The Right to Bear Charms (Forever Charmed Mysteries Book 2) by Denise Swanson

Author:Denise Swanson [Swanson, Denise]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-09-13T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Sense and Shoe Ability

When we arrived at the hotel, we were told that Cole had left. After a quick round of texting, we discovered he was at home. Since Lucas didn’t think it was a good idea to try to explain what we wanted Cole to do in a message, we invited ourselves over.

As I remembered from the brief glimpse that I’d gotten prior to flying to Washington, DC, the Pendergast place was more of a castle than an ordinary home. I was disappointed to see that it didn’t have a moat, but it did have a gatehouse.

When we arrived, Lucas stopped at the keypad. Evidently, the code was changed with each use, which seemed extreme to me, but for all I knew it was the norm among the überbillionaires of the magic world.

Lucas punched in the sequence of numbers that Cole had provided in his last text, and the metal barrier slid open. As soon as we drove through, it shut behind us. We were now locked inside the stone walls, and a feeling of claustrophobia enveloped me.

Although it was hours until sunset, the courtyard was lit up like a movie set. Lights were strategically place, emphasizing the meticulously trimmed shrubs, sweeping steps, and massive double doors designed to impress or intimidate or maybe both.

The Pendergasts were clearly old money and were not about to be mistaken for any nouveau riche upstarts.

The covered entryway seemed ominous, and as we exited the truck, I could see that Lucas’s shoulders were stiff. Did he have the same sense of foreboding that I did?

We rang the bell, and as the seconds ticked by, I prepared myself for anything. Would Cole answer his own door?

Suddenly, the huge oak portals swung open, and we were greeted by Calista. She wore a floral print A-line dress and Marion Parke ballerina flats. Considering those shoes ran close to five hundred dollars, I would bet she also had a few pair of Louboutins in her closet.

It suddenly occurred to me that both Lucas and Cole still lived with their mothers. Evidently this was pretty common here in Echo Springs.

Come to think about it, I lived with my mom too. Or to be more accurate, Miranda lived with me. But no matter how you sliced it, we did live together.

Calista motioned us inside. “Follow me. Cole is on a business call. He shouldn’t be long.”

“Thank you,” I murmured. “I hope we’re not disturbing you.”

Her smile seemed forced. “Of course not.”

The entry foyer was impressive, as were the double sweeping staircases open to a large living space with a massive fireplace that could easily roast an entire ox. Calista led us into a conservatory.

She gestured to the cushioned wicker chairs. “Have a seat. Would you like something to drink?”

“No thank you,” Lucas and I both answered at the same time.

Calista smoothed her hair. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to the kitchen. Cook is having a meltdown over a fallen soufflé and if we want dinner tonight, I need to soothe her.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.