Chapter 10

ChapterTen

EPILOGUE

Two weeks later…

Jesse sat on the front porch of the bed-and-breakfast, staring at the parked vehicles in the driveway. The rental had been towed, but the deep gouges in the yard remained. Apparently, the garden gnome statues had them on their work list, but several were in recovery after trying to scare the gremlins away during the attack.

Polly had used magic to fix much of the house. The residue clung to the structure. When Jesse touched the wood frames or walked barefoot on the floor, the sensation it caused stung with intensity. Even now, the porch seemed to vibrate and hum through her clothing as she sat on the edge.

“There you are.” Mal appeared from inside the home. “They’re pulling out board games if you’re interested.”

Jesse moved over so he could join her. “I never should have agreed to let Polly close out the apartment for me. She should have been back from Spokane by now.”

Mal sat down and gave her a soft kiss before he began rubbing his hand along the small of her back in comfort. “Do you want me to fly down and check on it?”

Jesse gave a small laugh. “That’s a sweet offer. What I want is to go down there myself and take care of things.”

Mal smiled in understanding but didn’t say anything. He didn’t need to. They both knew that wasn’t possible.

“It’s fine,” she tried to convince herself. “Polly probably just got distracted by something. A light bulb store or peanut stand or Hawaiian shirt sale.”

“Herman does like a fine Hawaiian shirt,” Mal agreed.

“Enough about that. How did things go today? We didn’t get a chance to talk after you got back,” Jesse said.

“Fine. The final paperwork has been filed. You are now a wealthy heiress,” he said.

“And the nonprofit?”

“Set up. The funds will be moved over in the next month. The law firm is reviewing some of the fine points, but you should be able to start awarding grants within a few months.” He smiled.

She nodded before asking in worry, “And the town?”

“Yeah, I’d give it a little more time before you venture back into town,” Mal said. “They’re blaming your family for sending the bad luck gremlins.”

“I’m not sure I want to venture back into town,” Jesse answered. Touching the gold nugget had opened her mind to receiving knowledge. Not only did she intuitively know things, but it also compelled most people to confess their deepest secrets and innermost thoughts.

Polly insisted that Jesse’s new power could be used for good and that Jesse should listen and help people with their problems. That was easy to say, hard to do. Jesse did not want to hear most people’s innermost secrets. One of Lily’s guests had confessed to putting licked butter knives back into the drawer without washing them. His wife drank milk straight from the carton. And those were the mild confessions.

Sure, butter knives and milk cartons were questionable, but what worried Jesse was that if the wrong person confessed the wrong thing, it could put her and everyone she loved in danger. What if she came across a serial murderer, or a mob boss, or a corrupt politician who announced their sins in front of everyone?

Mal moved to take her hand in his, pulling her thoughts back to the present. “I’m not sorry you are here, but I’m sorry you’re trapped here.”

“It’s not so bad. I like being close to Lily and Dante. I didn’t realize how much I’d missed them these last few years.” Jesse lifted their joined hands and pressed her cheek against the back of his. She sighed as she gazed at the view. “And it’s not just my family. I have other reasons to stay.”

“To learn your magic?” he asked.

“Look what I learned.” Jesse lifted her free hand and wiggled her fingers. Tiny lights danced along the tips before fizzling out.

“Impressive,” he agreed.

“But that was not the reason I was talking about.” Jesse stood, pulling him up with her.

“Oh?”

Jesse wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. Love and desire swirled within her when they touched. She felt drawn to be closer to him. When she pulled away, she whispered, “Thank you for everything you’ve done for my family and me. I’m sorry it took me so long to get here.”

“You’re here now. That’s all that matters.” He cupped her cheek.

She felt his emotions inside of her. There were some things she didn’t mind magically picking up on. “I love you, too, Malachi.”

“I didn’t say anything.” He grinned, moving to kiss her again.

“You didn’t have to. I can read every one of those thoughts in your head.”

Mal kept smiling. “Oh, yeah? What am I thinking now?”

“Same thing I am.” She reached into her back pocket. “I stole Cabin Four’s key.”

Mal reached into his pocket and pulled out his car keys. “You are a mind reader.”

Jesse pulled him toward his car. “Let’s get out of here before they come looking for us.”

They ran to the car and climbed inside just as Lily appeared in the doorway. Jesse smiled through the window and gave a big wave at her sister as Mal quickly pulled out of the driveway so they couldn’t be stopped. As they sped over the moonlit dirt road toward the cabins, Jesse felt more happiness than she’d ever experienced in her life.

“Yes, Mal, I will marry you someday.” She slid closer to him on the seat and held onto his arm as she rested her head on his shoulder.

“I didn’t say anything.” He moved to wrap his arm around her.

“That’s all right. You didn’t have to.”

The End