Page 19 of The Magical Bed & Breakfast

Rory coughed and cleared his throat. “Ivy and I were in school together.”

“Hah,” Ivy laughed, “Not really. Rory was older, and, oh, so much cooler. I was just a lowly Hazard High freshman when he was a hotshot senior.”

Rory snorted. “I was never cool, well,” he grinned, “not here anyway.”

Ivy widened her eyes. “You, not cool?” She shook her head. “I always knew you were delusional.”

The light dimmed in his eyes a little, as Kate watched.

He shifted and cleared his throat before he shrugged. “So I came back to visit Granddad, but he threw me out.”

Perfectly at home in Kate’s kitchen, Ivy set out a cup for Rory. “That doesn’t sound like Seymour.”

“It’s the remodel.” He sat and set about sugaring his tea.

Ivy nodded, “He’s excited about opening Agate Point up for tours. Were you truly banished?” At Rory’s nod, Ivy frowned. “I wouldn’t think you’d choose to stay here. Not after all that happened.” Then she gasped at Kate. “Sorry, I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”

“He told me,” said Kate. “It’s okay.”

Ivy swiveled back toward Rory. “How much did you tell her?”

“Just about getting locked in the basement as a kid.”

Kate pondered his suddenly careful tone.

“I’m surprised you remember all that,” he said to Ivy.

“Are you kidding? It was big news, and then Priscilla Kane got in hot water over it because she orchestrated all the shenanigans. Anyway, I do remember you after it was over. You were different. Quieter. You spent a lot of time in the library after that.”

“Research,” said Rory. “On the inn.”

Kate hesitated at the look he cast her. His eyes were asking how much she wanted to share. She shook her head at him. She wasn’t ready. Then she got a bright idea. “We did find an old writing desk in my basement, though, that we need to bring upstairs. It has a bunch of little drawers, and I haven’t opened all of them yet.”

Rory took off.

“Wait.” Kate called after him.

“I’ll be careful.”

Kate bit her lip. “Is he always like that?”

“Rory’s not one to sit around. Is it hard to trust?”

“A constant struggle,” admitted Kate, surprised at Ivy’s intuition. “I’m used to being the one who takes care of everything.”

Kate sipped. Really, what could go wrong? It was a desk. Rory had carried in all this other furniture. Surely one little desk wouldn’t be an issue, but Kate held her breath as he appeared with the desk. Resisting the urge to jump up and flutter about like a nervous Nellie, she didn’t relax until he had set the desk in the middle of the kitchen.

She released a sigh, relieved, even as she wondered why the desk felt so significant.

She studied it there in her kitchen as she walked around it to view it from all sides. It wasn’t very big. It was scuffed up a little but still sturdy. A silence had fallen over the room.

“Wow,” said Ivy. “This desk is…”

“Vital,” said Kate just as Rory said, “Alive.”

“Butwhy?” said Ivy.

“Let’s find out.” Rory motioned, and he and Ivy joined Kate to circle around it this time. Not touching, not yet. Bravely, Kate reached out a hand and stroked it lovingly. She dropped to her knees before it and slid open the drawer in front. “A key.”

---