“You think I should do it? Be the stand-in? You just said it was crazy.”
“I’m reconsidering that. Yes, I think you should do it.” Sparkle landed on Isla’s knee.
“Wait a minute.” Isla bolted upright, making Sparkle take off. “Do you know something I don’t?”
Sparkle hovered in front of Isla. “What do you mean?”
“Did you talk to mergers and acquisitions? Was this a scheduled meeting? Is Cupid up to something?”
Sparkle put her hand over her heart. “I swear a fairy oath that this was not something M and A knew about. I called them to check. This is a spontaneous meeting.”
“What are the rules for an unplanned meeting?”
Sparkle landed on the couch. “Here’s the thing. When you have an unscheduled meet cute, there are no rules. At least no rules in fairy lore. Anything is possible. Anything goes.”
Isla looked to the ceiling. She could use the money. Parker seemed cool, so his family is probably nice. The beach is wonderful in the fall. “It’s one day. What could go wrong?”
“If anything does go wrong, I can’t help you.”
“What?”
“If this were a Cupid setup, I would have the ability to influence the situation within the fairy rules. But since it’s not, I’m just an observer.”
“You can’t do anything?”
“I won’t have magic to help me put you two together. Or keep others from interfering. If I use magic, I could lose my powers forever. The fairy council is extremely strict about that kind of abuse of power.”
“Oh.”
Sparkle grinned. “It’ll be fun.”
“You’re saying I should go.”
“We should definitely go.”
Isla gave Sparkle side-eye. “If you can’t do anything, why do you need to go?”
Sparkle crossed her arms. “Because I need a vacation at the beach. You are not the easiest person to take care of, you know? You tax the most patient fairy in the universe.” She flew in front of Isla. “Me.”
“Yeah, I got that you were talking about yourself.”
“Let’s do it.”
“I’m the one putting myself out there. You’re just the sidekick.” Isla giggled. “My wingman.”
Sparkle groaned then fell out of the sky with a prolonged sigh.
Isla laughed. “I had to say it.”
Sparkle raised her head to glare at Isla. “No, you didn’t.” She flew up to eye level with Isla. “Soooo?”
Isla was quiet for a moment. “All right. I’ll do it.”
“Yesss. Beach vacation. Get the sunscreen.”
“It’s November.” Isla rolled her eyes.
“It’s a joke, Crankypants. You need a nap.”
“Done.” Isla waved. “Bye.”
Chapter 3
Isla leaned on the top of her suitcase as she maneuvered the zipper around the corner. “I hope I have everything.”
She was feeling healthy, even if she was ready for bed by nine since her illness. Her final days at her old job were uneventful. Her boss really was sorry that she had to go, and he gave her a glorious letter of recommendation. That made her feel a little better.
Parker checked on her several times and outlined the events of a traditional Coles Thanksgiving. Monday, he came by to tell her that they would be leaving on Wednesday evening and staying overnight.
“I have my suitcase,” Sparkle said, flitting into the room. “Do you have room in yours for mine?”
“I don’t have room for a hairclip in here. Put it in my purse.”
Sparkle flew out of the room.
“It’s on the counter,” Isla called after her.
The doorbell rang.
Sparkle flew up to her. “The hunk is here.”
“Get out of sight,” Isla whispered. She opened the door just as Sparkle flew headfirst into the open purse.
Parker stood with his hands in his pockets and a sheepish grin on his face. “Are you ready for this?”
“Sure.” She stepped back so he could come inside. “I was in the high school drama club.” Isla grinned.
“Maybe I should have stuck with the day trip.”
“It’s fine, as long as I remember to answer to ‘Margo.’”
“If I remember to call you ‘Margo.’” He laughed. “How are you feeling?”
“I feel human again. I have to get my suitcase.” She took a few steps toward her bedroom.
“Want me to get it?”
“No. It’s not that much. It’s only one night.” She brought out the suitcase, then zipped up her purse with Sparkle still inside before slinging the strap over her shoulder.
Once they were in the car, Isla settled into her seat. “How long is the drive?”
“About an hour. We may hit traffic. Are you hungry? Should we get dinner?”
“I am saving all my calories for tomorrow.”
He laughed. “It’s a good strategy.”
“Are you ready to tell me who I’m supposed to be? Besides a name.”
“My parents know that I’ve been dating Margo Pike for a year. She’s in banking and finance. Undergrad at some college in New Hampshire. Grad school at Wharton on a scholarship. She grew up in Carney on Long Island, two sisters. She’s the middle one. I don’t think they are particularly close. She didn’t talk about them very much.
“She lives downtown in the River district in one of those apartments over a storefront.”
“Hobbies?”
“Shopping.”
“Interests?”
“Shopping.”
“Come on, Parker. She has to do something besides work and shop.”
“She drinks wine.”
“So, she’s a wine connoisseur?”
“Heavens no, she just drinks it.”
“Any pets?”
“God, no.”
“What does she do all day?”
He was quiet a moment. “Margo goes to work, goes home, goes to sleep, then she does it all again.”
Isla rolled her eyes. “Wow. No wonder you fell for her.”
“More like, no wonder I never fell for her.” He drove for a while without talking. “You’ll be fine, Isla. My family will never tell you I overshare when it comes to my life. I’m not really the sharing kind. Which, in this situation, might be a good thing fewer details to memorize.” He merged his Audi e-tron onto the Town-to-Beach road. “You sure you don’t want to stop for food?”
“I’m fine, but you can stop and get something.”
“No, I had an apple a few hours ago. Knowing my mother, she will have at least cheese and crackers waiting for us when we get there. We won’t starve.”
“There is little chance of starvation by my missing one meal.”
He laughed. “I think you look great.”
“Oh.” Isla’s cheeks warmed. “Thanks.”
The rest of the ride brought easy conversation and minimal traffic. When he turned the car off the main road, a light beam swept the distance.
“Is that a lighthouse?”
“The Blue Rock Island lighthouse. The cottage is almost to the end of the peninsula.”
“Right on the water?”
“Our land goes to the water, but the cottage is back from it. Blue Rock Island is at the mouth of the river. The cottage is on the riverside, not the oceanside. My grandfather said there was less chance of hurricanes. He didn’t realize at the time he built the cottage that we would have to worry about being underwater in a few years from global warming.”
“Is that really a concern?”
“I’ve been coming to this cottage all of my life. The weather is more extreme, with hotter summers, colder winters, than when I was a boy. We’ve had three fifty-year storms in the last decade, and beach erosion is all that is ever talked about at the town meetings. What seemed ridiculous only a few years ago now feels like a hungry tiger pacing back and forth, getting closer and closer.” He turned the car onto a side road heading away from the
ocean. “There it is,” he said, pointing to the house at the dead end.
“Oh.” Air left her lungs. “Parker, it’s beautiful.”
Parker pulled the car into the driveway. Isla opened the car door before he could get around to her side.
A three-story clapboard house with a wraparound front porch, a glassed-in room on the left side of the house, and a screened porch on the right side stood on pylons. Even in the dark, Isla could see the weathered gray house with a sea green door and windows everywhere, edged in ocean blue.
“That—” he gestured toward the cottage “—was my grandfather’s wisest move.”
Isla breathed in the fresh sea air.
“There you are,” a beautiful, older woman said, waving from the porch. “I was just setting out some wine and cheese.”
Parker glanced at Isla. “Told you.”
His mother floated down the staircase like a ballerina. She was elegant and graceful, her clothes comfortable looking yet polished, if that were possible.
“Oh darling,” his mother said, pulling Parker into a hug. “Happy Thanksgiving.” She turned to Isla. “And you must be Margo.” His mother held out her hand. “It is so wonderful to finally meet you.”
“Mrs. Coles. It’s nice to finally meet you. Parker has told me so much about your family.”
“Call me Lorna.”
“All right.”
Parker had the suitcases out of the car. “Where’s Dad?”
“Starting a fire in the fireplace.”
They walked up the steps into the living room. Isla caught her breath. “Your home is beautiful.”
“Ah, there are the night travelers.” The gray-haired, slightly paunchy man approached.
Parker introduced his father. “The wine is uncorked, and your mother has enough cheese and crackers laid out for a small army.”
Isla took in the details of the quintessential beach cottage. Accents of blues, teals, and sea-glass green drew the eye around the room. Oil paintings of ships and beachscapes accented the white walls, blue area rugs hinted water.
Lorna brought her hands together. “Margo, the powder room is right there if you need to freshen up. Park, can you please grab the suitcases?” They walked up the stairs, Lorna leading the way. She opened the second door on the right. “You’re in your usual room. I put Margo in with you.” Lorna got a sly look. “You’ve been dating over a year. Don’t tell me you don’t share a bed. I was young once. I know.”
Isla looked from Lorna to Parker.
“Unless you would prefer your own room, Margo.”
“Mom, it’s fine.” Parker put his arm around Isla. “We’ll be fine, won’t we, honey?”
“Oh, yes, yes. We sleep together all the time. I mean, I don’t mean. Sorry.” Isla looked to the floor.
Parker shook his head.
“Don’t be sorry,” Lorna said, rubbing Isla’s arm. “My son is a very persuasive man.”
“Mom, really?”
Isla’s face burned.
“You are. Why would I think you would be any different in a romantic relationship?”
“Mom.” Parker put the suitcases on the bed.
Isla opened her suitcase. “I’m going to change into something more comfortable if that’s alright?”
“Of course,” Lorna said. “I hope my teasing Parker didn’t shock you. This is the first time we’ve met anyone he’s ever dated.”
Parker kissed Isla’s forehead. “We’ll let you get comfortable. See you downstairs.”
Parker and his mother left the room.
Sparkle unzipped a bit of the zipper at the top of Isla’s purse. “It’s not very comfortable sitting on a pack of travel tissues in the dark.” Sparkle forced her arms through the opening then pushed up, freeing her wings.
“Sorry. I thought you could get out.”
Sparkle flitted around the room. “Whoa. This place is gorgeous.”
“You don’t know the half of it.”
Sparkle rubbed her hands together. “But I’m going to.”
“Just don’t get caught.”
“As if.” Sparkle flew to the window. “Look at this view.”
Isla neared the window. “It’s breathtaking even though it’s too dark to see much of it.”
“How are the parents?”
“I just met them.”
“Yeah, so.”
“They seem fine.” Isla shrugged. “Friendly enough. I guess. Remember, they think I’m Margo.”
“You can still be you.”
“I’ll never see them again after tomorrow.”
“Then you should make this Margo into a real bitch.”
“Sparkle.”
“What? It would be fun to be someone different.”
Isla flattened her expression. “I can’t make her so bad Parker’s family thinks he has horrible taste in women.”
“Good point.”
Sparkle laid down on a pillow and put her hands behind her head. “I’m just going to lay right here and enjoy the view. Don’t forget to bring snacks. I’m starving.”
Isla put on yoga pants and a sweater then slipped her ballet flats on again. She ran her fingers through her hair. “Yikes.”
“What? You look great. Go drink a little wine, have a little food relax, have a good time. Make good choices.”
Isla cut her gaze at the fairy. “Just stay out of sight.” She left the room.
“I know my job,” Sparkle said over the creaking of the door.
Isla stopped at the top of the stairs.
“Parker, I don’t know why you were so reluctant to bring her here. She seems lovely.”
“When are Sarah and the kids going to be here?” Parker asked.
“Nice change of subject,” Lorna said, then looked to the staircase. “There she is.”
Parker and his father stood as Isla approached. The gallant gesture wasn’t something she experienced often.
“Hi, honey.” Parker indicated for her to sit beside him then retook his seat.
“We have Pinot Gris or Cabernet, which would you like? Or would you prefer a mixed drink?” asked Lorna.
“Pinot is great.”
“We have a local vineyard nearby that has great wine.” Parker’s father handed Isla a wineglass. “Thank you, Mr. Coles.”
“Ted.”
“Please, help yourself,” Lorna said, gesturing toward the tray of different cheeses, crackers, and dips.
Isla’s stomach moaned. She took a bite of cheese.
Lorna sipped her wine. “Tell us about yourself, Margo. Parker is not known for sharing.”
“There isn’t much to tell. I work in finance.”
“What kind?” Ted asked.
“Uh, I haven’t been in it that long. I’m still learning.”
“Are you a financial planner?” Ted asked.
“No, no. Do you need a financial planner? I work with a few. I-I’m hoping to be in planning someday. There is so much to learn.”
“Does your family live around here?” Lorna asked.
“No. Long Island.”
“Mom, you didn’t answer before. When does Sarah get here?”
Lorna tilted her head. “Tomorrow morning.”
“Are they staying over?”
“Until Saturday. We haven’t seen the kids since they went back to school. It will be good to see them again.” Lorna nibbled cheese. “They get so busy with school and sports. We did go to Johnny’s soccer game a few weeks back.”
“How did he do?” Parker asked.
“He scored a goal,” Ted replied. “The team still lost.”
“How many grandchildren do you have, Lorna?” Isla asked and immediately regretted it.
“Sarah has two boys. Johnny is seven, and James is five.” Lorna cut Parker a look. “I think that’s all the grandchildren we’ll ever have. Sarah is done and…”
“Geez, no pressure, Mom.” Parker put his arm around Isla’s shoulders and pulled her to him. He kissed her cheek. “Besides
, Margo and I have a few more steps to take before kids come along.” He laced the fingers of his free hand with her hand resting on her lap, then brought her hand to his lips. “We don’t want to rush things.”
“Right.” Isla nodded.
Parker slid closer. “Still, a little Margo or two would be cute as hell.” He released her hand to rub Isla’s thigh.
Isla slapped his hand from her knee. “Parker, your parents don’t want to see our PDAs.”
“On the contrary,” Lorna said, “it’s nice to see him enjoying a woman.”
“Mom, really.”
“I don’t even know what a PDA is,” Ted said.
“Public display of affection, dear.”
Isla glanced around the room. Sparkle was sitting on the upstairs landing. The fairy widened her eyes, pointed to her mouth, and then rubbed her stomach before pretending to faint. Isla suppressed a grin. Sparkle really was a cheeky one.
Lorna looked at Isla, then at Parker. “So, there is hope that you two will make me a grandmother again someday?”
Isla coughed. Ted sighed.
“All right,” Parker said, “let’s end the kid talk for the rest of the holiday, shall we?”
Isla took that moment to put some crackers and cheese on a plate. She stood. “I’ll be right back.”
“You’ve chased her away,” Parker said.
“No. I just have to take out my contacts.” Isla practically ran for the stairs. She could hear Parker lecturing his mom as she made her way to the room.
“Wow, mom has an agenda,” Sparkle said as she landed beside the plate of food.
“Parker did say she was enthusiastic about kids.”
“That’s an understatement.” Sparkle picked up a cracker. “Heck, she has you sleeping in the same bed. Perhaps she’s hoping for a grandchild tonight.”
“Haha. This is a business deal, remember?”
“So, get down to business. I’ll stay hidden, I promise.”
Isla’s expression dropped as she cut Sparkle a look. “Seriously?”
“How long has it been since you’ve done the horizontal—”
“All right, all right.” Isla left the room only to come back in. “Contacts.”
Sparkle giggled.
A Fairy Crazy Thanksgiving Page 3