Chapter Three

Finn walked naked out of his bathroom. Water glistened among the hairs on his chest before he wiped them away with a dark gray towel. He strode over to the dual windows of his bedroom and finished drying off before tossing the towel in the general direction of the bathroom. The windows were about shoulder height on most people, but on him the bottom sill started just above his abdomen. He was in no danger of exposing his charms to any voyeurs, not that he gave a damn.

He’d bought the single story ranch a little over three years ago when he’d relocated his business here as well. People told him he was crazy to make the move to what they considered the middle of nowhere, but the quietness and space appealed to him. Lucky for him, he had built his reputation enough his clients didn’t mind traveling a little extra distance. Working on high end sports cars fed his passion for fast cars. His business catered to the rich, but since moving here the town’s residents considered him the new local mechanic and brought him their cars to fix also. The income accounted for less than five percent of his profits, but he didn’t mind. As long as it didn’t take away from his bread and butter he was happy to do it, and it made him feel like a part of the community. Something he was surprised to find he actually wanted.

Resting his arm against the side of the window frame, he stared up at the second story of Addy’s house. She had mentioned putting her niece in the bedroom on the left which meant those two windows now belonged to her.

He couldn’t help but smile. Coralea Bishop, what a firecracker. After he got over being pissed off about the near miss they’d both had due to her reckless driving, he could properly appreciate what a stunning woman she was. Dark red hair, snapping blue eyes, skin like cream, and a body begging for a man’s touch. His hardening body reminded him it had been several weeks since he’d had a woman. Thoughts of what it might be like to get Cory in bed drifted through his aroused mind. Would she be a firecracker in bed too?

A soft snort escaped him. She was more likely to punch him rather than allow him to lay a hand on her.

Finn walked to his dresser and grabbed a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. Maybe he should give Joni a call. She was always willing to scratch a mutual itch without any clinging expectations. He headed into the kitchen, but instead of the phone he grabbed a beer out of the fridge. Joni wasn’t the one he wanted.

****

“Coralea, you have a phone call,” her aunt called up the stairs.

Cory frowned. Who would be calling her on Aunt Addy’s phone? Her parents were the only ones who would have that number, but they would call her cell phone. Unless her mother had called to talk to her aunt first?

Her aunt waited at the bottom of the stairs with a smile. “It’s a time for new beginnings dear, remember that.” She held the phone out to her and then walked away.

Umm…okay, what was that cryptic comment about? “Hello?”

“Hello Coralea. I hope you’re settling in to Adelaide’s all right?”

Sebastian Marks? She recognized his smooth voice. Why on earth was he calling her? “Yes, thank you. What can I do for you Mr. Marks?”

“You could call me Sebastian.”

Cory sat down on the stairs. She had a feeling this was a personal call. “All right, Sebastian, what else can I do for you?”

A warm chuckle danced across the wires. “You could say yes to having dinner with me tomorrow night.”

He hadn’t wasted any time. “Sebastian, I’m flattered really, but I’ve just arrived here at my aunt’s, and I don’t think it’s a good idea to desert her so soon. I want to spend more time with her and get situated here first.”

“Would it help to know I’ve already asked Adelaide’s permission, and she thought it a wonderful idea?”

That explains the new beginnings comment. She bit her lip and stared at the ceiling. Should she go?

“Was I too presumptuous?”

“Umm…no, I’m just thinking.” It’s just dinner, right? Not a life commitment for goodness sake.

“I promise to be on my best behavior,” Sebastian stated.

“I’m sure you’re always a perfect gentleman, Sebastian.” It’d probably be a healthy thing to do. A step in the right direction, and all that. Sebastian was sure to be a charming dinner companion. “Yes, I’d like to have dinner with you.”

“Wonderful. I’ll pick you up at six o’clock.”

“Sounds good.”

“Until tomorrow, Coralea.”

“Goodbye, Sebastian.”

Cory switched off the phone. Had she made a mistake? She’d been here less than a day, should she really be accepting dinner dates already? It would be the first date since her divorce. Oh God, the first date she’d been on in more than seven years!

She leaned her head against the wallpaper and closed her eyes. It wasn’t like she was afraid to start dating again, but it had been so long. Had dating rules changed?

Good grief, Cory, get a grip. Sebastian struck her as the type who always knew what to say and do. He was a charmer and a gentleman, but if the date progressed poorly she could always leave. It wouldn’t be the end of the world, just a few hours of her time.

Shaking her head over her musings, she rose and climbed the stairs. Really, after what she’d been through over the last several months, a date was nothing to get worked up over. Still, she planned to give Melanie a call to ask her advice. What did people wear on dates these days?

Crap! She stopped on the stairs and sighed. She still didn’t have her suitcases. She would have to call Finn first thing in the morning to see about getting her suitcases out of her car.

Double crap!

Cory took her cell phone out of her pocket and called Melanie again who answered before the first ring ended. “Cory, I was just about to call you. I need your new address to send you those cookies.”

“Great minds think alike.”

Melanie laughed. “I assume every thing’s well? You’re settling in, okay?”

Cory snorted. “Never assume, Mel, you make an ass out of you and me.”

A beat of silence before Melanie demanded, “What happened?”

“Oh, par for the course lately. I got lost and got in a car accident with an insufferable man, who wouldn’t you know it turned out to be my new neighbor. He arranged to have my car towed, but unfortunately my luggage is still in the car. So, I have nothing to wear for my date tomorrow night.”

“Wait a minute, you’re going out on a date with him? You just called him insufferable, why would you agree to go out with him?”

“Not him!”

“Oh, then who? You haven’t been there twenty-four hours yet.”

Cory chuckled. “His name is Sebastian. He’s my aunt’s lawyer.”

“Tall, dark, and handsome I hope?”

“Umm…no actually that’s my neighbor. Sebastian is tall, blond, and handsome.”

“So, let me get this straight. You arrived there this morning and you’ve already met two handsome men and have a date with one tomorrow?”

“I got here this afternoon actually. Got lost, remember?”

“Very funny. You go girl!”

She sighed and sat on the bed. “Mel do you know how long it’s been since I’ve been on a date?”

“Well, you were married for five years, dated for almost two before that, right? So, seven or eight?”

“ Almost eight. Feels like a lifetime.”

“It’s just a date, Cory. You go, have a nice meal, hopefully some nice conversation, and that’s all. Unless, of course, it’s an incredible dinner with mind-blowing conversation and you decide you want to go back to his place to continue the mind-blowing conversation in the horizontal position.”

Cory dropped back on the bed and laughed. “Mind-blowing conversation in the horizontal position, really Mel?”

“Sex, Cory. You do remember what that is, right?

“Very funny. I do have vague recollections. What about you? Are you still dating your nephew’s soccer coach?”

“Unfortunately, yes, somewhat.”

“Explain.”

“Well, when I mentioned to my sister I didn’t think it was going to work out, she gave me a guilt trip and told me I had to wait until the season ended. I’ve been putting him off without actually breaking it off.”

“Is he such an ass she thinks he’d take it out on your nephew?”

“Maybe not intentionally, but she doesn’t want to take any chances, so I’m stuck in limbo. It’s not a big deal, just a pain.”

“Men are a pain.”

“Yes, they are, but some of them have their uses.”

Cory laughed again. “I miss you already Mel. What do you say, you want to quit your job, sell your house and move to Connecticut?”

Melanie chuckled this time. “You never know. The male prospects around here don’t seem promising and you’ve already run into two in less than a day.”

“Just one Mel. The other is an annoyance who happens to be nice to look at.”

“Wow. I’ve never known you to take an instant dislike to someone.”

“Yeah, well, you haven’t met him. The man takes contrary to a new level. Although my aunt seems to adore him.”

“Hmm.”

“What does that mean?”

“Nothing, just wondering if a little vacay in Connecticut might be just the thing for me.”

“You know I’d love to have you, and you’d have the perfect excuse to avoid your soccer coach.”

“Well I do want to come see you. Maybe in a couple of weeks after you’ve settled in.”

“Cory, you haven’t mentioned John.”

“Is there a reason I should?”

“Well, not if you don’t want to.”

“Have you seen him?”

“This afternoon. I was getting the mail when he drove home from work.”

“Did you talk to him?”

“Not unless you consider his wave, or my giving him the finger talking.”

“God Mel, I love you.”

“Love you too. You’re good, right?”

“Yeah, Mel, I’m good. Catch you later, okay?”

“Okay. Take care of yourself and have fun on your date. I’m going to want all the details, so pay attention.”

“Will do.”

Cory rolled on her side after ending the call. The chest with the box caught her attention. She sat up, plucked it from the nightstand, and opened the chest, then removed the box.

She cradled it in her hands, staring at it. There was no fear, only curiosity. It didn’t scare her at all like it did her aunt and previous ancestors. How could one little box scare so many people? She traced the intricate leaf design along the sides. It looked like English ivy if she wasn’t mistaken. The sides weren’t identical. Which she supposed made sense since given its age it must be hand carved. Strange it seemed like one leaf was upside down in a different position on each side.

Could it be a puzzle box? She just needed to figure out the solution.

Cory pressed on the upside-down leaves in different sequences, but nothing happened. There was no give in any of the leaf carvings. She flipped it over and looked at the bottom.

There was a spiral pattern of leaves. She searched each leaf and discovered an upside-down leaf in the very center of the spiral. Placing the tip of her finger on it and exerting a bit of pressure, there was the slightest movement beneath her fingertip. She turned the box right side up and examined it a moment before pushing each upside-down leaf on each side in a clockwise motion.

After pressing the last leaf, there was a small click and the top of the box lifted. She gasped, “I did it.”

She grasped the top and pulled. It wasn’t a square edge but followed the pattern of leaves which is why it appeared not to have a seam. Removing the top, she looked inside to find another box. A woodsy scent emanated from the box.

“Okay, a little disappointed it’s just another box,” she muttered.

It was a smaller version of the outer box with words engraved on the top:

To my line you must be true

With magic alive inside of you

What the heck does that mean?

Cory put the box down on the nightstand and put the outer box and chest next to it. One good thing to come out of it, she could show her aunt in the morning it was nothing to be afraid of.

A burning pain lanced the back of her neck. She clasped a hand over it. What the hell? Cory entered the bathroom and moved her hair out of the way. Lifting the magnifying mirror, she used to apply her makeup she adjusted it to see a reflection of her nape in the bathroom mirror. She saw nothing but her red birthmark, but was it larger? It had always been mostly concealed by her hair. Now it showed below her hairline. She’d heard of receding hairlines, but not on a person’s neck. Was it possible for a birthmark to grow bigger? The burning sensation had been fleeting. It was gone, and perhaps she was wrong about her birthmark. She wasn’t in the habit of inspecting it or the back of her neck. She had probably tweaked a muscle in her neck trying to figure out the puzzle box.

She wandered over to the window. Darkness had fallen, and the stars were twinkling across the sky. There were no lights to dim the view or the stars brilliance.

A light turned on in the ranch house next door and drew her gaze.

It was obviously a bedroom because she could see part of the bed. She started to step away because she wasn’t a voyeur and didn’t want to invade anyone’s privacy when suddenly he was just there, standing in front of the window looking up at her.

Well, she knew which house was his now didn’t she.

She froze in place, hoping he couldn’t really see her from this distance, that he was looking somewhere else.

She spied a smirk on his face. If she could see him so clearly, he could certainly see her. The horror must have shown on her face, because he threw his head back and laughed before giving her a two-fingered salute and walking out of view.

Cory groaned and dropped her head into her hands. The heat from her cheeks warmed her fingers. She quickly walked to the bed and threw herself down. Great, just what she needed. Now he thought her some sort of peeping Tom. He was sure to make some snide comments next time she had to speak to him, and if she wanted her luggage back it would have to be tomorrow. Why couldn’t it have been anyone else, but him? Why couldn’t he have appeared thirty seconds later? She would’ve already been gone.

She looked over at the box. “Magic, huh? All I’ve got is bad luck.”