Enchanted, A Paranormal Romance / Fantasy (Forever Charmed) (13 page)

“Oh…Mandy, hmmm?” came a sudden outburst of giggles from the side of Steve’s mom. A little girl about 10 years old was grinning at Mandy.

“Cassie!” Steve looked like his eyes were about to pop out of his head. His mouth was drawn in a thin line and he slightly shook his head in Cassie’s direction.

“Cassie, don’t embarrass your brother!” Cassie’s mom reprimanded.

“Sorry…she likes to make things up,” Steve tried to save the situation to Mandy.

“That’s ok,” Mandy said smiling. She felt bad that Steve was humiliated by his little sister. So bad that before she had time to think about what she was doing or the consequences of her actions she decided to do something she had never done before. “Hey, are you busy Friday night?”

“Yeah. I’ve gotta work in the daytime, but I’m usually around after dinner,” Mandy smiled at Steve. “Oh wait, here.” Mandy scribbled her number on the white side of her French fries container and ripped it off , handing it to Steve.

“Friday,” Mandy said watching the little clan walk out the door. She couldn’t believe she had just asked a guy out. Mandy never did that. At least it was only Tuesday, she still had a few days to convince herself that it had happened. On the other hand, it was just Steve. It wasn’t like she had just asked out Lucas on a whim.
Oh shoot, Lucas
. Well, it wasn’t like she and Lucas were seeing each other, Mandy reasoned with herself. They were just friends who had shared a meal together at a restaurant. At least that’s what Mandy thought. Hopefully Lucas hadn’t gotten the wrong impression. Steve with all his geekiness was definitely more Mandy’s type.

Not that Mandy had really had a type before. She hadn’t ever actually had a boyfriend or dated anyone before. But Mandy imagined if she had a type it would be more towards the Steve side of the spectrum. A nice quiet kid, nothing flashy and fancy that would call unwanted attention on herself. After all, Lucas was the complete opposite. He epitomized flashy and fancy. He did call unwanted attention to Mandy. He was mouthwateringly good looking, a great piece of arm candy… great if you wanted to make every girl in town jealous or possibly even hate you, which is not exactly what Mandy was after.

In fact, that was the last thing Mandy needed. She didn’t want to make enemies of all the girls. So it was better this way. Lucas was a nice guy, but she knew deep down she had no place next to him. There would have to be at least one perfect blonde cheerleader who already had dibs on Lucas. And she did not want to be a perfect blonde cheerleader’s rival.

It had been weird with Lucas anyway. Mandy had felt like she hadn’t been able to be completely herself with him. So maybe she was glad she had acted on impulse and asked Steve out. She would be glad, she suddenly thought with conviction.

“I’ve been sitting right across from you!” Ally said exasperated. “What the hell were you thinking about?” Ally reached across to Mandy’s tray and swooped up some fries.

“Um, ok, don’t take this the wrong way. I love Steve, he’s a great guy and a good
friend
, but have you seen him? I mean really looked at him?” Ally probed. “I mean really looked at him next to Lucas,” Ally clarified.

“I think Steve is cute,” Mandy defended her choice.

“Yeah cute…Ok let me try to put this in perspective for you. Steve is Average Joe, Lucas is some sort of Cosmic god. Do you want Average Joe escorting you around school or Cosmic god?” Ally looked very proud of her analogy and seemed sure that this would enlighten Mandy.

“Average Joe,” Mandy said without hesitation.

Ally looked like she was about to explode with exasperation. She exhaled a big breath of air out from her puffed cheeks. “Mandy, sometimes I just don’t understand you!” she said shaking her head.

“Sometimes I just don’t understand
everybody
. Are you done?” Mandy said starting to gather up her stuff.

“Yeah,” Ally said still bewildered.

“Get good stuff?” Mandy asked trying to focus on something more positive for Ally and hoping it would change the direction of their conversation.

“Tons. You really should have come with me,” Ally said as they headed for the door. “There’s still time to transform your image, you know. You can be my clay, I can be your sculptor…”

“Ally…” Mandy sighed half-heartedly but laughter was overtaking the situation as they climbed into the car and drove back to York.

* * *

Chapter 12

Mandy had to work the next two days, but was finding herself actually looking forward to Friday and her date with Steve instead of obsessively worrying about it and being nervous as she had figured she would be. Steve was so unassuming it was hard to feel anything but completely at ease with him. In fact Mandy was finding that she was not only looking forward to it, but that she was ridiculously excited about it. She was so giddy she was almost jumpy.

“Mandy, do you mind giving the flowers some fresh water?” Nana called out from the backroom. “I have a watering can back here all set for you, Dear.”

Mandy tried in vain to clear her thoughts from the upcoming date. “Sure, Nana,” she answered as she shuffled slowly towards the back of the store. Upon entering the room she saw Nana sprinkling another strange substance into the watering can. Mandy paused in the doorway, unsure whether or not to ignore the weirdness or to blatantly demand what that stuff was. Last time she had confronted her grandmother about the unknown substance, she had been given a vague reply. A small voice in Mandy’s head was beginning to insist that now that Mandy was in the know about certain things she had been previously oblivious to she had a certain right to know.

Mandy looked at her grandmother, standing there. She looked very calm as she finished sprinkling in the substance. Mandy could just barely make out that Nana was humming very quietly under her breath. It was an odd melody, not one that Mandy had ever heard Nana, or anyone for that matter, humming before. Before she could think it through anymore Mandy acted on impulse for the second time in two days.

“Nana,” Mandy said softly not wanting to startle her grandmother and not knowing if she was supposed to be witness to whatever she was doing. Nana only kept humming and began to gently swirl the water in the watering can by moving it in a circular motion. “Nana,” Mandy said again a bit louder. No reply still left Mandy feeling as though she should quietly back out of the room and come back in a minute. But the voice wouldn’t let her now. It was getting louder.
Ask!
It commanded Mandy. “Nana!” Mandy raised her voice as she never had at her grandmother. Nana’s green eyes suddenly flew open and darted about frantically, landing at last on Mandy in the doorway.

“No. What were you doing to the water? I saw you put something in there. A powder or something. And I saw you do that before. To Hank’s daisies, remember?” Mandy wasn’t going to back down this time.

Nana looked at Mandy in the eyes for a minute, studying, looking for some hidden sign that would tell her how to answer her granddaughter. “Mandy, do you remember that certain conversation we had? About healing? About having a gift, abilities?”

“Yeah,” Mandy allowed slowly, waiting for her grandmother to continue.

“Well there are certain things we healers use to aide us with our craft,” Nana said hesitatingly, apparently not sure of how Mandy would react after their last conversation on the subject.

“And that was something to aide you?” Mandy urged.

“It was simply ground fennel seed. It gives the flowers longevity,” Nana replied.

Mandy simply looked at Nana, trying to force herself to remember to breathe and to remain calm.
It’s only fennel seed, it’s not like it’s some mysterious or illegal substance
, the voice in Mandy’s head reassured her.

“Deary, I don’t want to upset you. But you seem as if you may have questions, more questions, that you would like answered, and rightly so. If that is the case why don’t you come back with me to the cottage after we close up and we can talk,” Nana suggested.

Mandy sighed. She had been trying to avoid this conversation, but at the same time she had known it would have to happen sooner or later. Better to get it over with now. “All right,” Mandy agreed.

The rest of the day passed uneventfully. Ally was chatty and perky as always, seemingly unaware of the anxiety attack Mandy felt sure she was on the verge of. Ally droned on and on about school and Lucas and Steve, grilling Mandy for information on what she had planned with Steve and then suggesting that Mandy could have both guys if she was careful. Mandy was beginning to feel like perhaps Ally needed a good old psychiatric evaluation. Mandy tried to tune Ally out, answering the phone on the first ring and practically jumping on customers the second they came through the door. Finally it was five o’clock and they locked the door.

“You’ll find something to do,” Mandy assured her. Ally recovered quickly from her rejection and was out the door with a cheerful “Later!”

Mandy was leaning on the counter staring vacantly at nothing in particular and twirling her hair around a finger when Nana came up behind her. “Ready?” Nana asked.

“Yup,” Mandy tried to sound cheerful like Ally. They walked out together to their waiting cars. They drove separately to Nana’s house so no one had to make a return trip to pick up a vehicle.

Nana’s house was a little square place across the street from Long Sands. Nana referred to it most of the time as her cottage. Mandy wasn’t exactly sure of the difference between a house and a cottage, although she suspected it had something to do with the size. The house was tiny, but somehow did not feel confining in anyway. The outside was made of wooden shingles that had once been painted an immaculate white, but were now mostly a weathered gray with flecks of brightness left here and there on them. There was a large porch in front that ran the length of the house on which sat two rockers side by side with red checked cushions. One had been Papa’s, but Nana had wanted it to remain there by hers. She had said it wouldn’t feel like home without it there. The two of them had loved to sit on the porch in their rocking chairs, talking, drinking iced tea, and watching the sea for hours at a time. Now the chair only had the wind with its mournful voice to rock it to and fro.

Mandy pulled up behind Nana’s car in the driveway and turned off the ignition to the Boat. Nana was already headed up the front steps. She turned around to look for Mandy and seeing her still sitting in her car she motioned for Mandy to join her. Mandy sighed and got out of the car. She didn’t know if she really wanted to have this conversation, but she had already agreed. She dragged her feet up the steps to the porch, listening to the wood groaning and feeling as though she could empathize with the tired old steps.