Sympathetic Magic(67)

Some might call that hubris of the worst sort…Margot preferred to think of it as Lucas trusting in his very singular gift. “We still don’t have any sort of game plan.”

“We’ll figure it out. I have an ace in the hole.”

She raised an eyebrow, and he said,

“Trust me.”

Normally that was the sort of thing which only served to irritate her. Now, though, she realized it was the simple truth. She really could trust Lucas, in a way she wasn’t sure she’d ever trusted anyone else.

The waiter returned with the wine, removed the cork, then poured a sample for Lucas. He drank, then nodded, and the waiter tipped a decent measure into Margot’s glass, then topped off Lucas’ as well. They placed their orders before being left blessedly alone again.

“I feel so…conspicuous,” she admitted.

“Why? Is the restaurant packed with McAllisters?”

A quick glance around told her that they were safely surrounded by civilians…tourists mainly, she guessed. “No. We’re not much for fancy dining, luckily.”

“Well, that’s something I expect to change with you. I already have plans to take you to all my favorite places in Flagstaff, and we should nip out to Winslow to go to the Turquoise Room, maybe stay overnight so we don’t have to drive home afterward….”

“Lucas,” she said, and he stopped abruptly, looking a little sheepish.

“Sorry. It’s just that I’d been hoping for a future I could plan for, but until earlier this evening, I wasn’t sure it was really going to happen.”

Something warm and happy seemed to grow somewhere in her breast. This wonderful man didn’t want anything except the chance to be with her. What woman wouldn’t be moved by such uncomplicated devotion? “Don’t apologize. I want to do all those things with you, too. It’s just — I guess I’m having a hard time seeing how we’re going to get from here to there.”

“We will.” He reached out and laid a hand on hers, his thumb brushing over the smooth surface of the diamond and moving to stroke the skin along her finger. “In the meantime, we’re going to have a great meal, and then….” Letting the words trail off, he gazed across the table, his dark eyes catching hers. Something in his stare made her shiver; she had a very good idea what he hoped would happen after that “and then.”

She had to say, she was hoping for the same thing. Even so, she didn’t think that precluded a bit of teasing. “Presuming a little much, weren’t you, Mr. Wilcox?”

“Not presuming. Hoping.”

What could she possibly say to that? Luckily, she didn’t have to say anything, as the waiter came by with their salads at that point, and it seemed easier to turn her attention to her food. Lucas seemed to understand that she needed some time to gather herself, so he ate in silence for a few minutes. Then he said,

“When do you think would be a good time to talk to the other elders?”

Good question. Tomorrow was Friday, and after that it would be the weekend, never a good time for important clan business, as the town tended to get very busy with tourist traffic. And she couldn’t imagine putting all this off until Monday. Better to get everything out in the open as quickly as possible so it could be dealt with equally as quickly.

“No time like the present,” she replied. “Or at least as close to the present as we can get. Tomorrow afternoon, maybe? I’ll have to check with Allegra and Bryce, but they’re available most of the time.”

Lucas appeared to make a few mental calculations. “That should work. Do you want to call them now?”

“Now?” she asked blankly, setting down her salad fork.

“Well, before they make other plans, or it gets too late….”

He really seemed to be pushing this, but okay. Might as well set things up now and not have to worry about it again…well, until the moment of the actual meeting arrived.

She reached into her purse, pulled out her phone, and put a call through to Allegra first. As she did so, the waiter came by and gave Margot an inquiring glance. She nodded at her empty salad plate, indicating that she was done, and he took it away, piling Lucas’ plate on it with a clank that made her wince. Good thing the phone was still ringing and Allegra hadn’t picked up yet.

But then she did answer. “Margot? What is it?”

No magic there…only caller I.D. “Hello, Allegra. Something’s come up” —across the table, Lucas flashed a grin at Margot, and she sent him a quelling glance— “and I need to talk to you and Bryce tomorrow. Would two o’clock at my place work for you?”