“Call me as soon as you get there,” I told Kenny. “Let me know what happens. We’ll take care of everything, you just get patched up,” I told Charles.
He nodded and they headed out.
I went into the office just off the kitchen to phone Erica, our other sous chef. As I walked, I sent Rayne a quick text:
Sorry I keep missing you. Slammed today. Restaurant is so busy. Everything okay?
Perfect. See you tomorrow night at six?
Yes, please. Pick me up?
Need to get my pumpkin and mice in order first.
Naturally. Thank you, again, for agreeing to take me.
Anything for you.
I set the phone down and stared at the last message. My emotions tripped over themselves, each begging to be heard first. This was either the beginning of a great love affair or a great heartache. I wasn’t sure which. But more than anything, I couldn’t wait to find out.
Chapter 15: Rayne
The following morning, I wandered into the massive ballroom at Arden Estate, which sat along the shoreline of Lake Erie, looking for Horatio. The estate, a gem which now belonged to the Chancellor Historical Society, had once been the home to Archibald Arden, captain of the shipping industry in Lake Erie. While Chancellor’s trade had turned from its roots to wine and education, the first money man in Chancellor had been a sailor and captain of commerce. The touches of old money were everywhere. The Historical Society had lovingly restored the old building, with the help of the city, the Chancellor Arts Council, Chancellor College, and Blushing Grape Vineyards, but the annual Cherry Blossom Ball kept the old estate flush with cash for day to day expenses. The Cherry Blossom Ball was so-named in part for the cherry trees on the property, all of which were currently blooming with pearly white and pink blossoms. The event also celebrated Chancellor’s relationship with its Japanese sister city. Cherry blossom viewing, an important rite of spring in Japan, provided the perfect venue for the ball. And my friend, Horatio Hunter, was responsible for making the event come off without a hitch.
“Thank you, Jennifer. Yes, over there,” I heard Horatio say, directing a florist with a cart full of flowers toward the other side of the room. Completely lost in his work, his finger gliding across the screen of his tablet, he hadn’t noticed me enter.
I cast a glance around the room. The orchestra was all set up, and some of the musicians were there testing the acoustics. Violins and flutes filled the massive old room with the soft sounds of a waltz. Nicely bedecked tables, still being dressed by the florist’s team, circled the marble ballroom floor. I cast a glance up at the stained glass windows. Each window featured Chancellor images: the waterwheel outside Falling Waters restaurant, the Grove, a public park noted for its ties to the witches said to have once lived in Chancellor—and of course they still did live there, you just had to know where to look—and a blonde-haired mermaid with a glimmering blue-green tail.
I inhaled and exhaled deeply once more. Horatio and I had been friends for years. Before Julie came onto the scene, and before I’d started seeing Viola for who she really was, Horatio and I had our fun. What would he think now that I’d turned my attention to his sister?
Mustering up my courage, I approached him. “Got the canapes in order?” I called cheerfully.
Horatio stopped working and looked up at me. He smiled, but a weird expression crossed his face. Tonight was the night. There was no doubt that Julie would agree to marry him, but surely he was nervous. I knew I would be.
“Man,” he said, “you have no idea. Everything with the event is in order, thank god. Oysters went bad but otherwise, all good. Honestly, I couldn’t be less worried about the actual event. It’s the rest. I should have just taken Julie to the beach and asked her in private. Instead, well, I wanted her to know her value. Midnight. Don’t get too far in case I pass out.”
“No worries. I’ll be here.”
“With my sister,” he replied, and this time I heard the hard edge on his voice.
“Yeah, about that…You and I have been friends for years. You know I’ve never been serious about anyone before—”
“What about Cassidy?” Horatio asked, interrupting.
I would have laughed out loud if it weren’t for the look on Horatio’s face. “Cassidy? No, she’s just…” Another faerie, like me, I wanted to say. “A family friend.”
“You sure?”
It was clear to me then that Horatio and Viola had talked. I wasn’t sure what had been said, but clearly Cassidy was cause for concern. If they only knew the truth…well, that truth would come later. “Positive. My brother,” I said then, clapping his shoulder. “Look, I need to be straight with you. My feelings for Viola…changed. I want to take things with her to another level. I’m serious about her, and I think she feels something for me too. I’m done with playing. I respect you, and I don’t want anything to be weird between us, but I really care for Viola.”
Horatio studied my face closely, smiled, then said, “The women of Chancellor will be crushed if you take your twinkle off the market.”
I shrugged, feeling a massive weight melt off my shoulders. “Doesn’t matter. No one ever had a twinkle for me…until Viola. That’s something I can’t let go.”
Horatio nodded. “Do right by her.”
“I will. And in the meantime, what can I do for you?”
Horatio shook his head. “Just wish me luck.”
“None needed. Julie loves you.”
Horatio smiled. “What happened to us?”
“Amazing women. Time for something new, something better,” I said then looked around the room once more. This time, I noticed that one of the stained glass windows depicted a woman in a flowing gown and a small twig in her hand. The glass around her was cut to shimmer with opalescent light. A faerie?
“Cheers to that,” Horatio said, then with a sigh, he looked at his tablet once more.
“I should let you get back to work. Sure you don’t need anything?”
“No. Thanks, though. See you tonight. You’ll be late. Viola is never ready on time. Too many shoe options.”
“I’d wait a century for her.”
“Don’t let her know that.”
I grinned. “Don’t be nervous. It’s going to go great.”
“Thanks. See you tonight,” he said, then turned back to his work.
I walked back toward the front of the building but paused just a moment before I went outside. Pulling my willow wand from my back pocket, I twirled it once around my fingers then aimed it at Horatio:
With the heart of a lion
Let him delight
And fully embrace his magical night.
A glimmering golden light quickly moved from my wand across the hall and zipped around Horatio. He didn’t seem to notice the light, but he did pause, and his posture changed. The spell had worked. Technically, we weren’t supposed to use our faerie magic on anyone other than our assignments, but love magic was my business. What would one charm hurt? As the thought crossed my mind, my eyes were drawn once more to the stained glass image of the faerie on the window. And for a brief moment, I swore the image moved. I frowned and looked harder but nothing seemed amiss. It must have been a brief shift in the light, that was all.