If happiness was chocolate soufflé, then this was sadness. I stared into my barren soufflé dish. All gone. Finished. Kaput. Finito. Fini. I sighed. The only way I was going to get more was to order another one—and look like a total pig—or lick the scant chocolate remains and probably get kicked out of The Ritz restaurant.
Will chuckled, his delectable dimples flashing at me from across the table. He looked oh so fine in his Persian-blue suit with white shirt and grey tie. The Ritz knew what it was doing when it implemented a dress code. “Before meeting you, I didn’t know dessert could break a girl’s heart.”
“Well, now you know.” I put on my most serious expression. “There’s a name for it. Dessertdesertedaphobia.”
“Sounds serious.”
“It is. The only cure is more dessert.” I nodded sagely.
“Well, then, I have the means to cure what ails you. I’ll just order you another one.”
I smiled. “You’re the best boyfriend ever, but it’s okay. My eyes are bigger than my stomach. I’ll probably make myself sick. But if we’re still here in thirty minutes, feel free to ask again.”
He grinned, his blue eyes shining with happiness. “Consider it done.”
How had I managed to end up with such a handsome, kind, thoughtful, and capable man? I quietly thanked the universe.
Now that dinner was finished, it was time to do what we’d really come here for. My smile dropped, and I pulled out my phone. “It’s time, I think.”
His smile faded. “You don’t want to bask in the dessert afterglow a little longer?”
I shook my head. “Not even chocolate soufflé can make this easier.” Words I never thought I’d say because, well, chocolate had done a pretty good job of comforting me thus far in life. I leaned forward and whispered, “I’m going to cast my no-notice spell.”
He reached over, grabbed my hand, and stared into my eyes. “Good luck. Maybe we’ll go for a walk in Green Park when this is done, check out the squirrels.” He knew me so well. Squirrels were guaranteed to cheer me up. Cute, fluffy-tailed things, zipping about like they were on fast forward.
I smiled. “Thank you.” I took in a trickle of magic and mumbled my spell. I grabbed my phone out of my red clutch. We were seated next to the windows, which were as tall as doors and framed by heavy drapery. The grandiose room screamed wealth, its soaring ceilings replete with a fresco of a cloudy sky, bronze chandeliers, and wall sconces, and statues set into arched wall niches. It had more than a touch of the French chateaus about it.
I could take a few photos from our table, but I’d have to get up and walk around because anyone seated on the far side would look small, not to mention, if my parents had their backs to where I sat, I wouldn’t know it was them.
Taking a deep breath, I tamped down the unsettling stew of fear and anticipation that threatened to free my chocolate soufflé in the most unpleasant of ways. I craved these moments of trying to photograph my parents in a freeze-frame of history. But my talent was a curse. The soaring joy of seeing them was fleeting and always followed by the asphyxiating anguish of knowing they weren’t actually there. My fingers could reach out for eternity and only ever find the whisper of a zephyr. My grief was more solid than they were.
But my talent was crucial in putting together the puzzle of what had happened to them and would likely lead us to Regula Pythonissam. They were the group of witches who were after me and had indirectly been involved in recent crimes in Westerham. Their endgame was a mystery we intended to solve before anyone else was killed, but I doubted it would be that easy. It felt as if we were playing catch-up.
I stood, put my arm in the air, and waved it above my head. Not one head turned my way, but Will had an eyebrow raised. “What are you doing?”
“Making sure my no-notice spell is working. I always feel skittish when I use it. It’s hard to believe no one will notice me doing something suspicious.” I held my phone up, switched on the camera app, and said, “Show me my parents here ten years ago at lunch.” I panned the phone to capture from one end of the room to the other.
A few tables that were full in real time showed as empty, and some that were empty suddenly had people sitting at them. I couldn’t see my parents at any of the tables immediately surrounding us, so I carefully stepped away from our table and picked my way through the restaurant, viewing each table through my phone as I went. I sidestepped a waiter, narrowly avoiding total disaster. Yikes. I needed to be more careful.
A woman’s laugh machine-gunned from a table to my left. She sounded like a drunk goat—well, what I imagined a drunk goat would sound like. I turned quickly and looked at her table but through my phone, and whoever had sat there the day my parents were here had been just as vulgar, but in a different way. A thirty-something-year-old man with dark, slick-backed hair that looked way too oily for anyone’s good, was mid-conversation with two other businessmen. The guy’s mouth was open, and his half-masticated food was on display. I gagged and turned away. Thanks, universe. Awesome freeze-framed moment… not!
I swallowed and refocussed. Now was not the time for being distracted. I wove between two more tables and stopped dead. My breath hitched, and my heart raced. There they were, sitting with three other people—a gorgeous, petite brunette woman who was maybe Japanese, and a man and a teenage girl whose backs were to me.
My mother’s brow was furrowed as she stared across the table at the man whose face I couldn’t see, likely listening to something he said. My father’s lips were pursed, his expression screaming disapproval. But why? The Japanese woman’s eyes radiated sadness as she looked at my mother. What was going on? I snapped various shots and moved around to the other side of the table so I could see who the man was.
I gasped, and my heart thudded, the whoosh of blood past my eardrums deafening. No. Freaking. Way. I squinted and blinked. But nope, I was really seeing what I was seeing.
Sitting next to an olive-skinned, Greek-looking man in his forties was none other than the younger version of Piranha.
My parents were having dinner with Agent Lam—before she was an agent—and… her parents?
Even though my thoughts raced and tumbled over each other in a futile attempt at making sense of the situation, I managed to snap a few shots. Teenage Lam wasn’t a scowl-wearing narcissist. She had her hand on her father’s arm, and her dark eyes held concern and worry. I knew this wasn’t the full picture of who she’d been, but how did she get from this innocent-looking teen to the hateful psychopath we’d been dealing with?
And why were they having dinner with my parents? Had Piranha known who my parents were all along? If so, there was no doubt she’d been after me the whole time. But why was I still alive or not kidnapped? She’d had plenty of chances.
I sighed and reached out towards my mother’s shoulder, my breath hitching. I was only a couple of centimetres from her. The need to touch her vibrated up from my stomach, the pressure building, expanding to bursting. I couldn’t hold it in any longer. Even though I knew heartbreak would be at the end of my fingertips, I settled my hand on her shoulder. Warm and firm. My eyes widened.
“Can I help you, miss?”
I started and wrenched my hand back, then lowered my phone. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry. I thought you were someone else.” My cheeks heated. I blinked tears back. The older woman with white permed hair and a rounded face looked nothing like my mother. Crap. I was so stupid. What the hell had I been thinking?
Her smile was kind. “Not to worry.” She turned back around, and her dining companion, another grandmotherly woman, gave me a gentle smile, then returned to her lunch. Well, my no-notice spell was blown—for these women at least. Plus, I’d gotten what I came for; actually, I’d gotten a lot more than I wanted. Time to return to my table.
Will stood when I approached. His tentative forehead wrinkles were mere snake trails in the sand as he assessed me. “I’ve paid the bill. Why don’t we go for a walk?”
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. He was so considerate, and he knew me better than I thought. Giving me a chance to possibly break down in a park where not many people would notice was a gift. Even with a no-notice spell, crying in a posh restaurant was not on my to-do list.
I donned my coat and grabbed my bag—Will’s jacket was warm enough for him. A true Englishman, he didn’t wear a coat until it was less than ten degrees Celsius. He took my hand and led me outside into the throng of pedestrians hurrying around under grey skies. A cool end-of-October breeze nudged sunset-coloured leaves off branches, sending them floating and twirling to the ground. One landed in front of me, and I stomped on it, grinning at the satisfying crunch. Will squeezed my hand, and we exchanged a smile. Even when I was sad, I tried to find happiness in the moment. And if the universe was feeling generous, I’d be able to string a few of those moments together.
Unfortunately, that was probably my quota for the day, considering I’d also just enjoyed delicious food and a romantic date with the man of my dreams.
We entered Green Park and meandered along the leaf-strewn path. Squirrels scampered between trees, and up and down trunks. So damn cute. “I want a squirrel.”
Will laughed. “I don’t think Angelica would appreciate having a squirrel messing up her house.”
“But they’re so adorable. It’s as if they’re on fast forward the whole time. I wonder how fast their hearts beat.”
“Around two hundred and eighty beats per minute, depending on what they’re doing. A hibernating squirrel only has a heart rate of around five beats per minute.”
“Wow, how did you know that?”
“I once did an assignment on them in high school. As much as I’d love to educate you further about our furry little friends, I need to know what happened in there. You didn’t exactly look happy when you came back. Did you see them?”
How would he react to news of Dana being there? Did he still have feelings for her? I mean, he’d said he didn’t, but sometimes we lied to ourselves. And how would he react, seeing her young and innocent, gorgeous and kinder, more like the woman he’d fallen in love with?
“They were there, having a meal with another couple and their… daughter.” I swallowed. Gah, why couldn’t I be a squirrel? Having to do nothing but gather nuts sounded like a low-stress lifestyle.
“And?”
“The conversation seemed tense.” I looked up at him. How to say what I needed to?
“What’s wrong, Lily? Are you upset about seeing them?”
My nose tingled, and I swallowed the stupid lump in my throat. “I accidentally reached out to touch my mother, but I accosted an old lady.”
He winced. “I’m sorry.” He squeezed my hand again. “How did she react?”
I shrugged. “She was really nice about it. I didn’t even get thrown out.”
“That’s always a good thing.” He smiled but then let it fade. “I’m getting a sense that something else is wrong. Here, let me see the photos.” He held out his hand.
“Um, before you do that, why don’t we go somewhere private?”
He gave me a quizzical look and shrugged. “Okay. If you insist. Come on then.” He turned, and we headed back the way we’d come. At least the toilets were at our end of the park. Will mumbled something, and the familiar tingle of his magic stirred the hairs on the back of my neck. Hmm, now that I thought about it, his magic did have a certain feel about it—it was warm and comforting with a hint of excitement and a sizzling undercurrent of power. Could other witches tell the difference in magic?
“No-notice spell?” I asked.
“Yes. Just in case anyone sees us go into the toilets and wonders why we don’t come out again. There’s a couple of people eating lunch out here, so they probably won’t be going anywhere for a little while.”
“Fair enough.”
We reached the toilet block, and Will dropped my hand. “See you at Angelica’s?”
“Sounds good. See you soon.” We gave each other a quick peck on the lips and entered the small building. There wasn’t an out-of-order cubicle because the facilities were too small, but it didn’t matter. I went into the stall but didn’t lock it. I counted slowly to twenty, to give Will time to get to the reception room and out of my way. I didn’t think anything bad would happen if two people arrived simultaneously, but it might mean we crashed into each other, and I didn’t want to add physical pain to Will’s day—what I was about to show him would be painful enough.
When I arrived, Will was holding the reception-room door open. “Took you long enough. Did you have to wait for the stall, or were you chickening out on showing me the photos?”
“No, and no. I was giving you enough time to get out of my way. Although you might wish I had chickened out after you see the pictures.” I walked past him into the hallway and headed for the living room. He shut the door and followed.
Once we were seated next to each other on one of the Chesterfields, I took my phone out of my bag, and unlocked it. I brought up the photo app and clicked on one of the pictures showing Dana and her dad. “Here.” His fingers brushed mine as he took the phone, but it wasn’t the reason my heart raced. What if he still had feelings for her? What if one of them was love?
I studied his face so intently for clues that I probably looked like a desperate psycho. Lucky for me, or maybe not, it took practically no time for him to react. His eyes widened, and he sucked in a breath.
He stared at the screen. I stared at him. He made the image bigger and stared some more. His brow creased. I swallowed. I could really use the mind-reading talent right now. Was he just wondering what the hell Dana and her parents had to do with my parents’ disappearance, or was he thinking teenage Dana was more gorgeous than he remembered, and he wished they hadn’t broken up? Did he miss her even though she was an evil piranha?
Finally, he scrolled through the rest of the photos. When he was done, he went to my email app.
“What are you doing?”
His serious gaze met mine. “I’m messaging these to James and myself, but don’t worry; I’ve spelled the email so that the photos can’t be seen by anyone but James or me. If Dana or her group have somehow managed to bug our emails, they won’t be able to see these.”
I could see why James needed those photos, but I was pretty sure Will didn’t need them. Jealous much, Lily? Yep, guilty as charged. Gah, I needed to get myself together. Will probably didn’t want her back, but it wasn’t as if he could just turn his feelings off. He was probably a bit shell-shocked at seeing her. I was such a bad friend. “Are you okay?”
A flash of emotion flickered in his eyes; then it was gone, replaced by the standard-issue PIB poker face. “Yes, I’m fine. You’ve done great work today, Lily. I have a feeling those photos will go a long way to helping us find out what happened to your parents. Are you sure you’re okay after seeing them again?”
I shrugged and used my best “whatever” voice. “It is what it is. I’ll be fine.”
“Okay, good.” He stood and handed me my phone. “While this is fresh in my mind, I’m going to duck into work and brainstorm, see if I can get a meeting with James. Is that all right?”
Um, no, definitely not all right. He obviously still cared for her way more than he would admit. I’d be stupid not to be worried. But there was nothing I could do. I gave him a weak smile. “Yeah, sure. Thanks for taking me to lunch.”
“It was my pleasure. I’ll see you later. Sorry for running off like this, but—”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. Work.” I wasn’t strong enough to hide the sadness in my eyes, so I let it all hang out. Pathetic was my middle name. “I hope you find what you’re looking for.”
“Me too, Lily. Me too.” And without our usual goodbye kiss, he was gone.
