Amulet, p.1
Amulet, page 1
Table of Contents
Amulet
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Praise for Amulet
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
A word about the author…
Thank you for purchasing
Amulet
by
Kathryn Amurra
Heart’s True Desire Series
Copyright Notice
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.
Amulet
COPYRIGHT © 2023 by Kathryn Amurra
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or The Wild Rose Press, Inc. except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
Contact Information: info@thewildrosepress.com
Cover Art by Lea Schizas
The Wild Rose Press, Inc.
PO Box 708
Adams Basin, NY 14410-0708
Visit us at www.thewildrosepress.com
Publishing History
First Edition, 2024
Trade Paperback ISBN 978-1-5092-5409-5
Digital ISBN 978-1-5092-5410-1
Heart’s True Desire Series
Published in the United States of America
Dedication
For my three lovely daughters, Maye, Jemma, and Penny, who have taught me that there is no limit to the love we are capable of giving, and my husband, Ken, the hero of all my stories.
Praise for Amulet
“Kathryn Amurra’s Amulet is an absorbing tale of re-evaluating what’s important in life, of choices between what one has always wished for versus one’s true heart’s desires, and discovering that magic comes in many forms. Thoroughly enjoyed this enchanting story!”
—Joy Allyson, Author of Whiskey Love (Published by The Wild Rose Press)
“I loved it! I was speed-reading near the end—so anxious to see how the romance worked out! What a great ending! I look forward to more in this series.”
—Kel O’Connor, Author of The DAG Series
“For anyone who loves clean, contemporary romance with a hint of magic! Kathryn Amurra writes a story that will appeal to readers who enjoy contemporary romance combined with just the right dash of magic to their stories! She spins an engaging tale of a family heirloom that grants whoever possesses it their greatest wish.”
—Leanne Davis, Author of the River’s End Series
Chapter One
Val Nikolov surveyed the grand hall he had rented out for the evening and began to relax. The sparkling lights and festive chatter of his employees and their families filled him with a mixture of pride and appreciation. It was hard not to be in a good mood with Christmas just around the corner. Harder still when he considered what a great year it had been for Span Global. If all went according to plan and the acquisition of his company went through, there would be even more for all of them to celebrate before too long.
An exasperated sigh escaped loudly from the ruby-red lips of the woman standing beside Val, taking a little of his joy with it.
Turning to the tall blonde to find her glaring in the general direction of the happy masses, Val couldn’t help stating the obvious. “You look bored, Ginny.”
His girlfriend turned slightly to look at him, a wry smile twisting her otherwise flawless face.
“Not really. I’m just contemplating which one of your employees picked out the wine for this party. Was it Judy?”
“As a matter of fact, it was.”
Flipping her curls back, she managed to expose more of the cleavage that was already on generous display in the low-cut red dress she wore. “No wonder it tastes like it came out of a box.”
It had been like pulling teeth to get Ginny to agree to come to his company’s holiday party, and now he wondered why he’d even bothered. Their relationship had run its course. He was miserable with her, and clearly, the feeling was mutual. It was time to face the facts and end it. But not tonight.
Val picked up his glass of wine from the high-top table and took a long sip, savoring the flavors just to spite her and resolving not to let Ginny’s sour disposition ruin his evening.
“Who’s that?”
Certain he would regret it, Val glanced over his shoulder, following her gaze.
“The one in the dark blue dress that looks like it came off the clearance rack at a discount store,” she clarified.
He spotted the young woman across the room. She was maybe five-foot-seven in her strappy heels and looked rather good in the lacy cocktail dress, regardless of where Ginny thought it came from. Her light brown hair was pulled back with only a couple of tresses falling naturally on either side of a picture-perfect face to caress a graceful neck and delicate collarbone.
There was something familiar about the woman, in her unassuming stance and warm expression, but Val knew she wasn’t someone he’d met before. He knew everyone in the company—all sixty-two employees. Not to mention this woman was not the type to slip anyone’s mind.
She stood alone, a few steps from the bar, with a subtle, welcoming smile in the hopes that someone might come to talk to her, Val guessed. Now and then she took a sip of her drink, then returned to smiling, in search of that brave soul.
But most men weren’t that brave. A beautiful woman no one seemed to know standing alone in a crowded room was intimidating, to say the least. Nope, she was going to have a hard time finding company at this Christmas party, which didn’t seem right at all.
“I don’t know who she is,” Val finally said in response to Ginny’s question. “But I do like that dress.”
“You’re an ass,” she hissed, walking away. Val laughed for the first time that night.
Looking over again at the lovely young woman, Val felt a pang of sympathy. He knew what it was like to be an outsider, someone who didn’t fit in. That description pretty much summed up his childhood. With parents who hated each other, an older brother and two older sisters who despised him, and classmates who bullied him relentlessly, he’d had no one on his side except for his kind-hearted grandmother.
Spotting his secretary nearby, Val made his way over to the rather large fifty-year-old and put a hand on her shoulder. She stopped talking mid-sentence and, realizing it was him, instantly beamed in welcome. “Val! Haven’t seen you all night! Where’ve you been hiding, hon?”
Judy was the only one at the office who spoke to him in such an informal, almost affectionate manner. And he wouldn’t have had it any other way.
“I’ve only just now succeeded in getting away from Ginny.”
Judy chuckled. “You should have called me over to help you with that.”
Judy also was the only one who told Val exactly what she thought of his choice of women. And it was never anything good.
“I think I upset her. She said something about me being an ass and stormed off.”
“Good,” said Judy, without hesitation. “Maybe she’ll be so upset she’ll break up with you.”
“It doesn’t matter how upset she is,” replied Val, raising his glass to take another drink. “I’m breaking up with her on Monday.”
Judy threw her hands up in the air. “Goodness gracious, Val, that’s the best Christmas present you could have given me!”
“Really? So, I guess I can just hold on to that bonus check I was going to give you next week.”
Judy slapped him hard on the arm. “You’d better not, or I’ll have to agree with Miss Ginny’s comment about you being an ass.”
Val laughed, then looked over at the young woman who had piqued his interest a few minutes before.
“Hey, Judy, who’s that woman standing by herself? She doesn’t work for us, does she? Is she someone’s forgotten date?”
“Oh, hon, she’s the new contract attorney that started last week. She technically works for Advance Legal, but she’s coming into the office every day to help with the due diligence work for the acquisition. And by ‘help’ I pretty much mean ‘do all of it herself.’”
“I see.” He remembered authorizing his Human Resources Manager to find a contract attorney. They needed help cleaning up their books and making sure everything was squared away before the documents went out to FiberTech’s attorneys for review. He didn’t want to risk any last-minute technicalities or legal hang-ups derailing the acquisition. It had taken Val eleven years to build Span Global into the company it was today, and the sale to FiberTech would make him a very rich man. More than that, it would free him up to start a new project, and at thirty-six years old, he was ready for something new.
“I think I looked over a few résumés for that posi
Chuckling, Judy dabbed at the beads of sweat forming near her temples with a napkin. “You probably thought you were reading a man’s résumé when you picked it out of the pile. Her name is Alex. Alex Weaver.”
Val nodded. “Yes, I remember that résumé. She has an undergraduate degree in engineering, took some business courses while in law school, and still managed to get a J.D. in three years, top ten percent of her law school class. I think she’s proficient in a ridiculous number of languages, too, if I’m not mixing her up with someone else.”
“That ridiculous number is six, by the way,” Judy clarified.
He looked over at Alex once more. The welcoming smile had faded somewhat, and her attention had turned to the band that was playing holiday songs in the corner of the large indoor courtyard.
“I feel bad I haven’t had a chance to talk to her,” said Val, almost to himself. “There’s just been so many meetings and phone calls with this acquisition going on and end-of-year planning. I didn’t even know we’d officially hired someone.”
Just then, Kurt Donovan came toward him, hand outstretched and a huge grin on his face.
“Val, I’ve been looking all over for you. Great party.”
Val shook his key product manager’s hand warmly. “Glad to see you’re enjoying yourself, Kurt. You, of all people, deserve to let off some steam during the holidays. The work you and your team did on the re-design of the reflective lenses really brought us to the forefront for next-gen fiber optic systems. It’s been a great year for us, thanks to you.”
Kurt accepted the praise with an awkward nod. “A lot of people showed up tonight, it looks like. Word is getting out about your Christmas parties.”
“Word gets out about everything,” replied Val.
“You don’t know how true that is,” said Kurt, all humor suddenly gone from his expression. “Say, I need to have a little chat with you about something. Do you have time Monday morning to talk?”
Val quickly went over Monday’s schedule in his mind. He had a nine o’clock call with FiberTech’s General Counsel in Israel, which would last about an hour, and back-to-back meetings in the afternoon. He was hoping to squeeze in a quick lunch with Ginny in between to break the news that they were done. Now that he had decided to end the relationship, he didn’t want to wait a second longer than needed.
“Why don’t you stop by at ten-fifteen?”
“Hey, sounds good. I’ll leave you to your hobnobbing. Enjoy the rest of your party and the weekend, and I’ll see you Monday morning, ten-fifteen sharp.”
“All right, Kurt. Enjoy.”
As Kurt walked away from him, Val turned his attention once more to Alex, intending to go over to introduce himself. Unfortunately, she was no longer standing near the bar, or anywhere in the vicinity.
“Judy,” Val interrupted his secretary’s conversation for the second time that night.
She answered, unperturbed. “Yes, Val?”
“Did you see where Alex went? She was standing right there a minute ago.”
Judy looked toward the bar area. “Oh, hon, I think she just left. I saw her walk over to the coat check stand.”
Val nodded, suddenly irritated. That was one more thing to add to Monday’s list.
Chapter Two
Alex quietly opened the door to the townhouse and stepped into the darkened living room,
shutting and locking the door behind her. Letting her eyes adjust to the lack of light for a moment, she shuffled past the kitchen and into the bedroom, trying not to bump into anything.
“You can turn on the light, Lex. I’m not asleep yet.”
Instead of turning on the overhead light in the bedroom, Alex took a few steps into the bathroom and turned on that light to keep from accidentally blinding her boyfriend.
“Why are you still awake, Billy? I thought you had to get up early tomorrow morning to work.” She unzipped her dress and stepped out of it, then moved over to the closet to hang it up.
“It’s only nine. And I’m not eighty years old.”
Alex chuckled, but his answer irked her just the same. Billy hadn’t attended the party because of a deposition that needed to be prepped the following morning, and yet here he was, claiming it was too early to be asleep.
She stomped softly to the bathroom to take a quick shower, hoping the hot water would relax her. Ten minutes later, she was climbing into bed. The shower had only been marginally helpful.
Curling onto one side, facing away from Billy, Alex closed her eyes. There was no reason to be upset. She knew Billy didn’t like parties, especially ones where he didn’t know anyone. But she hadn’t known anyone at the party that night, either, and it would have been nice to have her boyfriend there, for support. It was a new job, and he knew it was important for Alex to make an appearance. He should have gone with her. Then at least they could have stood there being awkward together, sharing a glass of wine and enjoying the music. They wouldn’t have had to stay long.
Instead, she had stood there alone, searching in vain for someone to talk to and lacking the courage to interrupt anyone’s conversation to introduce herself. All her high school insecurities had come rushing back, and she had stayed planted in one spot, feeling like an idiot for over an hour before calling it quits.
Billy rolled over and inched closer, fitting his body to her backside and putting an arm around her. Apparently, he still wasn’t asleep. And from the way he began rubbing her arm, it wasn’t sleep that was on his mind.
He passed a hand under her oversized shirt and touched her stomach, working his way up.
This is what he wants from you. And you keep giving it to him. It’s no wonder the boy doesn’t want to get married. Why should he? Her mother’s voice was loud in her head tonight, and being annoyed at Billy only seemed to make it louder.
When she made no move to reciprocate Billy’s advances, his hand stilled. “Are you mad at me?”
That innocent question was all it took to diffuse Alex’s aggravation, and she sighed. Billy loved her; she knew he did. How could she be mad at him for being truthful about not wanting to go to the stupid holiday party? After all, Alex hadn’t said how much she really wanted him to be there. Instead, she had smiled and told him to stay home. How could she fault him for doing just that?
“No,” she finally answered. “I’m not mad. Just tired.”
“Oh.”
Withdrawing his hand, Billy wrapped an arm around her waist, then kissed the back of her head. “Get some rest, Lex. It’s Saturday tomorrow—you can sleep in. I’ll try to finish up at the office before lunch so we can do something together in the afternoon.”
Alex reached for his arm, squeezing it tenderly, then closed her eyes.
****
On Monday morning, Val woke up to one of the worst sore throats of his life. Accepting the fact that sleeping in was not an option, he took a long, hot shower, breathing in the steam to soothe the searing pain that accompanied each swallow. After getting dressed, he forced down a glass of water that felt like tiny daggers shredding his esophagus to flush whatever virus this was out of his system. He made himself a piece of toast with a generous coating of butter and tried to eat, but then simply gave up, deciding there was nothing he could do to make his throat feel better. He just had to tough it out.
What was worse was that he had a full day of meetings and phone calls, which meant a lot of talking.
It was going to be a hell of a day.
The traffic that morning seemed to be on Team Sore Throat, and Val ended up getting to the office almost a full hour late. A stop at the drugstore to get a bag of throat lozenges meant that by the time he finally sat down at his desk, he had only ten minutes to prepare for his first call.
Fortunately, there were no surprises from the general counsel of FiberTech. Aside from the fact that Val had to reach into his bag of lozenges every five minutes to pop another one into his mouth, the call went off without a hitch.
His next call, however, did not go as smoothly.
“Ginny, we need to talk.”
“You don’t sound good. Are you sick or something?” Ginny was as sympathetic as ever.
“Yes, I woke up with a terrible sore throat.”
“You weren’t sick at the Christmas party, were you?”
