The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic by Emily Croy Barker Read Free Book Online Page B

been thinking? “Luca and Chris must be furious.”
    â€œOh, no, no, no.” Maggie laughed, sounding tinny. The phone was the old-fashioned kind, squat and black. “No need to apologize. I hear that you went to a fabulous party last night. I’m so envious! I mean, the reception was fine, but compared to one of Ilissa’s parties—?”
    â€œYou’ve heard of her?”
    â€œYou never heard of her? I’m shocked! She’s famous!”
    Nora lowered her voice. “Who is she, exactly? She has the most extraordinary friends. Last night was like something out of Fellini.”
    Maggie laughed again. “She’s one of those people who’s famous for being herself.”
    â€œNice work if you can get it,” Nora said. “She’s been super sweet to me, I must say. I can’t wait to tell you about my adventure. How did you track me down here? Could you come pick me up?”
    â€œThere’s no hurry. The person I just talked to said Ilissa is completely happy to have you stay. Why not take a few days to enjoy yourself? How often do you get to be in a Fellini film?”
    â€œTrue,” Nora said, considering. “But you’re driving back tonight, right?”
    â€œOh, maybe, I’m not sure. Seriously, you don’t get a chance to meet someone like Ilissa every day. People like that are magical. For once in your life, Nora, you should spend some time with people who can appreciate how wonderful you are, and show you how to really live.”
    â€œWell, last night
was
kind of magical. I felt so different.”
    â€œIt’s exactly what you need,” Maggie said. “Oops, I have to run. Have a wonderful time, darling.”
    â€œMaggie, wait, I left my phone at the cabin, I don’t have your number—”
    â€œHave fun!”
    She was gone. Nora hung up, slightly puzzled. It was unlike Maggie, always hyperorganized, to be so cavalier about her own schedule, and she couldn’t repress a faint feeling of hurt that, for some reason, Maggie seemed to be trying to keep the conversation brief. Then she saw what must have happened: Maggie had met someone at the reception, and had changed her own plans as a result.
    And what she had just said was true. This was an opportunity, an open door, of a kind Nora had never come across before. What had Maggie said? These people could show her how to live. Live all you can, it’s a mistake not to. After just a few hours with Ilissa and her friends, everything looked different: softer, brighter, rich with possibility.
    The clock on the mantelpiece chimed two o’clock. She realized with a start that she’d slept half the day away. Getting out of bed, Nora approached the mirror tentatively, remembering how she had collapsed into bed without even taking off her makeup; she must look like hell.
    But the face that looked out at her was still as luminous and assured as when Ilissa had shown it to her the night before. Nora ran her tongue along her lips, thinking that she had never really noticed how full they were, or how long her eyelashes were, or how elegantly her cheekbones caught the light. Her face smiled back at her, calmly amused that anyone would even doubt its beauty.
    A knock at the door. Moscelle, trim and pretty in a riding habit, asking if Nora would like to go riding this afternoon. “I’d like to,” Nora said regretfully, “but I don’t really know how to ride.” Her experience with horses totaled some pony rides and a few painful hours on a stubborn gelding when she was fifteen. But Moscelle said not to be silly. “Ilissa has a sweet mare you can ride. And there’s a spare habit that should fit you beautifully. So no excuses!”
    The mare was beautiful, jet black with a single white diamond on her forehead, and once mounted, Nora discovered there was none of the vertiginous jolting that had made her cling to the saddle horn in the past.