Sapphire Nights (Crystal Magic Book 1)(106)

She wasn’t certain they were talking about paintings any longer. She cast a glance at the faded mural and hoped Elaine would be able to come up and look at it soon. “All we can do is hope to make the world a little better place with each day.”

Lance snorted. “That’s what the peace and love hippies said, and now they’re as corrupt as the rest of the world. Maybe I should start believing it’s in the soil.”

She patted his shoulder. “Or the soul.”

In Cass’s booth, Xavier was tearfully studying the old portrait. She hoped they were good tears.

He looked up as she refilled his water glass. “I found the heirs to Ghostly Grace’s property,” he told her, as if this had been the topic of discussion all along. “They want to rent it out.”

“The ghost house, the one with the roses?” she asked, trying not to think this was a sign from above. She didn’t want to be a superstitious Lucy, but. . .

“We told him to look,” Cass said with a hint of dryness. “Miracles do occasionally happen with a little work. Are you staying?”

“I don’t know,” Sam said honestly. “I want to, I think. But I need more to occupy me than filling water glasses.”

Valdis held up hers for filling. “There will be. Now that you’ve come home, the town has potential. Stay awhile and help us find it.”

Sam looked out the plate glass window to her beautiful blooming flowers—and Walker crossing the parking lot. Long and lean and the strongest man she’d ever known, aside from Wolf. Walker had character. Could she give him up for potential?



Walker entered the café, hoping for a cup of coffee and a quick word with Sam before heading back down the mountain to talk to the sheriff. But the entire population swiveled to watch him enter. Were they expecting him to report confidential police information?

Of course they were. Ignoring their expectant faces, he walked up to Sam and kissed her cheek. Before he could ask for it, Dinah handed him coffee in a thick paper cup and shooed him out.

“Go, take Sam with you. They can all hold their curiosity like normal people.” She emphasized the last while glaring at the Lucys.

“Have you taken up mind reading?” he asked her, before tugging Sam outside and around the corner where the entire town population wasn’t watching.

Sam wrapped one arm around his waist, so as not to disturb his coffee, and kissed him, not questioning, not demanding, just holding him. She offered him a peace he’d never be able to find in the city. But he had so many obligations. . .

“Are you okay?” she asked.

He sipped his coffee and thought about it. “I think so, yeah. My father knew he was in a dangerous business. It wasn’t as risky as police work, but he didn’t have to come up here personally. He came anyway. We all make choices.”

He could feel her nod against his shoulder, again accepting, not questioning. “Wolf didn’t have to be a pilot. Jade didn’t have to fly with him. But a bus could have hit them on the road.”

They weren’t just talking about their parents. He had to let Davy and his guilt go as well. He was human. He couldn’t relive what was done.

“We can only take so many precautions,” he agreed. “Hillvale has potential,” he added tentatively, sounding her out.

She giggled and turned laughing sapphire eyes up to him. “Valdis just said the same.”

“Damn, I hate sounding like a Lucy,” he muttered, watching her expression. “Are you agreeing with her?”

“Oh, I’m agreeing with you, of course,” she said, airily waving her hand. “And me,” she admitted. “I kind of like it here. Even if it’s on the verge of ripping apart, the town grows on you.”

“Like fungus, yeah. Monty is aware the town is dangerously divided. He wants to avoid any further violence by holding a referendum to see if they’re willing to hire full-time law enforcement. It’s not healthy to have to wait half an hour or more for the county to respond.” He let that sink in while he sipped his coffee.

Her eyes widened, and he could swear he saw hope in them.

“Xavier just told me Grace’s cottage is for rent, the one with all the flowers and roses,” she offered, definitely with hope in her voice.

“The one with ghosts?” Walker thought about what they were discussing—life in a town that believed in ghosts.

“Spirits,” she corrected with a half smile. “Or maybe I can prove there is some kind of physical energy in the vortex creating illusions, but I definitely want to work with the energy of the earthquake fault. Potential.”

“I have a corporation I have to hand over,” he reminded her.

“And I have a mother to find, plus Elaine Lee said she’d be up to look at Dinah’s mural, and then I want to experiment on crystals. . .”

He grinned, understanding that this town was as important to her as his career was to him. “I can only do so much from a laptop. We’ll have to take this slow. You need to stretch your wings and find your path.”

“What, you’re not going to keep me in a million-dollar mansion and give me a BMW?” She kissed his cheek and snuggled closer.

“I have a BMW. And a mother. And a raft of employees. And a house I’m dreading returning to. It’s complicated.”