Unfortunately, normal had been solitary and routine, and the notion didn’t bring him the comfort it should have.
HE MUST BE A WEAK MAN, Mike decided, because when Dan picked him up for work he was humming. So was his body, the result of a spectacular bout of first-thing-in-the-morning sex and a long thank-you/apology kiss from Amber as she walked him to the door and said so-long.
“Goodbyes are permanent and I’ll be seeing you on Friday,” she’d said, ever optimistic. She totally ignored the fact that he didn’t approve of her choices any more this morning than he had last night, something he’d made certain she understood. Just because they’d shared another night of mind-blowing sex, he didn’t want her to think anything else had changed.
A divorce was in the cards, Mike thought. A perfect play on words if ever there was one.
He’d given Amber directions to his father’s house along with his cousin Derek’s home and cell phone. Since Derek’s wife Gabrielle had had a stalker issue last year, his cousin understood Mike’s concern and had taken a ride out to Edward’s this morning. He said Edward had complained nonstop about having his privacy invaded, but he’d also begun rinsing glasses in the sink in preparation. Unusual to say the least.
Could Amber’s assessment of Edward be correct? Was he too ingrained in his reclusive life to ask for help, yet looking for a way out? Mike refused to get his hopes up. What could Amber possibly know about the crazy old man Mike called his father?
And yet Mike found himself placing hope in Amber’s ability to reach Edward during her stay there. Once again, he found her contradictions maddening. Was she a card-counting cheat or a warm, caring, insightful woman who wanted to help Mike’s father? Could she really have had no choice?
No! He crumpled up the paperwork he’d filled out incorrectly because he hadn’t been concentrating. They were too different. He couldn’t possibly trust her. And she caused complications in his life he just didn’t need.
He’d help her, then file for divorce. With that settled, he refocused on work.
CHAPTER NINE
AFTER THE MORNING RUSH HOUR, Amber drove to Stewart in Mike’s car. She’d had an hour to think about her choices and the things she wished she’d done differently in life. But regret couldn’t change the facts. All she could do was go forward and hold on to hope, an attitude she’d learned early in life, each time her father had dropped her at her grandparents’ and left for his next “business trip.” She’d wait expectantly for him to come back, and he would. In the meantime, she’d made the best of where she was and appreciated the life her grandparents had given her. Until she joined her father for good. At the time, she’d just decided and then moved on. Just like she wanted to move forward now.
The drive to Mike’s father’s house was an easy one and she took in the scenery, marveling in the differences between the dry desert out West and the lush greenery in the East. She’d heard about fall and winter, but she’d never experienced either season firsthand. She wondered if she’d get the chance this year.
The farther away from Boston and Mike she drove, the more nervous she became about showing up on Edward Corwin’s doorstep, and she tightened her grip on the steering wheel.
Sure, she’d liked Mike’s father, but he was still a hermit of sorts. And even though she thought she understood him, she didn’t have a psychology degree. She doubted he’d welcome her with open arms. Still, she was a people person who trusted her instincts and her instincts told her Edward needed a friend. Fate was giving her an opportunity to do some good for Mike and his father and she intended to make use of it.
Maybe a small thank-you gift would help soften her intrusion into his home. She pulled off the highway one exit before Salem for a brief pit stop. According to her directions, Stewart would be the next exit, so she had to find something for Edward here. She checked out the stores in a small strip mall in search of a fitting present for Edward Corwin.
The first store in the row of shops was a boutique with items that seemed too froufrou for a gruff man like Mike’s dad. The liquor store was next, but Amber doubted Mike would appreciate her adding alcohol to his worries about his father.
The last store was a New Age shop named Crescent Moon. Intrigued, Amber peeked in the cluttered window. Barely bigger than a walk-in closet, the place oozed eccentricity. It was perfect.
She opened the door and bells tinkled over her head. As she stepped inside, a pleasing scent welcomed her. Incense, she guessed, and she glanced around. Oddities surrounded her, along with more familiar items like silver jewelry, turquoise and other types of stones.
Dreamcatchers hung from the racks and she lightly touched one, wondering what Edward would think of it. Would it trap his evil spirits as well as it supposedly caught bad dreams?
“Welcome to Crescent Moon.” A big woman approached her. “I’m the proprietress, Clara Deveaux. Can I help you?”
Her skin was smooth, her hair jet-black, and she possessed an ethereal beauty. Her brightly colored, multipatterned dress floated around her as she moved.
“I’m looking for a gift,” Amber said.
“As you can see, I have an abundance of things to choose from.” She waved her hand and her many bangle bracelets jingled around her wrist. “For whom are you shopping? The items in my store have very specific uses. To help you, it’s best I know all I can about the recipient.”
Amber nodded, enjoying the sound of the woman’s voice. “It’s for a man. My father-in-law, actually. I’m going to stay with him for a few days and I need a thank-you gift.”
“Since you’re here and not at the gift shop, I assume you don’t want to take the traditional route.” A mischievous smile twinkled in her eyes.
Amber laughed. “That’s right. My father-in-law is…different.” She chose her word carefully.
“We’re all different.” Clara spoke with what seemed like wisdom beyond her years. Amber judged her to be in her midfifties, like Edward.
Amber nodded, acknowledging the other woman’s point. “He’s a loner by choice and he believes in curses. One specific curse to be exact. He’s explored voodoo and claims to ward off evil spirits,” Amber explained. “I’d like to bring him something that says I respect his beliefs.”
What she really wanted was to get closer to Edward and maybe help father and son gain a better understanding of each other while they still had the chance. She knew too well how quickly those you loved could be taken away from you.
“If he fears a curse, he’d be happiest when surrounded by positive energy.”
“That makes sense. I’m Amber, by the way.” She extended her hand for Clara to take.
They shook in greeting. “Amber. Pretty name.”
Amber smiled. “Thank you. My mother chose it,” she said wistfully.
“I’m sorry she’s passed.”
Amber raised an eyebrow in surprise. How did Clara know?
Still, Amber inclined her head. “Thank you.”
“What’s your full name, Amber?”
“Amber Rose…Corwin.” She used her newly married name out loud for the firs time. It seemed strange on her lips.
“Corwin as in the Stewart Corwins,” Clara said knowingly.
“How do you-”
“You told me your father-in-law is a loner who believes in curses. The Corwin curse is well-known in these parts. Any male with that last name has a rich history of tragedy behind him,” Clara said, her gaze warm and unnervingly understanding.
Amber was surprised that the Corwin curse seemed to be common knowledge outside of the Corwin family. Apparently it held power over more people than just Edward. “Do tell. I’m new to the area and to the family.”
Somehow, asking Clara about her new relative didn’t seem odd. And if she was going to be able to help Edward, she needed to know what she was up against.