Walking slowly up the steps, I rehearse what I’ll say to my brother. The front door is silent on its hinges when I walk into the foyer, my converse soundless across the polished wooden floors. A long elegant reception desk sits directly in front, where it can’t be missed. Off to the left side of the desk is a classic old-fashioned elevator that services all the floors. To the right side is the graceful sweeping staircase leading up to the second-floor balcony that overlooks the foyer of the manor. A stylish bar and cocktail area are located up there, as well as the dining room for the patrons. Next to the lift is a comfy seating area and the concierge desk containing pamphlets for all the artisan businesses in the area. Wide-open windows allow plenty of light to flow in. The smell of sandalwood permeates the air, from the potpourri bowls discretely located around the foyer. Dotted around the lobby are paintings of the area and Miller ancestors looking very dour and severe. After pausing to take it all in, I head to the reception desk.
The reception desk is staffed by a sleek blonde woman whose head is down, and she is typing away at a monitor in front of her. "Name?" She asks rather rudely and with a bored tone as I approach the desk. Placing Sugar’s carrier and my backpack on the ground, I wait for her to look up. She doesn’t. Well, that really won’t do. What kind of people is my brother employing? I am about to call her out on her attitude when I hear the clatter of feet and chattering of childish voices coming down the main staircase of the manor.
The woman behind the desk pops her head up, a look of annoyance on her face, ignores me completely and hurries in the direction of the noise. Stopping abruptly, she points at the cat carrier. “No pets allowed.” Without even waiting for me to say anything, she disappears up the grand staircase and out of sight. Following along behind, I hear her scolding the ones responsible for the noise, quite severely.
`"What are you doing? What is all this ridiculous noise? We are a refined, elegant place, not a zoo. Stop the noise at once." Her harsh voice carrying.
`I follow to where I can hear her and find her holding quite tightly onto the arms of two frightened-looking children. The girl has her dark red hair in pigtails, freckles across her button nose, and tears sliding down her face from her pretty green eyes. The boy has a look of stubborn determination, his arms are crossed defensively across his body. His freckled nose is wrinkled in defiance. He shakes his head at her in what looks to be an argument. I lean against the wall and do what I do best, interfere.
"Well, considering their father owns this place, and it is family-friendly accommodation, I’m going to go out on a limb and say they aren’t doing anything wrong." The woman eyes me with derision.
"Why don’t you mind your own business," she sneers. My eyebrows climb into my hair with shock.
“Excuse me, is that the way you treat paying customers?” I ask incredulously.
The children turn to face me, and their eyes light up with joy. They wrench themselves free from the woman and run towards me, shouting, "Aunty Ruby!" They throw themselves into my arms so hard I’m dragged down to the ground. Smothered in kisses and hugs, and their happy chatter surrounds me with a warmth I haven’t felt in so long. It’s like being able to breathe after being underwater for so long.
I hear a clattering of heels as the woman walks towards us, smoothing out her pencil skirt and putting her hair back into place, an insincere smile on her face. "This is your aunt?" she questions the children.
I set the children down and stand up, straightening myself out. "Yes, their aunt. Consider this your notice, you’re fired."
She blinks at me and starts stuttering. "You ...you can’t do that."
"Actually, I can! I own half this business, and from what I just witnessed, you are not the type of person we want working in a family hotel. How did you get a job here, anyway?" I look her up and down, "I’ve never seen you before, you are not from this town, who are you?"
"Screw you," she snaps at me. "You just fired me I don’t have to tell you anything."
She stomps towards the reception desk and snatches up a handbag. Placing it over her shoulder, she rushes towards the front door. I wave my finger in her direction, and one of the heels on her shoes break, causing her to stumble. She throws a furious look at me over her shoulder and grabs it off her foot. She continues to limp towards the door, throwing it open and marches through, slamming it behind her.
"Well, I guess that’s that," I say, turning to the twins, brushing my hands together like they were dirty.
"Good widdance," says Kadir, his little face scrunched up. Hmm sounds like someone’s spent a lot of time with Grandma, I smile at him.
"She was so mean," whispers Kady, her little hand grabbing hold of mine tightly. "Are you here to stay, Aunt Ruby?"
"Yes, Aunty Wuby," says Kadir, "Please say you’re staying me have missed you so much."
"Oh, my babies," I say as I bend down and scoop them back into my arms for more hugs, "I have missed you so much too. Yes, I’m here to stay. Maybe not here at the Manor but I’m not leaving town again. Now, where’s daddy?" They start cheering and jumping up and down in excitement.
Just as I ask, I look up and standing at the top of the stairs looking slightly stunned is my brother Regan. His red hair is tousled on his head like he has been running his hands through it regularly, he looks tired and drawn. His mouth is open in surprise. “Ruby, is that you?” He questions, rubbing his eyes. “Holy shit, it worked.”
He races down the stairs towards me and sweeps me up into his arms swinging me around. He also covers my face in kisses, just like his children did, the stubble on his face, scratching mine. Laughing, tears of joy streaming down my face, I try to push him away. He puts me down and holds me at arm’s length.
"Wow, this is not the reaction I thought I would get, but I will take it, definitely."
"Sis, we missed you so much. Whatever kept you away doesn’t matter, you’re back now." He starts to frown. "You are back now, yes?” He questions. I pat the side of his face in reassurance.
"Yes Regan, I’m back."
"Awesome!" he says as he takes my hand and drags me towards the now unmanned reception desk. "Julie," he calls out. "Julie! Where is she?" He leans over the desk, maybe he thinks she is hiding underneath. I wince and look at the children holding a finger up to my mouth in the universal quiet signal.
The children giggle behind their hands, and I just whistle casually. Regan turns to look at me. "What did you do?" he asks me with a growl. "Where is Julie?"
"Oh, was that her name?" I ask, innocently, the children continue to giggle.
Regan looks at them. "What did she do?” I shake my head at them behind his back, but the little traitors cave under his stern scowl. They throw themselves at his legs.
"Daddy, she was so mean to us. We were just coming down the stairs and talking, and she gwabbed us and started yelling," whines Kadir.
"Yes!" chimes in Kady, "She hurt my arm, look." She shows Regan the red marks on her arm. He looks up at me in shock.
"I saw her manhandling the kids for no reason, not to mention how rude she was to me when I walked up, so I fired her. Sorry if I overstepped." I apologize to him.
He has a look of surprise on his face. "Oh, thank god!" He sighs in relief, slumping against the desk. "I have wanted a reason to fire her for a while now. She’s very pushy if you know what I mean?" he says slyly while looking between the two children. My brother is a very handsome man, it’s no wonder she was pushy. "Let me call in a new receptionist for the day, and then we will get you settled." He says while going behind the desk and picking up a phone. “Give me ten minutes."
Chapter Three
Maddock
I watch as the faded, cherry red Mustang drives through the gate and up the driveway until I can no longer see it. The feelings in my chest, confusing the cold logic in my head. My heart is beating with excitement at seeing Ruby again, but my brain reminds me that she abandoned us, left to seek fame and fortune elsewhere. She promised not to be gone lo
ng, but she broke that promise she made to all of us.
When Susan took off and left Regan all alone with two babies to raise, Regan was heartbroken. Having his sister there, his twin would have gone a long way in soothing that broken heart. They were so close I thought for sure Ruby would be back before we knew it. She never liked Susan, and I thought she might have contributed to why Ruby left. But still, she didn't return. None of the girls did. Shaking off the shock of seeing Ruby and ignoring how good she looked, I realize something. Ruby’s home! That must mean Prue and the other coven members spell must have worked. I roll my eyes at the thought; they are going to insufferably smug about it.
I finish throwing all my things into my truck. I pull off my dirty overalls until I'm standing in nothing but my boxer briefs. I wave hand along my body, and instantly my magic has me cleaned up. I reach into the back of the truck and pull out a clean shirt and jeans. Quickly putting them on, I grab out my cell to ring Regan and give him a heads up on Ruby, but he doesn't answer. I hang up and throw it onto the truck seat, Regan will just have to be surprised.
Climbing into my truck, I pull out of the resort, leaving the gate open, and drive back through town, to my workshop. The fall leaves are stunning at this time of the year, and usually, tourists flock here in droves for the change of the season, but this year, this year is different. Everything is different. Everything just feels wrong. You know that lull before a significant storm, the build-up of electricity in the atmosphere, that knowledge that something is about to happen, but you are not sure what. That feeling there is what has got me so concerned. Is Ruby returning the catalyst for the coming change? I'm not sure, but plan to be on guard.
Pulling the truck into the parking space behind my workshop, I turn it off. The distinct odor that hangs thick, burning the nostrils with the industrial smell of burning coal and molten iron is in the air. The ringing sound of a hammer banging against an anvil can be heard from inside the workshop. Cole must be visiting from the vampire realm. He’s the only other person who would be using my workshop. Regan didn't tell me he had come through the portal, but I guess he has a lot of different things on his mind, with his staffing struggles.
I leave the vampire to himself. It's not often that Cole comes through the portal anymore, and when he does, it's usually to escape a family member or a prospective mate. I'll let him hammer out his frustrations and hopefully convince him to have a pint with me at the pub tonight.
Leaving my truck where it is, I shove my phone into my back pocket and wander over to my mom's ice cream shop. The crackle of fallen leaves under my feet is a loud reminder that winter is coming. The lack of tourists is evident on the main street. Usually, it's teaming with families and friends, people eating treats, or carrying bags of items they have bought at one of the little stores. Today there are a few people about but nothing compared to past years.
Arriving at the door of mom's shop, I push it open and enter it. Standing at the counter is a family. Mom, dad, and their three children who must be all under five. I can see mom's shop girl, Sheree, waiting while they argue about what flavor of ice cream they are going to pick. Her eyes rolling, she sighs out loud with impatience. A frown crosses my face. Not a great attitude to have when working in the service industry. There is just something about her. Something I can't quite work out, a niggle in my chest, but then my brain tells me I’m being ridiculous. She's pretty and fun to be with, so I ignore the thing in my chest and smooth out the frown as she looks up and notices me waiting. A big smile crosses her face, and she skips towards me. "Maddock!" She exclaims, planting a kiss on my cheek and throwing her arms around me. "What brings you here today? Did you miss me?"
I extract myself from her hug but smile at her. What is wrong with my body, my mind and heart cannot agree on anything, shaking it off I answer her. "Just here to see Mom, is she around?" She frowns at me in disappointment, but behind her, I can see the family is ready to order. So I turn her around and push her back towards them. "Never mind, I'll just go and have a look for myself."
Making my way around the counter, I enter the back-kitchen area where mom makes all her ice creams. I can see her standing next to one of the big silver commercial grade gelato machines. Holding a tub under the nozzle, she coaxes the green ice cream into it, being careful not to lose any over the side.
"So is that mint, pistachio, avocado, or some other weird combination? Maybe marijuana?" I ask her, causing her to jump with fright. I dash forward to catch the tub before it drops out of her hands, but she manages to stabilize it herself, before looking up at me with a growl.
"Damn it, Maddock, always sneaking up on me, you need a damn bell on your collar! If I didn't know better, I would say you were a vampire or some sort of cat shifter," I laugh at my mother.
"Nope, sorry to disappoint, a regular witch over here." I look at her sideways, "Unless there is something you are not telling Dad and us?" She finishes up with the ice cream and pulls a lever on the machine to close it back up, before placing the tub on a counter. Wiping her hands on a cloth, she reaches out and pulls me in for a hug. I tower over the woman, have done for years, but she still treats me like I’m five. I love it and return the hug enthusiastically, swinging her around on the spot.
"Put me down, you great oaf," she shouts, swiping me on the shoulder. "Nope, nothing I need to share; you are the spitting image of your father when he was your age." She leans back against the counter. “Marijuana ice-cream? I wonder if we could do it and make it taste good. Maybe Mr. Google can help.” She goes over to the whiteboard she uses for her shopping list and adds marijuana to the list. “Now, tell me why you are here."
I raise my eyebrow at her. "Can’t a son just visit his mom for no reason than he wants to see her?" She looks at me, shrewdly.
"Cut the crap, Maddock. I can see it in your aura, it's practically buzzing. You definitely have a reason to be here, now spill."
"Guess who I just saw driving up to the Manor?" She looks at me with exasperation. I’m definitely starting to annoy her. If I’m not careful, cooking implements might start flying at me from all directions like they used to do when I was a kid.
She puts her hands on her hips. "I don't know Maddock, who did you see driving up to the manor?"
I pause for effect, and a ladle flies towards me from the wall it was hanging on. "Shit!" I exclaim, quickly ducking. "Damn it, Mom, there is no need for that!" She starts growling. "Settle woman, are you sure you're not a shifter?" This time, it's a wooden spoon I have to duck. I hold my hands out and pause it, mid-flight. "Ok, ok, I'll tell you. It was Ruby Miller."
My mom sways on her feet, her normally tan complexion turning ashen white. A hand comes up to her mouth. "It worked." She whispers, and I nod my head.
"Looks like it." I agree with her. A huge smile crosses her face.
"Tatiana's coming home?" She asks quietly, but I don't want to get her hopes up too much, so I reply, "Possibly!" She starts to sob with joy. I pull her into my arms and let the tears soak into my shirt. Damn you, Ruby, you better not get her hopes up, and then let her down.
“But you can’t tell Prue yet,” I say to her quickly. “Ruby said they didn’t know she was coming, and I don’t want you to ruin the surprise. You will just have to hold it in for a couple of hours.”
Wiping the tears from her eyes, she nods her head enthusiastically while miming zipping her lips. “I won’t say a word until she rings me.” I guess that’s as good as I will get and quickly agree.
Later, after I’ve managed to calm mom down and she gloats for a little while about the spell working, I leave her googling marijuana ice-cream recipes online and muttering to herself.
I get a hug and another kiss on the cheek from Sheree, even though she has customers waiting, and find myself back on the main street. I look back towards the workshop, wondering if Cole has finished bashing away his frustrations? I’ll give him another half hour. Wandering in the opposite direction, I go in search of lunch.
S
ometime later, with a full belly, I wander back up the street to the workshop. Entering through the side doors, I’ve timed it well because Cole is throwing the molten metal sword, glowing bright orange, into the oil trough to quench it. Steam billows and hisses from the trough, oil bubbling up, a flame flickers across the top. The air takes on a humid feel. Cole swipes a hand across his sweaty brow as I lean against the door frame.
“Feel better?” I ask him cautiously.
He grimaces, “Yeah, sorry man. My family is driving me batty. It was either come here and bang out a sword or take one and drive it through my brother's chest.”
I laugh and walk over to peer in at the sword, now sitting cooling at the bottom of the trough. It's a large double edge, double-handed broadsword. It has a cross hilt with a decorative flair to the ends of the grip. All it needs now is for the handle to be wrapped in leather and polished to a beautiful sheen.
“Nice work! Going to finish it today? Or are you in a hurry to get home?” I ask him.
He shakes his head. “I’ll finish it before I leave, and you can put it in the shop for a tourist to buy.” He picks up the tools he has left lying around and puts them away.
“Yes, if only we had a few more,” I say to him before grabbing a broom and sweeping up the hammer scale left behind. “Feel like grabbing a pint at the Hamster tonight before you head home? Catch up with some of the guys before you go.”
He finishes putting everything away and turns. “Not tonight,” he says with a sigh. “Now I’m calmer I need to get back and deal with the mess I didn’t deal with before. I couldn’t be seen ripping heads off, shame really. I’ll come back through tomorrow; I’ll probably need to drink Joshua’s total supply by then.” He wipes his hand off on a cloth and throws it on the bench. “See you tomorrow.” And with a wave of his hand and a burst of wind, he is gone. Damn vampire speed.
Candy Conniptions (Arbor Vitae Coven Book 1) Page 3