Heartwishes Read online

  “The Fraziers driving you crazy?”

  She didn’t think she needed to say more about her and Colin. She’d said too much already. “The family does visit rather often.”

  “With or without their clothes?” Tris asked.

  “It’s too early to laugh about it,” Gemma said, but she did smile.

  “You want more chocolate?”

  “No, that was enough. I better get back to work—if Rachel’s had time to remove Colin, that is.”

  “Sure,” Tris said, but he had his head down and he made no motion to move.

  Gemma looked at him. “Is there something you want to tell me? Or ask me?”

  “Heartwishes,” he said. “Have you found out anything more about that?”

  “No, and I’ve been searching. Did Colin tell you about it?”

  “Yes.” He looked at her. “Mind if I tell you a story?”

  “I would love to hear anything that takes my mind off my own problems.”

  “Colin and I had breakfast the day he left for the fire and he told me about the Heartwishes Stone. We laughed about it. That night I told my sister and niece. I meant it as entertainment, but Nell believed every word I said, and she got quite upset. She said that she’s part Frazier and the wish from her heart was that her father would come home and that they’d get to stay in Edilean. She had Addy and me stand up, and repeat her wish three times. She said she wanted to make sure the Heartwishes Stone heard us.”

  When he was silent, Gemma waited. He seemed to have more to say.

  “Last night Addy got a call that her husband had been shot in Iraq and—”

  “Oh!”

  “No, it’s okay. He’s all right, or will be. He’s been flown to a hospital in Miami. My parents live in Sarasota, and they drove down there immediately. Jake will be fine, but his injury is bad enough that he’ll be discharged from the army. He’ll be home for good in about a month.”

  “That’s wonderful,” Gemma said.

  “There’s more. Before Jake signed up, he was a top car mechanic, and he had a good job in Detroit. The owner of the garage where he worked said that when Jake returned, the job would be waiting for him.” Tris looked at Gemma. “The morning after Nell made her wish, we heard that the place where Jake was supposed to go back to work blew up. It was at night and no one was hurt, but now Jake has no job to return to.”

  Gemma leaned back in her chair and looked at him. “What else?”

  “On the same day we heard about the explosion in Detroit, Mr. Frazier’s head mechanic at his service center just outside of Edilean gave notice that in four months he’s moving to California to be near his wife’s relatives. Mr. Frazier called me to say that Jake had the job if he wanted it. That was a few days ago, then last night the call about Jake’s injury came in. It’s as though Nell’s wish came true, in less than a week, and all of it happened after she made her wish.”

  “You do know that it’s all coincidence, don’t you?” Gemma said.

  “I’m sure it is, but then today . . .” He looked hard at her.

  “You mean me?”

  Tris nodded. “Yes. Rachel told me—”

  Gemma drew in her breath. “That Mrs. Frazier made her husband wish for grandchildren.”

  “Right.”

  Gemma swallowed. “But wouldn’t they come from Jean?”

  “Colin won’t tell me what’s going on with her, but what if they did stay together?” There was anger in his voice. “Will she commute back and forth to Richmond?”

  “I saw a law office here in town. Maybe she could—”

  “Infiltrate MAW—the law firm of McDowell, Aldredge and Welsch? My cousin is one of the partners, and I can tell you that they’d never let an outsider in.”

  “But she’d be Colin’s wife. She’d belong,” Gemma said, even though the words stuck in her throat.

  “It won’t happen,” Tris said firmly.

  Gemma ran her finger over her plate to get the last bit of chocolate, and put it in her mouth. “How long have you disliked Jean?”

  “Since she ran her hand up my thigh at a party.”

  “Did you tell Colin?”

  “I tried to, but he wouldn’t listen.”

  Gemma thought about what he’d told her. “Look, I’m sure this Heartwishes thing is just a family myth. If it were true, the Fraziers would have been granted wishes for centuries, but I can’t see that they have. Or have they?”

  Tris gave a bit of a grin. “No. If it had been up to Mrs. Frazier, her daughter would never have attended medical school. Her wish would have made Ariel stay in Edilean, get married, and she’d have six kids by now. And if Mr. Frazier had his way, all of his children would be crazy about cars and want to take over the family business.”

  “It’s a good thing there is nothing that does grant wishes, isn’t it?” Gemma said. “Everyone’s wish would conflict with everyone else’s.”

  “Not to mention people getting angry and wishing ill on others,” Tris said.

  Gemma looked at him. “And what about you?” she asked. “If Nell is part Frazier, so are you. If you did have a wish, what would it be?”

  “I . . .” He leaned back in his chair and didn’t seem inclined to say any more.

  “I told you about my stupidity with Colin, so you can tell me your secrets.”

  “Yeah, but I’m a doctor. I’m used to people’s secrets.”

  “And I’m an historian. I’m used to two-hundred-year-old secrets.”

  He smiled. “All right. I’m looking for her.”

  “Who?”

  “The one they write all the songs and novels about. My sister says I’m too romantic, but I feel that I’ll know her when I see her.” He took a breath. “And I want her to like me for more than what I do or what I look like.” He looked down at his plate for a moment, then back at Gemma. “Maybe the Heartwishes Stone works for my sister, but it’s not working for me.”

  “It’s not possible, of course, but I wonder what could have activated the Stone now after all these years.”

  “You. Maybe you opened something in those papers. Maybe the Stone is in there but you haven’t seen it.”

  “Not possible,” Gemma said. “I’ve been through all the boxes. There was only paper in them and a few sentimental things.”

  “Such as?”

  “Ribbons, lockets full of strands of hair, the usual Victorian sentimentality.”

  Tris just stared at her.

  “I really don’t believe in magic,” she said. “And I’d think that you, as a man of science, wouldn’t either.”

  “I wouldn’t usually, but in the time since Nell put on her little drama and made her wish, everything has turned upside down. I didn’t get to bed last night, and I’m taking Nell and Addy to the airport today.” He ran his hand over his face. “I went to the office early this morning to write some prescriptions for patients before I left. My head was full of Jake’s return, then you showed up with your story about Colin, and . . .” He raised his eyebrows. “I think I need some sleep.”

  “I agree,” Gemma said. She saw a customer wander by and knew the store had opened. “If you’re like Colin, you better get out of here before people start asking you to look at their warts.”

  They stood up, gathered their trash, and put it in a bin.

  Tris put his hand on her shoulder. “Thanks, Gemma. You needed to talk to me, but I ended up doing all the talking.”

  “I enjoyed it. I miss my friends from school.” She rubbed her arm. “And I especially miss working out with the boys.”

  “Oh, right. That’s what gave you the body the Internet is drooling over.”

  “Not quite,” she said, laughing.

  “You’ll meet Mike at the barbecue. He’s a major jock, so you two can . . . do whatever it is people do in a gym.”

  “I guess you were born with those pecs and you don’t know what a forty-five-pound plate looks like.” They were walking toward the back of the store.

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