Blonde With a Wand (33 page)

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Authors: Vicki Lewis Thompson

BOOK: Blonde With a Wand
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Griffin glanced up in surprise. “Yeah, I’m Griffin.” He peered more closely at Jasper. “But I don’t think—”
“Jasper Danes. You probably don’t remember me. We worked out at the same gym for a while, but then I left and tried somewhere else.”
“Mario’s?”
Bingo. Jasper had pegged him for a guy who worked out and the gamble had paid off. “That’s the place. Anyway, I just wanted to say hello.”
Griffin stood and held out his hand. “Good to see you, Jasper. Want to sit down and have a drink with us?”
“Thanks, but I’m over there with my fiancée, Anica Revere.” He gestured toward the corner. On cue Anica waved.
“Then go get her,” Griffin said with a grin. “Veterans of Mario’s torture chamber have to stick together. I left that hellhole, too. I’m over at Fit and Flexible now, just off Michigan Avenue. You should try it. Anyway, go get Anica. We’ll make room.”
“Okay, thanks.” Jasper couldn’t keep the smile off his face as he made his way back to where Anica sat. “Come on. We’re invited to hang out with Griffin Taylor and friends.”
“How did you do that?”
Jasper started to tell her but then thought better of it. “I refuse to answer on the grounds that it might incriminate me.”
“What did you tell him besides the fiancée part?”
“I implied that he and I had worked out at the same gym.” It wasn’t quite like the girlfriend-breakup story, but once again he’d played around with the truth. He waited for the ax to fall.
“You’re a smooth operator, Jasper Danes.”
He rubbed the back of his neck, not sure if she’d complimented him or condemned him with that remark.
“Then again, I’m not in a position to point fingers.” Anica grimaced. “A really honest person would have immediately told her parents she’d turned her date into a cat.” She gazed up at him. “I’m hoping it all gets fixed before they come home, so I never have to tell them.”
“I can understand that,” he said cautiously, not sure if he was out of the woods or not. “So . . . do you want to go over and meet Griffin Taylor?”
She stood and picked up her coat and purse. “I’d love to. I’m sure finding out about Griffin counts as a good deed, even if you had to fib a little to set it up.”
Relief flooded through him. “I have to admit the good-deed thing has me worried. I gave away all that money and only got seven hours for it. What will it take to get the other twelve?”
“I don’t know. Maybe you have to do acts of service instead of just giving away money.”
“Seems like it would have to be something really big.”
“Maybe not.” She handed him his coat and linked her arm through his. “Let’s go get acquainted with Griffin, shall we?”
 
An hour and two beers later, Anica excused herself from the table and walked over to the bar. Lily had been giving her questioning looks ever since Anica and Jasper had joined Griffin’s table. Anica thought Lily deserved to be put out of her misery.
She leaned against the polished wooden bar. “I have info on your boy.”
“How did you get chummy so fast? Does Jasper know him from somewhere?”
“No, but he pretended to so he could find out more about the guy.”
Lily stopped squirting seltzer into a glass and stared at Anica. “And he would be doing this . . . why?”
“As a good deed. He’s paid for two rounds of drinks so far and has given free investment advice to anyone at the table who wants it. He’s living in Good Deed City right now. So, do you want to hear what we found out or not?”
“I’m listening. I have to keep working, though. I’ve been watching you guys too much and I’m a few drinks behind.”
“As you already know, Griffin’s a divorce lawyer. He also isn’t a big believer in happily ever after, which might be about the job, but not every divorce lawyer feels that way so I’m not sure if that’s where the attitude comes from.”
“I don’t care about a happily ever after. I just want a happily right now in bed with that hottie.” Lily speared an olive and a pearl onion with a plastic toothpick before floating them in a martini glass.
“Are you sure? Because when we were little, you were the one who always wanted to dress up like a bride.”
Lily was silent for a few seconds. “Maybe I wouldn’t mind finding a guy like Griffin to marry.” She made a second martini and scooted both stemmed glasses across the bar toward a waiter who carted them off on a tray.
“I’ll bet if I got him horizontal once, I could change his mind about marriage.”
“Don’t count on it. He’s not your type, Lil. Too anal. Too conservative.”
“I could fix that.”
“Eventually you’d have to tell him you’re a witch.”
“By then he’ll be so blissed out on good sex that he won’t care.”
Anica sighed. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Listen, Jasper’s doing all these minor good deeds, but I think he needs something major, something that will buy him a chunk of hours, maybe even the entire twelve. Any ideas?”
“There’s the soup kitchen. It’s open twenty-four/ seven.”
“Which soup kitchen? I’m sure there are several.”
“Probably. This is the one I know about and it’s only a couple of blocks from here.” Lily set up two more glasses and began mixing some drink Anica didn’t recognize. “One of my customers is in charge of it and mentioned it so I’d have a place to send anyone who wanders in and needs a meal but doesn’t have money.”
“Could Jasper just go there?”
“I don’t know. I’m sure there’s a training program for volunteers, but maybe if I call they’d let both of you come in tonight as a special case.”
“That sounds brilliant.”
Lily grabbed her cell phone from under the bar and tucked the phone against her shoulder as she continued to mix drinks.
Anica realized she’d never fully appreciated her sister before. Because Lily had a gift for making friends, she also had a million contacts. This one could save the day.
Lily closed up her phone and stuck it back under the bar. “You’re all set. Clyde’s expecting you.”
“That’s fantastic, Lil. Which way is it?”
“Go out the door, turn right and go two blocks. It’s on this side of the street. Can’t miss it.”
“Thank you so much. This is huge.” Anica hurried back to the table. “Sorry to break up the party, but Jasper and I need to be going.”
“We do?” Jasper glanced up at her. He’d ordered a third beer and seemed to be enjoying himself.
“It’s either that or abandon that project you told me about. Doesn’t it have to be finished first thing in the morning?”
“Yes. Yes, it does.” Jasper immediately pushed back his chair and grabbed both their coats.
Some of the guys at the table teased Jasper for his slave driver of a fiancée.
“No, no, she’s focused,” Griffin said. “I’d hang on to her if I were you, Danes. She’ll help you get where you want to go.”
“I plan to hang on to her,” Jasper said.
Anica knew he had to say that to keep up the facade of them being engaged, but she liked hearing it all the same.
“So what do you have in mind?” he asked as they put on their coats and prepared to leave the bar.
“Lily set this up just now. There’s a soup kitchen within walking distance. We can volunteer to help serve for as long as you want.”
“All night?”
“I think so.”
Jasper rubbed his chin and gazed at her. “This could be it, the thing I need to take me over the top.”
“Yes, it could.”
“But that means giving up sex for tonight. I think pleasing you in bed might give me points, too, but probably not as much as serving in a soup kitchen.”
She smiled. “Probably not.”
“More fun, though.”
She couldn’t disagree with that, and she had been looking forward to a long, slow session with him, one not as constrained by time.
“It’s up to you, Jasper,” she said. “You’re the one in this situation.”
“So are you. You’re the one with no magic.”
True, but she could live without her magic for another couple of days if it meant more time in bed with Jasper.
“I need to do the soup kitchen. But you don’t. Let me get you a cab and I’ll come home later.”
She didn’t miss that he’d called it
home
, but she dared not put too much importance on that. “If you’re serving in the soup kitchen, I’m serving in the soup kitchen. We’re in this together.”
He took her by the shoulders and kissed her. At first she thought it would be a quick kiss of gratitude, but then he pulled her closer and delved deep with his tongue. When he finally lifted his mouth from hers, they were both panting.
He gulped in air. “Just a little something to let you know that I almost didn’t choose the soup kitchen. Now, let’s go, before I change my mind.”
As she walked beside him down the street, she couldn’t remember a time she’d been happier. She had no magic and she was off to spend the rest of the night serving in a soup kitchen. But she’d be doing it with Jasper, and that seemed to make all the difference.
Chapter 25
“I never want to see another bowl of chicken noodle soup as long as I live.” Jasper pulled Anica close as they rode back to the apartment in a cab they’d had the good fortune to locate at five in the morning. “But if it means I don’t turn into a cat at six this morning, it’ll be worth it. Thank you for sticking with me through all that.”
“You’re welcome. We need to thank Lily for getting us that gig.”
“I will. Your sister’s a good person.”
“Yep.” Anica snuggled close and closed her eyes. “Wake me up when we get there.”
“Okay.” He kissed the top of her head. He felt guilty as hell for keeping her up all night, but she’d refused to go home and leave him. He hadn’t really wanted her to leave, either, just in case something had gone wrong and he’d transformed in the middle of the soup kitchen.
Fortunately that hadn’t happened. Until tonight, Jasper hadn’t realized there were so many lost souls in the world. They’d been so grateful for a bowl of soup, a slice of bread and a cup of coffee. Yeah, he’d become weary of dishing up the soup, but those folks needed it so desperately.
Maybe once he’d straightened out his life he’d volunteer there again. A different type of soup would be welcome, though. He really was sick to death of smelling chicken noodle. He’d had to eat some, too, because he and Anica had skipped dinner.
As the cab pulled up in front of the apartment building, Jasper got out his wallet and gave the driver what was left in there. He’d made a cash donation to the soup kitchen but saved enough for cab fare. Now it was time to hit an ATM.
He would do that today. All those hours in the soup kitchen had to have an effect. This was going to work out. He had the weekend to get his act together, and then he could go into work Monday morning and let everyone know the flu bug had been hell but he was at 100 percent now.
Coaxing Anica out of the cab, he kept a supportive arm around her as they went up the steps. He ended up being the one who dug the key out of her purse. She was obviously exhausted, which wasn’t surprising.
He’d spent some part of yesterday napping, but she hadn’t. Thank God she didn’t have to go to work today since the coffee shop was open only on weekdays. They could both sleep in, and maybe late in the morning he’d make love to her.
Sometime in the past few hours he’d changed his terminology from
having sex
to
making love.
You didn’t simply have sex with a woman who’d stood beside you in a soup kitchen for almost eight hours because she wanted to help you. You made love to that woman and you were grateful for the opportunity.
Jasper got them both inside the apartment. While he locked up, Anica walked sleepily to the bedroom. She hadn’t even bothered to take off her coat.
He followed, shedding his coat as he went. Orion prowled around his feet, meowing, and Jasper ignored him. He tossed the coat on a chair before heading down the hall. Anica lay on the bed, fast asleep, coat and all.
Although it took some doing, Jasper managed to get her out of everything and under the covers. She was deadweight, but he had no problems lifting her so he could undress her. His muscles felt more toned than ever in his life. Maybe that was a carryover from all the running around and leaping he’d done as a cat.
Stripping off his own clothes, he left them in a heap by the bed. He and Anica both needed sleep. Dear God, was it possible that at last he could fall asleep beside her and expect to wake up in the same condition as when he went to sleep? He prayed for that to happen.
But as he climbed into bed he felt a familiar dizzy sensation.
NO!
He glanced at the luminous dial of the bedside clock. Five fifty-five.
 
Ever since Monday night, Anica had dreaded waking up. First the memory of what she’d done would float to the surface. Next she’d think of what had happened since then. Finally she would worry about what had taken place while she’d been asleep.
This morning, though, she went through the familiar progression and ended up with a feeling of hope. She’d slept until ten, and if Jasper had transformed at six, he would have made her aware of that. After all they’d been through, he’d have let her know.
The spot beside her on the bed was empty, but that didn’t mean anything. After hours in the soup kitchen, Jasper must have earned his freedom. He was probably sitting in the living room, drinking coffee and reading the paper he’d gone out to buy.
Or maybe he was afraid to use her fancy coffeemaker. Come to think of it, she didn’t smell coffee. Time to throw on a bathrobe and go brew some java.
She didn’t remember taking off her clothes before going to bed, so he must have done that for her. He was some kind of guy, all right—more caring than she’d realized.
After watching him talk compassionately with the homeless men and women coming through the food line at the soup kitchen, she had a whole new appreciation for his talents. He’d managed to serve up a portion of self-worth along with the soup, bread and coffee. If he hadn’t had her heart before, he would have captured it then.

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