Mr. O'Grady's Magic Box (11 page)

"Yeah. So tell me more about you and working
at the hotel."

"My granddad made me a partner last year and
I'm taking a few night classes. I figured I'd go for my business
degree."

He didn't sound disappointed or bitter that
he had to put college aside until now. "I'm glad for you. The inn
is lovely and your grandfather is a real character."

"Yes, he is." It was his turn to ask the
questions. "Is this the first time you've been to California?"

"Yep, first time." The spray of the water
fell on her skin like a mist as the boat moved over the swells of
the waves with ease.

"You couldn't have picked a better spot in
California."

She chuckled. "I think you may be a little
biased, but I have to agree with
Richard Henry Dana
on this
account," she commented.

His brow lifted in question. "About
what?"

"The cove's beautiful."

"I believe he wrote
romantic
," he
corrected.

Her smile widened. "Hmm, perhaps that's why
I see so many couples here. They're looking for romance," she
teased. Aubrey adjusted her sunglasses and looked toward the
horizon. The sun shone bright overhead, making her glad she donned
her hat before she left the inn. Even with sunscreen, she tended to
burn. "Do we have a destination in mind?"

"Actually, we do."

When he didn't elaborate, she turned to look
at him. "Is it a secret?" He looked good in his white polo shirt
and khaki pants. His skin was golden bronze from his time in the
sun. The fine hairs on his arms looked like spun gold. The hair on
his head was dark in contrast, but the sun dancing over his strands
made the auburn highlights stand out. "Are you going to tell
me?"

"Nope. It's a surprise."

She lifted a brow.

"I promise, you'll enjoy your visit."

Once they were docked, he offered his hand
to her. She didn't hesitate, feeling the warmth of his grip and
wishing he wouldn't let go. He didn't. He laced his fingers through
hers and looked up toward the rock incline. A house stood on the
cliff with large windows—no doubt to let the sun in and offer a
splendid view of the ocean.

"This is Mr. and Mrs. Greene's house," he
told her without elaborating.

"Okay, I'll bite. Who are Mr. and Mrs.
Greene?"

He turned toward her. "A couple who believe
the magic box brought them together."

She opened her mouth to speak, but he placed
a finger over her lips. "I'll let them tell you their story." He
grinned. "Let's go say hello. Don't worry, I told them we would be
stopping by."

He led her to the steps that looked to be
carved from the side of the cliff. "They know I'm a reporter,
right?"

He nodded. "They know. I figured you'd want
proof for your article. What better way than to meet one of the
couples who experienced the magic firsthand."

Loretta set up a few phone interviews, but
this was so much better. They reached the top and there were more
steps leading up to the front door. Ian did the honor of ringing
the doorbell. It chimed like church bells summoning its
parishioners to mass.

A woman with gray hair, styled in a French
twist, answered the door. She wore a light-knit white sweater and
cotton cropped pants to match. Her gold sandals, adorned with
rhinestones, glittered like diamonds. When her gaze landed on Ian,
her face broke into a smile, showing her one dimple on her right
cheek. "Ian Quinn. I'm so glad you could make it." She turned
toward Aubrey. "And you must be the charming reporter he told us
about."

Charming? She glanced at Ian who lifted one
shoulder in a shrug. She turned back to face Mrs. Greene. "I hope
you don't mind."

"Not at all. I love telling our story. How
many can say they've found their happily-ever-after? Please, do
come in. We can go out to the patio. I have fresh lemonade made.
Eddie, my husband will be joining us in a moment."

"Would you mind if I photographed you and
your husband?" Aubrey pulled out her camera.

"Be my guest. Eddie and I aren't shy."

They followed Mrs. Greene through the house
of fine stone floors and modern décor. Large windows, fashioned to
offer an airy feel to the place, were framed with flower carved
molding. Mrs. Greene threw open the French doors and allowed them
to go out to the patio. From this high up, the spectacular view
took Aubrey's breath away. "This is beautiful." The sailboats with
their bright colored sails of yellow, red, and blue helped to paint
the scene. The water looked darker, but with diamond crests as the
sun's rays danced off the surface.

Mrs. Green chuckled. "I'm still in awe of
the view myself." She lifted a crystal pitcher from the tea set on
the patio table. She poured a generous portion in each of the
matching crystal glasses.

"There you are, dear." Eddie had joined
them. He had dark hair, with gray peppered throughout the strands.
Tall and slender, he looked suave even in his Hawaiian shirt and
shorts. He kissed his wife on her cheek, his love for her radiating
like the warmth from the sun. The same affection was evident in
Mrs. Greene's eyes, too.

They were in love. No doubt about it. Aubrey
knew the look well from the way her parents would gaze at each
other, as if they shared a secret that no one else knew.

Eddie turned to Ian with a handshake. "I see
you've brought a friend." He then looked at Aubrey and offered his
hand, which she took. "A very lovely friend."

"She's the reporter I phoned you about," Ian
reminded him.

"I thought as much." Eddie nodded. "Ian
tells us you don't believe in the magic box."

"Uh…" Aubrey cleared her throat and leveled
her gaze at Ian, widening her eyes in a silent,
I can't believe
you told them that.
She turned her gaze back to Eddie and
smiled. "It's my job to find out all the facts, but I assure you I
keep an open mind."

"That's good to know." Eddie looked pleased
at her response. "Let's take a seat shall we?"

Ian held out a chair for Aubrey. The gentle
breeze brought the scent of the ocean air and dispersed the
fragrance of the flowers from the Greenes' potted plants situated
in the corners of the patio. Aubrey sipped her lemonade and sat
back, eager to hear the Greenes' story.

"I met Eddie the summer of 1962 at Muskingum
College in Ohio," Mrs. Greene told them.

"We both had joined the choir," Eddie added.
"The moment I walked in the door and saw Peggy, I knew she was the
girl for me."

"And was it love at first sight for you,
too?" Aubrey asked Peggy.

Her chuckle gave way to a smile. "Good
heavens, no."

Her response surprised Aubrey.

"She loves to tell people how she didn't
care for me the first time we met," Eddie said, and reached for his
wife's hand. He lifted it to his lips with a quick kiss. "But it
didn't take long for her to fall for my charms."

"No, it didn't," she agreed then looked at
Aubrey. "He had the voice of an angel and persistence of the
devil."

Aubrey couldn't help but smile at her
description of Eddie.

"He made excuses for us to practice the duet
we were supposed to sing at the concert, and each night he would
insist on taking me out to dinner." She looked at Eddie with
affection. "He claimed he had low blood sugar. He needed to eat and
didn't want to sit at a restaurant alone. After the second night, I
knew he was only trying to get me alone. But by then I didn't care.
We hit it off right away and I looked forward to our chats."

"I'm quite the charmer." Eddie puffed out
his chest and his wife nudged him with her elbow and chuckled.

"He can be at times," she agreed.

The story was a lovely one, but Aubrey
wondered what Mr. O'Grady's magic box had to do with any of it. She
took a sip of her lemonade and placed the glass down on the marble
tabletop. She glanced at Ian who mouthed to her, "Be patient.
There's more." He obviously sensed her skepticism of the Greenes'
story being anything but fanciful.

It was Eddie's turn to tell the story. "I
wanted to marry Peggy, and would have too, if circumstances hadn't
intervened. My parents couldn't afford my college tuition anymore
and my part-time job wasn't cutting it. I was going into the
service—drafted. I would ship out before the next semester
started."

"We promised to write," Peggy said. "And we
did for a while, but then his letters stopped."

Eddie looked solemn then. His lips pressed
together in a fine line and his eyebrows furrowed in thought. "I
was in a bad place back then. I couldn't tell her about what I saw,
what horrors…" His voice choked and didn't go on.

Eddie was drafted in 1962 and that would
mean the Vietnam War. Aubrey could only imagine what he'd gone
through and remained silent as he collected his thoughts to
continue his tale.

Peggy patted her husband's hand for
encouragement. His lips curved, giving her a glimpse of a smile. He
cleared his throat and took a generous swallow of his drink before
continuing. "I stopped writing letters to Peggy. I thought it was
for the best. I wanted her to be happy and I knew I wasn't the man
to make it happen."

"I wish I had known the reasons," Peggy
said. "I believed he'd lost interest in me…in us. I grieved the
loss, but with time a young heart mends. Even though I never forgot
Eddie, I moved on. I met a man, married, and had a wonderful
family. My Samuel was a good man, but he passed away five years
ago." She shook her head. "It's difficult to believe it's been that
long."

This time it was Eddie who offered the
comfort.

Peggy inhaled deeply and let out a breath
before she continued. "Two years ago, I decided to take a vacation.
You know, finally get out of the house. I always wanted to see
California. It was the first time I had traveled by myself. I was
so scared, but also determined to be independent." She nodded, her
eyes showing the gumption she must have used to continue on without
her husband, Samuel.

"Let me guess," Aubrey said. "You booked
your stay at the
Seaside Bed and Breakfast
."

"Yes. After I was situated in my room, I
came downstairs for tea and Mr. O'Grady caught me looking at the
magic box. He told me the lovely story about the fae folk and the
granting of wishes during the Spring Equinox. He asked if I wanted
to make a wish. I'd been married and was happy. Why would I need
the faeries to find me a soul mate? But then thoughts of Eddie
entered my mind." Her lips curved and she looked at Aubrey. "You
see, the magic box reminded me of the wooden box I kept all of
Eddie's letters in," she explained. "Before I left on my trip, I
came across the box when I was cleaning out my closet. Needless to
say, I was surprised to see it. I hadn't thought about Eddie or his
letters in a long time. Anyway, when I looked at the magic box
again, I knew what I wanted to wish for. I wrote the note, making a
wish on Eddie's behalf. I wished that he found happiness no matter
where he was. The moment, I placed the note in the box, the oddest
thing happened. I felt a jolt, an electrical current of some
sort."

Aubrey shifted in her seat. She had felt the
same sensation.

"I never planned on staying at the Inn."
Eddie took over the story now. "I had been visiting friends in town
and was on my way home. It was raining, pouring like you wouldn't
believe. My car broke down and my cell phone was dead, and only God
knew where the car charger was. I hiked to the Inn in hopes of
borrowing a phone."

Peggy chuckled and covered her mouth, her
eyes glimmering with the memory. "He walked in looking half
drowned. I couldn't believe my eyes, but I knew it was my Eddie. My
first thoughts were to hug him, but then fear hit me. I wasn't the
nineteen-year old girl he fell in love with. I was old, and felt
ancient."

Eddie smiled. "You're beautiful. I
recognized you immediately and thought my heart would stop. I kept
thinking it would be my luck to find her again and then die of a
heart attack before telling her what a fool I'd been to let her
go." He sighed with a shrug and looked at Aubrey. "My life wasn't
as fortunate as Peggy's had been. My marriage…well, let's say we
both tried our best to make each other miserable. We parted after
seven years of marriage. The only good thing out of the union was
my son, Matt." His gaze found Peggy's again. "I saw Peggy standing
there in the lobby and me dripping all over the carpet, but I
didn't care. I crossed the distance separating us and took her in
my arms. It never crossed my mind she could be married or her
husband could walk in and find us in a compromising embrace. I had
to touch her, hold her, and assure myself she was real. I couldn't
lose her again." His gaze leveled on Aubrey. "You see, she wished
for me to be happy and it came true the night I walked into the
Seaside Bed and Breakfast Inn
."

Aubrey had to admit it was a sweet romantic
story, but she had to ask. "Do you both truly believe faery magic
brought you two together?"

"Without a doubt," both said at the same
time and laughed.

Aubrey glanced at Ian with his killer smile
and gorgeous eyes. His polo shirt clung to the hard planes of his
body. All day long, visions of how it would be to make love to him
again had her head spinning. Could she actually believe the faeries
had something to do with their chance meeting? His gaze locked with
hers. His dark brow lifted in question, making her realize she'd
been staring. She quickly turned away, shifting in her seat. She
was a reporter sent for the scoop. Ian just happened to be Mr.
O'Grady's grandson. It was a simple explanation, not faery
magic.

Chapter Twenty-One

Ian started the boat's engine. He watched
Aubrey tuck a loose tendril of hair behind her ear before she
lifted her hand to wave goodbye to the Greenes. The couple stood at
the end of the landing and waved back to her.