Mr. O'Grady's Magic Box (16 page)

Nelson's brows furrowed. "I swear, Aubrey,
what
is
it with you?"

She met his gaze. "The magic box."

He blinked and stared at her. "Are you
talking about the article you're writing?"

"This isn't just about the article." She
reached for his hand. "You have to see it." She dragged him into
the library and pointed to the curio cabinet. "The magic box is on
the third shelf."

He looked at her before he bent down to
examine it. "Where is it?"

"Next to the Blarney Castle teapot." She
leaned down, too and pointed. "There."

"Oh, I see it." He stood straight again his
shoulder lifting in a shrug. "So? Doesn't look all that special to
me."

"For your information, that box is believed
to grant wishes during the Spring Equinox."

He chuckled. She'd had the same reaction,
but for some reason, his laughter annoyed her. He looked at her,
his head tilting to the side. "Don't tell me you're starting to
believe in this malarkey?"

"You're here," she said, as if that
explained everything. Well, it did, didn't it? "I placed the paper
in the box. Don't you find it odd that you were able to break away
from work to be here?"

"You
wished
for me?" He lifted one
brow and grinned.

"I wished for a soul mate," she snapped with
irritation.

"I'm flattered." He leaned forward and
kissed her quickly on her lips. "And, you're cute."

"You don't believe it could happen." For
some reason his lack of faith left a sour taste in her mouth.

His lips twitched. "Do you mean in magic
boxes granting wishes?"

"You know that's exactly what I mean."

"Then, no."

Chapter Twenty-Nine

"I need to take a shower," Aubrey announced
the second they entered the room, still irked at Nelson's response
to the magic box. She had to let this go. She knew Nelson didn't
believe in legends and fairytales. Why did she expect him to
suddenly believe in them now?

Nelson took care of securing the door behind
them. "How about I join you?"

She whirled around in surprise and met his
gaze. Nelson never wanted to shower together. He liked his space.
Granted, neither one of them had a big enough shower to accommodate
the both of them. "I…" she needed time to adjust to the fact that
Nelson was here—alone with her for the week. His gaze wavered over
her with anticipation, a look so foreign coming from him. His
sudden intense interest in her set her nerves on edge. "Maybe next
time. I've been out all day and I want to wash my hair." She backed
up, bumping into the wall. "I won't be long." She turned around and
was in the bathroom, locking the door before Nelson could say
another word.

She leaned against the door and closed her
eyes in relief.
I just need ten minutes.

Pushing away from the door, she went over to
the bathtub and turned on the water. She leaned on the sink,
looking at her reflection in the mirror. Her skin was flushed from
the sun, but not burned. Thank goodness, she remembered to apply
sunscreen before she went to Reece's game. Her hair looked a mess,
flattened by the hat she'd worn earlier in the day.
And from
Ian's fingers running through your stands.

Her hand wavered to her lips. "What are you
doing, Aubrey Jules?" she asked her reflection. She was seeing
Nelson, but she let Ian kiss her, and not just once. Oh God Ian,
she had to see him and explain. Explain what? That she purposely
left out the fact she was dating someone else back home? She
witnessed the hurt in Ian's eyes, the betrayal. "I should have told
him," she murmured. She knew why she hadn't. She wanted to remember
her time with Ian without spoiling it with the present. True
enough, but the present was sitting in her room right now waiting
for her and she had to decide what she was going to do about
it.

"First, a shower." She undressed and stepped
into the tub, pulling the light blue shower curtain closed.

A good half an hour later when Aubrey opened
the bathroom door, she spotted Nelson sitting on the edge of the
bed with the remote, flipping through channels on the TV set. When
he saw her, he turned the television off. "Feeling better?"

"Much." She'd blown her hair dry and pulled
it back in a ponytail. Wanting to be comfortable, she'd donned her
comfortable worn out jeans and a long sleeve T-shirt. Thank
goodness, she left the suitcase in the bathroom from this morning.
She needed to face Nelson, but she preferred being dressed when she
did so.

"You're right," he told her. "The inn is
quaint. When I arrived and you weren't here, I took a walk around
the grounds. The view of the bay from the courtyard is
spectacular." His gaze swept over her with longing, his eyes
turning a shade darker. He took the steps that separated them and
reached for her, pulling her against him in a warm embrace. Her
heart pounded in her chest with indecision. Nelson didn't believe
the magic box had anything to do with him being here, but if it
had, it would mean Nelson was her soul mate.

She tested the words, repeating them over
and over in her head.
Nelson is my soul mate.
She sighed
with frustration. If that was so, why did it feel off? She slipped
from his embrace, going over to the window, pulling the curtain to
the side so she could peer out. The sun had nearly set now, the
rays dancing with colors of orange and purple as they shone on the
horizon. She spotted Ian's pickup truck in the parking lot and a
pang of guilt knotted in her stomach again. Was it real affection
she felt for Ian or had the memory of the past clouded her
judgment?

"Aubrey, what's going on with you? You're
acting…"

When he didn't finish the statement, she let
the curtain fall away from her hand and turned to face him. "Acting
like what?"

His sigh sounded tired and frustrated. "Not
like yourself."

"And you're acting accordingly?" she threw
back.

His brows dipped together over the bridge of
his nose. "What are you talking about?"

"When have you ever done anything at the
spur of the moment, especially when it would interfere with your
work?"

His eyes widened, shock written on his face
at the bitterness that laced her words. "Let me understand this.
You're angry with me because I made time to be with you?"

"I'm not angry." But she was annoyed. Only
she hadn't worked out the reasons why. She was annoyed with herself
for being so confused. She was perturbed with Nelson for acting out
of character and, last but not least, she blamed Ian for setting
the waves of uncertainty into motion.

"Really? You're not angry with me?" He
raised a doubting brow that all but called her a liar.

"I don't like being surprised." She lifted a
shoulder in a shrug. Didn't that sound like she was a complete
lunatic?

"Does your attitude have anything to do with
the magic box and me not believing your wish brought me here?"

Partly
. But when he said it like
that, it sounded ridiculous. "Maybe." She threw up her hands in
frustration. "I don't know." She met his gaze head on. "Why did you
drop everything? Why did you come?" Nelson never surprised
her—until today, and she wanted to know why.

Their relationship was uncomplicated and
second to his work. In all honesty, the relationship took a close
second to hers, too. She'd been perfectly fine with the arrangement
before she took this assignment and ran into Ian. Now, she realized
she wanted more. "I made a wish and you did something out of
character, Nelson. You put me before your work."

"Aubrey—"

She held up her hand, halting his words.
"Just answer one thing."

He gave her a hesitant nod. "Okay."

"Do you love me?" They had never spoken the
words to each other, only assumed that they did. Why wouldn't they?
They had lunch every Thursday, dinner three nights out of the month
and slept over at each other's apartment when the mood suited them.
This was a committed relationship when they saw fit to concentrate
on it.

Only they hadn't slept over at each others'
apartment in months. Yes, she knew Nelson was busy with work, but
what bothered her more is she hadn't minded.

"I can't believe you asked me that
question?" He rubbed a hand over his face in frustration.

"Do you love me?" she pushed. She needed to
hear the words this time.

His gaze landed on her and he closed the
chasm that separated them. His hands gripped her arms, holding her
still as he looked directly into her eyes, as he if he wanted her
to see the truth there. "Yes, Aubrey. Yes, I love you."

The knock on the door saved her from having
to respond to his declaration. She slipped from his embrace and
answered the door.

Reece stood there with a cart. A plate of
scones, two teacups and a teapot were arranged on top. She looked
at Ian's brother with a frown. "I didn't order anything." She
glanced back to Nelson who shook his head with a shrug.

"Compliments of the house," Reece said with
a grin. "I need you to sign this." He handed her a slip of paper as
he pushed the cart inside the room.

Aubrey glanced down at the paper, wondering
what she needed to sign then noticed it wasn't a bill, but a note.
She turned away as she read the hurried scrawl.

After Reece situated the tea cart in the
center of the room, he walked over to her, glancing at the note
then to her. "Will you?" he whispered.

She gave him a small nod and rushed Reece
out, shutting the door behind him. When she turned around, she
found Nelson was already checking out the scone selection.

He glanced her way. His hazel eyes looked
greener with the blue shirt he wore. His light brown hair lay thick
and wavy over his brow. Tall, firm with a tapered waist, he was an
attractive man. He had dropped everything at work and flew out to
be with her, and he loved her.

"Do want a cup of tea?" he asked, already
pouring one for himself.

"Yes, but later. Right now, I have to run
downstairs and take care of something."

His gaze met hers. "Can't it wait?"

She shook her head. "No, it can't."

Chapter Thirty

Ian waited in the library, pacing the floor
per chance Aubrey would show up, hopefully alone. He'd slipped her
a note, or rather Reece was good enough to do it for him. Reece
told him she read it and agreed to meet him here.

She might think him a coward for not
knocking on her door and delivering the message himself, but he was
doing everyone a favor. He didn't know how he'd react if Nelson was
the one to answer the door. Thoughts of starting a fight with the
slick dresser crossed his mind, but he had no right to be jealous.
Aubrey wasn't his girlfriend. "No, she is Nelson's," he
muttered.

He should let this go and forget about her.
It was his fault they weren't together. He left her in Dublin,
forfeiting any rights to say she belonged with him. He should have
known it was too good to be true that she was single and with no
ties.

But why hadn't she warned him? How difficult
could it be for her to say, '
Hey, I'm seeing someone.'

Why hadn't he asked?

"Because you didn't want to know," he
answered his own question. He ran his hand through his hair. "This
is ridiculous." He picked up his car keys and was about to head out
when she strolled into the room. Her gaze locked onto his and he
swallowed hard, hating that his traitorous heart slammed against
his chest at the mere sight of her.

She wore jeans and a T-shirt with her hair
pulled back in a ponytail, looking refreshed as if she took time to
shower before she came downstairs. She strode over to him like a
woman with a purpose. Reaching him, she shifted her weight to one
leg, leaning against the table. Her one hand slipped into her back
pocket while her other hand rested on the table. "I suppose I owe
you an explanation."

Now that she was here, maybe he didn't want
to hear one. "You don't owe me anything, Aubrey."

"I do." Her eyes misted and she turned away
as if she were fighting back the tears.

"Oh hell, Aubrey, it doesn't matter. I get
it. Of course you had a life before coming here. So have I."

Her gaze riveted to his. "You have a
girlfriend?" The sharp tone gave him the impression she was
jealous. Then her features softened and she shook her head. "Don't
answer that. It's none of my business."

He answered her anyway. "I'm not seeing
anyone right now, but it's been ten years since I've seen you,
Aubrey. I'm not going to lie. I've dated. I've had
relationships."

Her eyes closed, then opened again as she
inhaled, letting her breath out in a rush. "Of course, I know
that."

He wanted to tell her no woman had ever
seemed right for him. He wanted to tell her he didn't care who
Nelson Carr was to her. He knew she didn't belong with him. He saw
it in the way she looked at the guy. He felt it in the way she
melted against him when he kissed her. Everything had happened so
fast, but he wanted a chance to see where this was all going. With
Nelson's arrival, the chance slipped away. His gaze took in her
delicate features landing on her lips, wanting nothing more than to
kiss her. God help him, he loved this woman.

"Nelson's my soul mate," she blurted out,
her gaze riveting to his. She wiped away the tears with an angry
swipe of her hand.

The shock of her statement was like a slap
in the face. "What did you say?" Of all the things she could have
told him, this was the last thing he expected.

"Nelson is my soul mate," she repeated the
statement as if she was telling him it would rain tonight and he
should bring an umbrella when he went outside. "I wished for him
with the magic box. You see," she began to pace, her hands moving
in nervous gestures as she spoke, "I would have dismissed it, if
Nelson hadn't shown up. He's always so busy and never can get
away." She looked at him now. "He's an accountant with a big firm
and clients that demand a lot of his time." As if that explained
everything. "He came here to be with me." She stopped moving, her
chest rising and falling as she breathed. Her finely boned shoulder
lifted in a shrug and her chin tilted up, apparently daring him to
say otherwise.