Once Upon Stilettos
Page 119

“The good ones are real. Illusion is a shortcut.”
“So I’ll still be able to see your tree when it comes back to me?”
He gave my hand a reassuring squeeze. “Yes, you will.”
“You know, this whole experience has certainly given me a new perspective on things. I may even miss some of it.”
“Let’s hope you have a chance to miss it. Is it any better?”
“It’s so gradual, it’s hard to tell.”
A short, balding man then came over to join us. I recognized Owen’s boss, Mr. Lansing, the one who was supposedly a frog. He stuck a hand out to me. “Arthur J. Lansing, director of Research and Development. I don’t believe we’ve met formally.”
I took his hand and had to make an effort not to flinch when it turned out to be cold and smooth—like shaking hands with a frog, as a matter of fact. “Nice to meet you,” I said. “I’m Katie Chandler, the CEO’s assistant.”
“Yes, I know. I normally send the boy here to any meetings. Don’t get out much, you know.”
I smiled and turned to Owen, prepared to say something about those meetings, then almost jumped when the man became a frog, right before my eyes. There was a giant frog wearing a tuxedo and glasses standing in front of me. It took all my self-control not to leap out of the way and scream in shock. Instead, I smiled and said, “You probably get so much more done without all those meetings.”
“Well, I’m getting empty.” He gestured with his glass. “Off for a refill, nice chatting with you.” Then he hopped away and I had to bite my tongue to keep from giggling.
“Let me guess, it’s starting to come back,” Owen whispered in my ear.
“Oh yeah, and interesting timing, too. What is the deal with frogs, anyway? There are way too many of them in my life these days.”
He shrugged. “It’s a classic. Those never go out of style. I wish I could figure out a way of undoing that one. That’s no way to live. Should we get something to drink?”
“A drink sounds wonderful.”
With his hand on my waist, he guided me to a nearby champagne fountain, where he handed me a glass before filling one for himself. For someone who normally showed no signs of romantic interest, he was doing a good job of acting like he couldn’t take his eyes off me.
I saw Isabel’s head approach through the crowd. When she reached us, she hugged me and patted Owen on the shoulder. “You’re wearing the fabulous shoes again!” she boomed. “Love them!” Then she gave me a sly wink as she gestured toward Owen with her chin. “And nice work. You go, girl!”
I smiled back at her and made a mental note to let her in on the real story when all was said and done. That would be the most effective way of spreading the word companywide that Owen and I were not, in fact, a real item. Pity.
While we got food and made small talk with the various people we ran into, I scanned the room constantly, looking for Ari. “Are you sure she’s coming?” Owen asked when half an hour had gone by with no sign of her.
“She said she was. She’s probably being fashionably late. She’ll want to make a big entrance.”
Just then, the front doors opened and Ari swept in on the arm of a tall, lanky man. He looked unfamiliar at first, but as I focused on him, his appearance shifted, blurred, then solidified into something all too familiar to me. “Speak of the devil,” I breathed, “and you’ll never believe who she brought as her date.”
“Who is it?” Owen hissed into my ear. His warm breath on my cheek made me momentarily forget the urgency of the situation, but I forced myself to focus.
“Guess,” I whispered back to him.
“Katie.” There was a warning tone in his voice.
“She brought Phelan Idris. He’s wearing an illusion.”
“And you can see him?”
“He just came into full focus. Looks like I was cured in the nick of time. But how could she possibly hope to get away with that? There are people here who can see him.”
“Not a lot of the verifiers show up for these parties, and few of those would have the slightest idea who he is. And remember, she thinks you can’t see him.”
“There’s Ethan,” I pointed out. “He knows Idris, and he’s an immune.”
“Is he even here?”
“I haven’t seen him yet, but I can’t imagine Mr. ‘I want to explore magic’ staying away. I think he’s supposed to be coming with Trix.”