzzle together, and you're not helping by mocking me. I realize I didn't give you a chance to explain, and I'm sorry."
"But now you're willing to listen,” Zack observed. He wanted to shout with joy. Justine had come to him. She was saving him from having to kidnap, bind, and gag her. Instead of shouting, however, he held out his hand for her coat. “You'd better get comfortable, because this might take a while."
She fumbled with her coat buttons until Zack gently pushed her hands away and finished the job. When he'd removed her coat, he gently led her to the table and pushed her into a seat. He pulled a chair around and straddled it so that he was facing her.
"My father suffered a stroke,” he said.
Her face washed clean of color. Tears sprang to her eyes. “Oh, Zack,” she whispered, “I'm sorry! How—how is he?"
"He died."
"God! Why didn't you tell me?"
"I haven't had a chance."
"When did it happen?"
"Which one?” Zack queried softly.
"Both! Oh, darling—” Stricken, she glanced away from his intent gaze. “I'm sorry. That just slipped out."
Zack let it go for now. In a moment he was pretty certain she'd forget all about being embarrassed over calling him darling, and with any luck, she'd be calling him darling the rest of his life.
Bracing himself, he said, “He suffered his first stroke the day I left the cruise ship. Six months later, he suffered his second stroke. Eight months after the first, he died."
She became so still and pale Zack feared she'd faint.
Her voice was a hoarse whisper. “Why didn't you tell me?"
Here came the tricky part. Zack was suddenly seized with a terrible fear that she wouldn't believe him. As he hesitated, Mini's soft, encouraging voice filled his head with startling clarity. Trust her, Zack.
"I left a message with one of the stewards,” Zack said, looking straight into her beautiful golden eyes. For a long moment, their gazes remained locked. He knew she was looking for the truth, but he couldn't tell if she'd found it. “The message contained my address and phone number, and the reason I had to go."
"I didn't get it.” Her neutral tone revealed nothing. “Why didn't you call?"
"We never exchanged phone numbers, remember? We both thought we had plenty of time. At first when you didn't call, I thought you were maybe just busy. My father was so ill I didn't have much time to think about it. After a month, I tried to find your number, but there was no listing for a Justine Diamond."
"It's unlisted.” Justine felt a rising horror as the pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place. With Barry's betrayal fresh in her mind at the time, she hadn't wanted to talk about the past or anything personal with the exception of her family. She hadn't wanted anything to mar the wonderful magic she'd discovered when she met Zack.
"So I gathered. After a few months, I forced myself to face the truth: that you'd changed your mind about us."
"But I—” Justine tried to say the words, but fear locked her throat tight. Zack's understanding nod made her flush guiltily.
"I still couldn't get you out of my mind. Then Dad had his second stroke. I was running the business, so between working and taking care of him, I couldn't pull away to come looking for you.” His voice dropped. “By that time I knew I couldn't get on with my life until I won you back, or heard from your own lips that what we have isn't real."
Have. Justine hugged the word to herself, afraid, so terribly afraid to believe. Even more afraid not to. Inch by inch, she
stretched her hand across the table until her fingers touched his. “You—you came to Cannon Bay for me?"
He smiled crookedly. “No, I came to Cannon Bay for the nice weather. Of course I came for you.” His smile dropped abruptly and a cold, hard light entered his eyes. “If I ever run into that steward again, I'm afraid I might do a little damage to his kneecaps."
Justine let a trickle of joy seep into her heart. She grinned. “And I'll stand guard."
His fingers captured hers. He brought her hand to his mouth and brushed his lips tenderly across her skin. She shivered and closed her eyes. This time there was a flood of joy.
"I love you, Justine,” he said roughly, pulling her onto his lap. “These past thirteen months have been hell."
"Yes,” she agreed, winding her arms around his neck. The bill of his ball cap struck her squarely in the nose. She grabbed it with every intention of removing it.
"No!"
His frantic shout startled her. She jerked away with the cap in her hand, her alarmed gaze on his equally alarmed expression. “Zack? What is it?” Bewildered, she looked on as he felt of his ears.
She heard a tiny, muffled cackle from the direction of the bird cage.
"Nothing. It's nothing now."
He sounded adorably disgruntled and relieved. Justine smiled and linked her arms around his neck again. She pressed her breasts against his face and held him tight. “I love you,” she whispered.
Tugging at her arms, Zack pulled her face to his and claimed her mouth in a long, lingering kiss that left her breathless and aching. She broke the kiss reluctantly. “Take me to bed,” she ordered.
"Yes, ma'am!"
She laughed as he stood and lifted her in his arms. When they drew even with the bird cage, Justine winked and waved at Mini and Reuben. “I'll talk to you guys later."
Zack froze in place, staring into her smiling face. “You know about them?"
She nodded, giggling at his expression. “Oh, yeah, and I have a bone to pick with Reuben about a goldfish with big teeth."
His brow shot upward as he whispered, “Just be careful. He doesn't take criticism very well."
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