Bittersweet Sixteen (A Dodie Jenks Novel) (17 page)

“It’s lovely, Leopold, what’s inside it? Is that blue water?”

“It’s water from the Lake of Dreams in China. May I put it on you?”

“Of course.” I lifted my hair off my neck to make it easier for him to put the chain on me.

When he finished he trailed his finger from my neck along my collarbone to my shoulder. Then he kissed my neck, sending shivers down my spine. “Dodie, there’s so much I need to tell you about tonight. So much I wish I could explain, but there isn’t enough time. All I can tell you is that no matter what happens know that I’m here fighting for you.”

I turned around and faced him. “What do you mean fighting for me?”

“This will be a fight between me and the descendant to see which one will be victorious. I’m trying to prevent the curse from claiming another life. The descendant will be trying to keep me from succeeding. The problem is I do not know who the descendant is; I only suspect who it is, but I could be wrong. That black cat jumped onto the
Grimoire and knocked it into the flames before I got a clear vision.”

I reached for his hand and held it tight. “I have faith in you.” I leaned forward and kissed him, letting go of his hand so I could wrap my arms around him. “Together we can do this.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

Music began to play downstairs and I heard Brody and my father discussing the proper volume level. My brother wanted it louder, but in the end my dad won. I smiled at Leopold.

“When do you suppose the guests will begin to arrive?”

“Cherie said any time after seven, but that you are to stay up here until everyone has arrived so you can make a grand entrance.”

I nodded, taking a deep breath. I had nervous energy that I needed to shake off so I paced the hallway.

“I see my attempt at keeping you relaxed didn’t help.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s okay. Let’s go exploring. I haven’t seen much of upstairs. Show me around.”

“Well there isn’t much to show you. As far as I know all the space up here is used as bedrooms. Grandma’s room is at the other end of the hall. I haven’t really ventured into them so I couldn’t tell you much about them.”

“So you don’t know what is in this room?” he stopped walking as we reached a closed door.

I shook my head.

He turned the knob and the door opened into an empty room. He flipped on the light and we walked inside. I felt a chill as soon as we crossed the threshold. The hardwood floor gleamed and provided a perfect dance space, but we’d be dancing later, so I didn’t mention it as a possibility of a way for us to pass the time. Instead, I went exploring, opening up doors, finding the closet and the bathroom and everything about the room looked similar to my own, except for the fireplace. I wondered why this room wasn’t furnished and if there was a reason Grandma kept it empty.

Leopold stuck out his hand for me to take and I did, walking toward him and he placed his other hand at the small of my back. “I assume you do know how to waltz?”

I giggled. “No. Should I?’

“Probably not. We didn’t pick out that kind of music for the party playlist.” He moved us in a square once, twice and then a third time. “You do well for someone who claims not to know how to waltz.

I shrugged. “I’ve watched
Dancing with the Stars
a couple of times and I must have a good partner.”

The volume of the music downstairs increased and I had a feeling my dad had left the room and Brody was adjusting it.

“What are you thinking?” Leopold asked.

His question caught me off guard because I wasn’t shielding my thoughts from him. “I thought you could read my mind?”

“Not anymore. The spell I performed earlier has closed your mind off to me and anyone who tries to get in there. It’s for your protection.”

A slow song came on downstairs and I stepped closer to him, wrapping my arms around his neck and he wrapped his around my waist and we began to sway. “I guess that is for the best, but wouldn’t it be safer for you to be the only one who can read my mind?”

“Spells don’t work that way. At least at this level. I have to assume that the descendant is a powerful witch with my skill level; otherwise I’d be underestimating my opponent.”

I laid my head on his shoulder and thought about that. I knew I wasn’t truly prepared for what might happen tonight. How could I be? I had no idea what was going to transpire. And if I found it hard, then I knew Leopold had to be even more worried.

“What if I never see you again?” I murmured.

“You won’t die tonight, Dodie. I’ve made sure of that.”

“Then what will happen to me?” I asked, taking a step away from him so I could look him in the eye.

“I can’t tell you. You’ll just have to trust me on this.”

“B—”

The door to the room opened and Sasha walked in dressed and ready to go down to the party.

“Finally. I could hear your voices out in the hallway, but I couldn’t figure out what room you were in.” She rubbed her hands together with excitement on her face, smiling like it was her party instead of mine. “It’s almost time.  Listen closely to the music. Brody will play Katy Perry’s Dark Horse for you to make your entrance.”

As quickly as she entered the room she was gone again.

“Dark horse?” I looked at Leopold who just grinned back at me.

“I think it is fitting.”

“You do?”

He nodded and the song began to play so he offered me his arm. “Shall we?”

I took it, but couldn’t imagine why he thought that song was fitting. We walked out the door and down the hall to the top of the stairs. “Do you care to explain? I don’t see the relevance.”

“We’re playing with magic. And it’s going to be a perfect storm tonight.”

I laughed and we took the first step down the stairs pausing a second before taking the next until we reached where all the guests were waiting. I saw Callie and Lisa standing with Callie’s parents, Anson and a few of the teens from church as well as some of the adults including Father Branum and his wife, Mary Margaret, Brody and Sasha, my parents, Grandma and Oscar. I did a double take when I saw Ambrielle in the crowd. For a second I thought I was seeing things, but she smiled at me and gave a nod as if she approved. That was a total one eighty from the last time I saw her.

While I’d been upstairs napping, the foyer had been turned into the dance area and when we reached the bottom Leopold twirled me around before we began to dance to the song. Brody and Sasha joined in as well as a few others. The next time I looked up everyone was dancing. It felt like that scene in
Princess Diaries
when Mia accepts being a princess and her birthright as the Queen’s heir at the state dinner. And for about a half hour or more I was just a regular teenager, having her sweet sixteen birthday party. That is until I needed to take a break and get a glass of punch.

Leopold left my side to get us both a glass and I found two vacant chairs in the living room to wait for him. I had yet to talk to Callie and Lisa, but it was on my list as soon as I quenched my thirst.

“Happy Bithday, Dodie” Anson startled me, appearing at my side as if he’d been lurking in the shadows. I sure hadn’t seen him when I’d selected a place to sit. If I had I would have looked for another.

“Thank you for coming. I hope you are having a good time.” I tried to be polite even though the very sight of him made me apprehensive since the black cat incident.

“Yes.” He nodded and looked around awkwardly. “Can I talk to you?”

“Of course.”

“Alone?”

“We are.”

“Not really. There’s a house full of people around us.”

“That’s true, but it is my party. I can’t leave to have a private conversation with you. Whatever you have to say can be said here.”

His nose scrunched up making his nostrils flare as it was clear he didn’t like my answer. “Very well.” He rolled his eyes. “I feel something went wrong between us after I made those comments about Leopold. I know I apologized and you accepted it, but our friendship has suffered. You’ve been very distant and rude, if I must say so. Thanksgiving night you wouldn’t even hang out with us downstairs. I’d like to bury the hatchet and get to the way we were when we first met, before you met Leopold.”

I sighed. “I don’t know, Anson. You don’t seem to be able to accept Leopold and he is very much a part of my life.”

“He’s your tutor. Brody said you were finished with your studies here and you’d be leaving to go back home.”

“That’s yet to be determined.”

“But Brody said—”

I stood up. “Brody doesn’t know everything. Okay? I want to stay here with Grandma. I haven’t given up on making that happen.”

A smirk formed at his mouth and his attitude changed. “So does that mean you’ll enroll at the local high school if you do stay?”

“I don’t know.” I saw Leopold making his way through the crowd from the dining room where the refreshments had been set up. “Listen, can we talk more about this later?  Maybe tomorrow? I need to mingle with the guests.”

“Sure.” Anson did an about face and I sighed again, sinking back to my seat.

“Sorry it took so long. I got cornered by the caterer who was having an issue in the kitchen. And I couldn’t find your grandmother.”

“That’s okay.”

He handed me the punch and I drank it down in one big gulp. “Slow down. You don’t want to get choked.”

“But I’m so thirsty. It’s too warm in here for so many people to be present.”

“You’re senses are heightened making everything seem extreme.” He tilted his head in the direction Anson went in. “What did Mr. Parker want?”

“To bury the hatchet.”

“In your back?”

“No, yours.” He looked surprised by my comment and I bit my bottom lip to keep from laughing. “Just kidding. He wants to be friends like we were when we first met, before you came along.”

“And?”

“I told him we’d talk about it tomorrow.”

“Good
stall tactic.”

“I thought so since the odds are stacked against him of that conversation ever happening.”

“You’re such the pessimist tonight.”

I set the punch cup down and stood up. “Come. I want to introduce you to my friends Callie and Lisa. Don’t be surprised if they drool all over your shoes. I know that is how I felt when I first saw you.”

He grinned. “I remember.”

Of course he did!

Callie and Lisa were in the foyer dancing with Sasha and Brody and the teens from the church. Dweeb and Jackass were trying to make a good impression on them with their dance moves it seemed, but the duo was totally blowing it. My friends were more impressed by being included in anything having to do with Sasha York. They’d gain brownie points with the in-crowd back at high school for partying with the head cheerleader and a senior football player.

Sadly the thought of returning to high school did not interest me at all. And that worried me because I had to go, didn’t I?

I watched them dance for a bit and looked over my shoulder at Leopold. “Well it looks like they’re busy at the moment.”

“We can join the dancing if you like? Or we can go raid the refreshment table.”

“Let’s dance.”

We danced to fast and slow songs until my dad turned the music down. A few groans of protest rose from the group, but everyone seemed to become attentive when he waved his arm.

“Please, can I have everyone’s attention?” He moved until he was standing so he was visible from both the dining room and the living room. “Dodie, will you come and stand by me.”

I left Leopold and the others and joined my dad.

“Glynis.” My dad turned, looking for my mom, and she left the couple she’d been talking with in the living room to join us.

He placed an arm around her shoulders and they both looked at me with adoring eyes. “It isn’t every day that we get to celebrate our baby girl turning sixteen and I’m sure you’re thinking the greatest gift right now would be a new car.”

“Oh my gosh!” Callie and Lisa said in unison.

However, I just stood there staring at them. I hadn’t been thinking presents at all. Having my life back to the way it was before I found out about the curse was all I really wanted from this night. They could keep the car or any present they might have bought me. Just give me that and having Leopold in my life. I’d be more than satisfied.

“But we didn’t get you a car.”

“No, we didn’t,” Mom said.

“Yes!” I heard Brody from behind me and then a grunt and I knew Sasha had elbowed him in the side.

“Your father and I have talked it over a great deal and we know how much you have fallen in love with this house since you came to stay with Cherie,” my mom said.

Were they letting me stay?

“Yes. We’ve listened to you, Dodie.” My dad smiled and then he looked into the living room. “Mother, come and join us since this affects you too.”

Grandma came over and smiled.

“With mother’s consent, we have made arrangements that upon your twenty-first birthday, the deed to Doughton Place will be yours.”

“Happy Birthday, baby,” mom said, coming to hug me.

I stood there in stone silence trying to understand what had just happened. Grandma had agreed to give me her home when I turned twenty-one? This was what my parents called a birthday present? Especially on this birthday? The one in which I could die?

“Do you have anything you want to say?” my dad asked.

I tried to speak but no words would come out so I looked at Grandma for help. Sure I loved the place, but I didn’t want to take her home from her. And at twenty-one would I be financia
lly prepared to take over running a house this size?

Grandma hugged me. “Say thank you,” she whispered in my ear. “We’ll talk more about this later.”

I nodded, swallowing. I smiled at my dad and hugged him. When he released me I tried to make eye contact with everyone around me so they would know I was grateful.

“Thank you. Thank you for this thoughtful gift.”

Brody crossed his arms over his chest and glared at me. Great! He was upset at me now because of this. I guess he thought the house should go to him. But we were not the only two grandchildren in this family. What about all the other grandsons who were twenty-one and over already? No, I didn’t want to even go there.