Spell Checked (11 page)

Mae sat up and looked around Beck’s empty bedroom, disappointed that Beck was gone and no longer clinging to her for heat.  She hopped out of bed onto the cold marble floor and made her way to the bathroom to get ready for the day.  Mae was looking forward to today’s lesson, which would be about controlling nature and growing plants, something she had always loved to do, but was never good at.  Everything green appeared to die in her care, even the simplest of house-plants.  She got dressed and walked outside on the veranda where Meredith and Aidan could be heard arguing on the back patio.

“Aidan, you are so daft sometimes!” Meredith exclaimed, looking at the contents of the shopping bag.  “I asked for plant seeds and bulbs.  Is it that so confusing?” Meredith rolled her eyes.

“Well, I thought it would be a lot more fun to see green wool grow on the wee sheep instead,” Aidan said smiling at Meredith.

Mae cleared her voice and joined them at the large glass table with a number of pots filled with dirt sitting on it.  “Are we growing plants?” she asked, interrupting their argument.

“Yes, I thought we could start with the easy stuff like lettuce and flowers.  Aidan, on the other hand, got you a Chia Pet,” Meredith sarcastically added, holding up a box with a small ceramic sheep in it.

“Isn’t it cute?  At least I know how to make things fun, unlike someone else I know,” Aidan interjected, insinuating Meredith was too serious about things, smiling from ear to ear.

“Don’t you have something to do, Aidan?  I feel you will be more of a distraction than a help today,” Meredith said, eager to get rid of him.

“I know when I’m not welcome.  Anyway, Beck said he needed my help today with a project he has going on at work,” Aidan replied truthfully; although he would have preferred to spend his day tormenting Meredith.

“Is Beck not here?” Mae asked anxiously.

“He is in his computer prison right now.  I think he plans to work from here for the next couple of weeks.”  Aidan was not a fan of spending the day indoors and now that Meredith had ousted him from the day’s learning activities, it looked like he had no other choice.

Mae breathed a sigh of relief knowing Beck had not gone anywhere, but was in his favorite room working.  Meredith, having finally gotten rid of Aidan, was ready to start teaching her about growing plants and she lay several seed packs on the table next to pots of soil.

“Sometimes I don’t know what is going on in that good looking head of his.  I swear, if I sent him to get toilet paper he would come back with paper towels,” Meredith added, venting her frustration concerning Aidan’s ability to follow directions.

“I think it’s just a man thing and not something exclusive to Aidan,” Mae snorted, agreeing with Meredith’s assessment.

“Tonight, I would like to have fresh salad.  So we are going to start with the romaine seeds.”  Meredith handed Mae the pack of romaine seeds and prepared the soil for planting.

“What do you mean tonight?  It will take at least two weeks to even grow baby romaine,” Mae asked, confused.

“Not if you are a witch.  We are one with nature and can control it to a certain extent.  Now, take the seeds and plant them in the long pot according to the directions.  There are some gloves in the bag if you want to use them.  Me?  I prefer to put my hands in the dirt and feel the earth’s energy,” Meredith added, planting her own seeds.

“I don’t mind getting my hands dirty, but I still don’t understand how we are going to have salad tonight from these seeds,” Mae confessed, watering the newly planted seeds.

“Just watch me and I will explain.”  Meredith placed her hands over the seeds she just planted and soon sprouts began to appear.  “Concentrate on moving the energy from the dirt and water to the seeds.  Let the energy flow to the leaves once they have opened,” Meredith explicated.

Mae tried to repeat what Meredith showed her and nothing happened.  She concentrated on the seeds, water, and dirt.  Soon the water that flowed to the bottom of the pot after she watered the seeds began to bubble to the top, making a big, muddy mess.  Meredith curiously watched the muddy mess start to flow over the edge of the pot.

“What am I doing wrong?” Mae asked Meredith.

“I think you might be concentrating on the water and dirt too much.  Try to refocus on just the seeds,” suggested Meredith.

Mae tried concentrating on just the seeds and once again got mud.  “You make it look so easy,” she said watching Meredith’s sprouts grow leaves.

“It should be a lot easier than that spell you cast on Aidan.  Try and see if you can get mine to grow, maybe you are just having a problem getting it to sprout.”  Meredith moved over and swapped places with Mae.

She put her hands over the leaves Meredith had sprouted just moments ago and concentrated on the flow of energy to them, trying to be one with nature.  Just when she thought she could see some of them grow, mud bubbled from the bottom of Meredith’s pot.  “This is going to be a long day
,
” Mae thought to herself putting her hands on her hips and sighing with disappointment.

The morning proved to be one frustration after the next.  Mud seemed like the only thing in nature that would cooperate with Mae and Meredith was losing hope for her fresh salad that night.  Mae’s stomach started to rumble loudly as hunger from skipping breakfast finally caught up with her.  Not only that, but she was having a hard time concentrating.  Beck was on her mind.  His hard naked body sprawled on the bed was not a vision she would soon forget.  Meredith suggested breaking for lunch, so they made their way to the kitchen.  Gemma was at the table on the phone, apparently doing business.  She worked at one of her dad’s marketing firms and rarely took breaks, even for vacation.

“How’s the training going?” Gemma asked as soon as she hung up her phone.

“It’s not.  I’m having a hard time being one with nature except for mud.  I got that one down pat,” Mae said washing her hands.  “What are you up to this morning?”  She was curious to know if Gemma was working while on vacation as she had always done.

“I am needed at work and my dad has his panties in a wad.  What else is new?” she said sarcastically.

“What are your plans?” Mae asked fretfully, already assuming it would involve Gemma leaving soon.

“I plan to leave in five days to get things in order at home.  I am going to open a new branch in Killarney; it was one of the reasons I had Aidan take me there.  I always felt we needed a European office.  Aidan told me it could take years before you learned the basics and I refuse to leave you here alone,” Gemma replied confidently as if a move to Europe was nothing.

“You would do that for me?”  Mae asked as her eyes started to tear up.  Then, as if being hit by a bolt of lightning, her expression changed.  She turned to look at Meredith, “What does she mean by years?  I have a job, I can’t stay here!” Mae’s voice became shrill, as she panicked at the prospect of an extended stay.

“Your training is very important.  I assumed you knew that it could take longer than your vacation time here,” Meredith said, uncertain of how Mae would react to her reply.

“Things have been moving so fast, I never even thought about it.” Mae was beside herself, her emotional turmoil leaving her on the verge of crying.

“Well you need to think about it soon.  This morning I noticed that I could sense you and it won’t be long before the rest of the Council does too.  It must have been a spell that was keeping you hidden.”  Meredith was blunt in her assessment because she knew the Council wouldn’t wait long to hone in on their prey.

“I don’t think Beck would appreciate me being parked at his house and jobless for the next couple of years,” Mae said, thinking about the situation.  “He has been very generous to this point and I don’t want to impose on him.”

“I disagree, I think he would be in heaven if you stayed,” Meredith grinned.

“Well, I still plan on opening an office here.  You can always work for me and get your own apartment,” Gemma rationalized.

“I need to talk to Beck before I make any decisions.”  Mae sat on one of the kitchen chairs and started to play with her hair nervously.

“I think you should have some lunch first.  Your stomach is talking so loud I can’t hear myself think.”  Gemma was concerned that her friend was pushing herself to hard and skipping meals.

“I guess I can wait until after lunch to talk to him,” Mae agreed.  She was famished and needed some time to think straight before addressing this issue with Beck.

After lunch, Mae made her way to Beck’s computer room.  He was sitting at a desk working on his laptop, so she knocked on the side of the door frame to get his attention.

“Sorry to disturb you.  I can leave if you’re busy,” she nervously said as if she were intruding on something important.

“I am not that busy; come in please.  I am glad to see you.  How is your training going?”  He asked, motioning her to sit in the chair across the desk from him.

“Terrible!  However, that’s not why I am here.  Did you know that it could take years to train me?” she blurted out sinking into the chair behind her.

“Yes, I was fully aware that it would take time to train you.  What is the problem?”  Beck did not know where Mae was going with this conversation.

“You would open your home for a couple of years to a soon to be jobless woman you just met?” Mae asked, questioning the rationale of his answer.

“No.  But, I would open my home to you for an eternity, if you would stay,” Beck said softly, leaning across the desk and clutching her hand that was resting at the edge.  “And if being jobless bothers you so much, you can work for me.  I can always use another IT person,” Beck offered in consolation.

“Gemma offered me a job too.  Did you know she plans on opening a marketing firm in Killarney?” she informed Beck.

“No, I did not.  However, that is a wonderful idea.  I know how much you two need each other,” Beck said, thinking to himself, “Having Gemma near would certainly keep Mae near too.”

 She let go of his hand and sank further into the chair frowning.  “I guess I have a phone call to make and a job to quit,” she sighed, like it was the end of the world.

Beck got up from his seat and walked around the desk to where she sat.  He gave her his hand and said, “It looks like your nerves are utterly frayed.  You need to relax and I need a break too, so I propose a hot bath in the Jacuzzi tub and a therapeutic massage.  I can have the best massage therapists in County Kerry here in an hour.”

“You don’t have to be so generous, Beck...Although it does sound very tempting.  I really could use a massage and would gladly have gone to a spa on my own to get one…That is, if I knew where to find a spa around here,” she laughed, her heart pounding in her chest as he gently stroked her hand.

“I am not as generous as you think.  The massage therapists are on my payroll and I was going to get a massage today anyway.  I am feeling a little stiff from yesterday,” He explained rubbing his neck.

“Very well you talked me into it,” she said, before thinking, “He sure does know how to win an argument.  At least he does when it benefits me.”

“How stiff are you feeling, Beck?” she asked, suggesting something other than stiff neck muscles.

“You are relentless!  Is your mind always in the gutter?” he laughed.

“Only when it comes to you,” she replied playfully with a sheepish grin.

Beck clasped her hand and led her up the stairs to the room next to his.

“Have your things been moved in yet?” he asked eagerly as they walked into the room.

“I don’t know?  I haven’t checked,” she replied unaware as to whether they had been moved.

“This room has the best bathroom in the house,” Beck informed her, opening the door to the bathroom.

Mae stood there in absolute awe; it was magnificent.  This was not just a luxurious bathroom like the others in the house.  It was a modern Roman bathhouse covered in marble and mosaic tiles.  Beautiful statues of gods and goddesses graced every empty corner and large columned pillars ran from floor to ceiling.

“I don’t like it,” she said sternly, looking around the room and shrugging her shoulders.

Beck stood there somewhat stunned by Mae’s words.  He personally commissioned the renovations of the room just recently as a surprise for Helen.  “I will have contractors here tomorrow at your beck and call,” he replied, saddened by her disapproval.

She gave him a mischievous grin.  “I’m just kidding,” she laughed.  “It’s the most beautiful bathroom I have ever seen,” wrapping her arms around him in approval.

“I will run the water for you.  There are a couple of robes in the closet over there if you would like to change,” he replied, pointing to a door next to the shower entrance.

“It’s a bit chilly in here,” she said after entering the large changing room Beck referred to as a closet.  Within minutes, the heat rising from the floor tiles began to warm the bottoms of Mae’s feet. She curled her toes, then stretched them back out, as the warm floor thawed the chilliness from her bones.

 She walked over and sat next to Beck on the stairs to the tub.  He was filling what appeared to be a small hot tub that could fit about four people in it comfortably.  The scent of lavender wafted from the steam of the water, beckoning her to join it in relaxing warmth.