Chapter 78
He scrabbled about, shuffling the pizza boxes together as his grandson watched in amus.e.m.e.nt. "Get those bottles out of here, will you?" he snapped at the younger man.
"It's no use, Grandfather. She'll smell the beer and cigars, and, besides, she knows you better than that." He remained lounging on the sofa, tilting the beer bottle gently to his lips.
"You're a whole lot of help," Gideon Senior growled as he carried a tilted stack of pizza and garlic-bread boxes from the room.
He returned nary a moment too soon, for the doorbell pealed and the door swung open. "h.e.l.lo in there!" came Iva's cheery voice as she flowed into the room, carrying two large shopping bags.
'Flowed' was the right word, too, for she wore a brilliant blue caftan-like garment embroidered with silver and sapphire designs. A matching blue scarf that was tied around her face and over her ears embraced her silvery hair. Bracelets, earrings, and necklaces clanked and clinked as she bent to embrace her guilty-looking husband.
Gideon looked at her in askance. "I thought you were going to a psychic party-not being the psychic, Iva. You look like a fortune-teller yourself." Much as he loved her-truly he did-he sometimes couldn't understand how his staid, conservative grandfather had married her. She was just so...odd.
She came over to him, brus.h.i.+ng her sweet, powdered cheek against his as they hugged, then kissing him just next to his lips. "Thank you my dear," she said merrily.
He could smell the faintness of alcohol on her breath, and by the look in her starry eyes, surmised that she'd been having as good a time as he and Gideon Senior had. "I'll take that as a compliment! Although there is no way I could even think to match Salton's talents. She is absolutely wonderful."
"What's all that stuff?" her husband asked, eyeing the two large bags she'd dropped on the floor next to him. "And where did you get that outfit? Christ, Iva, you look like a gypsy!"
Instead of being offended by his comments, she giggled at him and twirled around so that the gown spun in a whirlpool of rayon. "What, you don't like it? Gideon, dear, do you have any more of that lovely white wine you always have on hand? I'd like a gla.s.s while I show you two the wonderful things I got tonight."
Grinning broadly, the younger Gideon pulled himself from the sofa and sauntered into the kitchen to do her bidding. His grandfather's words followed him out of the room: "I thought you were going to a party-not to the mall, Iva."
When he returned, he found his apple-cheeked step-grandmother cozied up to her husband on the loveseat, and they both looked up guiltily as he came in the room.
"Did I interrupt something?" he asked innocently. "I can go find something to do in the kitchen if you two would like to be alone."
"Nonsense," his grandfather bl.u.s.tered. "Iva, let's get this over with."
"Now, dear, don't be so impatient. You know, Salton said that impatience is one of your greatest weaknesses...but then again, she said it was also one of your greatest strengths." She gave him a huge smile and he settled back in his seat, abashed.
Gideon couldn't help but roll his eyes. "So do you really believe all the stuff this Salton tells you?"
Iva turned to look at him, and the humor eased from her face, replaced by earnestness. "Ah, Gideon, darling." She pursed her lips and reached over to touch his hand, patting it where it rested on the sofa next to him. "Salton says you're trapped in the past, and afraid to-"
"What?" Gideon interrupted, sitting upright. She'd been talking to a fortune-teller about him? "That's nonsense, Iva. I'm sorry, I don't-"
"She says," Iva continued, as though he'd never interrupted, "that you've been smothering your talents and that they'll waste away if you don't allow them to come forth."
"Iva-" Gideon swallowed, feeling his stomach twist. How could a strange woman know these things about him? "She just made broad statements that could be interpreted in many different ways."
Iva patted his hand again, still looking at him with something akin to sympathy in her eyes. "She mentioned Fiona." Her eyebrows rose delicately as Gideon froze and looked at her.
"What?"
"She said that a breath of fresh air had come into your life. That she had reddish hair and that she likes hands, and that she was good for you."
Gideon stared at her. "And you don't know this woman?" he asked tentatively, reaching blindly for the beer bottle at his side.
"Gideon...." Iva took his hand, clasping his long fingers in her small, soft, wrinkled ones, "she said that you would have a very difficult decision to make...that it would turn your life around...and she said that, although it would be very painful, you would do the right thing in the end."
He eased his hand away. "I can't believe I am actually half-believing this," Gideon said faintly, shaking his head. "Well, Iva, what can I say?"
She gave him a tender, motherly smile. "Nothing. Just file it away in the back of your mind for when you need it. Now, tell us...is there any news from the police about the break-in at Fiona's shop?"
Gideon shook his head, his mouth grim. "None really. If it weren't for the note he left that said you'll be next, I think they'd be writing it off as a random robbery."
"But there've been two incidents," his grandfather reminded him.
"Yes, and the police will say that there are valuable items in that shop, and it backs up to a dark alley, so it's a target. There's a lamp in there worth more than five thousand dollars." At least, according to Dylan the shop-smurf. Gideon thrust that thought away and added, "Fiona's being smart about it. Taking care not to be alone at night, and always having the alarm system on if she's at the shop by herself during the day. What other choice does she have?"
"Do they think it's all related to the skeleton?" Iva asked, her eyes bright with interest-not unlike Fiona's were, when she talked about the mystery of the skeleton.
"How can it be?" Gideon Senior asked. "The first incident was long before she found the bones."
"Unless the two incidents are unrelated," Iva reminded him gently. "But, I can't imagine what urgency an old skeleton would have for someone. Unless it's a member of the family? Maybe there's a family secret hidden in the shop. Or maybe the skeleton is a family secret." She drew back into her seat on the sofa, bringing her winegla.s.s to her lips, eyes sparkling.
Her husband nudged the shopping bags on the floor. "What in blazes is in here?" he asked, exchanging glances with his grandson.
Allowing herself to be distracted, Iva leaned forward to pull one of the bags onto her lap, then tilted it so that its contents tumbled onto the ottoman. Tissue paper flew as she unwrapped her treasures. "This is an aromatherapy diffuser, and here are
"And here are some aromatherapy candles, too-a stress-reliever for you, dearest," she smiled at Gideon Senior. Then she looked at her grandson and her eyebrows knit. "Hm. I should have gotten one for you too."
She opened up a small box and showed them a stack of cards with designs and alchemical symbols on them. "When I learn how, I'll do a Tarot reading for you, my dear," she told Gideon the Third, with such sincerity in her voice that he had to look away to keep from grinning.
"What on G.o.d's earth is this?" her husband bellowed, lifting a rather large, heavy box from the second shopping bag.
"Oh, yes, that's my favorite of the bunch," Iva chirped enthusiastically, relieving him of the box. "It's a mini waterfall. You can put it on your desk...or we could put it in our bedroom too." She slanted a look at him that made her grandson raise his eyebrows and grin.
"A waterfall? On my desk? Iva, what-"
"Now, dear, remember your blood pressure." She patted his hand, then returned to the task of pulling the waterfall from its packaging. It was a bowl-like object stacked with rocks of varying sizes and shapes, and a long black electrical cord snaked from the back of it. "Isn't it cute?"
Gideon himself could hardly believe what he was seeing, but just as he was about to ask what one actually used a small waterfall for, the doorbell rang.
Iva looked up. "Oh, and, Gideon, I forgot-there was one more thing Salton mentioned. She said that you'll have a surprise tonight."
Right. Gideon glanced at his grandfather and asked, "You didn't order any more pizza did you?"
"No!" he sputtered as Iva turned an accusatory glare on him.
"Pizza? Any more pizza?" she asked, shaking a finger. "What have you been eating, Hollis Gideon Nath?"
Gideon didn't hear his grandfather's reply as he stepped into the foyer to look out the peephole.
Fiona.
His heart stopped. She stood there on the doorstep, her ma.s.s of hair illuminated by the porch light, her beautiful face upturned toward the door.
He opened it, trying to keep his delight to a minimum in case he misunderstood the situation. And as he looked out, he was glad he had-for a shadow moved behind her, stepping onto the porch, and metamorphosing into her shop-smurf Dylan.
"h.e.l.lo Gideon," she said, smiling, but tentative in her look. "Are you...busy? It looks like you might have company, and I don't want to intrude."
"It's just Grandfather and Iva," he explained, looking at Dylan, wondering what this meant.
"Oh. Good." Obvious relief broke out over her face. "I knew I was taking a chance in coming here, but...I...." she trailed off, and shot a glance at Dylan, who stood leaning against the porch column, arms crossed over his abdomen.
"I guess you don't need me any more, hmm?" he asked, glancing at Gideon, and pus.h.i.+ng away from his relaxed stance. "Is it all right if I take off now? Mission accomplished."
She looked back at Gideon, and warmth flooded him at the blatant uncertainty in her eyes. "Of course. Fiona, you're always welcome here."
No sooner had the door closed behind Dylan and the tepid September air than Gideon pulled Fiona into his arms and, jamming his hands into her hair, pushed her up against the door to kiss the life out of her.
"Mmm," she sighed against his mouth, and he felt her lips curl in a soft smile.
"Gideon, who is-oh."
They broke apart and Fiona s.h.i.+fted to see Iva standing there with a pleased smile on her face. "So you did come, after all."
"Yes." She looked up at Gideon. "Yes, I did."
Then, noticing for the first time how his grandmother was dressed, Fiona clapped her hands together. "Oh, Iva, I love your outfit! You look so bright and happy."
Iva slipped her hand through Fiona's arm and tugged her toward the living room. "I just have to show you this deck of Tarot cards I found tonight. At least you will appreciate them."
"Tarot cards? Do you read them?" Fiona asked curiously as she sat on the floor next to the ottoman. "My brother Ethan has been working with a woman for years-she's psychic and uses Tarot cards to help the FBI find criminals."
As Fiona brushed her hand over the ottoman's off-white suede, she remembered how it felt to be sprawled across it-over it, like a virginal G.o.ddess-the first time she and Gideon had made love. He walked into the room and their eyes met...and the heat she saw there told her that he remembered too.
She turned her attention to Gideon's grandfather and smiled up at him from her place on the floor. "h.e.l.lo Mr. Nath. It's so good to see you again!"
"Nice of you to stop by here," he smiled down at her. "Poor Gideon didn't know what to do with himself tonight before you came around."
"Grandfather-" Gideon started, but Iva interrupted smoothly, "Have you ever seen such beautiful cards?"
Fiona turned her attention to the items scattered all over the ottoman just as Gideon Senior pulled a large, folded piece of paper from the pile.
"What's this? A map of your foot?" He glared at Iva, but, to Fiona's delight, she merely smiled at him. "What the h.e.l.l do you need a map of a foot for?"
"It's a reflexology map," Iva told him calmly, taking the paper from him. As she began to gather up the rest of her items, dropping them back in two shopping bags, she said, "Now, dearest, it's time we got on our way and let these two have some time together."
He looked at her for a moment and then a slow smile eased across his face-not unlike the one his grandson would bestow upon Fiona when his mind was on something more intimate. "Yes, m'dear, I believe you're right. Let's pack up your stuff and get home to our own place."
As they strolled to the door, followed by Fiona and Gideon, Iva turned to speak to her. "Would you like to have lunch sometime soon? I'd love to talk with you about your palmistry-maybe learn a little bit from you. Salton did some palm-reading tonight and it was just as fascinating as the ones you did. And I'd like to show you these runes I picked up tonight too."
"I'd love to have lunch," Fiona said, meaning it. "How about on Monday? It's usually a slow day at the shop, and Dylan comes in late, so I can take a long lunch."
The two Gideons exchanged glances as though they weren't sure whether to approve or disapprove of this alliance-but, Fiona noticed with a private snicker, neither of them had the nerve to say anything.
She hugged Iva goodnight, and pressed a kiss to the smooth cheek of Gideon's grandfather-a little sorry to see them go, but very glad to have their grandson to herself.
The last thing she heard before the door closed was Gideon Senior's bl.u.s.tery demand, "What the h.e.l.l is a rune, anyway?"
CHAPTER SIXTEEN.
Later that night, much later, Fiona smoothed a thick lock of hair off Gideon's forehead, looked deeply into his eyes, and said, "I acted like a fool tonight."
She faced him, lying on her side, propped up on one elbow.
He kissed her mouth, swollen and pink from pa.s.sion, and replied, "I wasn't surprised. I rather expected the utopia to take a turn for the worse...but I didn't expect you to come back so soon." He sighed, pulling back slightly, running his hand down her arm. "I thought I'd be waiting a week or two...and the thought was unbearable."
She smiled at him, but there was more than a hint of shame around the corners of her mouth. "I was afraid. I still am, I suppose...but I couldn't stay away-and I realized I was just playing a game with you. I don't want to play games with you, Gideon. I can't promise you I won't be afraid again-because I probably will, regardless of where this goes-but I can promise you that I won't play games." Her voice was low, rumbling, husky, and heavy with emotion.
He looked away for a moment, gathering his thoughts, curling his fingers around her long, slim hand. "Tonight made me realize how much I care about you...and how much a part of my life you've become." It was probably more than that, but Gideon wasn't ready to push those limits.
Her eyes flickered down, then back up to look at him, and the intensity in them was gone, replaced by laughter and perhaps, in the deepest part of them, a bit of fear. "Your grandmother is so wonderful! She is the neatest lady-I'm so glad to know her, too."
Taking his cue from her-the subject was over for now-Gideon smiled and yanked lightly on a long copper coil, then rolled onto his back. "You and she are two peas in a pod with all your new-age stuff, and that scares the h.e.l.l out of me and my grandfather. I'm not sure Philly will survive you two reading runes and picking out Tarot cards."
It occurred to him at that moment-surprising that it never had before-how alike they were...and how alike he and his grandfather were. Was there a parallel here? A s.h.i.+ver sneaked up his spine and he shoved that thought away. He was feeling amazing things about Fiona, but he certainly wasn't ready to admit she was the love of his life. Not quite.
"It's picking runes and reading Tarot cards," Fiona corrected him with a giggle. She rolled backward, threw her arms flamboyantly wide and looked up joyously at the ceiling. "I think we'll have a lot of fun terrorizing you two Naths, mark my words."
"That's just what I'm afraid of." His words sounded glum, but in fact, her joy made him feel warm and expansive and so very content. It glowed onto him-from her blus.h.i.+ng skin and over the sheets, covering him with a blanket of happiness.
But her next words whisked that blanket away.
"Gideon, tell me about your mother. And father. You never talk about them...and when I was reading your grandfather's palm and mentioned his one child, he seemed a little-well, uncomfortable about it."
He felt cold. He didn't really want to talk about his parents. They didn't matter. They weren't part of his life any more-thanks to his father-and they certainly weren't going to be part of his legacy.
"My mother is a hippie," Fiona continued, her voice steady and quiet as she laid there, her face directed toward the ceiling. "She lives in a commune in New Mexico and is a mid-wife. She never married my father, or my half-brother's father."
She turned toward him and started to stroke his arm, lightly running her nails up and down, from wrist to elbow. His hair lifted in the wake of the sensation, and the rhythm soothed him.
"My mother raised me with the notion that men are disposable and dispensable. Good for s.e.x once in awhile, moving heavy things, and whistling for the dog when he wouldn't come. That's about it."
He couldn't help but chuckle at the last part of her comment. "Very practical. Not something I'd expect from you, my dear."
"I can be very practical, Gideon, and you know it. In fact, I'm learning to be more practical every day now that I'm a small-business owner. Look at how quickly I called you when I found that skeleton. Pretty practical if you ask me...to call my attorney when I find a dead body." He could hear the lilt of laughter in her voice. "And please don't change the subject on me. I really want to know about your parents. Tell me."
"My mother's dead. Suicide." Even after twenty years, he could barely say the words.