Mr. O'Grady's Magic Box (2 page)

She shouldn't have started anything with
him. He wasn't a local, just vacationing as she was before heading
off to college somewhere in the states, the east coast she
believed. At the time, details didn't matter. They lived to be with
each other, letting the sea and wind guide them to the rugged
Cliffs of Moher and to Blarney Castle where they explored the ruin
and strolled through the Druid forest. They were drunk on their
love for each other. The way he made love to her, the way her body
responded to his every touch, hungering for intimacy that went
beyond sex—he was everything to her.

"Drunk, you say," Loretta continued without
pause. "Well, I'll have you know tequila is a truth serum."

Aubrey fluttered her eyes and prayed for
patience. "Listen, Ian and I had a reckless affair brought on by
the magical charm of Ireland. Nelson is what I want. He's
perfect."

"Mmm-hmm, perfect is it? Nelson is tall,
classy and his thick light brown hair adds to his good looks, but
he lacks imagination. Everything is black and white. Gray wouldn't
dare come into his picture unless it made an appointment."

"I'll prove to you that Nelson isn't all
about work." Her fingers punched in the numbers to his office.
"You'll see. Nelson can be…um…"

"Searching for the word, are we?"

"Romantic," she spit out with
exasperation.

Loretta folded her arms across her chest and
waited. "Put it on speaker phone. This I have to hear."

The phone rang through.
What if Nelson
said no? Loretta would never let her forget it.
She should hang
up.

"Mr. Carr's office. May I help you?"
Nelson's secretary asked, loud and clear over the phone.

"Hi Cathy. Is Nelson busy? This is
Aubrey."

"Hello, Miss Jules. He's about to go into a
meeting, but I'm sure I can catch him."

"No, don't disturb—" Music came through the
speakers indicating Cathy had put her on hold. This wasn't a good
idea. Nelson wouldn't be able to check his calendar and—

"Hello?" Nelson's deep, no-nonsense voice
came over the speaker.

"Nelson, I'm sorry Cathy bothered you. If
you're busy…"

"No, no it's fine. Why did you call? It
isn't Thursday already, is it?"

Loretta mouthed
Thursday
. "You have a
designated day to call?
"
Her voice was barely above a
whisper, but Aubrey feared Nelson would hear her.

Aubrey waved at her with a definite look of
be quiet or you're-so-dead
. "I know it's not Thursday."

"I have you on the calendar for lunch at
two."

"Yes, I know. That's not why I called.
Nelson, I have an assignment in California this weekend at a Bed
and Breakfast Inn. I wanted to know if you could break away from
work and join me."

Silence greeted her. He was going to say no
and her thudding heart dropped a beat.

Nelson cleared his throat. "I wouldn't be
any help to you. You know I don't believe in the paranormal
investigations. I would probably laugh. I don't suppose that would
be good for your interview."

"I don't mean for you to go with me on the
interview. I'm suggesting a romantic weekend together." She looked
over at Loretta who decided to take her seat on her desk again. Her
ruddy brows rose high on her forehead.

"I have a lot of work to—" Nelson began but
she cut him off, trying a different approach.

"The Inn overlooks the ocean." Nelson once
told her his best vacation had been when his parents had rented a
beach house. "And there's a hot tub in the room." She had no idea
if this was true, but a little white lie wouldn't hurt.

Another pause.

Loretta lifted her hands palm up with a
shrug, mouthing,
I told you so
.

Nelson cleared his throat again. "I'll see
what I can do."

Aubrey grinned at Loretta who rolled her
eyes before jumping to her feet. She strolled out of the room,
closing the door behind her. Loretta hated to be wrong.

"It isn't a haunted inn, is it?" Nelson
asked.

Aubrey chuckled. "No. The owner owns a magic
box that grants uh... soul mates."

Nelson sighed. "Why do you waste your time
with these hoaxes?"

"Who said it was a hoax?" She cringed,
wishing she hadn't said that. Soul mates magically appearing would
generate attention and she hadn't seen the news media jumping on
this. The magic had to be the power of suggestion.
Make a wish
and you'll find your soul mate.
Who wouldn't want to have the
chance? The suggestion would have them looking for a soul mate in
every person they knew. It would prove only a matter of time before
they stumbled across the so-called soul mate. Even though she could
rationalize the magic the box held, it didn't stop her from hoping
to stumble over the real thing.

Nelson's deep chuckle strummed down her
spine with annoyance. He didn't have to believe, but a little
support for what she did for a living would be nice. "You do make
me laugh, Aubrey. You're such a kidder."

She didn't bother to correct him.

"I have to run; the client's waiting." He
rang off before she had a chance to say goodbye.

Chapter Two

Ian Quinn strolled into the inn dressed in
his comfortable shorts and T-shirt, looking for his granddad. He
spotted him seated behind the desk with the phone plastered to his
ear. His granddad's eyes lit up when he saw him and waved him
over.

Ian rested his hip against the wood paneled
desk. As he waited for his granddad to finish his call, he ticked
off his plans for the day. Weeding first, then planting the new
flowers his granddad picked out for the large ornate planters in
front of the inn. By three, he needed to put the tools away and
head home for a quick shower before he picked up Reece from school.
His brother had soccer practice and Ian was the designated driver
for drop-off this week.

His granddad plopped the phone back on its
cradle and looked up with one of his lazy grins that spoke of
mischief. Thomas O'Grady II owned
Seaside Bed and Breakfast
as did his father before him. Two years ago, Ian's granddad made
him a partner.

"Did Reece get off to school then?" His
granddad only lived in Ireland until he was seven, but his Irish
lilt still surfaced with certain words and phrases.

"Yep, he had to be there early to retake a
test he missed when he went to the dentist last week." His brother
was told to lay off the sodas, but teenagers tended to think
everyone over the age of twenty didn't have a clue about life. "You
seemed mighty pleased this morning. What gives?"

His granddad waved his hand. "'Tis nothing."
Which indicated it was something. "Some fancy reporter wanting an
interview with me is all." His thumbs slipped to the armholes of
his vest as he puffed out his chest and grinned.

"About the inn?"

He shook his head. "About the magic box,
wouldn't you know." His blue eyes lit up. "They got wind of it
and—"
Thrrrrring thrrrring
. The trill of the phone
interrupted him. "Hold on." He held his one hand up like a traffic
cop, while the other went for the phone. "
Seaside Bed and
Breakfast,
how may I be helping you this fine good
morning?"

Ian waited, his gaze wavering over his
granddad's features. The old man had dark hair like his once, but
now the strands had turned silver. Ian took after the O'Grady side
of the family with dark hair and Atlantic blue eyes, but his smile
and his stature was more like his father's side. The Quinns were
tall with broad shoulders. His father had claimed they were
descendents of great warriors. There were still a few of his
father's family in Ireland. He spent a summer vacation there once,
traveling the countryside. The best part of the trip had been when
he met a girl. Surprisingly, she wasn't from Ireland, but
traveling, taking in the historical sites before going back to
school.

She was a vision: beautiful, slim, and
leggy. The moment he laid eyes on her, he wanted her desperately to
notice him and she did. They hit it off from the start. God, her
smile would sometimes make him forget to breathe.

His granddad hung up the phone. "Now what
were we talking about?"

Ian cleared his throat, startled where his
thoughts had taken him. The memory of Ireland and Aubrey Jules
seemed a lifetime ago. Yet if he closed his eyes, he could still
remember the smell of her perfume, a pretty fragrance that
whispered over his senses like a caress. He rubbed the back of his
neck. "The magic box," he reminded his granddad. "What magazine did
you say wanted to interview you, Granddad?"

His hand shuffled through the paperwork and
reservation slips. "I wrote it down. Here it is.
Unbelievable
Finds
. They write about the paranormal, and
peter-something
or other beings."

Quinn tried not to smile. "Do you mean
preternatural beings?"

His granddad snapped his fingers. "That's
it."

"I've never heard of the magazine."

"No matter. They've heard of us. I'll have
to make my mother's scones and tea… Did you purchase the tea leaves
I asked you to get?"

"Yes, they're in the kitchen."

"Good, good. We want to make a good
impression."

Ian had his doubts.
Unbelievable
Finds
sounded like one of those hokey magazines that liked to
write about alien abductions and
Big Foot
sightings. He was
about to tell his granddad he shouldn't make a fuss, but then
thought better of it. His granddad looked pleased and was already
making a list of ingredients he needed for the menu.

He'd corner the reporter the moment he
arrived and find out what his intentions were. If it was indeed a
story for the magazine, he supposed there would be no harm with the
tale of the faeries and magic. His granddad had the knack for
storytelling and the legend of the magic box held a certain
charm.

"I'm heading out now. I have the plants out
front ready for planting," he told his granddad.

"Be off with you then. I'll put a pot o' tea
on about two, if you're in the mood for a break. I'll leave the
brew in the kitchen for you."

"Two it is." Ian took a detour before
heading out to do yard work. The library had tables, chairs and
sofa for the patrons to come out of their rooms and lounge or
partake of the two p.m. teatime where his granddad served his
scones and specialty teas. His gaze lingered on the curio cabinet
in the corner where the magic box rested among other collectables.
He leaned down and stared at the wooden box carved with Celtic
symbols. As a child, he believed in magic and all the tales his
granddad spun. He'd made a wish to find his soul mate.

You must be worthy for the faeries to
grant your wish,
his granddad had told him.

His lips pursed together. His wish had been
granted and he might as well have spit in the faeries' faces. There
should be a warning to go along with the wishing. Ignore the
faeries' gift and you'll find yourself alone. He touched his palm
to the cool glass. "I'm sorry. I was a fool to have left her." A
tinkling sound of bells chimed like music and laughter combined.
"Hear the bells chime and a faery cannot be far behind." His lips
curved. Perhaps the faeries finally forgave him.

Chapter Three

Aubrey slipped her purse strap over her
shoulder as she stepped out of her rental car. She gazed up at the
cheerful blue and white Victorian mansion displaying its antiquity
with a grand elegance. Dramatically located on a bluff overlooking
Dana Point in lovely Southern California, couples flocked to the
bed and breakfast to relax, renew their love, or reaffirm it,
whichever the case may be.

Nelson had packed his bags intending to join
her, but at the last moment, he bailed because he had too much work
to do. It was perfectly fine with her. Business and pleasure were
never a good combination anyway.

Loretta's
I told you so
still rankled
her, though. "Romance would have gotten in the way," she mumbled
under her breath as if Loretta could hear her.

Gathering what she could manage, she headed
up the carefully-tended walk and into the inn itself. The lobby's
hardwood floors gleamed with polished perfections. The
cream-colored walls were adorned with framed seascapes and
lighthouses. The large bay window allowed the natural light to
brighten the already cheery room.

Her gaze landed on the man seated behind the
counter. He was beyond his prime with his thinning, gray hair, and
spectacles. His vested suit had to be left over from the Victorian
era, but he wore it with a certain charm. As she neared, his mouth
spread into a grin and his Atlantic blue eyes twinkled with genuine
welcome.

Now here was a man who loved his job or,
at the very least, put on a good show.
Aubrey returned the
gesture with smile of her own.

"Well, aren't you a wonder for my sore
eyes." He spoke with a slight lilt to his voice, giving it a
musical quality.

The man was a flatterer as well.
"Hello, I have a reservation. It should be listed under,
Unbelievable Finds
, the magazine I work for."

He adjusted his glasses and looked at the
computer screen. "So you do. The best room we have to offer, don't
you know. Ah," he sighed. "You'll be able to see the sunset over
the ocean. It's a wonder." He looked at the computer screen again.
"Oh—this couldn't be so."

"What is it?" She hoped there wasn't a
problem with the reservation.

"It says here you're alone. Surely, this
isn't the case. You being the prettiest lass I ever did see." His
blue eyes were luminous and mischievous as he stared at her. She
bet in his prime, those baby blues charmed the ladies.

"This isn't a romantic getaway. I'm here to
see Mr. O'Grady's magic box." She tried to remain serious, but
sometimes what she was sent out to investigate teetered on the
ridiculous. "You wouldn't by chance be Mr. O'Grady?" The thought
occurred to her only seconds before she asked.