Key of Valor
Page 5
She didn’t know what to think about it; it seemed so unlikely. Yet there they were, huddled together across the room, obviously in some deep discussion. The man in the elegant slate-gray suit and the boy in his dark brown one that was already—God—a smidgeon too small for him.
It seemed odd that Simon should be so easy with the man while she was so uneasy with him. She and her son were usually in tandem.
Then Brad glanced over and his eyes, nearly the exact color of his suit, met hers.
Oh, yeah, she thought, there was the reason. This was the only person of her and Simon’s acquaintance who could have bats doing cartwheels in her stomach with just one look.
He was too handsome, he was too rich, he was too everything. Way, way out of your league, Zoe, and we’ve already been there once.
Bradley Charles Vane IV made James Marshall look like a yokel, in every possible way. The Vane fortune, built with lumber, spreading its commerce across the country with its top-rated HomeMakers chain of stores, made Brad a powerful and privileged man.
His looks—the dark gold hair, the sooty eyes and sorcerer’s mouth—made him, in her opinion, a dangerous one. He had the toned, rangy build made for those designer suits. Long legs that she imagined could eat up ground quickly on his way out the door.
Plus, she found him unpredictable. He could be arrogant and cool one minute, hot and bossy the next, then surprisingly sweet.
She didn’t trust a man she couldn’t predict.
Yet she trusted him with Simon, so that was another puzzle. He would never hurt her boy. She was down to the gut certain of that. Nor could she deny that he was good with him, good to him.
Still, when Brad rose to walk toward her, every muscle in her body went tight.
“Doing okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“So, you told Simon what was going on.”
“He has a right to know. I—”
“You might want to stop the leap down my throat so I can tell you I agree with you. He not only has the right, but his mind’s bright and agile enough to deal with it.”
“Oh.” She stared down into her glass. “Sorry. I’m a little nervous.”
“Maybe it’ll help to remember you’re not in this alone.”
As he spoke there was a commotion in the hall. An instant later, Moe, Flynn’s big black disaster of a dog, bounded into the room. He gave a delighted bark, then charged toward the tray of canapés on a low table.
Flynn and Malory rushed in in his wake, followed by a laughing Rowena. There were shouts, more barks, and one unfortunate crash.
“In fact,” Brad added as he watched the ensuing chaos, “you’ll be lucky to find five minutes to be alone with this crew.”
Chapter Two
IT turned out that Zoe was the one who had to pretend to eat. Not because of the food, but because she simply couldn’t relax. It was difficult to swallow when your stomach was tied up in one hard and messy knot.
She’d eaten in this dining room before, with its soaring ceilings and roaring fire. She knew how lovely everything looked under the lights of the chandeliers and the glow of candles.
But this time she knew without a doubt the way the evening would end. It wouldn’t be a matter of a lottery. It wouldn’t be the luck of the draw, with her and Malory and Dana reaching into the carved box to see which one of them pulled out the disk with the emblem of the key inscribed on it.
Both Malory and Dana had taken their turns, and had succeeded, against what Zoe had come to realize were astronomical odds. They had found their keys. They’d triumphed, and two locks had been opened.
She’d helped them. She knew she’d contributed ideas, support, even comfort. But when push came to shove, she understood that the burden had been on each of them, in turn. In the end, both Malory and Dana had had to reach deep inside themselves every bit as much as they’d had to reach for the tangible key.
Now it was her burden, her risk. Her chance.
She had to be brave enough, smart enough, strong enough, or everything they’d done before her would be for nothing.
It was difficult to swallow even wonderfully prepared roast pork when that was stuck in her throat.
Conversation flowed around the table, as if it was just a normal dinner party with sociable friends. Malory and Flynn sat directly across from her. Malory had scooped her hair up and back so that the burnt-gold curls tumbled behind and left her girl-next-door face unframed. Her big blue eyes were full of excitement and laughter as she spoke about the work they were doing on Indulgence.
Every now and again Flynn would touch her—the back of her hand, her arm—in a casual glad-you’re-here, glad-you’re-mine kind of way that warmed Zoe’s heart.
To keep her mind occupied with easier things, she decided she would have to talk him into letting her have a go at his hair. It was a great, rich brown with hints of chestnut, very full and thick. But with a few snips here and there, she could improve the cut and still leave him with that easy, tousled look that suited the lean lines of his face, the shape of those dark green eyes.
Letting her mind wander, she mentally clipped and styled her way around the table.
She jolted when Brad nudged her foot under the table. “What?”
“You’re needed on this planet.”
“I was just thinking, that’s all.”
“And not eating,” he pointed out.
Annoyed, she stabbed a bite of pork. “Yes, I am.”
Her voice was tight, her body stiff. He couldn’t blame her. But he thought he knew one sure way of loosening her up again. “Simon seems to be having the time of his life.”
She glanced over. Rowena had placed Simon beside her, and even now they were holding what appeared to be an intense, almost intimate conversation while Simon plowed through the food on his plate.
There’d be no need for that stop at McDonald’s, Zoe thought with a smile.
“He makes friends easily. Even with magic people.”
“Magic people?” Brad repeated.
“That’s how he thinks of them. He’s taken all this in, and thinks it’s cool.”
“It is cool. Nothing much cooler for a kid than the battle between good and evil. A little more problematic for you.”
She stabbed another slice of pork, moved it from one side of her plate to the other. “Malory and Dana did it. So can I.”
“That’s my take.” He continued to eat as she frowned at him. “So, have you ordered the replacement windows for Indulgence yet?”
It seemed odd that Simon should be so easy with the man while she was so uneasy with him. She and her son were usually in tandem.
Then Brad glanced over and his eyes, nearly the exact color of his suit, met hers.
Oh, yeah, she thought, there was the reason. This was the only person of her and Simon’s acquaintance who could have bats doing cartwheels in her stomach with just one look.
He was too handsome, he was too rich, he was too everything. Way, way out of your league, Zoe, and we’ve already been there once.
Bradley Charles Vane IV made James Marshall look like a yokel, in every possible way. The Vane fortune, built with lumber, spreading its commerce across the country with its top-rated HomeMakers chain of stores, made Brad a powerful and privileged man.
His looks—the dark gold hair, the sooty eyes and sorcerer’s mouth—made him, in her opinion, a dangerous one. He had the toned, rangy build made for those designer suits. Long legs that she imagined could eat up ground quickly on his way out the door.
Plus, she found him unpredictable. He could be arrogant and cool one minute, hot and bossy the next, then surprisingly sweet.
She didn’t trust a man she couldn’t predict.
Yet she trusted him with Simon, so that was another puzzle. He would never hurt her boy. She was down to the gut certain of that. Nor could she deny that he was good with him, good to him.
Still, when Brad rose to walk toward her, every muscle in her body went tight.
“Doing okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“So, you told Simon what was going on.”
“He has a right to know. I—”
“You might want to stop the leap down my throat so I can tell you I agree with you. He not only has the right, but his mind’s bright and agile enough to deal with it.”
“Oh.” She stared down into her glass. “Sorry. I’m a little nervous.”
“Maybe it’ll help to remember you’re not in this alone.”
As he spoke there was a commotion in the hall. An instant later, Moe, Flynn’s big black disaster of a dog, bounded into the room. He gave a delighted bark, then charged toward the tray of canapés on a low table.
Flynn and Malory rushed in in his wake, followed by a laughing Rowena. There were shouts, more barks, and one unfortunate crash.
“In fact,” Brad added as he watched the ensuing chaos, “you’ll be lucky to find five minutes to be alone with this crew.”
Chapter Two
IT turned out that Zoe was the one who had to pretend to eat. Not because of the food, but because she simply couldn’t relax. It was difficult to swallow when your stomach was tied up in one hard and messy knot.
She’d eaten in this dining room before, with its soaring ceilings and roaring fire. She knew how lovely everything looked under the lights of the chandeliers and the glow of candles.
But this time she knew without a doubt the way the evening would end. It wouldn’t be a matter of a lottery. It wouldn’t be the luck of the draw, with her and Malory and Dana reaching into the carved box to see which one of them pulled out the disk with the emblem of the key inscribed on it.
Both Malory and Dana had taken their turns, and had succeeded, against what Zoe had come to realize were astronomical odds. They had found their keys. They’d triumphed, and two locks had been opened.
She’d helped them. She knew she’d contributed ideas, support, even comfort. But when push came to shove, she understood that the burden had been on each of them, in turn. In the end, both Malory and Dana had had to reach deep inside themselves every bit as much as they’d had to reach for the tangible key.
Now it was her burden, her risk. Her chance.
She had to be brave enough, smart enough, strong enough, or everything they’d done before her would be for nothing.
It was difficult to swallow even wonderfully prepared roast pork when that was stuck in her throat.
Conversation flowed around the table, as if it was just a normal dinner party with sociable friends. Malory and Flynn sat directly across from her. Malory had scooped her hair up and back so that the burnt-gold curls tumbled behind and left her girl-next-door face unframed. Her big blue eyes were full of excitement and laughter as she spoke about the work they were doing on Indulgence.
Every now and again Flynn would touch her—the back of her hand, her arm—in a casual glad-you’re-here, glad-you’re-mine kind of way that warmed Zoe’s heart.
To keep her mind occupied with easier things, she decided she would have to talk him into letting her have a go at his hair. It was a great, rich brown with hints of chestnut, very full and thick. But with a few snips here and there, she could improve the cut and still leave him with that easy, tousled look that suited the lean lines of his face, the shape of those dark green eyes.
Letting her mind wander, she mentally clipped and styled her way around the table.
She jolted when Brad nudged her foot under the table. “What?”
“You’re needed on this planet.”
“I was just thinking, that’s all.”
“And not eating,” he pointed out.
Annoyed, she stabbed a bite of pork. “Yes, I am.”
Her voice was tight, her body stiff. He couldn’t blame her. But he thought he knew one sure way of loosening her up again. “Simon seems to be having the time of his life.”
She glanced over. Rowena had placed Simon beside her, and even now they were holding what appeared to be an intense, almost intimate conversation while Simon plowed through the food on his plate.
There’d be no need for that stop at McDonald’s, Zoe thought with a smile.
“He makes friends easily. Even with magic people.”
“Magic people?” Brad repeated.
“That’s how he thinks of them. He’s taken all this in, and thinks it’s cool.”
“It is cool. Nothing much cooler for a kid than the battle between good and evil. A little more problematic for you.”
She stabbed another slice of pork, moved it from one side of her plate to the other. “Malory and Dana did it. So can I.”
“That’s my take.” He continued to eat as she frowned at him. “So, have you ordered the replacement windows for Indulgence yet?”
