Mr. O'Grady's Magic Box (6 page)

"I was twenty, impulsive. I wanted to be
with you always, but then the call came from home."

She looked at him again, her gaze
scrutinizing his expression. "What are you talking about?"

"I know you don't believe me, but I did
leave a note for you. I didn't know how to say goodbye. I loved
you, but I couldn't stay with you."

She raised a doubting brow. "And I'm
supposed to believe you?"

"It's the truth."

"Hello." The boy announced his presence as
he entered the room, carrying two glasses filled with a pink
liquid. "I have some strawberry lemonade here. It's really good,"
he told them. "I know 'cause I had a glass already."

As he neared, Aubrey's eyes widened in
disbelief. It was like looking at a duplicate of Ian. The eyes, the
hair and the cleft chin were all his.

The boy placed the glasses in front of them.
Her eyes narrowed as she pinned Ian down. It all made sense now.
"You got a call, did you?" Sarcasm dripped from her words, chilling
them. "No wonder you had to run away. You had to go back home to
collect your son." She could feel the kid's uneasy gaze on her,
probably wondering why she was so upset with his daddy. She didn't
care. Let Ian explain it to him later.

Ian started to say something, but she
interrupted him. "Don't deny it. He looks just like you."

"I admit there's a resemblance, but—"

"You told me I was your first. You
lying…
jerk!
You really did use me." Her gaze landed on the
glass in front of her filled with a pink liquid and crushed ice
frothing the top with its cool temptation. She was tempted all
right. In one smooth and angry motion, her hand grabbed the glass
in front of her and tossed the contents in Ian's face.

This time he didn't stop her as she stomped
out of the room.

Chapter Nine

The sticky liquid dripped down the front of
him like a cascade of pink lava. "Don't even laugh, Reece," he
warned his brother.

"I wasn't." Reece's lips twitched as he
struggled to keep a straight face. "Your date doesn't seem happy
with you."

"She's not my date." He reached for a
napkin, for all the good it would do.

"Well, not anymore." His dark brows
furrowed. "What did she mean that you were her first? Was she
talking about sex?"

Ian's gaze riveted to his brother's. He'd
just turned thirteen. Did he already know about sex? God, he hoped
not. He wasn't ready for that chapter of fatherhood. "That's
between Miss Jules and me."

Reece bit his lower lip to keep from
laughing. "Yeah, I kinda figured."

Ian closed his eyes in a deliberate blink,
praying for patience. Then he gave his brother a direct look.
"We'll discuss your knowledge of sex later." He grabbed Aubrey's
unused napkin.

"What in the world!" His granddad strolled
into the room with a look of disbelief. "Please tell me you didn't
go and offend our guest?"

"She was angry that she wasn't his first,"
Reece offered the explanation. Leave it to his brother to only pick
up on that part of the conversation.

His granddad lifted his brows.

"Don't ask," Ian told him.

"It seems it's plain enough." He shook his
head and clicked his tongue.

"I need to change."

"In more ways than one, it would seem," his
granddad added. "You'll need to apologize to Miss Jules, too."

"Apologize?" He let out a breath half in
frustration half in disbelief. "If you missed something, I'm the
one who's taken a strawberry lemonade bath."

"Aye, and it seems you well deserved it.
Now, go clean yourself off and make amends. I'll not have Miss
Jules upset."

Ian opened then closed his mouth, deciding
it wasn't worth explaining that Miss Jules would like it better if
she never saw him again.

Reece followed his granddad as they made
their way back to the kitchen. "I hope you're going to make Ian
clean up the mess out there."

"He has other business to…" His granddad's
voice faded as the door to the kitchen swung shut.

Ian needed to change, then he meant to find
out what was ticking away in Aubrey's head. "She's still angry with
me." He couldn't blame her, but the realization still left him
stunned. He handled the situation ten years ago poorly, and it
seemed his technique hadn't improved. He looked toward the stairs,
visible through the open door of the library. "She's still here."
Which meant he could try again to make things right with her.

Granddad planned on giving Aubrey an
interview. She booked the room for a week. It didn't give him much
time, but he worked well under pressure.

"Aubrey Jules," he said her name and smiled.
Her eyes had scorched him with disdain while her words lashed out
at him; but all he could think about as she sat across from him,
was how he wanted to kiss her. It took all his self-control not to
make good on the fantasy. If he had, he doubted she would have
taken it well. "Talking with her didn't pan out either," he
reminded himself.

He glanced down at his shirt, which was
starting to stick to his chest like it had been pasted to his skin.
He pursed his mouth together in a grim line. He needed a shower. It
was a good thing his granddad kept a room for family use. He had an
extra change of clothes in the closet, too. He stood and headed for
the stairs, already forming a plan.

She could refuse to see you again.

"Not an option." He took the stairs two at a
time. He owed Aubrey a kiss and a chance for both of them to see if
the spark ignited in Ireland could be rekindled.

Chapter Ten

Aubrey leaned against the door in her room,
taking in deep gulps of air.
Ian Quinn's downstairs
. She
rubbed her hands over her face. It had to be a cruel joke.

Her heartbeat pounded in her ears and tears
stung her eyes. Damn the man. Her emotions were on a roller coaster
ride. She wanted to scream at him and strike his all too handsome
face, but a part of her wanted something else entirely. Ian's
rugged charm attracted her at nineteen with a girl's curiosity and
now as a woman, her traitorous body still yearned for his touch.
What in the heck was wrong with her?
The guy's a jerk and all
you can think about is seeing if his kiss is as good as you
remembered.

She threw herself on the bed. Eyeing the
tissue box, she leaned over and yanked out a couple. "The magic
box," she whispered and blew her nose. She had to admit she'd been
thinking about Ian when she made that wish, but by God or the
faeries—as Mr. O'Grady believed—she didn't mean
him
literally. She let out a short laugh and harrumphed in disbelief.
If the faeries believed Ian was her soul mate, they were sadly
mistaken. "I don't believe in soul mates." Only her claim somehow
fell short of being a convincing argument.

Her cell phone buzzed in her pants' pocket.
Pulling it out, her gaze caught sight of the caller ID. The Seattle
number shone bright on the screen. Her thumb brushed over the
button. "Hello, Loretta."

"So, did Mr. O'Grady let you see the magic
box or what?" Loretta lived for these stories, believed in them
wholeheartedly. It wasn't that Aubrey didn't want to believe. She
needed concrete proof. More times than she'd like to admit, the
reality wasn't as beautiful as the myth.

"He let me see it." She yanked another
tissue out and wiped her eyes. It wouldn't do if Loretta heard her
crying. The woman would interrogate her until she caved in and told
all. Surely in another life, Loretta led the Spanish
Inquisition.

"And?" Loretta coaxed with impatience.
"Details woman."

Aubrey took a deep breath. "I placed an
order, so to speak." Despite her shock of finding Ian and falling
apart in front of him, Loretta's rich laugh made her smile. She was
like a little kid discovering Santa Claus had left her presents
under the tree.

Loretta cleared her throat and tried her
best to sound professional. "Really? You wished for your soul mate.
I have to say I'm surprised."

"It was the spur-of-the -moment decision,
egged on by the lovely host."

"Hmm. I hope you won't be disappointed when
Nelson doesn't pick up on the whole soul mate vibe."

"He might." Her voice lacked conviction and
Loretta jumped on it.

"Please spare me. The man's a bore without a
romantic bone in his body. Aubrey, I don't know what you're doing
with him. Truly, I don't."

"Thanks."

"Oh, honey. I don't mean to upset you, but
he isn't the guy for you. This little experiment should prove it.
He couldn't even break away from work to spend one weekend with
you. If you couldn't persuade him, how do you expect the faeries to
convince him?"

"Let it go, okay."

"Honey, you know I only hassle you because I
love you, but if you want to talk business, I'm good. Soooo…" She
let out a long sigh. "Wishing for soul mates, hmm. I wonder if we
could market this. Make it a drive-through for finding your true
soul mate. So, any prospects?"

It was tough enough to follow Lorretta's
erratic train of thought on a good day, but with her nerves rattled
as they were, she couldn't keep up. "What are you talking
about?"

"Your
soul mate
, silly."

She shook her head in disbelief. Loretta had
to be joking. "Do you think Mr. O'Grady stashes soul mates in his
closet and sends them out as needed?"

"Make fun, but I've talked to the couples
who've touched Mr. O'Grady's magic box. There's something to it.
Stop being such a pessimist and open your eyes. Your soul mate is
probably already there if you'd just look."

"Hmm…on that note… Did you know the Inn
throws a Spring Enchantment every year in honor of the magic
box?"

"Mr. O'Grady did mention an event. It's this
weekend, isn't it?"

Aubrey rolled her eyes. "It is, but I didn't
know about it."

"I could have sworn I told you." Loretta
chuckled. "Hey, maybe your soul mate will show up then."

Aubrey did laugh now. "Good bye, Loretta.
I'll check in with you tomorrow." She clicked her cell off and
stuffed it in her pocket. Her gaze traveled over her room's
amenities: poster bed, dresser, table, chairs, and a television.
Cozy as it was, she couldn't hide up here forever. Besides, she'd
left her computer and notes downstairs. She rose to her feet
determined to slip into the library and retrieve her
belongings.

Reaching the door, her hand wavered over the
doorknob. Surely, Ian wouldn't still be down there waiting for her
return. Her disgusted harrumph for her hesitation propelled her
into action. Gripping the doorknob, she yanked the door open and
came face-to-face with Ian, the one person she wanted to avoid. A
squeal of shock left her lips and her hand reacted before she could
think, slamming the door in his face.

She stared slack-jawed at the door, her
heart thumping madly in her chest.

Three quick raps echoed on the door in
response. "Aubrey, I know you're in there, so you might as well
open up."

She debated about letting Ian stand out
there, but what would that accomplish since he worked at the inn?
She wouldn't be able to avoid him forever. "Go away."

"Not until you hear me out." Steely
determination laced his words, leading her to believe he'd camp
outside in the hall just to prove he could out wait her stubborn
tendencies.

"Ugh!" She threw open the door again. "This
constitutes as stalking."

"And what does dousing me with lemonade
represent?" His challenge was evident in his gaze and the way his
brows rose high on his forehead.

Assault … Okay, it was a draw.

"Just give me a minute. Please." His gaze
locked onto hers, imploring her to give him a chance.

She let out an exasperating sigh and moved
to the side with a wave of her hand, leaving the door open. If she
didn't like what he had to say, he could just waltz back out
again.

Her gaze traveled over him, noticing he must
have taken a shower. His dark strands glistened like polished ebony
and he sported a new change of clothes, too. His worn blue jeans
rode low on his lean hips and his black T-shirt revealed
well-shaped biceps peeking through the sleeves. The years apart
turned the good-looking boy into a sexy handsome man. Her mouth
flattened into a fine line, irked at where her thoughts took
her.

He nervously ran his fingers through his
hair before he shoved both hands into his pockets. "This is
awkward, isn't it?" He rocked on his leather-clad feet.

"You
could
say that." She stared at
him in disbelief as his gaze slid from her face down to her toes
and back up again. "Really? You're checking me out." Her hands went
to her waist in a military stance, not caring she'd been doing the
same thing to him a moment ago.

His lips curved in a dangerous smile she
remembered all too well. "I can't help it, Aubrey. You're a
beautiful woman."

She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms
against her chest. "Flattery isn't going to win you points. You
better talk fast or you're right out this door." She nodded toward
the hallway. "You asked me to give you a minute. I'd say you have
forty-five seconds left."

His gaze shifted for a moment to the open
door then back to her again. "I know you're royally pissed and you
have the right to be. I didn't handle the situation right all those
years ago, but I truly thought leaving you was for the best."

"Yeah, it makes it difficult—to have two
girlfriends."

He ignored her sarcasm. "I swear, Aubrey,
there wasn't anyone else."

"I saw the boy. Are you going to give me a
cockamamie line that your relationship with the other woman meant
nothing? Give me a break."

"The
boy's
name by the way is Reece.
He's my brother, not my son."