A Kind Of Magic (2 page)

Good-bye, Earl” blared into his ears as he followed Val inside the café.

Roderick rubbed his ears, sure that he had gone deaf. He stopped beside Val and surveyed the room.

“There,” Val said and pointed to a table in the far corner where two women sat.

Roderick stared at them a moment. “Did you see it?”

“I think so. I need a better look.”

“Then let’s get closer.”

“’Tisn’t quite that easy.”

Roderick sighed. “Where is the mark?”

“On the inside of her right thigh.”

“Of course,” he grumbled and scratched the back of his head. “Is nothing ever easy?”

“I could find out,” Val said with a twinkle in his eye.

“Fine,” Roderick said. “We’ll follow her and let you make your move.”

Elle looked over her shoulder, sure someone had been staring at her, but all she saw was a dark corner in the little ice cream parlor.

“I knew this was what you needed,” Jennifer said as she put a spoonful of chocolate chunk in her mouth.

Elle crinkled her nose at the chocolate. She was one of those strange people that just didn’t like chocolate. “Yep. You were right,” she admitted.

The hot July heat had gotten to her quicker than she had realized, but Jennifer had seen her red face and ushered her into the small pallor. What little air conditioning reached her before it went out the open windows and doors along with the fans on full blast managed to cool her down some. Not to mention the cinnamon ice cream.

The weekend had started out nice until it was all too clear that Jennifer had one goal in mind—finding Elle a man. Even if it was only for a night. Elle quickly put her foot down.

She was different. She wanted someone she could lean on, someone she could spend her life with, someone she could spend her passionate nights with, grow old with and have children with. She wanted romance and love, but she feared she would never find it since it was slowly fading from sight in the modern world where divorce was more prominent than anything else.

Elle finished off her ice cream to see Jennifer looking around the shop. “Oh, no you don’t,” she said and jumped to her feet. “I’m headed back to the beach house.” Jennifer quickly caught up with her. “What’s wrong with you? I just want to help.”

“This weekend was enough. Let’s just enjoy our time together.” Jennifer laughed and hugged her. “Whatever you say, birthday girl.”

“That isn’t until tomorrow,” Elle pointed out.

They hadn’t taken two steps out of the ice cream parlor when Alex stepped in front of them.

Jennifer squealed and launched herself into his arms. For all the years Elle had known her, she had never heard Jennifer squeal about anything.

Elle sat back and watched as Jennifer and Alex hugged and kissed and whispered into each other’s ears. When they finally separated, she wondered if Jennifer had forgotten her.

“Do you mind if I steal Jen away for a few hours?” Alex asked her.

“Sure, go ahead.” _Bastard. This is our weekend. _ She put a wide smile on her face in hopes that he couldn’t read her mind.

Jennifer took her hand. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure. I’m heading back to the beach house to take a shower and get some of this sea salt off me.”

They all laughed as Jennifer tossed her the car keys, but the smile died on Elle’s lips as soon as they walked away. She turned toward the sidewalk and began the long trek back to Jennifer’s car.

While she walked she chided herself for being so mean to Alex, even if it was internally. The guy was sweet, and he treated Jennifer like a queen. What else could a friend ask for? No, she was just being selfish and bitchy.

By the time she arrived at Jennifer’s convertible
BMW
, she felt lower than a snake. She vowed to make it up to him when he brought Jennifer back to the beach house.

Elle pulled into the heavy traffic and made her way to the west side of the island.

She admired the beautiful homes being built along the beach and wondered if she would ever live in a house as grand.

By the time she pulled into the driveway of the beach house, she was tired and looking forward to their night of snack food and movies—more importantly Viggo Mortenson in
Lord of the Rings
.

Ah, to find a man like Aragorn, rugged, handsome, skilled with a sword and who spoke Elfish. Not that he existed, but it was nice to dream.

Elle unlocked the door and let herself in. As she pushed the door closed behind her, she flicked on the light switch and walked to the radio to turn it on. The rock station she and Jennifer had found last night came to life and one of her favorite songs was on.

Aerosmith blasted through the house, and Elle stripped off her sweat soaked bikini and headed for the shower to dream some more of Aragorn.

Roderick shut off the motorcycle and glared at Val. “You just had to get one of these.”

Val grinned. “I thought it was better than the other option.” Roderick hated when he was right. If it hadn’t been for Aimery, he doubted he would ever have learned to drive the motorcycle, and even after nearly a month of riding it, he wasn’t comfortable. He much preferred a horse.

“Are you sure this is where she went?”

Val nodded and stuck his helmet on the seat of the motorcycle. “Come on.” After he unbuckled his helmet and placed it on the seat, Roderick followed Val.

They found the woman’s car easily enough. He wondered at her status in society since her car didn’t have a top on it like most.

Then he looked up.

“We have a problem.”

Val elbowed him in the ribs as he took the stairs to the front deck of the house.

“Val,” Roderick whispered, but the Roman was already knocking on the door.

Roderick stood beside the woman’s car and looked up through the cracks in the wood just as the door opened.

“Excuse me,” Val said and took a step away from the door.

Roderick would never have thought to do that to make the woman feel safe.

“Can I help you?”

Her voice was soft and smooth. Roderick wanted a good look at her, but the planks didn’t afford him the luxury.

“I was wondering if I could use your phone to call a friend. My motorcycle ran out of gas.”

She hesitated a moment. “You don’t have a cell phone?” Val chuckled and shrugged. “I’m from the old ways.”

“Hang on a moment,” the woman said before she shut the door. It was just a moment later that she opened the door and handed Val something black.

Roderick clenched his hands impatiently. Obviously Val was taking to this modern world much easier than he was. For a moment he had forgotten what a phone was.

“Thank you. I’ll just be a moment.”

Roderick couldn’t wait to see what Val did next. Neither of them knew how to use a phone, much less had anyone that they would need to call.

He watched as Val pretended to punch some numbers and speak softly into the phone asking for some gas. Roderick was still shaking his head when Val turned back to the woman and returned her phone.

“Thank you, Miss….”

“Elle.”

“What a beautiful name. I’m Val.”

“As is Kilmer?”

Roderick chuckled when he found Val at a loss for words.

“Val Kilmer,” Elle said. “The actor.”

“Right,” Val said.

“It isn’t a name I hear very often.”

Val gave her his most charming smile. “I didn’t expect to find someone as beautiful as you to come to my rescue. I don’t suppose I could return the favor.”

“Thanks, but no thanks,” she said, her voice now cold. “If you don’t mind, could you wait below? I would hate to have to call the police.” Roderick had never doubted Val’s capabilities with women, but this was a first.

“What happened?” he whispered when Val came downstairs.

“Damned if I know.”

With the desolate landscape not offering much in the way of hiding, they knew they had to get some place where they could keep an eye on the woman.

Elle. It was a pretty name, Roderick thought.

Elle couldn’t wait to tell Jennifer of Val. She still couldn’t believe someone like him had come onto her, but for all her surprise and his good looks, there was something missing. She knew Jennifer was going to have a cow when she realized Elle had let him go.

The clock turned from three to four, and Elle found it hard to wait to eat. She was starving and decided to go ahead and eat without Jennifer. As she ate her boneless buffalo wings, chips, and
chilie con queso
, Elle popped in her favorite movie,
Lord of the
Rings
. It had been their idea to watch all three extended versions tonight, and Elle decided to get started on them.

As she ejected the second
DVD
, she heard someone walking up the stairs.

Jennifer breezed through the door, a bright smile on her face.

“Do you like my new outfit?” she asked as she twirled around.

Elle eyed the slinky red dress that graced her build perfectly. “It suits you.”

“Alex demanded we go to dinner, and I had nothing to wear.”

“Um,hm,” Elle murmured as she picked up the remnants of her dinner and carried them into the kitchen.

“I’m glad you ate without me.”

“Um, hm.” Elle turned on the water to begin washing.

Jennifer folded her arms on top of the bar and laid her chin on her hands. “Are you that mad at me?”

Elle put down the dish she was washing. “A phone call would have been nice.”

“Well, I hope this makes up for it,” Jennifer said as she put a small box on the counter.

Elle rinsed and wiped her hands before she reached for the box. She untied the pink ribbon and opened the box to reveal a necklace with a smooth blue stone about the size a small egg nestled in intricately worked silver and gold to form a Celtic design. The chain itself was made of silver and gold cords that intertwined.

“Oh … my … gosh….”

Jennifer smiled. “Does that mean you like it?”

“I love it. I don’t own anything near this beautiful. Thank you,” Elle said and came around the bar to hug her friend.

“Don’t thank me,” Jennifer said as she pulled out of the hug. “Thank Alex. He found it the other weekend and thought it would be perfect for you. That’s why he came today.”

“Oh.” Elle felt lower than dirt now. “That was very thoughtful of him.”

“He is pretty wonderful, huh?”

Elle nodded and moved her hair aside to put the necklace on.

“Let me get out of this dress and into my pj’s, and then we’ll watch the third
LOTR
.”

Elle could only nod as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. She had a feeling she would wear the necklace often. Never had she worn anything that made her feel so special and … sexy.

Roderick shifted his feet and stared at the house across the small road. Elle’s house. He had hoped that he would have been able to contact Aimery tonight and let him know they had found the woman.

“I still can’t believe she said nay,” Val grumbled. “’Tisn’t normal.” Roderick hid his smile. “Buck up, Roman. Not all women will fall at your feet.” He grunted in response. “I hope the owners of this house don’t return tonight.”

“Me as well. It’s the last thing we need.”

“We’ll have to find a better place if this is where the woman lives.” Roderick watched as the other woman returned to the house. He eyed the man with the other woman and how they touched each other. It had been the same way when he had seen them outside the café.

His realm was openly affectionate, but not that affectionate. Besides, he had gotten used to the times of Earth and how in some time periods couples could hardly touch each other in public.

“I need a woman.”

Roderick rolled his eyes, though Val couldn’t see him. “You always need a woman.”

“Absolutely.”

“You Romans were too free with your sex.”

Val laughed. “Not true. In fact, there was much more I could have done. ‘Tis you that needs to loosen up.”

He decided not to answer Val and get into another discussion on the amount of sex a man needs in his life. He’d had too many of those discussions before. Instead, Roderick took first watch of the house.

Tomorrow would give them another chance to get a look at the woman’s leg and the mark that would let them know if she was the one they had been searching for.

“Was it memorable?”

Elle shot Jennifer a bright smile as she unlocked the door to her beloved house on Michigan Street. “Of course. You out do yourself every year.”

“As long as you have a good time.” Jennifer skipped down the steps and got into her car. “Gotta run. I have a date with Alex tonight.” Elle loved Jennifer dearly, but she was glad to be home. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she had interrupted a weekend that Jennifer would have preferred to have spent with Alex.

With a sigh, she pushed open her door, the bell on the doorknob jingling. Elle dropped her bags at her feet and secured the deadbolt and two other latches on the door before she grabbed her bags and walked to her bedroom.

Her house wasn’t large. It had two bedrooms, two baths, a great foyer, and a formal living room. She had just finished upgrading the kitchen and her bathroom, and she had a nice den in the back where she watched TV, which is why there was a bell on the front door knob. With her mainly being in the back, she’d never hear anyone come in without it.

First things first, she quickly made a run to the fridge and grabbed a Diet Dr.

Pepper. She opened one of the new little bottles they had come out with and drained half of it.

“Now that’s good,” she said.

Just as she turned to head to the bathroom and a hot shower, her phone rang.

“Why do they build their dwellings so close,” Roderick said with a grimace as he tried to get comfortable against the tall wooden fence and Elle’s house, which only had about a foot of distance between them.

Val chuckled. “You should have seen Rome.”

“Nay. I think not.”

“At least we know this is where she really lives. Makes it easier to watch her here.”

Roderick had his doubts about that. Who would have guessed she had been in the same city he had been searching in for a month?