The Problem with Magic Chapter 18
By the time the wall of flowers collapsed in a fragrant pile at the conference room door, several wedding guests were in hysterics. The bride’s mother and sisters were far more peaceful about things than the groom’s side of the family, which led me to believe that I wasn’t the only one who’d been wary about this wedding. They stood together by the flowers, giving each other small smiles as the chaos broke out around them. The groom’s mother was beet red, screaming at Angie as though Angie had any power here. Meanwhile, Nicholas was standing off to the side, speaking to someone on the phone. His face was as unpleasantly neutral as it had been since I’d met him the day before. But it seemed like maybe he was talking to Cherise. I’m no expert on body language, but it seemed like the most likely possibility.
Before I could go over and rescue Angie from the groom’s mother, I felt a massive hand on my shoulder. I turned around to see Reg looking down at me. “Miss Dar,” he said. “When are you going to let Ma and me come over to protect your place?”
My face went warm, but he was smiling as he said it. “Tomorrow,” I promised.
“This Corman figure is no joke,” Reg said. “I didn’t make the connection about who he was until after Gretel’s phone call. That was suicidal of Joel, every part of his plan.”
“Corman’s powers are gone,” I said. “At least for now. When I broke the box, it broke his powers. Plus, he thinks Joel is dead.”
“Maybe he does, maybe he doesn’t,” Reg said. But his powers will be back. And now he’s pissed at the lot of you. And don’t even get me started about the fact you broke a Scarlet Holding with a garden statue. That’s going to get around too.”
“Not if you don’t tell people.”
Reg looked evenly at me. “You’re right,” I said. “So what do we do?”
“We prepare. If he comes back, he’s going to be stronger. He has the resources at his disposal that it won’t even need to be him coming here if he doesn’t want to. We need to make sure everyone is safe.”
My stomach twisted. “Do you think it’ll happen?” I asked.
“I have no idea, sweetheart,” Reg admitted. “But we’re all better off preparing for the worst. I’ve got folks down at the Grille with connections, we’re going to keep you all safe, don’t worry.”
“Joel’s leaving again,” I said. “I know he’s strong enough to take care of himself, I just hope he actually does.”
“He’s a smart kid when he wants to be,” Reg said. “If he’s still in town tonight, come by the Grille for dinner and we’ll talk. If he’s not, I’m sure we’ll see him again.”
Probably not, honestly. Or if we did, it would be in another decade. Joel had an exciting, globe-trotting life to live while I was back in my hometown playing softball and gardening. As though he could read my thoughts, Reg smiled at me.
“He was a fool,” he said. “And I think he knows it.”
I shook my head. “No,” I said with a laugh. “No, he definitely- he doesn’t- it’s been years.”
“Didn’t say you had to take him back,” Reg said. “You’ve upgraded already and he’ll just have to deal with that. Anyway, I’ll leave these snacks for the guests that stick around. No point letting them go to waste, especially since they’re all paid for.”
He winked at me and walked out the door just as Angie approached me and I realized the yelling had stopped.
“Well, that went better than expected,” she said. “The groom and his mother are off to the bar with some complimentary drink tickets. So how about you head out?”
I hesitated. “For real,” she insisted, “There’s nothing else planned for today and you look like hell. Go have a beer and take a nap, for Christ’s sake.”
As I walked toward the door, I couldn’t resist picking up one of the pink roses laying on the ugly carpet and giving it a delicate sniff. It was truly beautiful and there was a power in it that I couldn’t quite describe. But as I set it back down on the ground, I knew Cherise was going to be alright.
***
When I got home a little later, Gretel and Joel were sitting in the kitchen with cups of tea. I’d just assumed Joel would be gone by now, off to more exciting things. But instead, he seemed right at home, laughing with Gretel as she told some story or other, and I was actually glad to see him. I smiled as I walked into the kitchen.
“Dar!” Joel exclaimed. “Want some tea?”
I was about to put the kettle back on the stove myself, but Joel waved a hand and it began whistling on its cold burner. Resisting the urge to roll my eyes, I grabbed a tea bag and mug, then made myself a cup of tea.
“Thanks,” I said as I sat down beside them.
“Didn’t you just leave for work?” Gretel asked, concern clear in her eyes as she looked at me.
I laughed, the scent of pink roses still lingering in my mind as I sipped my tea, which was at the perfect temperature without any waiting. I caught Joel looking at me and smiled, trying not to think about what Reg had said. “About that,” I said, shaking my head. “It’s… a long story. Everything’s fine though, Angie sent me home to take a break. Reg told her what happened last night and the wedding I’ve been dreading didn’t, um, didn’t happen.”
Gretel looked like she was about to say something, then just took a sip of tea. I could tell her all the details later, we had plenty of time.
I turned to Joel. “I thought you’d be gone by now.”
“I’m leaving soon, but I wanted to say goodbye before I left,” he replied, suddenly serious. “And tell you that I really am sorry. For everything.”
I was uncomfortable under the intensity of his gaze. “It’s fine,” I said. “I’m over it, really.”
Joel didn’t look like he believed me completely, which was fair. I wasn’t sure I believed me completely. But I wasn’t desperate to get him out of here, so that was progress from where I’d been for years now.
There was a knock at the door, and the three of us eyed each other warily. Was Corman back already? Or did he send someone else to do his dirty work, the way Reg had suggested? After a beat, there was another knock, solid and consistent. Joel stood up, and I followed, picking up my baseball bat as we made our way through the living room to the front door.
He unlocked the door from a few feet away with a twist of his hand, letting it creak open to reveal an empty hallway. The only sign of life was the pile of junk mail delivered to the empty apartment next door. Once we were sure nobody was hiding just out of sight, we both stepped out and went to the main door.
My fears were immediately eased by the sight of bright blue hair through the window. I let out a sigh of relief and opened the door to see Ezra standing there.
“Hi,” I said.
His eyes dropped to the bat, which was still in my hand. “Expecting someone else, I hope,” he said.
“We had a bit of a night last night,” Joel said. “It’s all right now though.”
I motioned for Ezra to come in and Joel led the way back into the apartment. By the time I reached the kitchen, he was already conjuring more hot water for a cup of tea as Ezra looked on, bemused. I was about to get Ezra a mug, but Joel was already on it, taking down a bright pink coffee cup and putting a tea bag in. He poured the water and handed it to Ezra, who looked like he was trying not to laugh as he watched Joel fondly.
We filled Ezra in on everything that had happened, from the box’s reappearance to my wrecking it, all the way to Joel getting his throat cut before Corman escaped. When I reached that part, I saw Ezra’s hand flinch on the table, like he was about to automatically reach for Joel, but stopped himself.
“That’s horrifying,” Ezra said once we’d caught him up. “I don’t… God, I’m not even sure what to say.”
“I’m going to have to go to my aunt’s house and tell her and her gaggle of roommates about this,” I said, sipping my still-warm tea. “That’s honestly the part I’m dreading the most. I don’t know if we’ll hear more concerns about the danger of Corman’s magic, or the fact that Gretel and I haven’t set a wedding date.”
Gretel had heard that complaint more than once when we’d been over there, but Joel looked over at me, curious. I waved him off. “You know her,” I said.
I couldn’t tell if the look on his face was because I hadn’t said Gretel and I were engaged or because I’d actually acknowledged our decade together. Because Joel had certainly spent plenty of time over my aunt’s house during those years. But even without magic, I could see the relief and sadness war over his expression before it was carefully covered again. The sight made me a little uneasy, but then he flashed a grin at Ezra who smiled back.
“Anyway, I’m healthy as can be and will be hitting the road again soon,” Joel said. “In fact, it’s probably time for me to go.”
Joel stood up with all the confidence of someone off on his next big adventure. And if I hadn’t known him so well, I wouldn’t be able to see the reluctance in his every movement. And shocking myself, I didn’t want him to go either. “Where are you going from here?” Gretel asked.
Joel shrugged. “Who knows?” he said. “I need to find some work that doesn’t involve shipping artifacts for evil men. Maybe I’ll head back to England and couch surf until I find something there. Someone’s got to have a need for a magical handyman, right?”
I sighed and shook my head. “That’s ridiculous,” I said. “Stay with us for a little while.”
Joel’s falsely easy smile dropped, and he looked at me as though unable to believe what I was saying. “What?”
“Stay here,” I waved my hand around the kitchen. “We’ve got the spare room and you’re going to find a job here more easily than you will if you’re couch surfing in a country where you aren’t a legal resident.”
Joel’s face brightened, and I realized too late that I hadn’t asked Gretel’s opinion on this plan. But before I could turn to her, I saw her nod.
“Yes,” she said. “We’re going to need everybody on board if things get bad, anyway.”
“If you’re sure?”
I’d never seen Joel doubtful when we’d been together. In fact, I’d seen more humbleness from him in the past two days than I’d seen in all those years. “Yeah,” I said, reaching out for his hand and giving it a quick squeeze. “We’ll get you settled, get you a job, and figure out what comes next.”
“Thank you,” Joel said. “I mean it, Dar.”
Now I was uncomfortable under the intensity of his gratitude. I shrugged. “It’s no big deal.”
“Well, first steps should be getting the word out about Corman,” Gretel said. “I already told Reg this morning. And once we talk to Dar’s aunt, that’ll get the information across the North Shore within an hour or so.”
I laughed, and Gretel reached over for my hand, wrapping it in hers. She was warm and safe and I was the one who got to spend my life with her.
And here I was, in a home I loved, surrounded by friends. Things were about to get scary, I was sure of it. But we could handle it.
END
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