Bewitching You

chapter Seven



The liquor and wine bottles were all lined up on the yellowed Formica kitchen table. Rows of them. Sofia had dusted and organized each one of them from largest to smallest. They were all ready to go back inside the liquor cabinet she’d already wiped down. She sipped the rest of her first glass of red wine and stared at the collection.

“Nana sure does have a lot of liquor.”

She wondered for a moment if reading minds was somehow bothersome to her grandmother. Maybe getting drunk helped. Although she’d never seen Nana inebriated…that she knew of anyway.

The wine was starting to kick in. Sofia pressed her numb lips together and hummed. Anesthesia via Pinot Noir. She wasn’t much of a drinker, that was for sure. One glass would probably do the trick to take the edge off. Perhaps.

“Perhaps not.” She laughed and poured a little more into her glass.

A knock on the door startled her, and she set the bottle down with a clank.

Who the heck could that be?

The humongous old grandfather clock in the corner said the time was just past ten o’clock. Sofia picked up one of the eleven oil lamps she’d lit as soon as the sun started to set and carried it to the door.

No peephole, of course and only one deadbolt. Did her grandmother think bad guys couldn’t make their way out to the country? Sheesh.

“Who’s there?” She pressed her forehead to the door and listened closely.

“Sofia? It’s Gray.” He cleared his throat. “Grayson Phillips.”

Sofia jolted back a step as her lungs deflated.

Bad guys certainly could make their way out here.

But why? And really? Only one way to find out. She opened the door a crack to make sure the man on the other side was indeed Gray. The porch was dark, unlit, but the moonlight struck his strong profile. Shadows hit in all the right spots to make his perfectly angular face even more masculine and handsome. Yeah, it was him, all right. In all of his deceptive gorgeousness. The question was what was he doing at her Nana’s house at this hour? At all?

“I know this might seem odd,” he said. “But can I come in for a moment?”

“No.” She slammed the door and held her breath, her heart thumping against her ribs. She’d made up her mind never to see him again—hence, stopping the dreams and a future with the jerk from happening—and this little invasion was so not helping.

“I know you’re angry with me,” he said through the door. “I’m sorry for the way I treated you.”

A little too late, pal.

“Can I please come in? I promise I’ll be nice.”

Sofia glanced down at what she was wearing—pink stretchy shorts and a matching tank top, her usual pajamas. No way was he coming in.

“I know I don’t deserve any of your time.” He sighed. “I really need to talk to someone, and you’re the only someone I want to talk to. The only one I can talk to.”

Huh. He sounded miserable. Not mean miserable, like before. More like tormented miserable. Desperate.

Curiosity made her open the door again. Only a tad, though, so the light from the lamp would show if his facial expression matched the sound of agony in his voice.

It did. His dark brown hair was a mess, tousled as if he’d run his hands through it too many times. A streak of mud or grease stained his forehead. His blue dress shirt was unbuttoned and rolled up to his elbows. The white t-shirt underneath was stained with a smeared handprint.

“Why are you such a mess?”

“My car broke down up the road.” He lifted his grease-covered hands. “I tried to fix it, but I don’t have a clue what’s wrong. I usually know my way around an engine but… Well, you get the picture.”

“You were on the way here? To see me?”

“No.” He answered without delay and took a step forward, standing only a few inches from the door. “Not at first.”

Sofia pulled the lamp back in and heaved the door shut.

He stopped it with his foot. “Wait. My twin brother died.”

~ * ~

Gray didn’t know why he’d blurted that out, but it got her attention.

“Really? When? Are you okay?” She let the door fall open, revealing her curvy body covered only by a tiny pair of shorts and a tank top that didn’t quite cover her navel.

God help him.

She made an attempt to pull her top down. The stretchy material snapped back up.

“Um.” Gray gathered his senses. Just one kiss. She had to let him in if he kept hustling his sob story. She was sweet like that. Wasn’t she? “It happened six months ago. I just found out my fiancée, no, ex-fiancée, slept with him a week before he died.”

“You’re kidding.” She wrinkled her nose.

Adorable.

“No. She gave her virginity to him while I was away on business.” He was pushing it, but the sob story was working.

“Oh, my gosh. You just found out today?”

Gray nodded. “I told her I never wanted to see her again. Then I drove home and found my door lock was jammed. I couldn’t get in.”

“Having a bad day?”

“You could say that.” Gray leaned forward against the doorway and tried to look grief-stricken.

Yep, he’d officially lost all self-respect.

But it was working.

She pushed a lock of hair behind her ear and seemed to think for a moment. “Well, I guess you can come in for a drink. But then you have to leave.”

“That’s perfect.” Yes. “Thank you.”

She turned with the lamp in her hands, showing him her backside. Across one luscious butt cheek read the word “Sweet.” The other read “Dreams.” The fitting phrase caught his eye and made him chuckle.

She spun around. “Keep laughing and you can show yourself back out the door. My Nana bought these pajamas for me.” She shrugged and added in a less confident voice, “She likes to shop the clearance racks.”

“No. I like them. Really.” He closed the door behind him without breaking eye contact. “Very appropriate.”

“Sometimes,” she mumbled, and led him to the kitchen.

Gray peeled his stare away from her for a moment to notice the many bottles that covered the table.

“I was cleaning out Nana’s liquor cabinet. It was kind of dusty.” She gestured to the cast iron double bowl kitchen sink. “Want to clean up?”

“Sure.” He washed up and then pulled out a chair at the table and sat. Not until then did he realize the lights were out. Lord, where was his head? The only thing that lit the house were oil lamps bunched together on the wooden butcher block set in the center of the kitchen along with one or two hanging from the walls.

How odd.

“Pick your poison,” she said, with her hip pressed against the table.

“What?”

“What would you like to drink?”

Without thinking, Gray handed her the bottle closest to him. “Did the electricity go out?” He wouldn’t be surprised if he’d brought his bad luck with him. Or maybe this was part of Sofia’s eccentricity.

“No.” She smiled as she poured what appeared to be whiskey into a glass. In the low light, her lips looked soft, and her eyes glistened. “My grandmother, I call her Nana, believes that electricity and phone lines give her migraines. That’s why she lives out here amongst the Amish.”

“Interesting. So this is your grandmother’s house? Is she home?”

“No, I’m house and cat-sitting for her.” She set the glass in front of him and lifted her body up to sit on the butcher block next to the lamps. “Isn’t it strange that you came here tonight? I mean, I don’t live here. I live in Indianapolis with my mother. If you’d shown up here any other time, Nana would’ve opened the door.” She laughed softly and continued. “Not that she would’ve minded having a hunk show up at her house.”

“So you think I’m a hunk?”

Another laugh.

Gray liked the sound of it, a soft, sultry sound. Her laugh reminded him of a certain dream he’d had. Nothing was more exciting than playful sex. For the first time, he allowed himself to wonder if real sex with Sofia would be as thrilling as in his dreams. Now that Rachel was out of the picture, nothing and no one kept him from fantasizing, or acting out his fantasies.

He shot down the whiskey, keeping a keen eye on the fantasy in question. He was free to do whatever the hell he wanted and it felt great. He didn’t have a job or a definite future with a woman. His life plan was a complete joke. Wasn’t it amazing that the world wasn’t falling down around him?

“What are you smiling about?” she asked.

“Sorry. I didn’t realize I was.”

“You don’t have to apologize. I was just curious. It’s the first time I’ve seen you smile, is all. I mean, aside from the dreams.” She lifted her wine glass and sipped.

“I lost my job this morning,” he blurted out.

Again. What was it about this moment here in time with her that made him want to reveal his life story? The good, the bad, and the ugly.

She whistled. “You sure had a heck of a day.” Her body lengthened as she let her feet fall to the floor. She crossed the small distance separating them and poured him another round.

Gray let his gaze roam over her as she stood before him. Her rounded breasts stretched the cotton fabric of the pink top she wore. Her nipples were slightly erect. No apparent bra.

“The day’s getting much better.”

~ * ~

Sofia told herself it didn’t matter that his fiancée was out of the picture. It didn’t matter that he’d apologized and was being somewhat decent. It most definitely did not matter that he was sitting there, staring at her as if she were his last hope. Looking helpless with his tousled hair and the grease mark on his forehead he’d forgotten to wipe clean.

She ignored the desire to sit on his lap and make his bad day a whole lot better. She wasn’t responsible for his happiness and she wasn’t buying his sudden interest in her.

Determined to stay focused, she finished pouring the whiskey into his glass and retreated back to the butcher block, a safe distance away.

“Thanks for the refill.”

“You’re welcome.” Darn. She’d forgotten she’d only invited him in for one drink. How was she going to send a drunken man out into the dark night without a way home? Why should she care?

He didn’t care about her. He’d made it clear that morning in his office and at the restaurant when he’d gotten her fired.

He downed the drink and shoved his hand through his hair. “I really appreciate you letting me come in, Sofia. It says a lot about your character. You’re a kind person, aren’t you?”

Sofia shrugged. “Not everyone is a coldhearted jerk.” As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted them. The man had already been through enough today.

“Ouch.” He brought his hand up to his heart, covering the smeared handprint.

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be. I was a jerk to you. And I’m sorry. If I could take it all back, I would.”

She let his words soak in. They felt good to hear, she had to admit. But it didn’t change a thing.

With empty glass in hand, he stood to his full six-foot-plus height and stared down at her. Sofia scooted back farther on the block, unsure of his next move. If he wasn’t a man she’d gotten to know in her dreams, she might have been frightened of the lazy, sexual look in his eyes.

Instead, it ignited her. A surge of want dipped low inside, reminding her of what it felt like to make love with this man in her visions. To see him naked, running her fingers across his strong, lean muscles, sweating as he lay on top of her, driving his thick, hard erection inside of her until she—

Stop it, Sofe. She gulped and attempted to gain control. Stop. It. The only reason he was here was because he’d lost everything else. He hadn’t intended to come here. To him, Sofia Good was the last resort. A substitute. A replacement to buffer his hurt pride, his busted ego. The dreaded rebound girl.

Too bad. Because she refused to be anything but someone’s top choice.

To break his stare, she thrust the bottle of whiskey into his gut. “Here.”

He didn’t falter as he slowly took the bottle from her grasp, then finally poured himself another round. “Thanks.” His dimple showed. “You know, this stuff isn’t too bad.”

“Glad you approve.” She tried to avert her gaze but he was too close. And she just couldn’t bring herself to tell him to move away. Not yet. Not when he smelled like the man from her dreams.

She sniffed again, rubbing her nose to cover her actions. The faint hint of musk aftershave and the night air. Despite the grease on his shirt, he smelled clean and…manly. Strong and welcoming.

Damn. Too much like the dreams. Yet the man before her had yet to prove to be anything like her Gray.

He set the bottle on the table, then turned toward her again, not giving her enough space to breathe steadily. The look in his heavy-lidded eyes made her wonder if he might lean in and kiss her…or maybe do more than that. But instead of ravaging her, he simply swiveled and stood beside her, leaning against the butcher block.

He sighed softly and looked down at his glass, swirling the liquid around, thinking about something. Up close, Sofia was even more convinced the man was way too attractive for his own good. For her own good, actually. She wrapped her arms around her belly to keep from reaching out and touching him.

Although she knew exactly how she wanted to run her fingers over his jaw to his chin, up to his powerful lips. Into his hair, ruffling it a bit more to make him look less like an uptight businessman and more like her sexy, kind, happy-go-lucky fantasy man.

The two couldn’t be more opposite…which confused her on a number of levels.

“So,” he said, breaking the silence and startling her. He looked at her from the corner of his eye. “You said you dream of the future? What’s that about?”

Right. That. “Oh, well, yes. Sort of.” She wasn’t exactly prepared for that question. Having hidden that fact from most of the people who came into her life in the past for obvious reasons, she was used to avoiding the subject.

“Sort of?” He turned toward her with a look of interest. The hand that held his glass brushed against her thigh.

Focus, Sofe. Stay strong. “Not sort of. I do dream of the future, but I can change it. Prevent certain things from happening.”

“Things like me?”

“Like murders, accidents, and horrible attacks on innocent people. And yes, I can prevent you from happening.” She dared meet his gaze. His coffee-brown eyes were soft. The dimple on his cheek deepened as he grinned with apparent amusement.

“Have I been so awful that you’ve grouped me with your nightmares?”

“They’re not nightmares. They’re real, and they’re going to happen if I don’t stop them.”

His grin faded to a frown as he brought the glass up to his lips and drank. The remoteness in his eyes returned.

“It’s all right if you don’t believe me. It doesn’t matter what you think of me, now or ever, since I’m going to do you a huge favor and stop those dreams for you. All we need to do is say good-bye right here, right now.”

He set the glass down behind her. “Maybe I should go if you’re done with me, then,” he said, but didn’t budge. His dark gaze searched hers, waiting.

“Maybe you should.” Sofia shot back at him, feeling proud of herself. If only for a moment. “Isn’t that why you’re here? To get rid of me once and for all?”

He chuckled uneasily and shook his head.

“Is something funny?”

“Funny. Ironic. Insane. All of the above.” In a quick move, he was in front of her again, leaning forward and bracing a hand on each side of her.

“What are…” She couldn’t finish the question. His face was so close to hers…his lips just a tongue-lick away. If she were a bolder woman, she’d do just that—stick her tongue out and outline the ridge of his sexy, fierce lips. Yep, a bolder woman might want to do that.

She swallowed. Time literally ticked by as the grandfather clock tick-tocked in the corner. The sound was usually soothing. Now it only emphasized the rapid beating of her heart.

“Do you want the truth, Sofia?” His eyes glistened in the lamplight as if he couldn’t hold his secret back for another second.

She squelched her curiosity as best she could, then jerked a shoulder up and resumed breathing. “Sure. Go for it.”

“Those dreams”—a fresh grin slowly curved his lips—“are all I have to look forward to. I don’t want them to stop.” He gave a short laugh. “And you know what?”

“You’ve lost your mind?”

“Possibly. Because I have no desire to leave here tonight.” He brought a hand up and ran his knuckles across her cheek. “I don’t want to leave here. Can I stay? I promise to behave myself.”

Her skin sizzled under his touch. Geez, was he going to kiss her? No, he couldn’t. Not tonight. Not ever. It just wasn’t going to happen. She’d already come to terms with it, and now he needed to. Right?

“No,” was all she managed to say.

“Please. I’ll sleep on the couch. I’ll keep my hands to myself.”

“I’m still angry with you. You treated me awful.”

“I know.” His fingers traced her jaw, her neck. “I was an a*shole. I don’t deserve your kindness.”

“You blew it.” She shivered. Her head swirled.

“An unforgivable a*shole. If you punched me in the face and told me to go to hell, I wouldn’t be surprised.” His voice lowered as he spoke, his gaze dropped and focused on her lips. “But you won’t. Because you are kind. Because you’ll take pity on me…and the bad day I’m having. My car’s broken down. I don’t have anywhere to go.” He met her eyes again. “Please, Sofia.”

The room did another complete spin, but she tried to blink it away.

“We should go to bed.” She blurted out the words and instantly felt the heat reach her cheeks. “Um…I meant I should go to bed.”

And get away from you before I do something stupid.

Sofia stretched her arms out in front of her, simultaneously pushing Gray away from her. A safe distance. That was what she needed. “I’m exhausted.”

“And a little tipsy,” he added.

“No, I’m fine. I’m super fine. But you…” She dropped to the floor and felt the room spin around a few more times. Maybe she wasn’t so fine.

She gripped the butcher block to keep steady. How was she going to get rid of this guy without feeling guilty for throwing him out into the darkness without a vehicle? Dang it. Why did she care? “You can sleep in the guest bedroom if you want.”

“That would be great. Thank you.” He stuffed his hands in his jeans pockets and smiled mischievously.

“But you’ll have to leave first thing in the morning, understood?”

“No problem.”

“Because I don’t think—”

He put his hand up to stop her. “I know. I blew it.”

~ * ~

Gray had to admit, Sofia’s backside was starting to become his favorite part of her body, with the way her ass filled out those shorts. She led him up the narrow, dark wooden stairway, with two lamps hanging from her fingertips. Sweet Dreams stretched out with each step.

“I think Nana has a fresh toothbrush stored in the medicine cabinet. And I’ll have to make sure there are fresh linens on the guest bed.”

An orange cat zipped past at warp speed, nearly tripping Sofia on the top step.

Gray didn’t have enough viable brain cells left in his head to react in time. His leg curved into hers and his pelvis pushed against her bottom before he could stop.

“Sorry,” he said, and took a step back. Just in time. One second more, and she’d have felt his erection hardening in his jeans.

“My fault. I shouldn’t have stopped short.” She continued down the hallway. “Sam scared the bejeezus out of me. I really hate coming up here when it’s dark. It’s creepy, the way the old wooden floors creak.”

Rapid thoughts of how he could comfort her ran through Gray’s mind. Holding her in his arms, kissing her lips, making her forget about anything but him inside of her.

Keep your head together, Gray.

“It’s funny, but I think I had more courage spending the night here when I was a little girl. I guess I was naïve to what horrible things can happen in the world.” After a couple of steps, she spun around and pointed into one of the open door rooms. “This is the only bathroom. There are towels and whatnot in the small closet in there. Like I said, the toothbrush is in the medicine cabinet. And if you want to use the bathroom tonight for whatever reason, then take your lamp with you.”

“Running water?”

“Yes. Fortunately, that doesn’t give my Nana migraines.” She continued a couple steps to the next open door on the opposite side of the confining hallway. “This is my Nana’s room. I’ll sleep in here.”

Curious, Gray stuck his head in the room. The window was open, letting the moonlight in and the breeze whip the white curtains about. The room was a fair size, big enough for a large dresser and the queen-sized bed covered with a checkered quilt. The walls were bare and white, like the rest of the house. The smell of burning kerosene filled the air.

None of it seemed familiar. He hadn’t dreamed of this place. With Sofia. Actually, he hadn’t recognized the setting in the dreams at all that he could remember. He’d spent so much time trying to forget them. Erase them from his memory.

Not that he believed in any of them—that somehow they were visions of the future. Gray considered himself open-minded, but some things were a little too hard to believe.

Sofia cleared her throat from across the hallway as she pointed to the last door on the left. “This is where you’ll sleep. For tonight.”

Gray followed her inside, encouraged with where things could lead. Just one kiss. It blew his mind that he hadn’t had one dismal thought since he’d walked into her house. Not one recollection of all the pointless energy he’d put into his relationship with Rachel, or of how Hayes had betrayed him. No, his mind was captivated by the woman standing in front of him.

“Looks like the sheets are fresh.” She ran her hands across the top quilt. It was identical to the other one. In fact, the rooms were mostly indistinguishable, except this bed was wedged up against the window. Not that Gray gave a shit about the furniture arrangement, when Sofia was crawling across the mattress on her hands and knees with her rounded bottom emerging from those damn shorts.

“Getting comfy?” He hoped.

“No. Geez. This probably doesn’t look too good, does it?”

“Good doesn’t even begin to describe it.”

“The window’s closed,” she said, ignoring his flirtation. “I’m opening it so you won’t be stuffy.” She released the latch and began pushing up the window inch by inch.

Absentmindedly, Gray began getting ready for sleep, shrugging off his dress shirt and kicking off his loafers. It wasn’t until then that he noticed the black mark on his shirt. No way was he going to ruin Nana’s sheets with his filth. He slipped it over his head, ready to climb into bed and dream.

Hot, sensual dreams of Sofia. He’d get entirely undressed when she left the room. No point in wrinkling the only clothes he had to wear.

But it seemed Sofia was having trouble getting the window up to where she wanted it. She struggled, grunting and yanking.

“Wait.” Gray crawled across the bed, feeling like an ass for not offering to help sooner.

“What are you doing?” Perspiration dampened her sweet face as she eyed his shirtless chest.

Holding back a laugh, Gray knelt beside her and grasped the bottom of the windowpane. “Helping,” he said, and forced it up.

Wind gusted in and blew her hair off her shoulders. One piece stuck to her moist cheek so he swept it behind her ear.

“What are you doing?” she asked again, her eyes wide in what seemed like fear.

“Are you afraid of me, Sofia?” Had he been that awful to her?

“Of course not.” She wrinkled her nose. “Why would I be afraid of you?”

Her tone wasn’t convincing. Carefully, Gray cupped her cheek. Her skin was soft, speckled lightly with freckles. Beautiful in a way he hadn’t noticed before.

A wary sigh heaved up her chest. Then she leaned into his hand and pulled in her bottom lip only to release it, wet and inviting.

Just one kiss.

Gray brushed his thumb over her lip, desperately wanting to erase every bad notion she had of him. What was it that made him want to be more to her than a cold-hearted jerk?

So much more.

Another gust of wind blew in, and she closed her eyes. Before she could open them again, he tilted her head up and molded his mouth to hers.

She gasped slightly, but didn’t pull away. Her lips were supple and sweet to the taste. Like in his dreams, but better.

This was real.

He wasn’t going to wake up and find her gone. To make sure, he grasped her waist and held her close. Faint whimpers muffled against his lips. He almost drew back, but her fingertips running up his arms gave him permission to continue.

Eager for more, he slid his tongue into her mouth. Her hips arched against his growing erection. Her hands glided over his shoulders and clasped onto his neck, nudging him down. Did she want him to take her? Now? Here?

He was a free to do whatever he wanted with whomever he wanted. For some reason, he only wanted to be here in this moment with this woman. From the way she was luring him toward the mattress, she desired more than just one kiss.

Gray wouldn’t refuse her. He wrapped one arm around her for support. The other arm braced against the bed as he lowered her, kissing her thoroughly all the while. He wouldn’t disappoint her like he had already. This time, he wouldn’t give her anything less than his best.

~ * ~

Sofia was out of her mind. Or maybe it was simply cluttered at the moment. With how great he kissed. With how he looked and felt, half naked on the bed beside her…on top of her.

Oh, geez. What am I doing?

Lying down. That was what she was doing.

Running her hands over the lean muscles on his back. Intertwining her legs with his. Going mad over the way he was making love to her mouth with his tongue. He tasted so good, so…so him.

His hand sneaked under her tank top, and she jerked her eyes open. His touch, slowly sliding along her skin up over her abdomen, made her tremble with both desire and anxiety. He must have noticed her nervousness because he peeked down at her through narrowed eyes.

They both took in a breath, but his hand kept traveling.

What could be going through his mind?

No, don’t think about that, Sofe. Just let it happen. Enjoy it.

Had he done this with his ex-fiancée? Had he loved her? That gorgeous woman he was going to marry up until today?

“Wait,” Sofia said, as his hand gripped where no man had ever touched her.

His thumb brushed across her pebbled nipple, sending chills down to where heat rose, surged. He pressed his jean-covered erection into that spot, against her heat, as if he knew how close to the edge she was, and wanted to propel her over.

It was working. She held back a moan by biting into her lip.

“Sofia,” he breathed, obviously as on edge as she was. “Are you sure?”

Summoning the last of her sanity, she nodded and pushed against his solid chest.

“I’m sure.” She couldn’t do it. Sofia Good was not going to be his rebound. His last resort.

“Okay.” He lifted off her and stood, exhaling and raking a hand through his hair.

“Sorry,” she muttered as she hurried to the door.

“For what?” He followed behind her, grabbing her waist before she could leave. “Don’t apologize.” His voice was a whisper, his warm breath feathered along her neck.

Sofia sucked in a breath. Her body trembled. Geez, he was going to think she was a prude…which of course she was. Didn’t help that her cheeks were burning, which meant her entire face was most likely bright red. Here was the hottest man she’d ever laid eyes on holding her in an embrace, and all she wanted to do was run like hell to get away from him.

“I’m the one who’s sorry.” He kissed her temple and loosened his hold on her. “Goodnight, Sofia.”

“Okay,” she said stupidly, still mesmerized by what had happened, what could have happened—quite possibly her only chance to lose her virginity. And to fall in love. Because who wanted to be with a woman who had visions of the future, other than the only man she’d ever envisioned loving?

She backed out into the hallway, only stumbling once when she realized it was really dark.

“Here.” He handed her one of the lamps. “Don’t want you to be scared.”

“Thanks. Um, goodnight.” She started toward Nana’s room. With each passing step, she could feel him staring at her backside.

“Sweet dreams.” His voice was soft and playful, and followed by a sexy chuckle.

Sofia turned abruptly to respond with something witty and reproachful but couldn’t think of a damn thing to say, so she stuck out her tongue.

Very mature, Sofe.

He laughed again. “Night, sugar. See you in the morning.”

The man was nothing but trouble. Good thing he was leaving first thing tomorrow.

Wasn’t it?

~ * ~

“You should be ashamed of yourself, Mom.”

Penny looked at her daughter and sighed. “I just walked in the door, Laura. Can we save this until the morning, please?”

“No, we can’t. I can’t believe you went through with this.”

“You know I only did it for her own good.” Penny set her suitcase against the wall and sat her weary body down on the couch. The spell sure had taken a lot out of her. She wasn’t as young as she used to be, that was for certain.

“What if she comes home and sees you here?”

“She won’t be able to leave my house until—”

“Until what?”

“Until the spell is complete. Until they admit they’re in love.”

“Oh, shit.” Laura paced a line in the carpet in front of the couch. “You are truly something, Mom. What gives you the right to interfere in my daughter’s life like this? And lie to her about it? Shouldn’t she be the one to decide whether she’ll fall in love with this a*shole?”

“Spare me the guilt trip, Laura. Look what you did to Hayes Phillips. You could have saved that boy’s life, if you’d only told him his true fate.”

“No!” Laura stopped and pointed a finger at Penny. “I am not responsible for these people’s actions. That kid was going to jump off that airplane no matter what I said. I told him to be careful, but of course he didn’t listen to me. They never do.” With a red face, she stomped up the stairs, but turned once to add, “Besides, aren’t you the one who told me when I started this business that I shouldn’t play God? Being a little hypocritical, aren’t we, Mom? And with your own family?”

Before Penny could respond, Laura disappeared upstairs. A second later, she heard the bedroom door slam shut.

Good. She didn’t have the energy to argue with her stubborn daughter anyhow.

Surely, she didn’t get that quality from me.

With a harrumph, she grabbed at her suitcase handle and started upstairs. She’d sleep in Sofia’s room tonight. Being close to her granddaughter’s things would give Penny a better feel for how the spell was working.

Penny had taken Hayes’s word and read his thoughts that Grayson Phillips was a decent man. A man Sofia could love. A man who would return the love unconditionally, even with the knowledge that Sofia was “gifted.”

As Penny lay in bed that night, she prayed for many things. She prayed Sofia would forgive her for lying and interfering. She prayed Grayson would treat Sofia right.

She prayed Grayson would never find out that Sofia’s mother could have prevented his brother’s death, and didn’t. But mostly she prayed Laura would find a love of her own.

Because Penny was convinced no spell would be strong enough to push through her daughter’s bitter heart.