A Taste of Magic (19 page)

“I already did. No one has talked to her today at all.”

“Whose day was it?”

“Mine, but she hasn’t been home.”

I glanced at the clock. Concern skittered over me, but I set it aside. “It’s only eight, Mom. She maybe went to the movies or to Bingo or something. I’m sure she’s fine. Give her another hour and try her again.”

“That’s what your dad said. Maybe I’m worried about nothing, but she’s not herself lately.”

“Mom, really, listen to Dad. If she’s not home in a couple of hours, let me know.”

“I will, but what can you do?”

“Remember Nate? You met him at Alice’s. He lives next door. I can ask him what we should do if she’s not home by then.” It was the only thing I could think of. But honestly, Grandma Verda had a more active social life than I did—at least normally—so most likely, she was out having fun. I tried to hold on to that, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried at all.

“Thank you, sweetie. I’ll call you either way and let you know.”

After I hung up, I turned to Kevin. “I’m sorry about that. My mother is upset because
her
mother isn’t at home, safely tucked in for the night. It has to be strange to suddenly feel like the parent to your parent.”

He smiled and pulled me to him. “It’s not a problem. You’re here. I’m here. Where did we leave off?”

Before I could say a word, my phone trilled again. Startled, I grabbed it, thinking it was probably my mother again.

“Are you busy?”

“Um. Kind of. What’s up, Jon?”

“Just wanted to talk, but if you’re busy, you can call me back. Or I can call you back later. What ever you want.”

“Is there a problem?”

Silence, which meant there was, but Jon wouldn’t say so— not if he knew I was busy.

“Just call me back when you can.”

The telltale beep of another call buzzed through. “Hey, Jon, I have another call coming in. I’ll get back to you soon. I promise.”

Clicking over, I swung an apologetic smile to Kevin. I noticed he was backing up toward the living room. Poor guy.

“Hello?”

“Troy was here again, Liz.” My sister’s panicked voice came over the line.

“Again? What did he want?”

“I don’t know. I pretended I wasn’t home, so he ended up leaving.”

This bothered me. A lot. “The check was good, right?”

“Yeah, the money is in my account, all is squared up now. At least financially. But I didn’t want to answer because he was so weird when he was here last time. All that mumbo jumbo stuff about witches and spells.”

“It’s good you didn’t answer the door. Did you see him through the peephole?”

“Yeah. How else would I have known it was him?”

“Did he look sick? He was sick before; that’s why he thought there was a spell.”

“I don’t know. He looked angry. So I sort of just backed up and went into the bedroom and watched the parking lot until I saw him leave.”

“You did great, Alice. Exactly what I would have done.” Heaven help me if the spell hadn’t ended with the payback of the money. How would I convince him it wasn’t on purpose? Even more worrisome, how would I take it off? “Do me a favor, though. If he comes back, call me. I’ll take care of it.”

“Really? It’s not your battle, sis.”

“Let me handle it, Alice. I’m not emotionally involved with him like you are.”

“Only if you’re sure.”

Grandma Verda popped into my thoughts. “Hey, Alice, have you seen Grandma today?”

“Not you, too. Mom already asked me that. I haven’t. Is she really missing?”

“I don’t know. Probably not, but I figured I’d ask since we were on the phone.” Hanging up once again, I said to Kevin, “I’m sorry, but my family is all nutso tonight.”

He smiled a wholly relaxed smile at me. “It’s cool.” He stepped toward me and—you got it—the phone rang.
Again.

“Shit,” I muttered. I grabbed the receiver. “Yes?”

“What’s wrong? You sound ticked.”

“Oh. Hi, Maddie. Not angry, just one of those nights.”

“You think you could come up here for a few minutes? I want to show you the dress I bought.”

“Um, actually, I’m waiting for both my sister and my mom to call me back.”

“I’ll just come down. See you in a few.”

“Maddie? Wait.” All I heard was the dial tone. It looked like I’d have the chance to think about what had almost happened with Kevin. Maybe good. Maybe bad. Sometimes, it was nice to just roll with it.

“Kevin, I have bad news. My friend Maddie is coming over. Right now. She hung up before I could answer.”

A loud rap on the door announced her presence. Man, she’s fast. “That would be her,” I chuckled.

Kevin smiled and squeezed my hand. “Things come up. I should get going, anyhow. I have an early morning at the gym tomorrow.”

Personally? I kind of felt pummeled by all the information that had been dumped on my head in less than ten minutes. I didn’t know if I should be disappointed or relieved. Happy or sad.

Sighing, I let Kevin out and Maddie in.

Chapter Thirteen

For the first time since hearing about Grandma Verda being missing, my skin itched with anxiety. My mother called again to inform me Grandma still wasn’t home and no one had heard from her. It seemed somewhat silly to notify the police when we didn’t really know what was going on, but something proactive needed to be done.

Which is how I ended up knocking on Nate’s door at a little after eleven. I was uncomfortable at the possibility of waking him up. Hell, I was uncomfortable simply talking to him at that point. But for my Grandma, I’d get over my nerves.

I only hoped Nate was actually home. A cop’s hours were not exactly of the nine to five variety, as I already knew too well. When the door whipped open, I was partially relieved and partially frozen in my tracks.

Sleepy green eyes and a pillow-creased cheek told me I had, indeed, awakened him. “Is something wrong?” he asked, voice scratchy. It was yet another indicator of my intrusion.

“I don’t know. Maybe. Honestly, I’m not sure what you can do, but thought maybe you’d at least be able to tell me what
I
should do.” I heard myself ramble on and immediately snapped my jaw shut.

“Come in,” he said, grabbing my wrist and gently tugging me inside. “Tell me what the problem is.” He closed the door behind us, and I leaned against it for support.

“My grandmother is missing. Or maybe not. I guess we don’t really know, not for sure. But she’s not home, and my mother is upset. Anyway, we don’t know if we should file a report or what.”

“Verda?”

“Yeah. I thought maybe asking you would be a good idea because you said you knew her and, well, also because we didn’t know what the normal protocol would be.”

Nate ran his hand over his face. “Give me a second here.” He disappeared into the kitchen and returned with a glass of juice an instant later. He gulped a swallow. “How long has she been missing?”

I realized, suddenly, he was wearing boxers and a tank. Strong legs, muscular legs, but I couldn’t focus on them at the moment. Even though I would have liked to. “Not sure. None of the family has seen or talked to her since last night.”

“Did your mom check with area hospitals?”

“Oh, God. I don’t think so. Should we?”

“If for no other reason than to rule it out, sure.” He set the juice on the table and murmured, mostly to himself, “I wonder if she called 911.”

My brain clicked in. “That’s how you know her! You’ve responded to those calls before, haven’t you?”

“Yeah, but she didn’t want me to say anything. Your grandmother is one feisty lady, so she probably doesn’t want to be seen as vulnerable. Especially by her family.”

Wow. He
got
her. That was cool. “You know her pretty well already.” I laughed, trying to hide the fear that was beginning to grow. “Wait a minute. Are you one of the cops who brought her beer and Cheetos?”

He choked on his juice, wiped his mouth, and said, “What are you talking about?”

“My grandmother. She said the cops bring her beer and Cheetos after she calls 911.”

“Are you serious?”

I nodded.

“Trust me, no police officer brought your grandmother beer. She’s just messing with you. Let me put some clothes on and we’ll go back to your place. That way, you can call your mom and we can start checking the hospitals.” For a brief moment, uncertainty passed over his face. “That is, if you want me to come with you.”

“Yes. I do. Thank you for offering.”

A few minutes later, we were standing in my kitchen instead of his.

“Do you want to call your mom before we start checking the hospitals?” Nate asked.

“No. She’ll get more upset if we put that thought in her head. Let’s start with the major ones, and if Grandma Verda isn’t at any of them, I’ll call my mother then.”

“Sounds good. Where’s your phone book?”

“In the closet.” I started to walk out of the kitchen, but he stopped me.

“I’ll get it. Why don’t you make some tea or something? To calm your nerves.”

I nodded. When he left the room, I turned the water on and grabbed a mug out of the cupboard. I was about to fill it when I realized a little plastic cup I’d left in the sink was now sitting in the garbage disposal. Probably, the force of the running water had pushed it down.

“Did you say the coat closet?” Nate called from the other room.

“No. In the hallway,” I replied. I turned the faucet off and plunged my hand into the half-filled sink. The damn cup had blocked the drain. I pried at the plastic edges with my fingers, trying to force it loose. It didn’t budge. Maybe if I stuck my fist in it, I could pull it out?

It was worth a shot. I shoved my hand into the cup and gave it a good yank.

And then I realized how stupid an idea it actually was. Now my hand was wedged tight in the cup, which had pushed down even farther into the disposal. I pulled back as hard as I could, and the thing still didn’t move.
Crap
. Now what? I stood still for a second, trying to decide the best action to take. I needed to figure this out.

Preferably before Nate returned.

I wanted him to see me as sexy, and trust me, there was absolutely nothing sexy about a woman stuck to her sink. With my other hand, I opened the silverware drawer and retrieved a butter knife. I slid it in between the cup and drain, hoping to pry it up some. This position? Awkward as hell. Ambidextrous I was not, so maneuvering the knife with my left hand was agonizingly difficult.

I gave it the best go I could, but all I managed to do was bend the knife from the pressure I was exerting on it.
Great
. Why hadn’t I bought sturdier flatware? Who knew how important 18/10 stainless steel could be? Not me, that’s for sure. Of course, I never thought I’d be in a position like this.

I tossed the knife on the counter and gave my fist another hard pull. Still no dice. Giving up and swallowing my embarrassment, I yelled, “Nate? Can you come here?” I mean, I guess it was good he was even there. What would I have done if I’d been alone? I couldn’t reach the phone from where I stood. But come on—like I wanted Nate to see me like this?

“I can’t find the phone book. Are you sure …” He broke off. “What’s going on?”

I pivoted at my waist so I could see him. I tried to stand up straight. I tried to look poised. I’m sure I failed. “I’m stuck. Can you help me?” I tugged my arm again.

His lips quirked into a grin. “What is it with you getting stuck in small spaces?”

I shrugged, but because one arm was pulled tight, only one shoulder lifted. “Really, it doesn’t happen that often.” God, I wanted out of this sink. “Help me? Please?”

He came next to me and rolled up his sleeves. “What did you do, exactly?”

“There’s a cup wedged in the disposal. I was just trying to get it out.” Oh. Wow. He smelled really good. I scooted closer so I could smell him better.

He looked at me curiously. “What are you doing?”

“Um. Nothing.” And then I maneuvered myself so I was even closer. I leaned in more. I wanted to kiss him. Just once. But before my lips made their way to his, he’d turned back to the sink. I didn’t know if he’d purposely avoided my kiss, or if he just hadn’t seen it coming. I still wanted to kiss him.

Plunging his hands into the water, he grabbed my wrist. And then, he twisted it slowly back and forth. I felt some of the pressure bubble away, and then—bam—the suction released and my hand came free. Why hadn’t I done that?

“Thank you.” I dried my hands off on a towel. “But the cup is still stuck.”

“Why don’t you go get the phone book, and I’ll work on that?” He was still grinning.

Before I could answer, my phone rang. My embarrassment fled. Worry slammed through me as I thought of Grandma Verda. “Maybe they have news.” I picked up the receiver. “Hello?”

“Your grandmother is at the hospital with her friend Vinny,” my mother said. “He had a heart attack, so she’s been waiting for word on how he’s doing.”

Relief poured into me, and the weight sitting on my shoulders disappeared. “She’s okay?”

“She’s upset. We’re going over there now to pick her up. Do you want to meet us there?”

“Are you taking her back to your place?”

My mother snorted. “If she lets us. She’ll probably argue.”

“Why don’t you go ahead, and I’ll call Alice, Scot, and Joe and let them know Grandma is safe. How’s Vinny doing?”

“He’s stabilized.”

“Well, that’s good. I know how close Grandma is to him. Let me know if she needs anything and tell her I’ll come see her tomorrow after work.”

After I informed my siblings of Grandma Verda’s whereabouts, I closed my eyes and sighed.

“You look exhausted,” Nate said. When I opened my eyes, he was standing directly in front of me, the plastic cup in hand. He set it down on the counter.

“How did you get that out?”

He shrugged, but another glimmer of humor lit his eyes. “You must have loosened it. So Verda is safe?”

I nodded.

“Good. I’m glad.”

“Me, too. Thanks for being so great. I completely appreciate it.” I realized he’d played my hero four times now: the window saving incident, my sister, the sink, and now my grandmother. God, my family really was crazy.

“That’s what neighbors are for.”

I truly hoped he thought of me as more than a neighbor, but I wasn’t sure how to broach that, so I kept my mouth shut. You know, the “silence equals mysterious” thing? Better late than never, right? But he didn’t say anything, either. Maybe
he
was trying to be mysterious? Finally, I said, “I’m really sorry I woke you up.”

“I’m a cop. It’s normal. Nothing new there.” He hooked his thumbs into the belt straps on his jeans. “At least tonight it was a pretty face that broke into my dreams.”

The teasing quality of his voice made me smile. “What kind of dreams?”

“Oh, something about a woman stuck in a window and having to rescue her.”

“Sounds like an amazing dream,” I teased right back.

“It was, Liz. It definitely was.” His arm reached out and hooked around my waist. One good yank and I was right there. “I’ve missed you the last couple of days.”

“I’ve been around.”

“But busy.”

I refused to explain anything, so I just stood there watching him. Maybe, just maybe, if he fessed up about the red-haired chick from the other day, I’d explain who Jon was.

Nate already knew about Kevin.

He angled his head downward, and I knew he was going to kiss me. I couldn’t wait for him to kiss me. Closer his lips came. Closer. Tilting my face upward more, I closed my eyes, breathed to the beat of my heart, and waited.

His lips rested on the tip of my nose, moved to my forehead, and then he unhooked his arm. “I’m going to get some more sleep. You’re all set now, right?” Whipping open my eyes, my gaze on my feet, I swallowed frustration.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks again for your help.” And then, my stupid phone rang again. He stepped backward. Coldness at his absence surrounded me. I answered the phone.

“I thought you were going to call me back?”

“Sorry, it’s been a crazy evening.” I glanced at Nate. “Hey, Jon? Can you give me a second?”

“Sure,” Jon replied.

I hooked the receiver over the top of the phone base. “I need to take this.”

“Alrighty then. Get some rest.”

I lifted my chin and met his eyes with mine. “You too.”

After he left, I willed my racing heart to slow down and tried to convince myself I wasn’t really disappointed. That I didn’t really care Nate’s kiss reminded me of a kiss you’d give a child. Of course, that didn’t wash. I recognized myself for the liar I was. Not only did I care, I cared far more than I should.

Picking up the phone once again, I said, “I’m back. What’s up?”

“I’m nervous about the Henderson gig. I wanted to go over a few things with you.”

Sighing, I plopped into a chair. Knowing Jon, I figured he mostly wanted company to take his thoughts off his domestic issues. “What’s worrying you? Let’s start with that.” I settled myself into friend mode, all the while trying to expunge Nate from my mind.

This? Not an easy task, I assure you.

“She’s gonna drive you crazy. You know that, don’t you?” Scot asked, as we assessed my bedroom. “Are you sure you want her here?”

“Yes and yes.” At his doubtful grin, I chuckled. “Fine. I’m not sure. But she’s coming.” After the scare with Vinny, Grandma Verda, for some reason, had finally decided to move in with me. Temporarily, she claimed. But seeing as it was her idea, I wasn’t so sure.

Regardless, for the time being anyway, she would be my roommate. She and her cat. While we could certainly share my bed, I preferred not to. I move when I sleep—a lot. I figured we’d both be more comfortable if we had our own bed to sleep in.

Luckily, even though my apartment was only a one-bedroom, that bedroom was huge, so it was easy to fit in two beds. Even more fortuitous, Scot had an extra bed he’d hauled over for me. Gotta love big brothers. Sometimes they come in handy.