water, figuring it had been a hard couple of days and I deserved a treat.
I lay back in the water, reveling in the smooth feel of the bath oil on my skin. How weird was it that Kevin had been looking for John Stonefeather and that I knew exactly where to find Kevin on a Saturday night? Coincidence? I somehow didn’t think so. Something wanted to make sure I stayed on the right track. I thought the same something had sent me up to Stonefeather’s house so I could find out Kevin had been there and know to ask him about it. In the normal course of events the subject wouldn’t come up; after all I hadn’t even been aware they knew each other.
I lay in the bath until the water got cold, toweled off and walked naked to my room to get dressed. Most Saturdays I would wear my usual uniform of jeans and an interesting t-shirt, but tonight I felt I wanted something more. My wardrobe didn’t hold much in the fancy department; Beljoxa’s Eye earned me a comfortable living without frills, not enough to spend a great deal on clothes. In the end I dug out a green lace dress I had worn to a friend’s wedding the previous year. Regarding myself in the antique full length mirror at the side of my bed, I thought it would do. The laced bodice gave my chest some semblance of a cleavage and the flowing skirt and sleeves accentuated my curves just enough. The green color brought out the red tones in my auburn hair and turned my eyes from a murky mix of green, grey and blue to almost emerald.
I was just beginning to wonder why I cared so much about my appearance this night of all nights when the doorbell rang downstairs. I thrust my feet into a pair of green Birkenstocks and ran to answer it. Timber waited on the stoop, wearing the same flannel shirt, jeans and workboots as ever. For a minute he just stared at me. I found myself staring back. Some kind of energy surged between us and, as before, I went weak in the knees. He took a step towards me. I took a step back, knowing I could not let him touch me but not knowing why. Then he breathed, and I breathed, and the moment passed, the energy broke, and we were just two virtual strangers gazing at each other from either side of an open door.
“Please come in,” I said with a strange formality, gesturing to the main room of the shop, darkened now but for a single lamp on the counter.
He did.
I cleared my throat. He shifted his weight so that he stood hip-shot, his thumbs hooked over his belt loops. We gazed at each other.
“Um. Wait here just a sec,” I mumbled at last, and ran upstairs to grab my fanny pack and gather a few other things I would need for the evening. When I came back down, Timber was still standing just inside the front door, his hands clasped in front of him, shifting from foot to foot like a schoolboy caught out in a prank.
“What?” I said.
“You look nice.” He cleared his throat. “Pretty.”
“I’m sorry to have caused you such a shock,” I replied irascibly. “I can wear something other than T-shirts and jeans once in a while.”
A dark cloud passed over his face, taking the schoolboy charm with it. “I meant it as a compliment, aye?”
I felt myself flush. It had been a compliment; why had I bitten his head off? “I’m sorry. Thank you.”
“What’s that?” He gestured to the flat oak box under my arm. “Your magic wand?”
“Of a kind,” I replied with a mysterious smile, still not wanting to let him in on the secret of where we were headed. “Come on, it’s time to go.”
He followed me out the door and waited on the stoop while I locked up and set my special protections on the place. I didn’t do this last all the time, but with whatever was going on with Stonefeather I figured better safe than sorry.
“And where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
We headed down Spruce to Ninth, turned right and walked a block to Pearl. As usual on a Saturday night, all kinds of people jammed the Mall: college students staying in town for
I lay back in the water, reveling in the smooth feel of the bath oil on my skin. How weird was it that Kevin had been looking for John Stonefeather and that I knew exactly where to find Kevin on a Saturday night? Coincidence? I somehow didn’t think so. Something wanted to make sure I stayed on the right track. I thought the same something had sent me up to Stonefeather’s house so I could find out Kevin had been there and know to ask him about it. In the normal course of events the subject wouldn’t come up; after all I hadn’t even been aware they knew each other.
I lay in the bath until the water got cold, toweled off and walked naked to my room to get dressed. Most Saturdays I would wear my usual uniform of jeans and an interesting t-shirt, but tonight I felt I wanted something more. My wardrobe didn’t hold much in the fancy department; Beljoxa’s Eye earned me a comfortable living without frills, not enough to spend a great deal on clothes. In the end I dug out a green lace dress I had worn to a friend’s wedding the previous year. Regarding myself in the antique full length mirror at the side of my bed, I thought it would do. The laced bodice gave my chest some semblance of a cleavage and the flowing skirt and sleeves accentuated my curves just enough. The green color brought out the red tones in my auburn hair and turned my eyes from a murky mix of green, grey and blue to almost emerald.
I was just beginning to wonder why I cared so much about my appearance this night of all nights when the doorbell rang downstairs. I thrust my feet into a pair of green Birkenstocks and ran to answer it. Timber waited on the stoop, wearing the same flannel shirt, jeans and workboots as ever. For a minute he just stared at me. I found myself staring back. Some kind of energy surged between us and, as before, I went weak in the knees. He took a step towards me. I took a step back, knowing I could not let him touch me but not knowing why. Then he breathed, and I breathed, and the moment passed, the energy broke, and we were just two virtual strangers gazing at each other from either side of an open door.
“Please come in,” I said with a strange formality, gesturing to the main room of the shop, darkened now but for a single lamp on the counter.
He did.
I cleared my throat. He shifted his weight so that he stood hip-shot, his thumbs hooked over his belt loops. We gazed at each other.
“Um. Wait here just a sec,” I mumbled at last, and ran upstairs to grab my fanny pack and gather a few other things I would need for the evening. When I came back down, Timber was still standing just inside the front door, his hands clasped in front of him, shifting from foot to foot like a schoolboy caught out in a prank.
“What?” I said.
“You look nice.” He cleared his throat. “Pretty.”
“I’m sorry to have caused you such a shock,” I replied irascibly. “I can wear something other than T-shirts and jeans once in a while.”
A dark cloud passed over his face, taking the schoolboy charm with it. “I meant it as a compliment, aye?”
I felt myself flush. It had been a compliment; why had I bitten his head off? “I’m sorry. Thank you.”
“What’s that?” He gestured to the flat oak box under my arm. “Your magic wand?”
“Of a kind,” I replied with a mysterious smile, still not wanting to let him in on the secret of where we were headed. “Come on, it’s time to go.”
He followed me out the door and waited on the stoop while I locked up and set my special protections on the place. I didn’t do this last all the time, but with whatever was going on with Stonefeather I figured better safe than sorry.
“And where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
We headed down Spruce to Ninth, turned right and walked a block to Pearl. As usual on a Saturday night, all kinds of people jammed the Mall: college students staying in town for
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