Sticks and Stones (24 page)
Authors: Kerrie Dubrock
Grace glanced
at her watch and groaned. She hurriedly ran past the contractor’s, waving a
hasty goodbye.
Driving down
the freshly black-topped road, unease filled her. Choosing the Ehwaz stone
could do that to a girl. Especially since it was reversed. Unwanted, unexpected
change was about to happen. Grace growled, “Un-fucking-believable!”
* * *
Rick emerged
from the locker room and his jaw tightened when he spotted Taylor waiting
patiently in the press room. “There’s a bar a block away,” he muttered,
stuffing his hands into his khaki shorts.
Taylor regarded
him at length. He was handsome when they dated, but now? Holy fuck! He’d grown
into a smokin’ hot man! Her eyes darted towards his feet. Brown sandals adorned
his feet. Slowly, her gaze shifted up. Coarse, brown hair covered his muscular
legs. Inwardly, she moaned when she couldn’t see how muscular his thighs were
since his shorts went down to his knees. She lifted her eyes to his torso. The
blue v-neck shirt outlined his trim waist and muscular chest. A small, silky
tuft of brown hair poked from the top of his shirt.
Rick shifted
uncomfortably and cleared his throat. “Ya ready?”
“Uh, yeah,”
Taylor muttered, embarrassed.
He moved
towards the glass doors and pushed one open for her. She brushed past him
slowly, taking pleasure in his clean, soapy scent.
He stiffened when he
recognized the scent she wore. It used to be his favorite.
* * *
Patrick’s nose
wrinkled. “Gracie, you have red paint in your hair.”
“It’s actually
raw umber, dad,” she muttered, sitting at the large mahogany table.
Tilda scowled
at her brother-in-law. “No doubt this family meeting has taken her away from
her work. Let’s get on with it.”
“Sorry for the
short notice, but this couldn’t wait,” Kim apologized, pouring lemonade into
frosted glasses. “We’ve decided to move to Ireland.”
Tilda and Grace
shot each other wary glances as Kim continued. “We’ve found a lovely home near
Wexford and we want you to come with us.”
The glass
slipped from Grace’s hand, splattering ice cubes and lemonade everywhere.
* * *
“I like this
place,” Taylor mumbled, glancing around the bar.
Rick brought a
Corona to his lips and nodded. “Yeah, we usually come here after a win, as you
can tell by all the pictures lining the bar walls.”
“Sooo, how do
you like Chicago?” Taylor asked, flipping a strand of blonde hair behind her
ear.
“I love it. The
people are great, I work for a great organization…what’s not to love?”
Taylor smirked.
“Your kind of love is short-lived, isn’t it?”
Rick flinched,
“You were a casualty of my decision.”
* * *
Tilda watched
as her sister and brother-in-law drove away. She turned from the window and
stared at Grace’s blank face. Cocking her head she said softly, “Poppet?”
Grace lifted
her eyes. “Something’s wrong.”
“Let them go to
Ireland. We can always visit.”
“No, with
Rick,” Grace muttered, placing a palm over her stomach. “I feel like I did when
Ben was cheating on me with Janice. Well, not as bad, but still, the feeling’s
there.”
Tilda palmed
Grace’s cheek. “So call him. I think you’re worrying for naught.”
Grace giggled,
“For naught? Have you been reading a certain best seller?”
“
The Wild Knight Sir
Eoghan
? Oh my! What a wonderful story!” Tilda nodded, enthusiastically.
* * *
Taylor smiled
sadly. “Have you ever regretted breaking up?”
Rick’s cell
phone buzzed in his pocket. He held up an index finger to Taylor. “O’Shea!”
“Ryan!” Grace
giggled, nervously.
The corners of
Rick’s eyes crinkled and a smile lit his face. “Hey babe.”
“Uh, hi. Hope
I’m not interrupting anything.”
He glanced away
from Taylor. “Nah, just having a beer with someone. I’ll be at your house
soon.” He disconnected the call and shook his head. “I have no regrets.”
Taylor smiled
even though his words hurt. “Ouch.”
“I don’t mean
to be a dick, but I want to be honest with you. The time we spent together was
great and I loved you. Loved you so much that I didn’t think I’d feel that way
about another woman again.”
“Ah, but it
seems as if you have,” Taylor acknowledged.
“Yeah, I
have.” He finished his beer and placed it on the table. “How about you? Are you
with anyone?”
“Nah,” Taylor
sighed. “After we broke up, I dated Nic for a while then he signed with the
Coyotes and the rest is history.”
“Yeah. I
heard,” he shook his head, angrily. “Gavlik? Out of all the guys you could’ve
had, you chose him?”
“Yeah. I was
glad when he dumped me,” she shuddered. “I didn’t realize he had anger issues.”
Rick lifted an eyebrow, prompting her to continue. “He’d slap me around when he
got pissed off.”
* * *
“Well?” Tilda
prompted.
Grace lifted a
shoulder. “He said he’s having a beer with someone. A bit ambiguous, don’t ya
think?”
“Don’t jump to
conclusions, Poppet.”
“Matilda is
right, Grace. Rick is a decent bloke,” Reginald interjected.
“I can’t help
it. I drew the Ehwaz stone earlier and unwanted change is about to happen. Is
it my parent’s moving to Ireland or does it have something to do with Rick?”
Grace moaned. “I’ve said from the start that things were moving too fast with
him. I mean, how the hell does someone fall in love so flippin’ fast?”
“That’s how true love
works, Poppet. Stop over-thinking things and enjoy it!”
* * *
Freshly
showered, Grace stretched out on the couch, on her stomach, engrossed in the
story of Sir Eoghan when Chewy leapt onto her back. “Chewy!” she admonished.
“What’s your problem?”
Chewy meowed
innocently and darted towards the front door, moments before the doorbell rang.
“Sorry, Eoghan,
but you’re only a fictional hunk,” Grace murmured. She placed a floral
patterned bookmark between the ivory pages and placed the book on the coffee
table.
Chewy circled
her legs as she pulled open the door.
“Hey beautiful.
Sorry I’m a late,” Rick grinned, pulling Grace into a fierce one-armed hug.
“Mmm, you’re
way better than Eoghan,” Grace sighed into his chest.
Rick chuckled.
“I hope so. At least I’m real.” Chewy pawed his bare leg, meowing to be picked
up. “Okay Chewy, hold on. These are for you,” he grinned, holding a bouquet of
flowers to her.
She breathed in
the scent of pink carnations, red roses and lavender. “Thank you.”
Rick patted his
chest and Chewy leapt into his arms. “I know Calla lilies are your favorite,
but I thought you may like these,” he replied, rubbing Chewy’s head.
Grace headed
towards the kitchen to put the flowers into a vase.
Rick placed
Chewy on the floor and snuck up behind Grace at the sink and began nibbling on
her ear lobe.
“What’s up?”
she sighed.
“Nothing, yet…”
he mumbled between nibbles.
“Your aura is
mixed with pastel colors.”
“Meaning?” he
coaxed.
Grace placed
her hand on his chest. “You’re very sensitive now and want things to be
serene.”
“Damn! I can’t
get anything past you.” He held her tightly, laying his chin on top of her
head. “The person I had a beer with was Taylor.” When Grace tried to pull away
he held tight. “Don’t make assumptions, Grace.”
She lifted her
chin, “I’m sorry. I’ve been on edge lately.”
He cupped her
cheek. “I’ve noticed.” He sighed and continued. “The Wind hired her to be the
staff photographer. Long story short, I had a beer with her and we caught up
with each other.”
Grace studied
him for a moment. A light blue color emanated around him indicating
truthfulness. “That’s nice,” she murmured.
“You’re okay
with me talking to her?”
“Yep,” she
grinned.
“Good.” His
eyes skimmed over her and he grinned. “Since you look so comfy, why don’t we
order out and relax tonight since our first game is tomorrow night.”
“Yeah. It’s
been a hell of a day.”
Rick lifted an
eyebrow. “What’s wrong?”
“My parents
informed us that they’re moving to Ireland.” She began arranging the flowers.
“They want me and Aunt Tilda to move with them.”
A lump formed
in Rick’s throat. “Grace?” he rasped.
She turned at
the strangeness of his voice. “We’re not going.”
He released a
relieved breath. “Whew! Ya scared me.”
Grace shrugged,
“I have Bewitching Designs and Aunt Tilda won’t go because Reginald can’t cross
large bodies of water.”
Rick frowned
and shook his head sadly.
He wasn’t a
factor in her decision to stay.
With five
pre-season games under her belt, Grace was beginning to get the hang of hockey.
In fact, she rather enjoyed the fast pace of the game. She sat at her desk and
glanced at her appointment book. Two potential clients were scheduled for the
day and in the evening she’d be at the arena watching The Wind’s first regular
season game.
She heard
giggling coming from the front desk and spotted Zee and Dmitri embracing. Grace
shook her head and smiled. In the past month, she and Zee had returned to an
amicable relationship.
In fact, the
past month had been remarkably smooth. The Victorian model home was complete
and the other was nearly finished. She’d gained two new clients, thanks to Jack
and Chicago magazine’s spread on her and Chase. Ben and Janice were back
together and oddly enough, Grace was fine with it.
She planned to
visit Janice’s office and bring a plant to wish her well. But not until she
covered herself with a protection spell.
* * *
After practice,
Rick made a phone call confirming the limo for his special guests at the game
tonight. Blake and Max promised to get Grace at the arena early and Chase and
Emily would bring Tilda. It’d be a night Grace would never forget.
* * *
Grace hung up
the phone, dejected. She’d totally forgotten about her appointment with Becky
Martin regarding the auction. But, Becky, being Becky, was very polite and
rescheduled the appointment for the next day. She grimaced and drew dark lines
on the paper in front of her.
“Ya
ready Grace?” Blake asked.
Grace lifted
her head from her sketch pad. “Now? The game doesn’t start for another two
hours.”
“Don’t you want
to see Rick and wish him luck?”
“I did
earlier.”
Blake crossed
his arms over his chest and lifted an eyebrow.
“I need to change my
clothes first,” she replied, rolling her eyes.
* * *
Before Rick went
to the locker room, he checked out the bar in the main concourse. His guests
had arrived.
“Ricochet!” the
auburn haired woman squealed.
Patrons at the
bar flocked towards him, holding out napkins and pens. One woman lowered her
hockey jersey, exposing her cleavage.
He quickly
engaged the fans, signing his name and thanking them for their support.
When he reached
his guests table, the woman muttered an apology for calling attention to him
and extended her hand.
He glanced at
her proffered hand and hugged her instead. “Thank you, so much, for coming!”
“My favorite
hockey player is hugging me!” she giggled.
“Aye, so I
see,” her husband replied with a smile that didn’t meet his eyes.
Rick quickly released her
and grabbed the man’s hand. “Sorry, bro,” he apologized. “My girl’s gonna be so
excited to meet your wife.”
* * *
“C’mon, Gracie,
let’s get a drink before the game starts,” Blake begged, tugging Grace’s hand.
“I’ll just have
to pee if I drink and I don’t want to miss any of the game,” she groaned. “You
feel me, don’t ya, Max?”
Max grabbed her
other hand and linked it around his arm. “I feel ya. You can watch Blake and I
have a drink.”
Grace groused when they
entered the bar, but stopped when she saw Rick.
* * *
Instinctively,
Rick turned when he felt Grace’s presence. It was a feeling that started not
long after they began dating. Tilda had told him it happened because their
bodies were in harmony.
“Grace!” he
exclaimed, walking towards her.
* * *
Taylor watched
from the corner of the bar as Rick swept the woman off her feet and twirled her
around, firmly planting his lips on hers.
She felt strangely
melancholy observing them. He used to look at her the same way.
* * *
“Grace, I’d
like to introduce you to Camryn and Declan Corrigan,” Rick proudly stated.
Grace’s mouth
formed a perfect circle. She gaped at Rick then back again to the smiling
couple. “Are ya freakin’ kidding me?” she squealed.
Camryn’s
cinnamon colored eyes lit up and she embraced Grace tightly.
Grace gushed,
“I don’t know where to start! I love your book! I love the characters, Eoghan
and Failend! I love you!” She pulled away from Camryn and amended, “But not in
a scary way!”
“I’m so glad
you like the book,” Camryn smiled. “It was a work of love, with a bit of
naughtiness thrown in.”
“How?” Grace
murmured, gripping Rick’s hand.
Rick shrugged.
“Got a little help from some friends, pulled a few strings. Speaking of which,
here comes one of my friends now.”
Chase and
Emily, along with Tilda, Reginald, Phyllis and Frankie entered the bar.
In a sing-song
voice Phyllis chuckled, “I smell testosterone!”
“Behave
yourself!” Emily scolded quietly.
Camryn warily
glanced at Declan and he shrugged.
Grace caught
the exchange and her eyes widened. “You can see ghosts?”
Declan sighed, “Aye. Every
bloody one of them.”
* * *
When Chase and
Camryn’s friends, Detective Greg Travers and his fiancée Tamara Youngblood
arrived, along with a dark-haired man, Chase suggested they take the party up
to his suite.
With one
elevator filled, Rick and Grace opted to wait for the next one. Chase waggled
his eyebrows at them and offered a small piece of advice. “Don’t forget to
press the stop button.”
Grace giggled
nervously when Rick gazed at her lustily.
When the
elevator doors opened Rick pulled her inside and quickly reached for the close
door button. A middle-aged man yelled for them to hold the doors. Rick replied
crustily, “I don’t think so.”
“Rick,” Grace
warned, backing into the corner. “We don’t have time.”
He lifted a
brow and pressed his body against hers, lifting her legs around his waist.
Grace crushed her lips against his, gripping handfuls of his hair.
He moaned into
her mouth. He’d never pressed the stop button before, but surely thought about
doing so now.
* * *
Chase giggled
when Rick and Grace walked into the suite. “Dude, love the hair!”
Grace glanced
at Rick’s hair and stood on tippy toes to smooth it back into place.
Emily shook her
head. “Why don’t you introduce everyone?”
Chase nodded,
“This lovely couple here is Declan and Camryn Corrigan, the famous author. The
tall muscular blond guy over there is Detective Greg Travers. On his arm is his
lovely fiancée, Tamara Youngblood.”
Grace eyed
Tamara thoughtfully. She looked to be Native-American with her long, silky
black tresses and darker skin tone. Her aura radiated a mixture of bright and
lightly shaded pink shades which meant she was affectionate and pure in spirit.
Grace liked her immediately.
Greg’s orange
aura was powerful. She’d never seen an orange aura before, so she sifted
through her memory and remembered that orange aura’s indicated an adventurous
and courageous personality. Being a cop, it seemed to fit him accurately.
Chase cleared
his throat. “Um, not sure who you are, man,” he muttered to the dark haired man
standing next to Greg.
“I can help
with that,” Declan offered. “This is Flynn, an old friend of mine. He’s
recently joined the Chicago police department and it just so happens, he’s a
huge Wind fan.”
Emily smiled at
him. “Welcome, Flynn!”
Flynn smiled
slightly, looking uncomfortable. “Thanks. I hope I’m no’ intruding.”
Chase waved a
dismissive hand. “Nonsense! Are you a detective, too?”
“Crisis negotiator,”
Flynn mumbled.
Grace cocked
her head. Flynn was a handsome man with dark chocolate hair and sky blue eyes.
His aura was definitely blue which meant he was a good communicator and
sincere. And for the love of the Goddess, he spoke with an Irish brogue!
Rick shifted
next to her. She tore her gaze from Flynn and looked up at him. He leaned down
and whispered into her ear. “Are you drooling?”
She swatted his
arm. “Don’t be silly. I’m looking at his aura.”
Rick snorted,
unsure.
Chase continued
his introductions. “And I think everyone knows this guy here,” he muttered,
waving a hands towards Rick. “The best damn defenseman the Wind’s ever had!”
Blushing, Rick
shrugged his shoulders. “You’re just partial, Chase. Anyways, this beautiful
creature next to me is my girlfriend, Grace Ryan.” He pinned Flynn with a glare
when he noticed him eyeballing Grace.
Flynn stuffed
his hands into the pockets of his faded jeans and met Rick’s icy glare with a
smirk.
Grace cleared
her throat. “This is my Aunt Tilda and next to her are Max and Rick’s brother,
Blake.”
“Okay, so now
everyone kinda knows each other, right?” Chase chuckled, uncomfortably. “For
those of you who’d like to see the game up close, we have seats front and
center as well as this suite.”
Rick gripped
Graces hand. “I gotta get to the locker room.” He kissed her deeply and shot
another glance at Flynn, who happened to be looking straight at them.
Rick strode to
the door and motioned with his head at Chase. When Chase and Emily made their way
over to him, Rick’s fists were clenched tightly. “Keep your eye on that
fucker,” he growled.
Emily patted
his chest. “You need to focus on the game and not Flynn.”
“But…” Rick
stammered.
“But nothing.
She’s crazy about you and another guy isn’t going to change that,” Emily
scolded.
Chase snorted.
“When did you get so fuckin’ insecure?”
Rick shook his
head and shrugged. “Em, can you take pictures for me?”
“Of?” she
laughed.
“Everything.
Everyone. Grace, mostly,” he lifted his shoulders sheepishly.
* * *
Tilda remained
in the suite, with Reginald, while everyone else wandered down to the seats.
Grace sat
between Camryn and Blake. She turned and noticed Flynn sitting directly behind
her. She smiled politely and flinched when he winked at her. She turned away
and straightened in her seat.
Camryn nudged
her with an elbow, pulling Grace from her thoughts.
“So, how can
you see ghosts?”
Grace lifted a
shoulder. “Long story, short. I’m Wiccan and cast a spell.”
Camryn’s
eyebrows arched. “No shit?”
“No shit.”
Declan leaned
over and gazed at the two of them. “No shite, indeed,” he murmured.
Camryn began
rifling through her purse, frantic.
“Gel?” Declan
murmured.
“I need to
interview her and I can’t find my damn notepad!” Camryn complained.
Grace grinned
and pulled a business card from her purse. “Just give me a call.”
* * *
Flynn stared at
the back of Grace’s head and although he knew he shouldna be interested in
another man’s woman, he couldna help himself. She was attractive. And hell! He
caught her staring at him at great length earlier.
He began to wonder what
Grace saw in Ricochet. Was he just a meal ticket?
* * *
Rick watched
Grace from the bench. He spotted Flynn sitting directly behind her and ground
his teeth. The fucking guy had a lot of nerve eyeballing her earlier. A frown
formed on his lips when he thought about how she eyeballed him, too.