Fire Spell (5 page)

February 14, 1949

It is a day for lovers. Mine is taking me on a getaway. Of course, we have to pretend to be married, or no respectable hotel will let us stay together. I don’t mind. I already feel like we are bound together. We have shared our magic and our hearts. Now if only he will share his name with me.

March 2, 1949

There was a splendid concert tonight, and I was the luckiest girl in Charleston to be on Leo’s arm. I saw Karen and Hattie eyeing him like he was a piece of licorice. Luckily, I’m so in love I didn’t bother with a
Pepper Curse
. My heart is too full for that. Although, someone should advise them to stop calling me a spinster. I’m only 23.

It seemed Leo was also a witch. I looked at his picture again. His suit was sharp and fitted. My grandmother’s dress was cute and flirty. I skipped ahead, knowing I could come back to the spring and summer entries. I wanted to know if Leo finally proposed. Reading her words, I could tell my grandmother was beyond love. I didn’t know the name for it, but I completely understood it.

August 22, 1949

Leo told me the only way we can be together is if he fulfills his quest. I have cried a hundred tears into my pillow. I begged him not to leave. I love him with every ounce of magic and spirit I have. I’m afraid if he goes I will perish and all of the dreams we had will wilt like flowers in the fall.

September 3, 1949

He promised me he would come back to Charleston. He swore he would be back to marry me and finish our crusade, but after I watched him soar into the sky, my heart broke into a million pieces and I know in my soul I will never see him again. This Shadow Quest has no ending. And even though I’m a Laurel and he’s a Guardian, I will have to bury our love deep in my heart for he will not come back and we will never be together. They have made sure of it.

I stopped breathing. Oh my God. I tried to steady my hands, but my pulse raced and my palms were sweaty. Laurel? Guardian? The room might be spinning; I wasn’t sure. I couldn’t make sense of what I had just read. Nothing made sense right now. I absorbed the picture of my grandmother, Lily, and of the mysterious Leo, and finally realized why those long eyelashes looked so damned familiar.

I
LOOKED
at the clock on my desk. It was almost ten. There was no question where I was going on my next trip—Charleston. I grabbed the elixir, tucked it inside its box, and collected the journals. If I started packing now, I could be on the road in the morning.

I jogged down the stairs when the alarms blared and beeped. I raced to the monitor by the front door. There was someone on my porch. I placed my grandmother’s things on my entry table. I was ready to
Stun Spell
someone if I needed to. I was rusty, but I could do it.

“Sorry. It’s me, Ivy. It’s Jack.” I heard his gruff voice through the door.

Jack? I relaxed my palms. I punched in the code to silence the incessant siren and swung open the door.

“What are you doing here? How’d you get through the front gate?” So much for the touted neighborhood security.

“Hey.” He smiled. “I showed them my ID.”

“Oh.” I watched a moth circle overhead. I wasn’t sure why Jack was on my porch at ten o’clock at night, but I felt too distracted and confused right now to try to figure it out. The journal entries were seared into my thoughts.

He nodded toward the door. “Can I come in?”

I glanced down at my tank top and short running shorts. It was possibly the least amount of clothing I could wear without it being considered lingerie. “Um, sure.” I bit my lip.

He took the steps down into the living room. “This house is great. Nice fireplace.”

I remembered how much he liked to have fires in his house. Jack was definitely a woodsy and fire type of guy.

“Thanks. I lucked out at the last minute. The couple needed to sell for a job relocation.” I folded my arms across my chest as if that would cover me up. I still didn’t know why he had stopped by unannounced so late at night.

“Here.” He pulled a bottle of wine from behind his back. I red bow was tied near the cork. “It’s a housewarming present.”

I tilted my head. “Um. You’re here to drop off a gift?” It looked like a nice bottle of pinot noir.

“Yeah and to see the house. See if you needed any help.” He shifted on his feet, and I could tell he was nervous. It was actually adorable.

I giggled. “Well, as you can see, I’m all unpacked. I roped my brother into hanging everything for me.” No need to tell him I used a few object spells. “Would you like a tour?”

“Yeah. I’d love that.” His nervous grin transformed into a full smile. Those sexy chestnut eyes beamed.

I sighed. This would have to be quick. Jack could not hang out here.

“Let’s start in the kitchen.” He followed me to the sixties kitchen that I had grown to love. I placed the bottle of wine on the counter.

Ten minutes later, we had circled back to the living room. “So, there you have it. Casa del Ivy.” I smiled. “Thanks for stopping by and for the gift.” I moved toward the front door. I hoped he didn’t interpret the gesture as rude, but the longer I was in the same room with him, the longer I worried he wanted to stay, and that wasn’t good for his mortality.

“What about the wine? Don’t you want to have a glass?” He pressured me for an answer.

I hesitated. Was Jack trying to stop by for a drink, conversation, or something else? If I could get my head out of my grandmother’s journals and focus for a minute, maybe I could decipher what Jack was doing.

“It’s late.” I stretched my arms. It was my best you-need-to-leave hint I could throw at him.

“I think it’s bad luck or something if you don’t drink the housewarming wine.” He looked serious.

I giggled. I couldn’t help it. “I’ve never heard that.”

“Yep, I’m pretty sure that’s the story. One glass and I’ll head out.” He smiled and melted the last bit of resistance I had.

“Ok. One glass,” I acquiesced.

I walked to the kitchen to find the corkscrew. “Here, let me get that.” He took the opener from my hands and placed it on top of the wine. I fetched two glasses from the cabinet.

We walked back to the living room with full glasses of wine. Jack had poured more than half the bottle into our glasses. He was going to be here for a while. I tried to shake the apprehension it gave me. The worst thing that would probably happen would be another nightmare. I should be getting used to them by now. I sipped the pinot.

He had never dropped by before, and he was famous for keeping things professional between us at the office. He sat next to me on the couch. His frame filling up most of the couch. Sometimes I forgot how tall he was. He made me feel petite in the best girly kind of way.

“I know it’s a little strange me showing up so late, but I need to talk to you about something. It’s important.” He paused. “I’ve been trying to explain for the past few weeks, but you keep postponing the trip and—”

I interrupted him. “Oh, about that. I’m leaving in the morning. I have a story.”

“What? You’re headed to Nashville?” He looked confused.

I shook my head. “No, no. I’m going to Charleston. I got an amazing tip and I’m driving first thing in the morning. I’ll only be gone a few days, but I think I might have the story of a lifetime. You’ll be happy with it. I know it.” I smiled over my glass.

“You have to do the western. It’s nonnegotiable.” He placed his wine on the coffee table.

I groaned. “I thought you were in my corner with my writing. You are the one person who is supposed to understand you can’t force it to happen.” I had always trusted Jack with my work.

“I do understand you.” His eyes softened and followed my mouth. Suddenly, my lips felt heavy and full like they were dying to be kissed. I inhaled. His gaze darted back and forth, and for a second, I wasn’t sure I could keep talking. It had been so long since I had been kissed. All I could think about were the kisses he gave me in Vegas.

I shifted so I wasn’t so close to him. It helped. “Then why are you pushing this book?”

He reached his arm across the back of the couch. I tried to act as if it was a completely normal thing for him to do, as if this is how we held all of our work conversations. I stared into my wine glass. It kept me from looking at his chiseled features and his scruffy jawline.

“Because you are under contract, and if you want to keep from having a legal war with a board that has suddenly awakened to your profitability, it’s worth writing a book you’re not excited about. I’m trying to help you. Don’t you know I only do things to help you?”

He reached toward my cheek and brushed the hair from my face. The gesture felt familiar and warm. I resisted the urge to close my eyes and linger in the sensation. I didn’t know what in the hell was going on with him all of a sudden, but I couldn’t let him touch me, no matter how much it might replace some of the loneliness I had been feeling lately. It wasn’t good for either of us.

“I-I don’t know what to say about that.”

The alarm at the door sounded. “Miss Grace? Miss Grace?” I shot from the couch and rushed to the panel.

“Yes?”

“You have a visitor.”

I rolled my eyes. “Thank you. He’s already here.” I smiled at Jack.

“Ok. Have a good night. Let us know if you need anything.”

I hit the mute button on the alarm. When I got back from Charleston, I would have to speak to someone at the guard gate. This was ridiculous.

I turned to my late night guest. “You know, I was getting ready for bed before you stopped by, and I have packing to do. I’m going to hit the road bright and early.” Bright and early wasn’t my thing, but tomorrow it had to be.

Jack looked unsettled. “But, I wanted to talk—”

“How about when I get back?” I unlocked the deadbolt and pulled the door open. “I’ll only be gone a few days. If you don’t like the story I come back with, then we can talk about Nashville. Ok?” I was worried his definition of talking involved him playing with my hair some more or tracing my lips, and that would only lead to bad things.

He walked to the foyer. He towered over me and was close enough I could smell his cologne. The one that usually made my knees go a little weak.

“Not really, but I guess it’s late.” He handed me his wine glass. “I like the house. We’ll talk.”

He walked out of the house and down the front steps. I watched as he climbed into his Jeep and pulled out of the driveway. This night was like a roller coaster of mysteries that kept hitting me around every corner. As his taillights faded around the corner street, I closed the door and walked to the kitchen. I dumped the glasses into the sink and watched the last sips of wine circle the drain. If I was going to make my road trip in the morning, I needed to pack. I had cute outfits to assemble.