Aaron barely noticed crossing the parking lot. She almost kissed him. Or he almost kissed her. Whichever it was, he felt phantom lips on his. An arriving text brought him back to the moment.

  Laura looked at him. “Ben?”

  “Yep.” He scanned the text. “Nobody by that name, but there is a John Doe who resembles the photo. He gave me a room number to meet him in, in about ten minutes.”

  “Okay, sounds good,” Laura said, and then tripped over a pothole near the sidewalk.

  Aaron caught her by the arm and pulled him to her to prevent her fall. “Are you okay?”

  She breathed into his ear – she was so tall! – and shakily replied yes.

  “They really should fix that,” he mumbled, more to himself than to Laura.

  “I can,” she said, and stood over the break in the blacktop.

  “You what?”

  “I can fix it.”

  “You can fix—” he started, then stopped. “Right, of course.” He stepped back to watch the literal magic.

  Laura concentrated on the hole and, like when she’d manipulated the kitchen island at the house for sale, the area above the hole grew hazy. It darkened and the blacktop appeared to move of its own volition.

  Aaron bit back a snort. The movement reminded him of the movie The Blob.

  “Wait.” Laura frowned. A bead of sweat broke out on her forehead.

  As Aaron watched, the center of the new blacktop crumbled and collapsed in on itself, leaving the hole bigger than it was before.

  “I don’t understand.” She concentrated harder. The haze reappeared and the process repeated.

  Including the part where it fell apart. Now the hole was twice the size it had been before Laura attempted her magic.

  “I don’t understand,” she repeated.

  Before she could try a third time, Aaron stopped her. “I don’t know what’s happening either, but maybe we should just let the hospital know they have a pothole that could cause an accident.” He said the words gently, and still her eyes shined with tears when she looked at him.

  “That’s never happened before.”

  “Let’s check in with Ben. Maybe he can see if there’s something on the fritz with you.” His attempt at a jovial tone worked and she cracked a slight smile.

  “Maybe I’m tired,” she said. “But I’ll let Ben look me over, anyway.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  LAURA

  I’ll let Ben look me over. Laura couldn’t believe how that sounded, but Aaron didn’t react, so maybe it was all in her head.

  “Let’s find the room Ben texted,” Aaron said after they entered the hospital’s sliding glass doors. He beelined for the elevator.

  Laura was slower to follow, her mind stuck on her magic not working.

  “You coming?” He held the door open with one arm and beckoned her with the other.

  “Yes, sorry.” She stepped into the elevator and stood beside him, very aware of his closeness. “I was thinking.”

  Aaron touched her hand. “It’s going to be okay.”

  Of course, he knew what she’d been thinking about. A witch without magic. Well, that was like missing a part of yourself.

  The elevator doors opened and Laura snickered. Tall Ben towered over short Shelly where they stood outside a room at the far end of the hall. Not that long ago, Shelly had had an issue with not feeling like a witch, because of her own misfiring magic. Laura now had a small sense of her former frenemy’s frustration.

  Ben and Shelly waved as Laura and Aaron approached.

  Before she could lose her nerve from the risk of embarrassment, Laura blurted out her request. “Ben, I’d rather not discuss the specifics, but can you tell me if anything seems off? Anything medically?”

  Although Ben quirked an eyebrow, he didn’t question. “Of course.” He eyed her up and down, in a clinical way, though she still felt her throat tighten.

  Thankfully, it didn’t appear that he needed to go hands-on with checking. Laura thought she’d have a stroke if that was necessary. And it didn’t even occur to her to ask first.

  Ben smiled. “Everything checks out.”

  Laura felt both relief and disappointment at the pronouncement.

  “Isn’t that good news?” Shelly asked.

  “Of course.” Laura needed to focus on something else. “Guys, do you mind if I borrow Shelly for a moment?”

  “Sure,” Aaron said, his eyes questioning.

  “Just girls’ stuff,” she explained.

  Laura strode away from the men, assuming Shelly would follow. Hearing footfalls on the linoleum, she was right. They stopped near a window back toward the elevator. This section of the hallway was deserted. Laura poked her head into the nearest room and, seeing it empty, pulled Shelly inside.

  “I need to talk to you,” Laura said. She inhaled deeply. And didn’t say anything.

  Shelly quirked an eyebrow. “You need to actually speak for this to work. Is it about what you asked Ben to check for?”

  “No, it’s not.” Laura wasn’t ready to talk about her magical issues yet, but she had another issue that Shelly was uniquely qualified to weigh in on. “You know Aaron and I have been looking for a house. For me,” she added when she realized how that sounded.

  “Yes.”

  Laura stared over Shelly’s shoulder. “I realized today that I’ve been delaying choosing one.”

  “Not because you couldn’t find the one you like?”

  “Yes and no.”

  Shelly laughed. “That’s not really an answer.”

  “I mean, no, I didn’t find one that I liked. But.” Laura bit her lower lip. “I kept changing what I told Aaron I was looking for.”

  “You didn’t!”

  “Well, that’s not accurate. I kept increasing what I wanted. Yeah. That’s more accurate.”

  “That seems logical, to be honest. The more homes you see, the more you realize what you want.”

  Laura glanced out the window on the far side of the room. “True.”

  “Except that it’s more than that,” Shelly guessed.

  “He asked me on a date,” Laura blurted out, then averted her gaze.

  “You said no?”

  “I work for his mother and we’re work colleagues.”

  Shelly shook her head. “Those aren’t reasons. It’s a small town; everybody works for or with someone’s family. And he’s only finding you a house. He’s not your boss.”

  “What about if it’s because I liked Ben before? That’s weird, right?”

  “Yes, it’s weird that you’re using that as an excuse. Because, no, it’s not at all weird to like one person years ago and someone else now,” Shelly said. “Besides, I thought you moved on from high school.” Shelly added this with a knowing look, and Laura flushed at having her own words tossed back at her.

  “It’s not weird that I liked Ben before and now I find Aaron attractive?”

  “Not at all,” Shelly repeated.

  Relief swept over Laura. Intellectually, she knew that there was nothing wrong with liking one brother years before liking the other. But, emotionally… She needed to hear someone else say that it was no big deal.

  “Besides, I took Ben off the market, remember?”

  “Indeed,” Laura said and impulsively threw her arms around the smaller woman. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “Sorry if that was awkward,” Laura said. Although that made three hugs in one day. She was acting all out of sorts today.

  “No need to apologize. It’s nice to see this—” Shelly paused. “—softer side of you. Human.”

  “Oh.” Laura didn’t know what to say to that. She never really had friends before. Maybe this was what that felt like.

  “Don’t worry, I won’t make it more awkward,” Shelly assured her with a laugh.

  “Thanks.” Laura glanced at the room’s exit. “Let’s join the men and find out if this John Doe is our missing owner.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  AARON

  “What do you think they’re talking about?” Aaron asked nervously, wishing he could be a fly on that wall.

  “Relax, little brother.” Ben glanced down the empty hall in the direction the women had gone. “I don’t hear yelling, so I don’t think they’re fighting or anything.” He grinned. “Or are you worried they’re talking about you?”

  Aaron’s eye widened. “Why would I think they’re talking about me?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. There’s some wicked chemistry between you two.”

  “There is?” Aaron swallowed. “Yeah, there is. Except I asked her out and she said no.”

  Ben pursed his lips. “Give her time. She’ll come around.”

  “I hope so.”

  “That’s not what you came here for.”

  “No, it’s not. Is this the John Doe’s room? And he looks like the photo I sent you?” Aaron asked, indicating the closed door behind Ben.

  “Yes, to the first question. And a strong maybe to the second.”

  “What happened to him? I know you’re not supposed to talk about his medical condition with me, but maybe it’ll help us identify him.”

  “Oh, yeah, I wouldn’t be doing this if not for the fact that we’re making zero headway with him.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “A concerned citizen found him wandering a few blocks from here.”

  “Near the house that’s for sale.”

  “Um, not too far off from that. The town’s not that big, though, so that could be said about almost anything.”

  Aaron laughed. “Touché.”

  “He has some facial contusions suggesting a fight or accident.”

  “What did he say when you asked him?”

  “We didn’t. By the time he arrived here, he was delirious. We started treatment immediately, of course, and now we’re just waiting for him to wake up.” Ben lifted the chart from its holder next to the door and scanned the top.

  “What’s his prognosis?”

  “Pretty good. I expect him to wake up sometime today. His vitals show he’s responding well to the treatment.”

  “I guess that means the police haven’t found his family yet.”

  “No, I assume not—”

  “I need to give this name to the police,” Aaron interrupted. “His family must be worried sick.”

  “Maybe see if you agree that he looks like the same guy,” Ben cautioned, “before you notify the police and give a potentially worried family false hope.”

  “I see what you mean.” Aaron brightened. “There’s another option.”

  “There is?”

  “Ginger can tell us.”

  Ben was well-aware of his brother’s magical inclination, so didn’t bat an eye at Aaron’s idea. “If she’s not in surgery, yeah, she probably could. Regardless of his facial bruising, she’d recognize his smell.”

  Aaron saw the women approaching in his peripheral vision.

  “What have you been talking about?” Shelly asked, all wide-eyed innocence.

  Ben smothered a laugh, and both Aaron and Laura turned beet-red.

  “We were just about to go in and see John Doe,” Aaron said into the awkwardness.

  “That’s a great idea,” Laura said with more enthusiasm than the situation warranted. She opened the door and walked between the others to stand by John Doe’s bed.

  Aaron, Shelly, and Ben were a moment behind her. Aaron took his phone from his pocket and opened the photograph of Marvin Kelm.

  The bruises, wires, and oxygen mask complicated their review, but in the end, they were confident it was him. His legs stretched to the bottom of the bed, so he was tall. His shaggy black hair fell in lank pieces around a face with slight wrinkles. He appeared to be the same late 30s or early 40s that Marvin did in his profile photo. The fall of the sheet suggested he was a little plump, maybe like an athlete gone soft.

  “Is he going to be okay?” Laura asked, her heart breaking for the likely Marvin and Ginger.

  Ben walked the women through the background and prognosis he’d provided to Aaron.

  “Since we think it’s him, what do we do next?” Shelly asked.

  Ben and Aaron exchanged a look.

  “I had an idea.” Aaron explained the plan to bring Ginger to the hospital, sneak her into this room, and then she could identify whether the man in the bed was her owner.

  “That’s brilliant,” Laura said, and Aaron warmed at the compliment.

  “Is Ginger okay to be picked up?” Shelly asked.

  “I was about to check.” Ben typed into his phone and within a minute, a response arrived. He winked. “The vet okayed her to travel. She didn’t need surgery after all.”

  Aaron grabbed Laura’s hand without thinking. She curled her fingers around his. “You ready to go get our dog?”

  Chapter Fifteen

  LAURA

  Go get our dog. Warmth flooded Laura at Aaron’s choice of words and the fact of his fingers entwined with hers. They were in this together. On an adventure to help someone. She’d missed this feeling of closeness with someone else. Not since my parents—

  Thankfully, they reached Aaron’s Jeep before she could follow that thought. This time he drove the short distance to the veterinary office. As they parked, a text dinged on Aaron’s phone.

  “It’s my mom,” he explained. “She wants to know how Ginger is doing.”

  Laura grinned. Esther really had a big heart.

  Aaron typed a response, then frowned at the reply.

  “What?” Laura asked.

  “She’s asking how our lunch went.” His ears turned red as he typed. “I’m explaining we ate at your desk while we found Ginger’s owner.”

  Laura didn’t know what to think, so she nodded and waited for him to finish.

  Aaron put his phone in a pocket and then they headed for the vet. He held the door open for her and they entered the foyer.

  “Hey Aaron,” the receptionist greeted him when they entered.

  “Hi Shannon,” he said. “We’re here to pick up Ginger. I believe my brother called?”

  “Yep.” Shannon picked up the phone. “Can you bring Ginger up?” She flashed a smile at them then hung the phone up. “It’ll just be a minute. By the way, she has a microchip. When we scanned it, it didn’t have current information. The person we called said they gave her to a rescue. They didn’t remember which one. And she hasn’t been a patient in this office before.”

  “Okay, thanks, Shannon. That’s helpful.”

  Laura hung back, watching the easy conversation between Aaron and Shannon. He was so personable. She doubted he had any frenemies. Laura almost laughed at the rambling nature of her thoughts, but stopped short when another technician appeared, leading Ginger out on a leash.

  The cute cocker spaniel had a bright orange wrap on her leg and a small shaved spot, where maybe they had to give her fluids. She seemed happy to see them, wagging her tail and offering quick little barks.

  Aaron chuckled. “Yes, Ginger, we’re here to bring you to your owner.” He kneeled before her. “Is his name Marvin?”

  Ginger barked.

  Laura had no idea if it was a confirmation until Aaron said, “Yes.”

  “We’re going to bring you to him to confirm, okay?” Aaron asked the cocker spaniel.

  Ginger barked again and both the receptionist and technician looked on as if this were the most natural thing in the world. As if every day, someone spoke Dog in their office.

  Of course, this was Wildcrest. Maybe they did see this more often.

  Aaron scratched Ginger behind the ears again, and her wagging tail wiggled her entire body. He stood and accepted the leash from the technician. “Thanks.”

  With that, the three of them returned to the Jeep. Aaron secured Ginger in the backseat. Laura giggled when he pulled the seatbelt over her. It was necessary, but she wondered if the dog would stay put. Then Aaron explained to Ginger that she needed to stay put, and Laura understood.

  “That’s handy,” she said.

  “What is?”

  “Being able to tell an animal what you want them to do.”

  Aaron slid into the driver’s seat and smiled at Laura. “It’s not always that easy, but when I can share a simple picture of her in the seat with the word Stay, that has a higher likelihood of success.”

  “I love it,” Laura said.

  “Me too.”

  They stared at each other, the air heavy with promise. Laura licked her lips and Aaron’s eyes dilated.

  “We’d better get Ginger to the hospital,” Laura said shakily. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d kissed a man, and the thought saddened her.

  Aaron gripped the steering wheel. “Of course.”

  The short drive back to the hospital remained expectant. Laura wondered what it would have been like to kiss Aaron at that moment. Butterflies took flight at the thought and she concentrated on settling them.

  He parked the Jeep without comment, and let Ginger out of the backseat.

  “She moves well with that flexible cast,” Laura commented.

  “It was just a hairline fracture. Shouldn’t take too long to heal,” he said. “Ben told me,” he added, at her questioning look.

  The trio walked to the side of the main entrance and considered their plan.

  “Ben obviously knows we’re doing this,” Aaron said.

  “But the hospital doesn’t allow dogs?” Laura asked.

  “No. What do you think?”

  “Are therapy dogs allowed?”

  “Maybe,” Aaron answered. “There’s only one way to find out.”

  They shared a conspiratorial grin, then waltzed into the hospital.

  “May I help you?” a woman at the front desk asked, staring back and forth between them and Ginger.

  “We’re here to visit Marvin Kelm,” Aaron explained.

  “This is Ginger, our therapy dog,” Laura added, with an air of complete confidence.

  “Oh, okay. Do you know where you’re going?”

  “Yep. Dr. Benjamin Wright provided the room number,” Aaron said.

 

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