Witch of an Ex, page 9
“You’ve got a point.” Orville started to say something else, but my phone chirped. I had a text message. Dang it, I hated texting. What’s more, my family knew that. So likely whoever was sending that text wasn’t all that important to me. I ignored it.
Orville just looked at me. “You seriously aren’t even going to look to see who it’s from?”
“Nope,” I said. I took a big bite of my Raspberry Delight. Actions speak louder than words.
The phone chirped again. Orville stared at it. “You mind if I take a gander?”
“Knock yourself out.”
He picked up the phone and glanced down at it. From the sudden darkening of his face, I could tell he didn’t like what he saw. Which of course got my curiosity up.
“Who is it?”
He pushed the phone back to me. “I think you might want to answer it.”
Not exactly what I’d asked, now was it? I glanced down at the text.
It read: I want to meet Ruby. I think it’s high time I got a place in her life.
I swallowed and then read the second text. ‘I think we should talk.’
The last bite of pastry stuck in my throat. It took a whole lot of coffee and a bit of coughing to get it down.
“You okay?”
I shook my head. Not by half. “He wants to meet Ruby.”
He nodded. “So I read.” He paused. “You going to allow that?”
Of course, what he didn’t say was how the heck was I going to stop the man if the answer to that question was no. Aldin paying a visit to Ruby wasn’t exactly breaking the law.
“Don’t reckon I have a lot of choice in the matter, now do I?”
“That doesn’t mean you have to be happy about it.”
“No. It doesn’t.” I picked up my phone and went to dial.
“You can have him meet us here if you want moral support.”
“That’s not who I’m calling.” I hit the button and within seconds Ruby was on the line. “Hey, Ruby. You free this morning? We need to talk.”
I MADE THE DRIVE OUT to her place. Part of that was just to give me a little more time to think. For some reason, I seemed to think clearer when my body was intent on doing something else. Like driving, for instance.
It was the shortest trip I’d ever made to her place. At least, it sure as heck felt like it was. I was so not ready for this.
She met me at the car, a worried expression on her face. “What is it, Mom? Is everyone okay?”
Drat. I’d gone and worried her. All because I hadn’t been willing to broach the subject over the phone. I climbed out of the car and put my arm around her shoulder, which only seemed to set her off more.
“Oh Goddess, what is it? Is someone dead?”
I shook my head. “No. Everyone is fine.” I hesitated. I could do this the slow and easy way or do it the quick and hard way. Just pull that band-aid right off in one quick movement. I took a deep breath first. “Your father is in town, and he wants to meet you.”
It was a very good thing my arm was around her shoulders before I told her that. She didn’t exactly faint, but she came pretty dang close to it.
“My...father?”
I smiled at her. “You knew you had one, right?”
She nodded. “Maybe we’d better go inside for this. Where I can sit down.”
Yeah, having her sitting down might have been a good first step, huh? One didn’t get life-changing news like this every day, now did one?
Once we were in her barn and on the sofa with a soft drink each, she turned to me. Her face was a little red, but other than that, I didn’t have a clue how she was feeling. That wasn’t normal. Usually, Ruby was pretty much an open book to me.
Not today. Today, that book was closed tight. I didn’t much like that. It seemed to me like Aldin was already getting between the two of us.
Ruby glanced at me and then down to the drink in her hand. “So, I guess Orville isn’t my dad after all, is he?”
That took me back. “You thought Orville was your dad?” Not that he wouldn’t have been, had Aldin not done what he did back all those years ago. But then again, a Ruby born of me and Orville wouldn’t be the Ruby in front of me. And I rather liked this model of daughter. Loved her to pieces more like it.
She lifted one shoulder. “Not when I was younger, no. But then when you and he finally came out about being a couple... yeah, I kind of wondered how far back your relationship went. I mean, you two went to school together, right?”
“We did. And I’ll admit I had a thing for Orville even back then, but your dad... well, things got complicated.”
“Because of my father?”
I nodded. I refused to lie to my own daughter about this. He’d darn well been the one to complicate things, and he bloody well knew that.
Ruby stiffened. “Is it someone I know?”
“No. He moved out of town before you were born. I hadn’t heard from him again up until yesterday.” Or was it the night before? My memory was playing tricks on me. I tried to get my focus on the issue at hand.
She hesitated. “Did he know about... me?”
“He knew I was pregnant when he left, yes.” I paused. “Didn’t stop him from leaving though.”
“What kind of man would do that?” Then she shook her head and squared her shoulders. “What if I don’t want to meet him?”
“I would say that is your right. But you should know that your father is a stubborn jerk. If he wants to meet you in person, I’d say he’ll find a way to make that happen. Might be better to plan ahead and control the situation. Don’t you think?”
“I-I guess.” Her eyes were back on that soda bottle. “Would you come with me?”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” I meant every word of that too. Aldin wasn’t a man I would trust alone with my dog, let alone my daughter. Even we did share her in that respect. Blood only, in my opinion. And that didn’t count all that much when you came right down to it.
Aldin might be Ruby’s father, but I highly doubted he’d ever be her dad. Dad was a title you earned. You didn’t just get it by being a sperm donor.
“So, how do we do this?” she asked. “Here or at the farmhouse?”
“The farmhouse.” Not a second’s hesitation on my part, either. I didn’t know if Aldin knew where Ruby lived or not. If he didn’t, I sure as heck didn’t want to be the one to tell him.
Besides, if the man was down and out, he might be looking for a place to stay. They had room to spare here. Not that I was going to let that come to pass. Not if I had anything to say about it.
Which, of course, I really wouldn’t. Didn’t mean I wouldn’t try.
“How about I invite him over to dinner tonight, and you and Arc come too?” The more emotional support Ruby had when she met Aldin, the better.
She nodded. “Should we bring anything?” Then she gave a nervous giggle. “What do you bring when you meet your father for the first time in twenty-four years?”
“You bring nothing. You owe that man nothing. I want you to know that I mean that. Every word of it. He’s the one that walked out on us. He has no right to think he can just join back up with us like it was just yesterday.”
Her fingers played with the side of the bottle. “Would you tell me about him?”
That was tricky. I wanted Ruby to make her own mind up about the man. Anything I told her would be likely to be laden with years of bitterness and, yes, more than a touch of genuine dislike bordering on hatred. Especially knowing what I knew now about what happened back then.
Orville should have bloody well been Ruby’s dad, dang it. But at least he was now. In a fashion, anyway. Stepdad was better than nothing. Sure as heck better than having Aldin as her real dad.
I took a deep breath. “Well, he’s a Fire witch, for one. His name is Aldin. He went to school with me and Orville.”
Her eyes flew to mine. “He’s a witch too?” Her pupils got larger. “Am I a light witch too?” Those last words were whispered.
At that moment, I was more thankful than ever for my man. His having already brought up this possibility had given me time to think on it.
My niece, Amethyst, hadn’t known she was a light witch either until she’d had a taste of Earth magic through making Arc her accidental familiar. But that was another story. A very long story that, so far, had ended well enough.
I might not be able to read her today, but from the look on her face, she could sure as shooting read me. “You've already thought about that, haven't you?"
“I have, in fact.” I covered her hand with mine. “Amethyst showed little signs of having any magic at all until the two elements combined within her,” I said slowly, thinking my way through this. “You’ve been a pretty darn powerful Air witch from day one.”
She blew out a breath. “That’s right.” She smiled at me. “So, I’m just a plain old Air witch then?”
I arched an eyebrow at her. “I don’t reckon I’d call being an Air witch plain, but yes, I believe that is the case.” I smiled gently at her. “Does that disappoint you?”
Ruby gave a shiver. “No. Not in the least.”
Good. That made two of us. Having one light witch in the family was worry enough.
“So what time tonight?” Her voice was distracted, and I had to hide a smile. My ability to read my daughter was back in prime condition, and right now she was wondering what to wear to meet her father for the first time.
“How about six? And if you want to get there early, that’s fine too.” I paused. “And I think jeans and your long black sweater tunic would do nicely.”
Her eyes flashed to me. “How do you do that?”
I just smiled at her. “I’m your mom.”
And I’d bloody well earned the right to my title, too.
Chapter 15
The dinner started off well enough. Ruby came early, dressed up in her jeans and black sweater. Though whether that was a hat tip to my suggestion or simply what she felt was the right choice, I’ll never know.
Aldin showed up at five till six. Not that he had much choice in that. The man didn’t have a car, so he was dependent on Orville for a ride.
I'd spent the entire afternoon worrying about that dinner. I didn’t do well with high emotions. And emotions would be on a definite high tonight. Not just my emotions, either. Everyone would be feeling it.
I’d warned Kim and Gray, and they had decided to make use of their little kitchenette in the attic. It kind of surprised me when Nancy asked if it was okay to eat with us. I’d have thought she wouldn’t want to be a part of the drama. Come to find out, she really didn’t want to be, but what she did want was to be there for her sister.
I rather liked that.
For his part, Aldin was nice enough. We made the introductions, talked for a few minutes, and then made our way to the table for dinner.
I’d been far too wrecked up to prepare a large meal from scratch, so I’d made use of one of my emergency frozen lasagnas I always keep in the freezer. One never knows when they will come in handy. Like today, for instance. Not that I tasted a single mouthful, mind you. If I did, it sure didn’t register on my brain.
But as I said, it all started off well enough. We talked a little about the old school days, and Ruby answered a few questions from Aldin about her childhood.
It was... civil... I guess is the word I’m searching for.
At least it was until Aldin looked over at Orville and asked how the murder investigation was going. Things kind of went south after that.
I’d noticed that Orville had been rather on the quiet side all evening, but I hadn’t had a chance to ask him what was up. I really should have taken the time to do that.
Hindsight and all.
Orville looked at Aldin, then me, then Ruby. “I don’t think this is the time or place for that conversation.”
Aldin tilted his head at him. “What are you going on about? Didn’t you tell my daughter that I’d been arrested for murder?” He glanced over at Ruby. “Let go, obviously, when they learned their mistake, but still.”
Ruby turned to me, both eyebrows flying high. Way to throw me under the bus, Aldin. Don’t think I wouldn’t be addressing this later. When I had the man alone. Along with a few other things that needed addressing with the man. Like the whole Orville thing from all those years ago.
But that would be then, and this was now.
I nodded to Ruby. “That’s right. He was arrested. But as you can see, he’s out now, and that has to mean something.”
Orville’s fork hit his plate with a little too much force, making an unpleasant noise. Almost like one of those chalkboard screeches we all hate so much.
My stomach turned. I really, really should have made the time to catch up with Orville before the dinner. But I’d been far too busy with Ruby and, well, worrying about things, to give the case much thought at all.
Obviously, that wasn’t the case with Orville. Somehow, I was guessing that whatever he had to tell me, it wasn’t good news.
To me or to Aldin. It was enough for me to send a worried glance to Ruby. One she didn’t miss.
She was my daughter, after all. But just because, like me, she knew that something was up, that didn’t mean she opened her beak to ask about it. Not in front of her new-found father, at least. Smart girl.
All eyes, however, still went to Orville.
He just shook his head. “Not the time or place for such a discussion. Sorry. Not happening. This is a nice meal for Ruby to get to know... Aldin. Nothing more and nothing less. Let’s keep in that way, shall we?”
I spared a few seconds to look into his eyes before saying, “I think that would be a very wise course of action, myself. No more talk of work or murder for the night. New house rules.”
Aldin didn’t look happy about it, but he was out numbered.
Ruby did her part by asking about the Fire element of witchcraft, and the conversion went to a more even, and much less hostile, level. As I said, smart girl.
After dinner, Orville stood. “I think I’d better get you back to your apartment.”
“I don’t think that will be necessary,” Aldin said, looking over at Ruby. “I believe your place is on the way home for Ruby and her fellow here. Would the two of you mind dropping me off? I’m staying at Orville’s old place for the time being.”
Orville opened his mouth to answer, but Ruby beat him to it. “Sure. We can do that.”
It worried me to see that Orville was definitely unhappy about her answer. I really, really wanted that talk with my man.
Then again, maybe I could fill in the blanks myself. My witch’s intuition had said the path to the murder led toward that bank robbery. His sheriff’s intuition had said that it led toward the old childhood gang.
With Lester’s accident, he just might be right. And if he was, then Aldin was right back up there, high on the suspect list. After all, he had been released purely because the evidence against him had been pretty circumstantial. As he had explained, he had shown Benjie earlier how to build a proper fire. There was evidence of a recent fire in the fireplace, so that panned out too. Good enough reason for his fingerprints to be on the murder weapon.
And not enough to keep the man in jail. However, that didn’t mean we had proven him innocent. Just that they didn’t really have enough to hold him.
With that train of thought, I was now more than a little worried about Ruby and Arc being alone with the man. I threw Orville a glance.
He stared back at me. “Well, if you want to ride with Ruby and Arc, that’s more than fine with me. But I need to pick up something at the house anyway, so I’ll just follow along behind you all.”
Aldin frowned even as I smiled. “And I think I’m in the mood for a nice little drive myself, so I’ll join you.”
Ruby looked from me to Orville and back again, but never said a word. Smart, smart girl. If nothing else, she’d have gotten the message that the two of us didn’t trust the man. And she knew better than to doubt the two of us. She’d be watching herself around her father.
Which could only be a good thing. Right?
I LET THE MAN DRIVE in peace. But once we’d watched Aldin get out of Ruby’s car and them drive off toward home, I became determined to find out what the bloody heck it was that Orville knew and I didn’t.
He turned to me. My man knows me. He had to know I wanted answers. Sooner rather than later, too.
“I’ve got some wine in the fridge. Fancy having a glass with me?”
I nodded, and he shut off the car. A glance over at the garage showed Aldin still standing there looking at us. For a minute, I thought he was going to walk over to us. But the man must have half a brain after all, because in the end he turned and went into the garage.
We waited until the lights came on in the upstairs apartment. Whatever Orville had to say, I didn’t want an eavesdropper listening in.
Walking around to the back of the house, Orville unlocked the kitchen door. As it opened, I noticed the newer, stronger deadbolt.
“Hm. New locks, huh?” I paused. “I’m hoping you have a set of new keys for me?”
“I do.” We went in and he pointed to a brand new set of keys hanging on the wall. “Those are yours. And, just for the record, I had the workers do a minor alteration on the safe room too. Before, I just had a deadbolt on the thing, so we could lock ourselves in once inside. Now, I’ve had them install a number pad lock. Once that door shuts, you have to know the code in order to reopen it. And you can enter the code from inside or out.”
I nodded. Sounded like a good safety measure to me. The last thing in the world either of us wanted was Aldin locking himself in that room and refusing to come out. I could totally see the man doing just that too. Just to annoy us.
Now he couldn’t. “I’m hoping I’m getting the code too?”
He handed me a slip of paper. The code wasn’t a short one. Orville wasn’t taking any chances here. But then, that was my man through and through. He just wasn’t a risk taker.
