Interrupted Magic

by Karla Brandenburg

  “I still have a mortgage to pay, and a business to run,” I replied. “My time and materials are valuable. If you don’t think so, then we don’t have anything more to discuss.”

  She scowled. “I thought a contract extension might help you out, but if you don’t want one...”

  “We can discuss it,” I said. “But not as a favor to either one of us. We’re both businesswomen. Our contract is mutually beneficial. You need to decide what it’s worth to you.”

  “We’ll be in touch.” Sally threw her shoulders back and walked out.

  Cassandra chuckled. “Now that’s what I’m talking about.”

  I shrugged. “If she decides she doesn’t want to extend or renew, that’s life. I’ll be okay.”

  I had to keep telling myself that. I’d survived other tough times.

  “Especially now that you have a new man to focus on.” She gave me a wink.

  My nose tingled and my eyes watered.

  “Uh-oh. What happened?” she asked.

  I explained how Kyle had helped me inside when I got home after our night out, and then how he’d answered my phone.

  Cassandra stared at me a long time. “This guy really got to you, didn’t he?”

  “He did.” I closed my eyes to block out my disappointment. “Life goes on, right?”

  “I can’t blame the guy for being upset, especially after Kyle pulled such a dick move, but if you got to him, too, he’ll see through it for what it was. Right?” She twisted her lips. “On the other hand, you’ve known each other less than a week. Should be easier to move on.” She raised her eyebrows, but her attempt to console me wasn’t working.

  I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to ward off the sense of abandonment. “I felt more with him in less than a week than I’ve ever felt with Kyle.”

  Cassandra shook her head. “Damn.” She patted my arm. “Like I said, if he feels the same way, he’ll get back to you.”

  I sniffled and nodded.

  “I assume you haven’t talked to Lisa about this,” she went on.

  “No. She’ll tell Dylan, who will tell Kyle. Things are different between her and me these days.” I met her gaze. “I’m trusting you won’t mention this to anyone else.”

  She twisted her fingers in front of her lips. “Nobody’s business. I think you know you can trust me. Otherwise you wouldn’t have told me.”

  I felt better telling someone, and yet helpless to do anything. “What am I going to do?”

  “One day at a time.” She hugged me. “And when you’re feeling hopeless, I’m a phone call away. Not sure I can fix anything, but I can give you a sympathetic ear.”

  I shook myself out of my funk. “We have wind-down business to take care of in the meantime.”

  We spent the day making lists and organizing the stock we had. A few stray customers wandered in, the odd weekday tourists, and we offered them going-out-of-business discounts.

  When I headed home, I wandered off the path to stand before the enchanted beech tree.

  Ian couldn’t believe I’d be so faithless, could he? And yet, if a woman had answered his phone and mentioned taking him to bed, I doubt I’d have taken the news any better than he had.

  I continued home, fed the cat, and walked into my workroom, the space I’d personally designed after the fire. I touched the worktable, Nora’s cabinet that had survived the fire, the books seated firmly on the shelves. I returned to the living room and plopped into Nora’s leather sofa, rearranged from the middle of the room to against one paneled wall after she’d moved out. Plants no longer hung from the wooden ceiling beams. Aside from the looped rug that used to hang on the wall, most of Nora’s furnishings remained. She’d only taken those things she didn’t want to be parted from. I gazed at the dining table beside the bay window, recalling the first night she’d invited me to dinner.

  I’d bought the ancestral home from her as a manner of expedience. I had no ties here other than those I’d forged with Nora. Barry had asked if I might move to be closer to her.

  Should I sell the house?

  Chapter 30

  When I went outside Tuesday morning, Kyle was sitting on his front steps. Waiting for me? I chose to ignore him and knelt beside the vegetable garden to check for cucumbers and tomatoes. A patch of peppermint shot up outside the chicken wire, growing like weeds. I yanked some and held it to my nose, thinking about the mints Ian was always popping. I had spearmint in the garden, too, but wintergreen didn’t grow in this part of the country.

  Kyle cleared his throat as he hovered behind me, shaking me from random thoughts. I shot him a glance over my shoulder.

  “I wanted to let you know I have the situation with Daria covered.” His tone was businesslike.

  “I’m not sure you do,” I replied, keeping my voice low, “but I don’t suppose there’s much I can do about it.”

  He touched my shoulder and I jumped to my feet.

  “You don’t have your usual glow about you,” he said.

  I took that to mean my eyes weren’t shining with my hidden talents, and chose not to reply.

  “Look,” Kyle said. “While I was trailing Daria, I stumbled onto something I can’t talk about, so I’m going to ask you not to try to contact her, in case you still think you can reverse whatever it is you think happened.”

  I glared at him, and then noticed the discoloration on his forehead. I reached to touch it and he backed away. “What happened?” I asked.

  “Bumps and bruises,” he said. “It happens sometimes.”

  “More often since Daria visited,” I pointed out. “How’s your shoulder healing?”

  “Accidents happen.” He squeezed his eyes closed. “If it makes you feel any better, I haven’t had any so-called accidents for a full twenty-four hours now.” He met my gaze once more.

  I brushed the dirt from my hands and picked up my basket of vegetables. “You didn’t tell me I had a call Saturday night.”

  “Must have slipped my mind, not that you were in any shape to have remembered.”

  “And you answered my phone why?”

  “I thought Nora might be checking on you. Reflex.”

  I studied him, weighing the value of an argument. There was no point. “Since you don’t want my help with Daria, let me be clear. I don’t want help from you. That includes answering my phone or doing things you believe to be in my best interests.”

  He opened his mouth to speak, then seemed to think better of it. We stood there in a standoff for several moments before he looked away.

  “I didn’t expect you to move on so quickly,” he said.

  “Quickly? You distanced yourself from me four months ago. I stood by you all that time, while you continued to push me away.”

  “I’m going through stuff,” he said. “And for what it’s worth, the department might be hiring me back on. Once things get back to normal...”

  “Normal for you.” I pointed between us. “This isn’t what I want for the rest of my life. Being shut out of your problems and having you try to fix mine for me. I have appreciated your friendship, Kyle, but I need someone who isn’t going to check out when the chips are down.”

  He held out his arms. “Brynn...”

  “No. I’ve had enough one-sided relationships to know better. My mistake was thinking this might be something different.”

  “That’s not fair,” he argued.

  I set my hands on my hips, daring him to cite his arguments.

  “Give me a chance to fix this,” he said.

  “You’ve already used your get out of jail free card.” I headed for the house.

  “Is this about that guy? You don’t know anything about him.”

  The sting of Ian’s rebuke poked my heart once more. While Ian had been a catalyst, he wasn’t responsible for the end of my relationship with Kyle. “All right, you want a chance? Why are you warning me off Daria when you know I can help?”

  He took a step back. “I can’t tell you that.”

>   I raised my eyebrows.

  “You’ll have to trust me on this, but I’ll fill you in as soon as I’m at liberty to do so.”

  “You’ll forgive me if I don’t hold my breath,” I muttered. I walked inside and closed the door behind me.

  Again, I considered selling the house. Living across the street from Kyle invited more confrontations.

  I carried the basket of veggies into the kitchen, set it on the counter and continued to the workroom. No open books waiting for me on the worktable. I made another attempt at telekinesis, summoning a bean pot to the worktable. It didn’t move.

  I checked my internet store, where half a dozen orders waited for me, which I packaged. I dropped them at the post office on my way to work.

  I passed the real estate office on my way to Broadway and slowed my step. Should I ask Barry about his client? When I looked through the window, I didn’t see him, so I continued along.

  As I turned the corner, I nearly ran into him coming from the bakery, judging by the bag in his hand.

  “Forgive me,” he said. “I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

  “Serendipity,” I replied. “I was thinking about you.”

  “Did you want to list your house after all?” he asked.

  “Well, you did mention a client who might be interested.”

  “She decided on a different house, but I’m sure we could generate some interest if you want to draw up a contract.”

  I stopped, pursed my lips and considered. “You’d mentioned the buyer and had me thinking, but until I know what my next move is, I’m better off staying put. I’ll sit on it a while longer.”

  “You’ll let me know when you decide?” he asked.

  Him, or Cassandra’s friend in Meadow Hill. “Have a good day,” I said, and continued on.

  When I walked into the shop five minutes later, Cassandra laughed at me.

  “What?” I asked.

  “You look ready to do battle and not take prisoners. It’s only ten o’clock. What’s got you going?”

  I relaxed and let Ash out of her carrier. “An early morning visit from Kyle, and then Barry Waterman drumming up business. Do you have a card for your friend in Meadow Hill? Does she do residential real estate?”

  “You should already have a card. She gave us both one when we signed the offer on the shop, remember?” Cassandra said. “You thinking of selling your house?”

  “Let’s just say I’m not ruling it out. I don’t need Kyle stopping over to watch me garden every morning.” I shot Cassandra a meaningful glance. “And yes, I set him straight.”

  “Any word from Ian?”

  I heaved a sigh. “No.”

  “So call him.”

  I plopped onto the stool behind the counter. “I don’t know what to say. I already explained what happened.”

  “Doesn’t hurt to let him know you’re thinking about him. Assuming you are.”

  All the time, but I was embarrassed to admit that. I closed my eyes and clenched my fists, calling on every ounce of inner strength I had. People had walked out on me before. Ian was one person I wanted to stay, but it wasn’t up to me. “If I haven’t heard from him tomorrow, I’ll shoot him a text.”

  “You let me know if you need a wing man. I still owe you one,” Cassandra said.

  I laughed, recalling how I’d lured Lucas into the shop to give the two of them a private moment to talk. They’d taken full advantage of that opportunity.

  Cassandra wasn’t likely to bump into Ian walking the streets of Hillendale, the way I’d run into Lucas. In another week, we would no longer have a shop to invite Ian into. My options were running out.

  Chapter 31

  By dawn on Wednesday with no word from Ian, I decided he had been a blip on the radar—an asteroid of a blip that had crashed into my world. How had he made such an impact in such a short time?

  I picked up my phone, weighing my options and considered the old axiom of nothing ventured, nothing gained. I sent a one-word text to Ian. “Extraordinary.” I waited a full five minutes for a response that didn’t come before I gave up and went out to the garden.

  I glanced across the street in case Kyle meant to ambush me again, but there was no sign of him. Maybe I wouldn’t have to move, as long as he respected boundaries.

  How much of my garden would I be able to use with the shop closing? I cupped rose buds that had begun to open and breathed in the scent. The day seemed to call for rose tea with my breakfast, something to calm my emotions.

  I must have checked my phone half a dozen times while I brewed my tea and fixed breakfast. No response. Alone at my dining table, I bowed my head and gave in to the grief—ugly tears and wailing sobs. Ash came running, issuing a mournful cry of her own and jumped into my lap. I held her close.

  When I’d cried myself out, I took several cleansing breaths, closed my eyes and regrouped. Ash nudged her head against me, asking for one more pet before I set her down. “At least we have each other,” I whispered into her fur.

  When I got to the store, Cassandra took one look at me and hugged me. “No word yet?”

  I heaved a sigh. “I sent him a text. No response.”

  “You want to take the day off?”

  I forced a laugh. “No. I’ll have plenty of time to hang around my empty house next week.” I patted her shoulder and went through my morning routine checking the inventory. No need to restock. What we had wasn’t moving. I checked the sales ledger, hoping to find a miscalculated total. The bottom line was still red.

  Shortly before closing time, I shook myself out of my funk to ask Cassandra if Lucas had made his grand gesture and proposed yet. Her face lit up.

  “Not yet. I think he’s waiting for my birthday in a couple of weeks. He suggested a fancy restaurant in Winnsboro.”

  I shook a finger at her. “I’m going to want details.”

  “You’ll be my first call.”

  I laughed, and immediately felt better. “Your first call should probably be to your mother.”

  “Okay, my second call,” she said. “You want to get dinner after work?”

  I did, but I also didn’t want to be anyone’s pity project, even Cassandra’s. “No. I don’t need to disrupt your routine. I’ll be fine. See? Working today helped to get my mind off things.”

  “You will be fine. You know that, right?”

  “And so will you.”

  We closed the store, hugged one more time and I headed home. I did my usual check in the workroom. Still no open grimoires. I’d have to find a job, and soon. With no product to make, I did something I rarely took the time to do and turned on the television while I ate my dinner. The news ended with a breaking story they promised to report more on at ten o’clock about a drug raid.

  I shot a glance out the window, across the street. If the spell that had transferred to Kyle was realized, he’d be facing charges by this time next week, but he’d made it clear he didn’t want my help—as if I could help. Whatever had halted my magic hadn’t resolved. One more thing I’d failed at. Would my magic return next week, after the spell was completed?

  I huffed, struggling not to fall into my pit of despair, and turned my attention to the mindless distraction of television.

  The Wednesday night slate of sitcoms helped to lighten my mood. I turned the television off before the late news started and checked the workroom one more time. Still no special orders. Resigned, I walked up the staircase, and sat on my bed. I glanced at the music box I’d bought at the Hillendale rummage sale years ago, picked it up and wound the key. Blackbird, the lullaby my mother had sung to me when I was little, provided the comfort I needed to fall asleep.

  On Thursday morning, I sat at the dining table checking job listings when my phone chimed with a text. My heart leapt, hoping Ian had decided to respond, but when I checked, the text was from Kyle.

  Kyle: Did you see the news?

  Brynn: No.

  Kyle: I’m free to tell you about Daria now. Do you have
a minute?

  I stared at my phone, anxious to know how he might have fixed what I couldn’t, and yet I was still angry with him.

  Brynn: I’m scrambling to get ready for work. You can stop into the shop when it opens.

  Kyle: See you then.

  Okay, so I wasn’t scrambling, but I didn’t want to be alone when I saw him this time. I didn’t trust what I might say to him, and having Cassandra there to provide balance ensured I would remain civil.

  I went about my morning routine, and when I arrived at the shop at ten, Cassandra bubbled with excitement.

  She clutched my arm, her eyes wide. “A customer who was in the store over the weekend left a message. She said she noticed we were going out of business and asked where I would be taking my designs. When I told her I hadn’t made a final decision yet—” Cassandra rolled her eyes. We both knew she didn’t have a place to take them “—She asked if I wanted floor space at her shop in Milwaukee.” She bounced on her toes.

  “Congratulations,” I said. “You should get much better exposure there.”

  “Right?”

  The bell over the door rang, and Yvonne hurried in, glancing nervously from one to the other of us. “Have you seen the news?”

  “You mean about Kyle?” Cassandra asked.

  Yvonne wore a big smile. “Roxanne said the county has offered him a job as a deputy. Now the two of you can go ahead and get married.”

  “I think we’ve passed that bridge,” I said. “But I’m happy for Kyle.”

  “Well, this is what he was waiting for, isn’t it?” Yvonne asked, clearly confused.

  Rhoda Christenson was next. “Did you hear?” She addressed Yvonne. “Jude will have to find someone else to help with the renovations now, of course, but we’re all so happy for Kyle.”

  I looked at Cassandra. “What did I miss?”

  Kyle appeared outside the shop window, stopped, and then walked in.

  “We’re so happy for you,” Yvonne told him.

  Rhoda smiled, and the two women walked out together.

  Cassandra eyed Kyle, then turned to me. “I think I’ll give the two of you a minute to chat,” she said.