The Wizard Returns: Book Three of the Wizard Born Series (26 page)

“And I thought I got up early. You must’ve gotten up long before the sun.”

“I do it every day, Mrs. Wallace.” She lifted over a dozen eggs from the sack and set them in a dark green porcelain bowl on the counter, then pulled out a jar full of butter.

“If you’re going to fire up the stove, then I’m going to put on a pot of water for coffee.”

“I can boil the water for you, Gramma.” Jamie wiggled his fingers, the family sign for magic.

“The stove’s hot anyway. I need you for something.” She gestured with her head toward the door and Jamie followed her out to the main room.

She stopped beside the table and glanced back at the kitchen, then said in a low voice, “I don’t want Mrs. Tully having to get up so early for us. I want you to walk her home tonight so you can make a doorway for her tomorrow.”

Fred stepped out of the bedroom, tightening her pink robe, her red curls in disarray and her eyes half-open. “What’s all the noise?”

“Mrs. Tully is here,” Jamie said.

“Already? It’s not even seven o’clock yet, is it?” She glanced at the spell book that lay on the day bed beside her. “How many books did you get through last night, Jamie?”

“Uh...maybe half...of one.”

“You didn’t even get through one book? What did you do all night?”

Rollie opened the other door, yawning and wearing a gray sweat suit. “What’s the fuss?”

Fred put one hand on her hip and gestured with the other at Jamie. “Scholar Boy here didn’t even make it through one stinkin’ book last night.”

“Wow, dude.” Rollie shook his head. “Great job.”

“I couldn’t help it. I was too worried to focus.”

Fred wagged her finger at Jamie. “We’re going to be here ’till Christmas if we don’t work faster. I think it’s time to bring in Melanie and Bryce so we can get this done.”

“I agree with Fred,” Rollie said. “There are
thousands
of books in this house, and we’ve probably not even made it through forty.”

Jamie took a slow breath and looked at his grandmother. “What do you think? Will five of us be too much work for you?”

“Work? Mrs. Tully won’t let me do anything.”

“What are you talking about?” came a voice from the laptop.

“Dad?” Jamie turned and faced the corner. “I think we’re going to have to bring Bryce and Melanie here today. Probably soon.”

“By lunchtime,” Fred added.

Evelyn walked closer to the laptop. “We’re going to need more things if we do, so you’ll need to run to the store. I’ll make a list and Jamie can e-mail it to you. Can you take your truck to my condo and fetch the small refrigerator from the garage? I want it.”

“Sure,” Carl said. “But why?”

“If we’re going to be here for a while, I want a place to keep my iced tea, and the kids will want to keep their drinks cold. We’ll also need a couple of more ice chests to store food in. Mrs. Tully has to go to the market every morning, otherwise.”

“Got it,” Carl said. “We’ll see you around lunch time.”

* * *

Jamie made a magic doorway around noon, and Rachel and Lisa were the first ones through, carrying boxes of food. “Enough for and army!” Lisa said, but Evelyn reminded her that they were going to be feeding five teenagers, maybe for as long as a week. Lisa asked, “Should we go back and get more?”

Carl and Larry set the little refrigerator by the wall near the kitchen and plugged it in next to the laptop, while Bryce and Melanie put their things in the bedrooms. Everyone else carried supplies down into the cellar, under the direction of Mrs. Tully.

Lisa also announced that they’d brought fried chicken and potato salad from the grocery store deli. “We thought we’d have a picnic in the backyard by the river. Won’t that be nice? It’s a beautiful day.”

Fred crossed her arms. “What do you mean,
we?
”

“All of us.”

“Not me.”

“Yes,
you
.”

“I have better things to do.”

Fred didn’t win that argument and had to eat with them on the riverbank, but after about twenty minutes of griping and eye rolling, her mother let her go back inside with Rollie, Bryce, and Melanie to work on the books.

Jamie managed to make his escape soon after, and he found Fred in the kitchen, staring at their parents through the window like they were untrustworthy neighbors.

He closed the back door behind him and said, “You’re really pushing your luck with your mom, Fred.”

“Can’t help it, she makes me so mad!” She threw up one hand and turned to face him. “It’s not much of a spring break with our parents pestering us all the time.”

“Give ’em a couple of days to get used to it, and maybe they’ll loosen up a little. They’re not used to us being gone from home, you know. We’ve never done anything like this before.” He laughed and said, “
Nobody’s
done anything like this before.”

“Yeah. Another planet. I get it.” Fred looked out of the window again at their parents, sitting with Jamie’s grandmother on blankets by the water’s edge. “What was my dad talking to you about?”

“He and my dad are trying to talk me into keeping the house. They want to turn it into a vacation cottage.”

“A
vacation
cottage? Isn’t it a little dangerous here, with the other wizards and all?”

“I tried to tell them that, but I think they’re blinded by the fact that it’s a
free
house. Plus, they think I’m exaggerating the danger, since we haven’t been attacked yet.”

“We’ve only been here for twenty-four hours.”

“That’s what I said.” He shrugged. “But it is a pretty good house, when you think about it, and the backyard is nice. There are fish in the river, too, and that appeals to my dad.”

“Still....” She stared out of the window again and said, “When I think of a vacation house, I think of that one at Ponte Vedra Beach that we stayed at a few years ago.” She turned back to him. A sly smile crept over her face and she reached out one hand and caressed his cheek, her voice soft and sexy. “But...I’ll vacation with you in
this
house someday, if you put in a real bathroom.”

“Just me and you?”

She nodded.

He looked into her beautiful green eyes for an eternity before murmuring, “You got yourself a deal.”

Fred stood in the main room with Jamie and watched him kiss his mother on the cheek. “Bye, Mom,” he said, then waited until she stepped through the glowing doorway before closing it. “That’s it.” He waved both hands emphatically. “No more doorways for a while. We’re pushing our luck.” He picked up a spell book from the rocker and shook it for emphasis. “Now I can finally get back to this.”

Evelyn walked in from the kitchen, tying an apron around her waist as she spoke, “Can you kids do your reading somewhere else? Mrs. Tully wants to clean in here.”

“I thought it already
was
clean,” Melanie said, sitting next to Fred.

“It’s not clean enough for her. She wants to sweep and mop after she finishes the kitchen, so you need to move.”

Rollie stood up from one of the padded chairs. “I think I’ll go into the bedroom, then. Where’d we put the folding chairs?”

“They’re in the cellar. And while you’re heading down there, could you take one of the ice chests or boxes with you? All of you.” She snapped her fingers and pointed at the cellar door. “Grab a box and take it down. We need to clear the floor of this clutter. It’s been here since yesterday, and it’s driving Mrs. Tully crazy.”

Jamie gestured with one hand at an ice chest and it floated from the floor and followed him like an airborne puppy. He didn’t walk two steps before Evelyn said, “Don’t be lazy, Jamie.”

“Sorry, Gramma.” He grabbed it out of the air and walked down the stairs, followed by Rollie and Bryce.

Fred started to pick up a box with Melanie when she heard a knock. “Mrs. Wallace? I think somebody’s at the door. Should I get it?”

“Wait.” Evelyn stepped to one of the front windows and peeked out. “It looks like two girls. I’ll get it.”

She opened the door and Fred heard them talking, but couldn’t quite make out what they were saying. Then Evelyn turned and said, “They’re here to see you, Fred.”

“But I don’t know anybody here.” She went to the door and Evelyn stepped back, a smile pulling at the corners of her mouth. Fred looked out, and standing on the stoop were two teenage girls. They both wore long dresses like Mrs. Tully, but not as drab, and their sandy-colored hair was pulled back with colorful ribbons. Fred looked closer at their young faces and realized they probably were sisters. “What can I do for you?”

The older one took a moment to screw up her courage before she answered, “Are you the witch that lives here?” She spoke with the same soft burr as Mrs. Tully and Brinna.

“Well, not exactly. I’m a witch, but I’m only staying for a few days. How did you find out I was here?”

“Our Ma heard at the market this morning.”

The younger one seemed to perk up. “She heard there be a witch
and
a wizard here now.”

“Well, that’s true,” Fred said.

The older one knitted her brow. “But...isn’t this Renn the Sorcerer’s house?”

“Not anymore. He’s dead.”

Both girls sucked in their breath and widened their eyes. The younger one said, “What...what happened to him?”

“My boyfriend killed him.” Fred shrugged matter-of-factly. The girls took a step backward on the stoop and Fred quickly added, “But he won’t hurt you. I won’t let him.” Fred almost laughed after she said that, and turned away for a second so the girls couldn’t tell.

The younger girl pulled on her sister’s sleeve. “Feather almost didn’t come today. She’s scared.”

“Hush, Flower,” the older one hissed.

Fred put her hand to her cheek and smiled. “Those are your names? Feather and Flower? Those are so lovely.” She nodded. “My name is Fred. My real name is Grace Mary, but nobody calls me that.” She extended her hand and the girls stared at it awkwardly before shaking it. Fred asked, “So why did you come see me?”

Feather held out her other fist. She uncurled her fingers, and in her palm were some coins. Fred recognized the five piece and three coppers, two large and one small. “What’s that for?” Fred asked.

“May I buy a love potion?” Feather said in a small, hopeful voice.

“Hah!” Fred didn’t mean to laugh, and when she saw the hurt look on the girl’s face, she regretted it. “Oh, I’m sorry. It’s just...hang on.” She stepped back inside and called for Melanie. When she joined Fred at the door, Fred whispered, “You won’t believe this. They want to buy a love potion.”

“Really? Let’s see.” They stepped back out on the stoop and closed the door behind them. When the young sisters saw Melanie, they both lowered their brows, and then a look of defeat spread over’s Feather’s face.

“What’s wrong, Feather?” Fred said.

“I don’t stand a chance with girls like you here,” she mumbled pitifully.

“Awww.” Melanie poked her lower lip out. “Why do you say that?

Feather looked at her feet as she spoke, her voice so quiet Fred could barely hear her. “Because you are both so beautiful.”

“That’s awfully nice of you to say, but you’re beautiful, too. Both of you are. You just need a little help, that’s all.”

Fred regarded the older sister. “Do you want the love potion so that a particular boy will fall for you?”

Feather glanced up, then looked back at her feet, pressed her mouth into a tight line and nodded.

Melanie giggled and said, “That’s so adorable. Don’t you think so? Let’s help her!”

Fred shrugged. “Why not?” She turned back to the girls and said, “Let’s go inside. We can’t do anything out here.” She held the door open for them, but they seemed reluctant to come inside. “Are you still scared of Renn? He’s dead.”

“No,” Feather said. “The other wizard.”

“Who, Jamie?” Melanie laughed and turned to Fred. “They’re scared of
him?
”

“Well, he did kill Renn. Maybe if they met him they wouldn’t be.” She cupped her hand to her mouth and called for Jamie.

Melanie looked at the girls and nodded reassuringly. “He’s really a sweetheart. You’ll see.”

Jamie stepped to the open doorway. Feather and Flower stared at him, wide-eyed, their mouths forming silent
ohs
.

“What?” Jamie said, glancing from one to the other, a confused look on his face.

“Nothing,” Fred said. “We just wanted to show these girls that you wouldn’t bite their heads off.”

“That’s it?” He
tsked
and rolled his eyes before walking away.

“He is so handsome,” Feather said softly.

“My boyfriend is, too,” Melanie said. “Want to see?” The girls said yes and Melanie called Bryce to the door. When he got there, she put her arms around his waist and kissed him on the cheek. “This one is mine.”

“He is handsome, too,” Flower said with a firm nod.

“Yes he is.” Melanie patted him on the head. “You can go back to reading, now.”

“What’s this all about?” Bryce said.

“I’ll tell you later.” She gave him a gentle push and shooed him away.

Feather furrowed her brow. “Where you’re from, are all the boys that handsome?”

“No,” Melanie said with a tight shake of her head. “We got the best ones.”

A tiny grunt of a laugh escaped from Fred, and she put a fist up to her mouth and coughed to hide it.

“Where
are
you from?” Flower asked. “You’re not from here. I can tell by the way you talk.”

“We’re from —” Fred glanced at Melanie and thought
What do I say?
“We’re from another world.”

“Oh.” The sisters nodded and seemed to accept it without alarm, as if Fred had said something mundane like
we’re from Ohio
.

Fred held the door open for the two sisters. “Come on in and let’s see what we can do for you.”

They stepped inside and found Mrs. Tully in the main room, sweeping. The stern woman stopped when she saw them and held the broom in one hand and put the other on her hip. “Feather and Flower Cates,” she said in an accusing tone. “Shouldn’t you be home doing your chores?”

“We finished them already, Mrs. Tully,” Feather said defensively.