Many Blessings

Chapter Nine

Mandaline found it impossible to work. Sachi didn’t have readings until later in the day, and both Mina and Paige were there to work the morning shift.

She grabbed her purse and a blank check from the checkbook and waved Sachi into the office. “I need you to drive me over to the mechanic.”

Sachi looked at her quizzically. “What? Your car’s out back. What’s wrong?”

She cocked her head and stared at Sachi, knowing her friend would eventually think of it.

A few seconds later, Sachi winced as she boarded Mandaline’s train of thought. “Sorry. I’ll get my purse and keys.”

They rode over in companionable silence. When they rounded the final corner and Mandaline spotted the kiwi green Element parked in the shop’s side lot, she had to swallow back a fresh bout of hot tears that threatened to fall.

The last time she’d seen it was the last time she’d seen Julie alive.

Sachi pulled in and parked in front of the office. “Do you want me to wait with you?” she quietly asked. Sometimes, Sachi could be a pill. But when times were rough, Sachi always knew exactly what her friends needed from her and came through for them. It was one of the things they loved most about her.

“No, I’ll be okay, thanks. I need to do this.”

Sachi leaned over and gave her a hug before Mandaline got out and walked into the office.

A harried woman worked the phone, apparently arguing with someone over the cost of something. She gave Mandaline a smile when she walked in and held up a friendly finger, not that finger, to indicate she’d be right with Mandaline. Out in the shop area, she heard the loud zzzzip of an air ratchet being used over the even louder throb of an air compressor. The smell of shop chemicals, of transmission fluid and used motor oil and brake cleaner, made her nose sting. One of her exes had run a repair shop, over in Spring Hill. Ever since her nasty breakup with him a few years earlier, it made going into other repair shops an exercise in restraint not to run the other way.

And now, this.

It certainly didn’t help.

The woman finally finished and gave Mandaline a tired smile. “Sorry about that. Thanks for waiting. How can I help you?”

“I’m Mandaline Royce. I’m here for the green Honda Element. Um, Julie Prescott’s Element.”

The woman’s face immediately fell. “Oh, I’m so sorry.” She stood and rounded the counter to give Mandaline a hug. “Julie was such a sweetie. We’re going to miss her.”

Mandaline forced a smile and struggled to hold back tears. “Thank you. How much was the repair bill?”

The woman pulled a ticket from a rack behind the counter. A paper tag holding the key and door fob was stapled to the ticket. The sheriff’s office had brought the rest of Julie’s keys back after having the Element towed from the Coreys’ house.

“Just twenty even for a quarter-hour labor. Diagnosis and reconnecting the ignition wire. That’s all it was. No parts, the wire was right there. Just had to be reconnected.”

“But the towing fee.”

“Nope. Jack told me not to charge you for that. Just the twenty.” She pulled the keys off the ticket and handed them to Mandaline.

With a trembling hand, Mandaline made out the check and handed it to the woman. She quickly wrote the check number on the invoice and marked it paid before handing Mandaline a copy. “There you go. You’re all set. Did you see where it’s parked?” She pointed over her shoulder out toward the back.

Mandaline stared at the key in her hand. “Yeah, thanks. I really appreciate it.” She’d started to walk out, then turned and grabbed a handful of business cards from the holder on the counter. “I’ll put these out at the shop for you. Thank you again. And please tell Jack thanks for me.”

“I will, sweetie. I’m sorry we couldn’t make the memorial for her.”

Mandaline forced another wan smile. She couldn’t tell if it was getting easier or harder to do that. “That’s okay. We’re doing a tree planting Saturday at noon at the library downtown in her memory.”

“Oh! We’ll try to make that, thanks.”

She walked out of the office and around the building. She slowly approached the SUV. After a few deep breaths, she punched the unlock button on the key fob and heard the driver’s door lock disengage.

She opened the door. It looked like they’d even washed and vacuumed it out. Julie was a tidy person by nature, but there’d always been sand on her floorboards.

Maybe the cops did it for evidence.

She wished she hadn’t thought that. That was worse. Then again, they had told her they’d dusted it for Stephen Corey’s prints and found them on the door handle, inside on the hood latch, and on the hood and inside the engine compartment, where he’d disabled the vehicle.

She blew out a breath to cut off that line of thought, too.

She set her purse on the passenger seat after climbing in and shutting the door. She inserted the key in the ignition, closed her eyes to say a silent prayer, and turned the key.

It smoothly cranked to life.

Does it get any easier? She hoped so. She put her seat belt on and put the SUV in gear.

After his call to Mandaline, Brad realized he’d forgotten to tell her about the picture he’d drawn overnight.

Dammit. He’d have to talk to her later, when she wasn’t so rattled over what had happened between her and Ellis.

Brad decided he needed to keep himself busy and out of the attic. He went upstairs to retrieve the hamper from the bathroom so he could do the wash. As he sorted clothes in the utility room, he realized when he pulled his jeans out that he’d forgotten his wallet in the back pocket.

Wasn’t the first time. At least I didn’t wash it this time.

As he went through all his pockets, he froze when he reached his right front pocket. There he found two three-pack strips of condoms and a receipt.

Slowly and with growing dread, he unfolded the receipt. Dated early that morning, at 1:59 a.m., from a convenience store a mile down the road, he’d bought two boxes of condoms. No bag, no boxes, just the receipt and condoms. He’d paid with his bank card.

A scene flashed through his mind of him ripping the boxes open and pocketing the receipt and condoms, and then dumping the bag and boxes in the garbage can on the sidewalk in front of the store after leaving.

Well, that explains why my feet hurt.

It didn’t explain why he did it in the first place. Or why he had no conscious memory of doing it at the time.

Or how he also had time to draw something in addition to his late-night shopping trip.

He took his wallet and the condoms upstairs and left them in his dresser. With all the weirdness already going on, he didn’t want to think about it right then.

He damn sure didn’t want to mention any of it to Ellis.

Ellis had too many appointments and too many things to do to simply say fuck it and write the day off as a complete loss.

He also found it impossible to get Mandaline out of his mind. Every time he caught his mind drifting to her he relived kissing her, the way her lips tasted…

Arrrgh!

I’m just horny is all. Horny enough to hallucinate nearly committing a felonious sexual assault.

Then again, in his hallucination Mandaline had willingly kissed him back and hadn’t fought him or resisted.

And hallucination was what he’d convinced himself it was. Just a horny hallucination. A one-time thing that would never happen again.

By the end of the day he’d managed to be productive…barely. His last appointment left at six and he headed home.

As he drove past Many Blessings, he considered stopping and cancelling their dinner. Then again, that wouldn’t be fair to Brad.

Not to mention he’d have to explain to Brad why he’d cancelled.

And he wasn’t about to admit that something freaky or supernatural had happened to him.

Maybe I’m the one who needs a full medical workup.

There were no such things as ghosts or spooks or haints. Things that went bump in the night had an explanation. They always had an explanation. A natural, scientific, logical explanation.

Unfortunately, he had no explanation for what had happened earlier.

When he got home, he found Brad had made some progress in the living room. He’d taped and mudded the drywall on two of the walls. Brad stood in the center of the living room, looking deep in contemplation.

“Looks good, buddy,” Ellis said.

Brad nodded. “Sorry it’s taking me so long.”

“No, it’s okay. I know you like doing it. I can live with it as long as I see progress every day.”

Brad smiled and turned to him. “I’m thinking a light green in here. Not mint, more grey, like a pale avocado or fern. Make the wall over there where we’re going to put the TV a darker shade. And do built-ins around it. What do you think?”

“I think that sounds great.” When Brad started talking in concrete terms about a design plan, it usually meant he was gearing up to bust ass on the room to get it finished.

“I haven’t decided what to paint the trim yet, though. I’m thinking lighter. Maybe a yellow or an orangey hue. I’ll know once I decide what to paint the hallway. I want it to match or at least tie in with it.”

“You’re the artist. I trust your judgment. As long as you don’t go purple or something, I’m fine with it.” He reached out and touched Brad’s arm.

They weren’t in the living room anymore. Or in either of their bedrooms. He didn’t know where they were, but they were both naked and in a large, king-sized bed. Mandaline was also naked and writhing in pleasure between them.

He jerked his hand away from Brad’s arm. Brad’s eyes looked as wide as he knew his must also be.

Ellis slowly backed toward the stairs. “I…um…” He flexed his fingers, where his hand still tingled.

Brad shook his head and slowly advanced on him. “You felt that. Tell me what you saw.”

“Nothing. It was just static electricity, that’s all.”

“Bullshit! You felt that, and you saw it.” He grabbed him by the hand and held on tight, refusing to let go, but the vision didn’t return. “You saw it,” Brad insisted. “I know you did because I saw it in your face.”

He tried to yank his hand away. “I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

Brad grabbed him by the front of the shirt and knotted his tie around his hand so Ellis couldn’t escape. “You and me, in a bed. Not either of our beds. With Mandaline. Naked and screwing her brains out. You saw it. Tell me you saw it!”

“Let go of me!” He shoved Brad away from him, nearly getting jerked off his feet before Brad let loose of his tie. In a blind panic he bolted for the stairs. “I didn’t see anything!”

Brad pounded up the stairs behind him. “Admit it. You saw it. Just like you had a vision you kissed her this morning when you stopped by her shop!”

At Brad’s words, Ellis came to a sudden stop halfway up the stairs. Brad plowed into him, taking them both down. When Ellis finally untangled himself from Brad, he sat there on the stairs, his head in his hands, elbows on his knees. “I didn’t see anything! It was a hallucination!”

From his sound of voice, Brad knew Ellis was close to an emotional or mental breakdown. He knelt in front of him and gently took Ellis’ hands in his. “It’s okay,” he told him. “It happened to me with her, too. It’s not just you.”

Ellis’ head jerked up. “What?”

Okay, he’d hold back a few details so as not to overwhelm Ellis any more than he already was and pray Ellis didn’t grill him for details. “Yeah. Twice it happened between me and her. It was like we were kissing. It’s okay.”

He wouldn’t count the blow job, since obviously that hadn’t been a hallucination even though they’d both thought it was at the beginning.

“We…we’re both having the same hallucinations? And how did you know about this morning?”

“I called her to talk to her and she told me.”

“Oh, crap!” He buried his head in his hands again. “She must hate me. Jesus, I wouldn’t blame her if she wanted to press charges against me.”

Brad fought the urge to snicker. “I thought you said it was a hallucination. How could she press charges against you for something that didn’t really happen?”

“I…I…” He let out a scream. “I don’t know what the hell is going on!”

Brad moved to sit next to Ellis on the stairs. He draped an arm around his friend’s shoulders. “How about instead of trying to explain it or categorize it or write a brief about it you just let it happen? She’s not fighting it. Why should we?”

Ellis stared at him, stunned disbelief painted across his face. He tried to speak a couple of times, stopped, then finally shook his head. Without another word he stood and climbed the stairs. He went to his room and closed the door behind him.

Brad sighed. “We’re still going tonight, right?” he called up. “We should leave by a quarter ’til to get there on time.”

He smiled as a muffled screech of disbelief drifted through the door.

“Yep,” he softly said with a smile. “We’re still going.”

One good thing Mandaline realized as she started preparing dinner around seven o’clock—she’d cooked more meals in Julie’s kitchen than Julie had. Julie wasn’t fond of cooking, so it wasn’t uncommon for Julie to buy everything and Mandaline would do the cooking there for one of their frequent evenings together.

It meant she already knew where everything was in the kitchen and wasn’t surprised by not having something she needed.

As the day had worn on, she’d worried Ellis might cancel their dinner. She’d thought about texting Brad to make sure everything was okay, but then decided against it.

Why tempt fate?

Definitely not something she wanted to do. Although from the look on Ellis’ face when he bolted from the store that morning, she suspected he might not even want to talk about what happened.

That was fine with her. She’d let him set the pace. Brad knew him far better than she did.

A few minutes before eight, Sachi knocked on the door to the stairwell before opening it and hollering up at her. “Yo, boss. You have company.”

Mandaline leaned over the railing. “Send them on up.”

“Will do. We’ll lock up when we’re done down here.”

“Thanks!”

She quickly surveyed the kitchen to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything as she heard the men walking up the stairs. She’d even had time to grab a quick shower and change clothes.

One tank top and skirt. No bra, so as not to add a level of difficulty. And non-granny underwear, thank you very much.

Her pulse raced as first Brad, followed by Ellis, emerged from the stairwell. Brad stepped over first for a hug. She mentally braced herself but nothing more spectacular happened than him giving her a kiss on the cheek. He also carried a fruit salad. “We didn’t want to come empty-handed,” he said, flashing her that sweet, playful smile.

“Thank you so much.” She took the bowl from him and set it on the counter.

Ellis looked hesitant to have any contact with her. Apparently fighting an internal battle, he finally leaned in and quickly hugged, her, angling most of his body away from her.

Nothing.

He looked relieved.

Scratch ignoring what happened. Ellis was obviously extremely uncomfortable. About what happened that morning, if she had to guess. “Ooookay, what’s going on?”

Sure enough, Ellis quickly shook his head. “Nothing.” His forced smile didn’t fool her in the least. “Nothing’s wrong. Just a long day at work, that’s all. Food smells great. What are we having?”

She glanced at Brad, who stood behind Ellis. He shrugged.

No help there.

Obviously, Ellis didn’t want to discuss it. If that’s how he wants to play it, fine. “Baked chicken, broccoli casserole, and salad. And fruit salad,” she added. “I have apple pie and ice cream for dessert.”

Ellis seemed to relax a little when he realized she wasn’t going to press him to discuss the morning’s events. His demeanor was a little on the manic side, overly cheerful and quick to laugh at the slightest provocation. When midway through dinner he excused himself to use the bathroom, she leaned in close to Brad.

“Is he okay?” she whispered.

“No. And it’s more than what happened between you two this morning. I can’t explain tonight. I’ll tell you tomorrow.”

By the time they reached dessert, Mandaline knew Sachi and the others had closed the store and left. They were alone in the building. Ellis seemed to have relaxed somewhat. She didn’t miss how he’d taken great pains to avoid any contact with her, or Brad, throughout the meal. She felt sorry for him, sensing his conflict and tension, the way his brow furrowed over his killer blue eyes. The way he nervously ran his hand through his blond hair.

At least he’d opened up a little, talking about his job, reliving funny anecdotes with Brad for her, and showing her another side of him. He truly did love his friend. As Brad had warned her, the current circumstances had taxed Ellis’ nerves.

Being in close proximity to both men during dinner had also revved Mandaline’s motor. And I can’t do a damn thing about it.

She got up to clear the table after dinner. “You know, if you aren’t busy Sunday, I could come over and start going through the house with my equipment then, if you’d like.”

Brad stood and grabbed dishes to help her. “That’d be great.” He glanced at Ellis. “Is that okay with you?” He followed her into the tiny kitchen.

“Sure.” Ellis also grabbed some dishes and followed Brad into the kitchen. Mandaline smiled at Brad and did a little close-quarters jostling with him to allow him to get to the sink, which left her pinned between the men’s bodies in the narrow space between the counters.

Ellis’ eyes widened as he found himself pressed up against Mandaline.

She felt it hit, even though they weren’t touching skin to skin. They were all three naked in her bed, with her sandwiched between the two men and in the middle of the best sex she’d ever had. Ellis had his cock sunk all the way inside her pussy while Brad’s filled her ass.

And in the vision, she was staring into Ellis’ blue eyes the way she was now.

Except that from behind her Brad murmured, “Let it happen.”

Apparently, that was enough to break the spell. They were all back in her kitchen and she suspected if he could, Ellis would crab backward until he was perched on top of her counter to get away from her.

She let him slide past her. He left the dishes on the counter and backed away from the kitchen, into the living room area.

Brad turned, his body pressed against hers, his hands on her shoulders. “Let it happen,” he softly said again.

She wanted to close her eyes and moan at how good his body felt against hers, even with his clothes on.

Ellis stared at them for a long time, eyes still wide. After a moment, his gaze narrowed and he jabbed a finger at her. “I don’t know what kind of fucking game you’re playing, but I’m not falling for it.”

“What?”

He ran a hand through his hair again. “What’d, you…you drug me or something? Both of us?”

“What?” She started to take a step toward him but Brad’s fingers tightened on her shoulders, holding her back.

“That’s it!” Ellis’ face lit with crazed triumph. He jabbed a finger at her again. “You drugged us!”

“No! What the hell?”

“He’s losing it,” Brad murmured in her ear. “Just hang on. It’s going to get bumpy.”

“Yep!” Ellis crowed. “I am not losing my mind. I don’t know what you did, but you can forget it! Is that what this is about? You’re trying to snag us so you can get money from us? I bet that’s it, isn’t it? Takes money to run a place like this and you’re probably hurting for cash!”

She violently twisted free from Brad’s grasp as behind her she heard him mutter, “Oh, fuck.”

She advanced on Ellis, who cowered away from her. She kept her hands balled tightly at her sides to prevent her from slapping the hell out of him. “Let me tell you something, buddy,” she said through clenched teeth. “I didn’t do anything to you or Brad. I invited you over tonight because I thought you were a couple of nice guys and I wanted to get to know you better and not have to spend an evening alone.” She rounded the table, with Ellis retreating ahead of her.

“And for another thing, my best friend just died. I thought spending some time in nice dinner conversation might help lift my spirits. For your fucking information, asshole, money is the one thing I do not have to worry about anymore in my life.” They made another circuit around the table. “When Julie died, she left me everything. Including this business, yes. But she was already rich before that. When Grover and I went to the CPA last week, he told me my personal assets, not counting the building or the business and its profits, are now around the five-million-dollar mark.”

Ellis backed into the corner between the counter and living room wall. She got into his face, not touching him, and dropped her voice. “So if you think I’m after your money,” she whispered, “think again, asshole. I don’t need your fucking money. I damn sure don’t want your fucking money. How do I know you’re not after my money to spend renovating that money pit of yours? And no, I did not drug you. If you’re so small-minded you can’t see what’s in front of your face, then you can just go fuck yourself. I feel really sorry for you because you’ll never know the magick and wonder you’re missing in this life.”

She stepped back and stared up at him. “And the subject you’ve been so desperately avoiding tonight was that this morning you and I shared a vision of us kissing. I, for one, enjoyed the hell out of it. Apparently you find me so repellant and disgusting that you can’t even imagine what could really happen between us if you’d just open your mind and your heart.”

She felt the tears, hot and heavy, rolling down her cheeks. “Sorry I’ve disrupted your neat and tidy existence, Ellis.”

She turned her back on him and headed toward the bedroom.

Behind her, she heard him say, “Mandaline, no, I didn’t mean—”

“I refuse to sacrifice who I am just because you have a problem with it,” she called over her shoulder without turning. “Go fuck yourself, Ellis.”

Brad grabbed her before she reached the bedroom door. He turned her to face him. “Mandaline, please,” he softly said. “He didn’t mean it.”

“Yes, he did mean it. I’m not stupid. You don’t need to cover for him. I’m sorry, but maybe you’d both better go. Good night.”

She gently pulled her hand from his and walked into the bedroom, closing the door behind her. For extra measure, she pushed the button on the knob to lock it.

Then she threw herself facedown on the bed and cried.

She was vaguely aware of muffled, angry male voices in the living room. A few moments later, she heard them walk down the stairs.

She didn’t unlock the bedroom door until she heard their car start and drive away. When she looked out the living room window, down into the parking area, their car was gone.

She hurried downstairs and locked the back door. Pers had followed her down, but she scooped him up in her arms and carried him back upstairs. “Not now, puppy,” she muttered. “Let’s wait a little bit.”

Never before in his life had Brad wanted to slug Ellis the way he did right then. When he heard the bedroom door lock behind Mandaline, he stormed back to the living room, grabbed Ellis by the shirt, and slammed him against the wall. “What the fuck is wrong with you, dude?” He tried to keep his voice low. “What the everlovin’ fuck is your issue?”

Ellis looked shell-shocked. If it wasn’t for how badly Brad knew Mandaline was hurting right now, he’d burst out laughing at his friend’s state.

“I didn’t mean…I didn’t know…I didn’t—”

“She’s right. You are being an asshole. Something wonderful happens that you can’t understand and you’re automatically trying to find the worst-case scenario and make that your reality. I feel sorry for you, man. I really feel sorry for you.”

“But no way could this be happening!”

“Yes, way, it can and did. There’s no denying it happened. Who the fuck cares why it’s happening? I don’t. All I care about is this woman was brought into our lives and we might actually have had a chance to be happy with her until you just went and fucked it up.”

Brad turned, near tears himself, and headed downstairs.