Chick with a Charm (18 page)

Lily turned to him. “They might not be tired, but I’ll bet you are. You don’t have to sit here and be grilled unless you—”

“I’ll stay.” Griffin sensed things going on under the surface with both her parents and with her, things he didn’t understand. He’d been sexually fascinated by Lily from the beginning. But he was intrigued by more than that now. “I’d like to get to know your folks.”

She continued to look wary. “Just don’t believe everything they tell you.”

Lily watched her mom and dad laughing and talking with Griffin and hoped they wouldn’t tell him too much. Now she wished she hadn’t used magic to make both her and Griffin presentable after their interlude in the storeroom. She hadn’t fooled her parents, and Sherman seemed to know exactly what had been going on in there.

That meant she’d taken a risk for no good reason. She’d have to figure out how to explain the completed inventory to Griffin, and she was reasonably sure he’d ask her later on tonight, when they were alone.

Her mom and dad stayed until close to closing time, and she couldn’t get over how animated they were. Obviously they’d found some interesting herbs in Peru in addition to unusual outfits and an engagement party gift that was sure to cause a comment. She wondered how Anica planned to spin that.

As if she’d conjured up her sister, her cell phone in her backpack played “Witchy Woman.” Lily grabbed it and held it between her shoulder and her ear while she made a mai tai and a Singapore Sling. “Hey, big sis.”

“Are they there?”

“Yes, and I think they discovered the secret to eternal life down in Peru, because after all those hours on the plane, they’re still upright and making intelligent conversation. At least I assume they are. They’re having drinks with Griffin.” She considered telling Anica about the storeroom incident and decided against it. Every sexual encounter strengthened the spell, so Anica would no doubt worry about the state of Griffin’s involvement.

“Jasper’s watching a TiVo of the Cubs game, so I sneaked into the bedroom to call you.”

“I still can’t get used to you living where there’s cable and everything.” Lily knew Anica had made a compromise about TV when she and Jasper had picked out their new place. Lily didn’t mind having one, but Anica had lived without a television for years, preferring to use her leisure time to work on her magic.

“I’m gradually transforming this condo so it feels more like home. Listen, I called because I need some advice about that fertility symbol the folks plan to give us at the party. I haven’t told Jasper about it because he’s already imagining total chaos when his extremely traditional parents meet our extremely untraditional ones. Now that he’s spent time with Mom and Dad he’s even more nervous. The statue will be the crowning blow.”

Lily garnished the drinks and set them on the bar. “Mom was very excited about that statue. I’ll bet she met the artist and paid a small fortune for it. If you don’t accept it with profuse gratitude, she’ll be crushed.”

“Thanks for telling me something I didn’t already know. If Jasper’s parents weren’t going to be there, I’d just roll with it. It’s not something I’d put on the coffee table in the living room, but as a bedroom accent, it could be . . . stimulating.”

“No kidding. I actually like the silly thing. It’s funky. All it really means is that Mom and Dad are hoping you’ll come up with some grandchildren.”

“I know, and that’s sweet. In their usual twisted way, they’re saying they love me and want me to have babies.”

“That’s exactly right,” Lily said. “So here’s my advice.

On Sunday, we’ll get the bartender, Chad, to double up shots on Jasper’s mom and dad.”

Anica gasped. “Your plan is to get Jasper’s parents drunk?”

“You got something better?”

“No.”

“Until you come up with something better, I say we’ll go with Chad doubling the shots.”

“I’ll keep thinking,” Anica said. “So are the folks interrogating Griffin?”

“Apparently they came specifically for that purpose.” Lily smiled at Sherman as he came by with an order written on a slip of paper. Whenever he noticed that she was on the phone, he did that, which was nice of him. She was also convinced he knew about the storeroom sex but she trusted him not to say anything to Devon, the owner.

“And?” Anica prompted.

“The three of them are having a confab at a corner table and seem to be getting along great. I only hope they aren’t letting those vodka and tonics loosen their tongues to the point they let something slip about the magic.”

“They do know you haven’t told him anything, right?”

“I tried to make that clear today. But you know Dad. He’s always on that Full Disclosure kick.”

“Well, you could tell him while he’s still under the influence of the adoration elixir,” Anica said. “You’d have a captive audience, so to speak.”

Lily filled a glass with beer and poured red wine into a goblet. “Yes, but if I tell him, he might begin to wonder if I’ve cast a spell on him. I’d rather keep the status quo for now, at least until after the party. Actually, until after the wedding would be terrific. I could deal with it after that.”

“The wedding’s not for three weeks. Can you keep a lid on things that long?”

Lily glanced over to the table where her mom and dad were sharing a laugh with Griffin. She’d always dreamed of this—the man she’d chosen enjoying time with her parents. Now it was happening, and within a month her folks would go back to Peru. Then she could figure out this thing with Griffin.

“Yes,” she said. “I can keep a lid on it that long. You bet.”

 

Griffin’s time with Lily’s parents flew by. After being worried that he wouldn’t get along with them, he discovered they were fascinating to be with. They’d quizzed him a little about his background, but apparently after deciding that he had no huge skeletons in the closet, they’d dropped their line of questioning and gone on to relate their experiences in Peru.

Somehow they’d moved from that subject to Lily, and they’d entertained Griffin with stories about what she’d been like as a little kid. He listened to the stories with a touch of envy.

Lily had been outrageous from an early age, but around ten, close to the age when he’d turned into a cautious kid because of his parents’ divorce, Lily had become the prankster of the neighborhood. Anica had been their steady, obedient daughter, while Lily had loved to douse people with water balloons and prank call strangers.

Griffin realized he could credit this wild streak for the fun they’d recently had in the storeroom, and the sense of adventure she’d shown in the bedroom, too.

After telling the story of how Lily had smuggled whoopee cushions into a school board meeting and placed one on every school board member’s chair, Lionel wiped tears of laughter from his eyes. “She was a handful, all right.”

She still is
. And Griffin loved that energy now that he’d surrendered to it. A thought came to him, a blindingly obvious conclusion. She was forbidden fruit, the kind of woman he’d told himself to avoid. That’s why she drew him like a magnet.

He’d have to be careful, but he had a safety net. Kevin had promised to make sure he didn’t do anything stupid, so he’d felt free to pursue his interest in Lily, the most daring woman he’d ever dated. Kevin wouldn’t let him crash and burn.

Toward closing time, when it became obvious Lionel and Simone would soon head home, Griffin decided to ask a few questions of his own. The more he knew about this fascinating woman he was involved with, the better prepared he’d be to deal with her. “Has Lily ever had a dream, something she wanted to pursue?”

Simone leaned her chin on her fist and gazed at him. “Not really. She’s all about having fun, but I’ve always wished she had more direction. Obviously you have direction, considering that you made it through law school and are now working in your chosen field.”

“I was lucky to find out early what I wanted to do.” Now, there was a concept. He’d always considered his background a negative, and yet it had prodded him into a career, one he liked.

“I don’t think Lily knows yet what she wants to be when she grows up,” Lionel said. “Although I have to say she’s excellent at this bartending job. I’ve been watching her, and she’s in her element back there, mixing and measuring and creating concoctions.”

“So she could be a chemist,” Griffin said. “If she went back to school, of course. Or maybe a pharmacist.”

Lionel shook his head. “I think she’s too free-spirited to be in either of those professions. She’s not crazy about being a student, either.”

“What about her magic?” Griffin asked.

Lionel and Simone put down their drinks and stared at him as if he’d just suggested they all get naked and make a quick circuit of the room.

“You do know she’s an amateur magician, right?” From their reaction, he wondered if maybe he wasn’t supposed to reveal that. Her parents might not approve, although with their open-minded attitude toward life, he found that hard to believe. His question had startled them, though. He could tell that much.

Lionel coughed. “I suppose we knew a little something about that.”

Griffin warmed to his idea. “I can see her perfecting her act through parties, maybe even gigs at malls, and then taking it on the road. She’s gorgeous, so I doubt she’d have trouble getting bookings.”

“It’s something to think about.” Simone finished her drink. “Magic is tricky, though. Earning a living with it isn’t always possible.”

Griffin wasn’t sure why they were acting so weird about this. “I haven’t seen her perform,” he admitted. “Are you trying to tell me she’s not very good at it?”

Lionel chuckled. “Oh, she’s very good at it. You should get her to show you what she can do.”

“I absolutely will.” Lily’s parents might not be excited about a potential performing career for their daughter, but Griffin thought it was a great idea. She might be a good bartender, but he thought she had way too much potential to do that for the rest of her life.

By the time Lily’s parents stood to leave, they were treating Griffin like an old friend.

Simone even gave him a hug. “Be sure to let us know how it goes if you talk Lily into doing some magic for you.”

“Is she shy about it?” Griffin still couldn’t get a handle on this situation. He couldn’t imagine why a person would train themselves to be a magician if they never intended to perform for anyone.

“Am I shy about what?” Lily had come out from behind the bar to tell her parents good-bye.

“Your magic,” her mother said.

The expression of outright fear in Lily’s eyes took Griffin aback. Did she really have stage fright?

She swallowed. “What have you been telling him?”

“That it’s tough to make a living as a magician,” her mother said. “Griffin thinks you should take your amateur magician act on the road.”

“But . . .” She seemed to be casting around for something to say. “But he’s never seen me do magic.”

Her father nodded. “That’s what he said. Maybe it’s time you showed him a little of it.”

Lily glared at her father. “I’m not ready to do that, Dad.”

He seemed unperturbed by her anger. “Oh, I think you are.”

“You don’t understand. It’s not the way you think.” Simone moved closer to Lily and wrapped an arm around her daughter. “Your dad has a point, but we won’t push it, will we, dear?” She gave her husband a quelling glance.

“Not tonight,” Lionel said. “But Lily knows how I feel about this. And the guidelines are quite clear on the subject.”

Griffin was completely at sea, and really sorry he’d brought up the magic thing in front of Lily’s parents. For some reason it was a touchy subject for all of them, and damned if he knew why. The comment about guidelines made no sense at all. Their daughter was teaching herself magic tricks. No big deal.

Or it shouldn’t have been, but there was still some tension evident as Simone and Lionel said their good-byes and left the bar.

Griffin turned to Lily. “That was my fault. I’m the one who mentioned your being an amateur magician.”

Her smile was strained. “It’s not your fault. This is between me and my folks.”

“Do they have something against you performing in public?”

She shook her head. “It’s not that. Listen, let me close out the register and then . . .” Her voice trailed off, as if she couldn’t decide what would come next.

“Then we can go back to your place.” He sure hoped this little tiff with her folks hadn’t screwed that up.

“That might not be such a good idea.”

Hell and damnation!
If only he hadn’t opened his big mouth. “I don’t know exactly what’s going on here, but I’ll bet I could find a way to make you forget all about it.”

“You probably could, but I . . . I need to be alone tonight.”

He hadn’t realized how much he’d counted on going home with her until she took away that option. “Lily, don’t do this. Hey, if you don’t want to have sex, that’s okay. I just want to be with you.”

“It’s better if we have some time apart.”

“No, it’s not!” He felt an unfamiliar panic gripping his chest. He needed to go home with her. He
needed
to.

“Griffin.” She laid a hand on his arm and her gaze was pleading. “We’ve moved pretty fast. Don’t you think it’s time to take a break, give ourselves a chance to catch our breath?”

Inside he was screaming
No
and
Hell, no
, but he struggled to sound reasonable, civilized and rational when he was none of these things. “As I said, we don’t have to have sex. I can give you a foot rub. I’ll bet after all the hours on your feet you could use one.”

She gazed at him for what seemed like forever while he went slowly nuts wondering what her decision would be. He was on the verge of begging, and only a deep sense of pride that had been ingrained at an early age prevented him from doing exactly that.