Magical Midlife Madness (Leveling Up #1)(63)

“Now you’ve found it in real life, and I have to be honest, your situation, whatever you decide, is going to be a lot more dangerous than most.”

I blew out a breath as Ivy House came into view, the windows glowing like a beacon, welcoming us home. Niamh’s rocking chair was empty as we passed her house, but her rock pile was steadily growing. Edgar was nowhere to be seen, and I made a note to find him at his residence, wherever it was, or maybe his labyrinth, just to check in. If I was going to choose this as my new residence, I needed to work harder at establishing the community I so badly desired.

“Well.” Austin stopped next to me on the porch, scanning the grounds. “You made it. No boogeymen.”

“Do you want to have a glass for the road?” I jerked my head at the door. “No foolishness, don’t worry.”

“No.” He traced the doorframe with his gaze. “The house allowed me to hang around earlier. I don’t want to tempt fate.”

“Yes. It did allow you to hang around earlier,” Mr. Tom said, waiting behind us. “Why, I wonder. Now that I am on independent ground, I will say that I was surprised and troubled by that. You overstayed your welcome by some time.”

Austin sighed softly, then took a bottle of wine from the box he carried. He handed it to me. “You’re going to need this. Call me if there are any problems with the hired help.”

He was starting to sound like Niamh. I supposed Mr. Tom could bring that out in people. “Just the one?”

He didn’t grin like I’d expected him to. His face was bathed in shadow, so I couldn’t confirm my hunch that his eyes had turned haunted. “One is plenty for you. I’ll need…significantly more.”

“If you don’t mind me saying so, Austin Steele, with the visitors we had last night, and the ones who are likely to come…keeping a focused mind might be the best thing for you,” Mr. Tom said.

“I do mind you saying so, actually.” He strutted toward Mr. Tom, his shoulders straight and his head held high. Mr. Tom wisely ducked out of the way. “I need a night off.”

“Okay, well…just think about it,” Mr. Tom called after him.

“Who were those people last night?” I opened the door. “And how can this house force people out? I get that it has magic, kinda, but…well, what could it actually do?”

Mr. Tom shrugged. “I don’t know—I’ve never felt it. I’ve always felt welcomed. But I’ve seen plenty of people go running out of here, so there must be some feeling of repulsion. It’s very strange that Austin Steele didn’t feel it—or maybe he did and didn’t want you to see him run like a coward? He’s very guarded about how people perceive him—oh bloody… Hurry, get into the house. That horrible woman is back from the bar. She’ll be all curses and put downs. She really is very trying.”

Once in the house, he took the wine from me and directed me to the kitchen.

“Are you hungry? Do you want dessert?” he asked.

“No, I’m fine.”

He sat me at the small table and poured me a glass of wine before sitting opposite me. “Listen, Miss, Austin Steele is a great man. He has done a lot for this town. He has some very good reasons for wanting to keep the magic confined in Ivy House. But ultimately, he has an agenda. He has created this town as he envisioned it. He is an alpha—he can be very shortsighted when it comes to other people’s visions. Ivy House is speaking to you. The magic is calling you. It would be a travesty to ignore it.”

I stood, suddenly exhausted. “I hear you M—Tom. I understand what you’re saying. I think I’ll just turn in now.”

“Of course. Yes.” He stood and bowed. “It has been a big day. Lots of new ideas.”

I hesitated as I turned to leave. “Who were those people last night? You never said.”

“In Jane terms, those guys worked for one of the major mob bosses. If that boss wants to own this town, there is nothing Austin Steele could do about it.”



I sat at the table in my room not long afterward, letting the sweet air drift in through the windows, and thought about the situation before me. A situation right out of storybooks.

I felt like I was in my own twisted sort of fairy tale, only instead of the handsome prince, I had a geriatric gargoyle. Despite all the messed-up things afoot, I was pretty sure I’d traded up.

I could become magical!

Which was the part my mind really couldn’t compute.

This sort of stuff didn’t happen to me. I’d married young and spent the last twenty years being a wife and mother. My idea of a crazy, reckless adventure had been changing towns without a plan.

I blew out a breath, staring out at the labyrinth, the hedge leaves shining in the moonlight as though they’d just been waxed.

If everything I’d been told today was true, I had to assume everyone had an agenda. Austin had seemed genuinely supportive toward the end, but he’d been drinking. Mr. Tom was right—he had a vision for this town, and he wouldn’t want to see me tarnish it, no matter how much he’d waxed poetic.

That being said, Mr. Tom wasn’t any better. If the magic would act as his fountain of youth, of course he wanted to activate it. Who wouldn’t?

Me.

My heart sank, the sentiments I’d shared with Austin rising to the surface, along with his response.