An Ordinary Fairy (21 page)

“What are you doing?” Willow asked.

“Snooping. Stay on your toes in here. And … please don’t stand with your hands in your back pockets.”

Willow looked surprised, but moved her hands to her front pockets. They heard a bolt thrown and the door opened.

“Come in,” Jones said. He had removed his suit coat and loosened his tie. He ushered them into the foyer and led them to the left into what appeared to be a study. Willow stopped abruptly at the doorway. Noah bumped into her from behind.

A hunter’s trophy room spread before them, every wall festooned with specimens. Deer, antelope, a wild boar, even a moose stared out from the walls. On the shelves and tables sat smaller prizes: pheasants, geese, raccoons, and squirrels. Willow’s revulsion pulsed in Noah’s head.

Amusement lit Jones’s features.

You know Willow very well, don’t you?

“Please, have a seat,” Jones said.

Noah moved alongside Willow and guided her to the sofa. He sat next to her and tried to focus on some happy thoughts to calm her, but her loathing was too strong.

“Can I get you something to drink?” Jones asked. “Coffee? Tea? Beer?”

“Some water will be fine,” Willow said. Noah asked for water, too. As soon as Jones left the room, Noah rested his hand on Willow’s leg.

“Willow, look at me,” he said.

She smiled her thanks. “I’ll be okay. Doesn’t this place feel evil?”

“Yes. It’s like stepping into a swamp. You hope nothing jumps out and bites you.”

Noah’s eyes roamed the room. A large gun safe stood open behind the desk, displaying a variety of rifles and shotguns.

A hunter’s dream.

Noah withdrew his hand when he heard Jones returning. Their host handed them each a glass of ice and water and picked up his own glass of iced tea from the desk. He sat down in an easy chair across from the sofa and settled back as if chatting with old friends.

“So what have you two been up to out in the woods?” Jones asked. He looked from Noah to Willow and back, a smile growing on his face. “People have seen your truck going that way quite often, Noah.”

“As I told you at the pub, I’ve been photographing the pond on Will—Ms. Brown’s property.”

“Hmm. Just pictures.”

“My technique is to make more than one pass at a subject to shoot a range of angles and lighting effects, which takes time.”

“Oh, I see.” Jones turned his attention to Willow. “It’s almost time to renew the cemetery agreement. Hard to believe it’s been three years.”

Willow spoke to Noah in explanation. “When my parents bought the property they agreed to allow access to the Jones family cemetery at the south end of the woods. It’s not a perpetual agreement and has to be renewed every three years.” She turned back to Jones. “Why do we need to talk about it now? It doesn’t expire until December.”

“That’s not why I asked you over. I just thought I would mention it.”

“So why are we here?”

Jones laughed and looked at Noah. “Impatient little thing, isn’t she? I have a business proposition for you, Willow. I’ve been able to secure some special financing, and I’ve been contemplating making an offer on the property.”

“It’s not for sale,” Willow said.

“I know you’ve always said so, but hear me out.”

“It’s not for sale.”

“I’m prepared to offer you three thousand dollars per acre and another three hundred fifty thousand for the Big House. Double what I’ve offered you before.”

“It’s not for sale,” Willow said without hesitation. She rose to her feet and crossed her arms over her chest, giving Jones a contemptuous stare. Noah did a quick calculation: Jones’s offer was $1.4 million.

Jones looked at Noah with his perpetual sneer. “She can certainly be stubborn, can’t she, Noah,” he said.

“That’s not stubborn,
Chester
.” Noah smiled and looked at Willow. “You need to be prudent when you’re standing in a swamp.”

Take that, you bastard.

Chester’s smile faded, replaced by confusion. His face reddened. Willow giggled, turned her back to Jones and walked over to a bookcase, scanning the titles.

Jones’s eyes followed Willow; his leering gaze came to rest on her backside. Noah rose, walked over to Willow, and stood behind her, facing Jones, leveling a cold stare at him. Jones lazily raised his gaze to Noah with a smirking, knowing, smile.

“Staking out your claim to the territory, Noah?” Jones said. He glanced at Willow, back to Noah, and grinned with malice. Willow turned around at his comment, but having missed the non-verbal sparring also missed the point. She stood next to Noah.

“Are we done here?” Willow asked.

Jones smiled at her, pleasantly for a change. “I have another proposal for you, Willow,” he said. “You and I have one thing in common. We both love that old house.” He paused and let Willow absorb this. She seemed to accept this as the truth, startling though it was to Noah. “We both love that old house and I think we both hate to see it sit empty to no purpose. I know you’ve kept it up but I think more could be done.”

Willow looked skeptical but waited to hear Jones out.

What are you up to?

Jones continued. “It occurred to me we could work together and turn the old place into a bed and breakfast, or a retreat center. The remote location is perfect, it has plenty of space and it wouldn’t require much renovation. We would need to upgrade the road and add parking. We would, of course, split the cost of any improvements.”

Noah watched Willow during Jones’s speech, expecting to see her angry, but instead, she appeared interested, even excited.

Careful, little fairy.

Jones went on. “You could continue living in your cottage, of course, so you’d have your privacy. I could manage all the business end from here and you could do all the grounds work as you do now.” Willow paced the room, apparently picking up on Jones’s enthusiasm.

Willow, what are you thinking!?

“I don’t know why I never thought of this before,” she said. “I’ve never put much consideration into it at all. I’ve kept everything the way my parents left it. I think the retreat center idea is what excites me most.”

Jones seemed nearly as surprised as Noah did. He moved forward to sit on the edge of his chair.

“Can I ask what you expect to get out of this?” Noah said.

“Just the satisfaction of seeing the old house used for something again…” Jones said.

Liar.

“…and it would be good to visit the old place every now and then.”

Willow had continued pacing but now she stopped. She smiled at Noah, her face flushed with excitement.

Don’t start glowing!

“This is great!” she said.

“Good,” Jones said. The evil quality of his voice was gone and his expression was almost pleasant. “As soon as your attorneys get back, have them call me to start working out an agreement.”

Willow was looking at Noah when Jones spoke. Mischief twinkled in her eyes. She turned her smiling face to Jones.

“Perhaps you’ve misunderstood me, Chester. I meant this was great for
me
. You are the last person in the world I would do business with. I don’t need your help or your money, I don’t trust you, and I loathe your existence.”

Give him both barrels!

Jones’s face turned deep red. His hands and face shook with rage. “You little
witch
!” he spat out through clenched teeth. “You little
bitch
!”

“Wow, you know how to rhyme,” Willow said. She turned to Noah. “Well, let’s go, I think it’s time.” She chuckled.

Noah nodded and moved to place himself between Willow and Jones, who stood up with a threatening look. Willow walked toward the door, while Noah backed his way toward it the first few steps and then turned and followed her, leaving Jones in a speechless, quivering fury.

Willow opened the front door, paused and shouted toward the study. “We’ll let ourselves out!” She giggled and walked out with Noah right behind. They walked rapidly down the brick walk.

“I’ve wanted to tell him what I think for a long time,” Willow said.

“He shouldn’t have any doubts about how you feel now,” Noah said. They climbed into the truck and Noah started the engine.

“Do you know what karma is?” he asked.

“I’ve heard of her,” Willow said, giggling at her pun. “Are you going to tell me I should have been careful about what I said?”

“Well, cosmic consequences shouldn’t be ignored. Every major belief system embraces karma in some form. Even Christianity.”

“How do you know I wasn’t the instrument of karma, delivering cosmic payback for all the bad stuff Chester has done?”

Noah shook his head. “Don’t get too impressed with yourself. I’ve never had much use for the ‘I am the instrument of karma’ argument to justify being mean with someone, even an obvious jerk like Jones. It comes down to the old chicken and the egg: who did what to whom first.”

Willow contemplated this while Noah put the truck in gear and pulled away. She shrugged. “Whatever it was, I enjoyed it.” She paused. “I’m glad we went to meet with him, though, he gave me a wonderful idea.”

“You mean you really were excited?”

“Yes, though not with his idea, of course. When he mentioned a retreat center, a light bulb lit up in my head. The Big House would make a perfect safe house. Fairies who are found out need a place to hide for a while, and most of us have false identities that on occasion need to change. A safe house is where we go between lives, so to speak. There isn’t one in any direction from here for a couple of hundred miles. I don’t know why I never thought of it before.” She stopped and went on quietly. “Well, I do know. Part of me died when my parents did. I’ve let that part rule me ever since. My friends have all respected my privacy and not pressed me to do anything. Except Rowan, of course, she’s always needling me. But I’m starting to feel alive again.”

“So what changed?” Noah asked as they rolled to a stop at an intersection.

Willow’s face was solemn. “I met you.” She placed her hand on top of his where it lay on the seat. “Somehow, fairy friend, in just a few days, you’ve changed me.”

“What did I do?”

“You challenge me, Noah. You ask a zillion questions. You argue with me if you think I’m wrong. You make me think about what I’m doing, and why. Most people don’t bother with me. They let me go my way. You’re different. I’m sure if I ever
really
get out of hand you’ll kick my cute little butt from here to tomorrow.” She patted his hand and flashed an impish grin.

“I don’t know how much credit I can take,” Noah said, “but you have one thing right.” He dredged up his most serious look. “You do have a cute little butt.” Willow giggled.

As they rode, Willow continued her planning, talking non-stop. Rowan could maybe come for a few weeks to help with renovations. Roland, a friend of her father, would help with design. Hazel, an interior decorator from Michigan, could help with furniture. She mentioned at least three others before stopping. She concluded by stating money wouldn’t be a problem.

“I figured that out,” Noah said, “when you turned down a million and a half bucks without blinking.”

“Is that how much it was? I didn’t bother to figure.” She paused. “Noah, I think you should know how much I’m worth.”

“Okay, but it’s up to you. I don’t consider it ‘need to know’ information.”

“Alright. I can respect that. If it ever becomes an issue or you want to know, I’ll tell you.”

“Deal. On the subject of safe houses, did you ever need to go to one?”

Willow hesitated. “Yes.”

Noah waited, but Willow said no more. “That’s it? Just ‘yes’?”

“Yes.”

Note to self: add safe house visits to list of secrets.

Willow changed the subject. “Why were you looking at Chester’s door?” she asked.

“I wasn’t looking, I was sniffing. Did you see the little bag below the wreath? It was an amulet, a container for herbs and other objects used for magical protection. Or other spell work. I didn’t recognize the scent.”

“I know what an amulet is. I sure wouldn’t have expected to see one on Chester’s door. I didn’t think he believed in anything but himself.”

“Magic is a tool, not a belief. Many people with no religion still practice magic. Folk magic is still common in the U.S., especially in rural areas. I agree, though, it seems odd for him. Of course, the Jones family is from the South, where folk magic was strong in the nineteenth century. Perhaps they continued to dabble after they moved north. I didn’t notice anything else in the house that appeared magic-related, but we only saw one room.”

They rode in silence for a few minutes before Willow spoke again.

“Why did you tell me not to stand with my hands in my back pockets?”

Noah hesitated. “Well … I’ve noticed you don’t always wear a bra, like tonight, and standing like that is … revealing.”

Willow smiled, a woman’s secret smile, undecipherable by men. “Oh.”