Bewitching You (36 page)

“Maybe.” Sofia plucked a tissue out of a box her mother had been using and blew her nose. “Why haven’t you told me about this before? Did you think I couldn’t handle it?”

“Your mother had her reasons. I think she wanted you to be as normal as was possible, considering.”

“I guess I can understand that. But if magic can help me with my dreams, when can I start learning?” There was no time to waste. A little surge of excitement mixed with hope shot through her.

“How about I take a trip with you to meet the owner of this airline? I’ll show you how an old witch can work miracles with a ring and the power of persuasion.” Nana smiled and winked.

“That sounds wonderful.”

~ * ~

By the time Sofia and Nana reached the Dashmoor Estate the rain had stopped. Sofia couldn’t help but marvel at the extent of Nana’s powers, as if she’d pushed the clouds from the sky, revealing the crescent moon and a mass of stars.

“No, dear. Only God can do that.”

“Save the mind reading for the Dashmoors, please, Nana.”

“You got it, but we’ll have a talk about Gray later, okay?”

“Sure. So, what’s the plan? How are we going to do this?”

Nana dug into her purse and pulled out a ring with a large oval onyx stone set in a gold band. She slipped it onto her right hand ring finger. “This lovely piece of jewelry has great power. I’ve put a spell on it, and whenever I wish to persuade someone to do something, I merely put my hand up and say the words.”

“Wow, Nana. That’s kind of scary. What if someone bad got a hold of that?”

“I’ve cast the spell; I’m the only one who can use it. Simple as that. And this is the first I’ve used it, so let’s go give it a test-try. Shall we?”

“Absolutely.” Sofia took her grandmother’s hand as they walked up the large stone flight of steps.

Barbie opened the door before they were able to press the doorbell. How did the woman know each time? Maybe she had nothing better to do than to wait for someone to pay her some attention.

“Hi, Barbie.”

“I know why you’re here, and I’m sorry. He won’t listen to me. He actually called me crazy. Can you believe that? If he loses all his money, I swear I’m going to divorce his fat ass.”

“You will calm down,” Nana said, holding an open hand up toward Barbie’s face. The black stone drained of its color, giving it a clear, diamond-like appearance.

Barbie visibly relaxed. Her body slumped and one of her spaghetti straps fell off her shoulders.

With her hand still up, Nana said, “You will invite us in to sit while you retrieve your husband.”

“Come in. I’ll get Andrew,” Barbie said and walked away, her flip-flops clomping on the tiled floor.

“It really works. How the heck did you do that?” Sofia whispered to Nana and followed her to the sofa in the living room.

“I’ll teach you all you want to know later. Just watch, dear. It’ll be fun.”

“Goddamnit!” Andrew Dashmoor’s voice echoed across the mansion, followed by heavy footsteps down the stairs. “Where is that little bitch? I’ll show her what I’m made of.”

Barbie tagged behind him meekly, as Mr. Dashmoor, red-faced, charged into the living room. His hairy stomach protruded over his swimming trunks. A white terrycloth robe barely covered the rest of his body.

Nana stood in front of Sofia. “Hello, Andy,” she said, smiling.

“Who the hell are you?”

“I’m right. And you are wrong.” Nana put up her hand again, but this time reaching it out toward Dashmoor’s face.

“What the hell?”

“Calm down.” Nana wiggled her fingers and, again, the black drained from the onyx ring. “You will call your airline right now to cancel flight 221, leaving tomorrow at 4:45 PM from Denver to Aspen, Colorado.”

He froze, looking bewildered.

Nana’s eyes were huge and unblinking. “You will call right now and cancel flight 221.”

“Barb, where’s my phone?”

Barbie grabbed the cordless off the corner desk and brought it to him. He paused for a moment, a perplexed expression on his face.

“Flight 221 leaving tomorrow from Denver to Aspen, Colorado,” Nana repeated. “You will cancel it. You will have your mechanics do a thorough inspection, and you will have it fixed.”

Dashmoor dialed a number, asked for a certain person and repeated Nana’s orders.

Sofia stifled a smile. This power would
so
come in handy.

When he hung up, both Mr. and Mrs. Dashmoor stared at Nana blankly, as if waiting for more direction.

She obliged them. “Barbie, you will have confidence in yourself, and you will never settle for less than your worth.” She turned. “Andrew, you will have your airplanes inspected on a regular basis, and you will not send the airplane for flight 221 up in the air until it is completely safe to fly.”

After clapping her hands once, she dropped them to her side. “Sofia, are you ready?”

“Uh, yeah. Is that it?” Sofia whispered.

“Yes, dear. They’ll snap out of it when we leave. I’ll do a little spell to make them forget we were here.”

“You can do that too?”

“Sometimes.
Their
minds are very pliable.” She nodded to the couple, who were still standing like zombies. “Easily persuaded. And they live for themselves, so it’s easy for them to forget other people.”

“Interesting. You can tell that by mind reading?”

“That and instinct. Shall we go?”

Sofia smiled at her grandmother. “Yes. Thank you, Nana.”

“You’re welcome. Now, let’s get me out of all this electricity. My head’s starting to throb.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Sofia brushed the finishing touches on her latest painting, focusing on how the tiny lines by his eye creased just so when he smiled. She’d tried her damnedest to paint something or someone other than Gray, but he was the muse occupying her mind, day and night.

A week and a half had passed and she hadn’t seen or heard from him. She hadn’t dreamed of him either. In fact, she hadn’t dreamed of anything at all. Which was relieving in one aspect, and heartbreaking in another. It meant thirty-five people’s lives had been saved. It also meant Gray wasn’t in her future.

The spell had faded, and so had his love for her.

These paintings were a pathetic attempt to keep him close.

Why hadn’t her love for him dissolved? If anything, it had grown. She
missed
him.

Everything about him. His smile, his laugh, his touch, his kiss. She even missed the manly-man attitude.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder, right?

“I always hated that saying,” she mumbled under her breath.

Her cell phone rang from on top of her bed, and she jumped for it. The caller ID said
Madeleine
. Of course it wasn’t Gray. Why would he call?

“Hey, Maddy, what’s up?” Madeleine was her best friend and her own personal mechanic. Sofia always returned the favors by painting artwork and murals for her home.

“Are you still sulking? If you are, stop now. I have the greatest news.” Madeleine’s voice was husky but beautiful. It matched her tomboy slash model-gorgeous appearance.

“What, André agreed to hire me back on?”

Maddy’s breath gushed into the phone. “No, I’m sorry.
But
guess what? He bought that empty building by the restaurant. You know, the one where bums used to hide out?”

“Yeah. What is he going to do with it?”

“He’s going to turn it into an art gallery for local artists! He said he thought it would be a good way to attract customers. I hope you’re not mad, but I told him how talented you are. And he wants to know if you’ll show your art for the grand opening. Isn’t that great?”

Sofia gulped down the panic rising in her throat. “Uh, I don’t know.”

“Come on, Sofe. Your paintings are brilliant. I don’t know why you’re afraid to show them.”

Sofia took in a deep breath. The thought of sharing her passion with the public was petrifying. Painting as a hobby was safe, entirely different from setting it up on display for possible rejection and humiliation.

“What could be the worst that could happen?”

“I could have a panic attack, throw up, and be laughed out of the building.”

“Sofia, that’s silly. Think of it this way—what’s the best that could happen?”

“I’ll have something to worry about other than Gray?”

“Now there’s the Sofia I know and love.” Madeleine laughed. “Will you please come? I’ll take you out for drinks afterward. We’ll have a girl’s night out. Maybe you’ll meet another guy. How’s that sound?”

“Fine,” Sofia forced herself to say. “I’ll do it.”

~ * ~

“Thanks for looking after the place, Mr. Lowell.” Gray took the key from the hand of the elderly man who was apparently Gray’s new San Francisco neighbor. Now, how to get rid of him? Gray was eager to see the place Hayes had chosen for them to live.

“It was no problem, son. Sorry, again, about your brother. Quite a shame.”

“Yep. But he sure the hell knew how to live while he was here.” Gray patted Mr. Lowell on the back. Neither Gray nor Hayes needed any pity. Not when Hayes had moved on to a better place, and Gray had so much to live for.

The old man wedged his white disheveled eyebrows together. “I suppose. Glad to see you’ve passed the grieving stage.”

“Absolutely. Hayes wanted me to be happy. I’m going to make him proud.”

“Well, then, I’ll see you around.” Mr. Lowell almost turned to leave, but stopped. “Will you have someone to live with you, by any chance?”

“Honestly, I’m not sure I’ll be keeping the place. I may need to sell it. I’ve got another residence in Indianapolis.”

“Better weather here.”

“You’re right about that.” Gray loved this city. Whether it was sunny and bright or chilly and foggy. It was a hell of a lot better than the biting cold winters Indiana produced. Not to mention the scenery here was breathtaking. “I’m going to spend a few days revisiting my old stomping grounds before I make my decision.”

“Good. Oh, and Hayes left a note for you inside. I didn’t read it, though.”

“Thanks again, Mr. Lowell.” Gray gave the man another gentle pat. “See you around.”

Anticipation sped up Gray’s heart as he unlocked the door and stepped inside. Hayes had left him a note, huh? His last words from his brother. He hoped they were good ones.

To Gray’s delight and surprise, the place was mostly furnished. When had Hayes had the time or the money to do this?

The downstairs area was laid out much like their condo in Indianapolis. Open, with the living room, dining area and kitchen revealed as you walked in. The furniture wasn’t much different either. All leather, dark wood, and heavy glass. Masculine. Instead of it being a single story, to the left was a modern winding staircase that must lead up to the two bedrooms.

The square footage here lacked in comparison to the other place. The price, however, was twice as much as the Indianapolis condo. Even after the supposed good deal they’d gotten for presenting most of the money up front.

Ah, well. It was worth it. At least, it would have been. The loft was only a few minutes from the bay. And the view of the city, Gray noticed, was spectacular.

The piece of paper on the dark granite kitchen counter caught his attention.
Hayes
.

What did his brother have to say? Gray picked it up with trembling hands. He sat on the bar stool, took a deep breath, and read:

Gray,

What do you think? Hope you like the furniture, dude. I figured I couldn’t go wrong if I chose most of the same shit we have at our other place. It’s pretty cool, right? Call me and let me know what you think of your bedroom, though. It’s nothing like your chick-repellent at home. I know you don’t like surprises, but I just had to do it. Our lives are about to change like you would not believe.