His throat tightened. "See you around, Ambrose." He left the restaurant while he still had control of his emotions. Outside he scrubbed a hand over his face and it came away wet. h.e.l.l. He'd planned to hail a cab, but instead he started walking. His condo was about five miles away, and he was going to need every d.a.m.n one of them.

Chapter 27.

When the doorbell rang, Anica put down her winegla.s.s and leaped up from the sofa.

Dorcas stood and put out a restraining arm. "You'd better let me get it, in case, for some reason . . ."

She didn't have to finish the sentence. Anica was taking no chances that Jasper had insisted on coming back to the apartment. "I'll go in the kitchen. Call me when the coast is clear."

She stood with both hands braced on the counter, breathing hard as she listened to the sound of the door being opened. What was she supposed to do if Jasper came looking for her? She would work to stay away from him, but she couldn't control his actions.

"You can come out," Dorcas called. "Ambrose is alone."

Oh, she'd come out all right. She'd come out and get some answers. She barreled back into the living room.

"What if he comes to the apartment? Okay, I could refuse to open the door to him, but what if he comes to Wicked Brew? Anyone's allowed to walk in there. I might not notice until it was too late."

Ambrose glanced at Dorcas. "So she signed it."

"Yes."

"So did Jasper."

Anica was ready to scream. "Sign what? I feel as if I'm expected to play a game without seeing the rule book. What sort of contract did Jasper sign?"

Dorcas walked over and laid a hand on her arm. "We can't tell you. But I can tell you that you don't have to worry about coming into contact with Jasper."

"Oh." Anica pressed her fingers against her throbbing temples and paced the room. "Okay, I can figure it out. He signed something promising not to see me, right?" She stopped pacing and looked at them.

Dorcas and Ambrose silently returned her gaze.

"Yeah, I know. You can't say." She returned to her pacing. "But that makes sense. He probably knows that seeing me would turn him back into a cat. If that was in his contract, no way is he coming near me. Which is good. That's exactly what I'd want him to do." She ma.s.saged her temples.

Dorcas took a step toward her. "Can we get you anything? If you'd like to go out to dinner, we've found a cute little Italian-"

"That's nice of you, but I'm not really in the mood. You have a car, though, right?"

"Yes," Ambrose said. "We found a parking garage a couple of blocks from here."

"On your way to dinner would you mind dropping me off at the Bubbling Cauldron?"

"We'd be happy to," Dorcas said. "Family can be a big help at times like these."

Anica nodded. "Family and a few wicked martinis."

Six hours later Anica was chock-full of vodka martinis and onion rings. She'd spent her entire time sitting on a stool at the bar, and her f.a.n.n.y would probably be sore in the morning, but at the moment she was feeling no pain anywhere. Even her heart, the most battered part of her body, didn't hurt anymore.

"Come on, sis." Lily helped her into her coat. "We'll share a taxi."

"But you live in the other direction." She peered at Lily, who was slightly out of focus. "Did you move?"

"No, I didn't. But I'm going to make sure you get into your apartment before I go home."

"It'll cost you twice as much."

"Don't care." Lily hustled them out the door and scanned the cabless street. "Wouldn't you know it? Guess I'll have to get us a cab the old-fashioned way." She pulled her wand out of her backpack.

"Won't work, Lil."

"Oh, I don't believe that c.r.a.p. Just because you've lost your magic doesn't mean you're like some magical Typhoid Mary when it comes to the rest of us. That's crazy."

Ten minutes later, Lily sighed and tucked her wand back in her purse. "I tell you, Anica, that was one bad-a.s.s spell you invoked. Let's walk down to the corner. We'll get a cab easier that way."

Lily managed to get a cab by putting two fingers in her mouth and producing a whistle that nearly split Anica's skull down the middle. She would have a doozy of a hangover in the morning and no magical way of curing it. However, in the morning Jasper would not turn into a cat. That was all that mattered.

Lily behaved like a mother hen as she hustled Anica into the cab. Then she insisted on making the cab wait, meter running, while she escorted Anica to her door. She helped Anica get the door unlocked, too, because Anica's coordination wasn't the greatest.

"Listen, I don't have to work tomorrow night," Lily said. "Call me. We'll do something."

"Thanks, Lil." Anica hugged her. "You mix a mean martini."

"Hey, tomorrow we could do margaritas and salsa!" She produced a shimmy to ill.u.s.trate her suggestion.

"Sure, why not? I'll call you." With a wave and a lop-sided smile, she closed and locked her door. A cat meowed, and she glanced down as Orion rubbed against her leg in greeting. "Just you and me, kid." She crouched down and braced one hand on the floor so she wouldn't topple over. Way too many martinis.

She scratched behind Orion's ears. Someday soon she'd look into getting a second cat so Orion could have another playmate. But she'd give it some time. And the cat would not be black.

Jasper spent the night stocking in supplies and making lists. He got cash from the ATM and put gas in his car. Theoretically, if he kept himself busy with details, he wouldn't have to look at the big picture, which tended to make his vision blur. Tonight he was all about trees, not the forest.

At least on Sunday night he'd be able to wear different clothes. When he'd thought he had a future with Anica, he'd been fond of the clothes. He wasn't so fond of them now.

At five in the morning he stripped them off and tossed everything but the shoes in the garbage. He couldn't quite bring himself to throw away a pair of Cole Haan loafers that he'd bought last week. If they turned out to be as full of memories as the clothes, then he might, but for now he'd keep them around.

Showering in his own bathroom felt good. He hoped he'd be able to make enough money to keep the condo, but if not he'd adjust. Whenever he got a panicked feeling about his future, he reminded himself that Anica was okay. She could look forward to the life she'd had before meeting him. He hadn't ruined everything for her.

And he would love her for the rest of his life. But he didn't want to think about that right now. He was concentrating on trees, not the forest. He took inventory of his soap and shampoo. With only twelve hours to work and shop, he'd have to become extremely well-organized.

He wouldn't need to worry about shaving ever again, though. Every night at six he'd transform clean-shaven, and that would take him through until he transformed again at six in the morning. He knew there had to be some sort of bonus to this program, and apparently he'd found it.

At five fifty-five he sprawled naked on his bed and waited. Usually by now he could sense the change coming. Maybe he was just getting used to it, because he didn't feel any different.

At five fifty-eight he turned on his side and stared at the digital clock radio on his nightstand. By now he should be feeling the dizziness that preceded the change. Instead he felt nothing besides a slight drowsiness from being up all night.

He stared at the clock as it switched to five fifty-nine. Something wasn't right. Maybe his clock was off. Leaving the bed, he searched out his BlackBerry, which he'd left on his desk in the den. The BlackBerry read exactly six o'clock.

Putting it down, Jasper went to stand in front of the bathroom mirror. His bearded morning face gazed back at him. He wasn't changing! Could it be? No more reverting to a cat? The rush of pure joy was followed instantly by gut-twisting anxiety. Oh, G.o.d. Had Anica's contract gone into effect and somehow canceled his? Had she given up her magic for him?

Or did she give up even more? He had a sudden, awful image of Anica trading places with him. What if her contract wasn't about losing her magic? What if she'd agreed to a.s.sume his twelve hours of being a cat?

He had to go over there. Trying to control the shakes that had come on at the idea of Anica turning into a cat, he pulled clothes out of a drawer. In record time he was dressed in a pair of gray sweats and an old T-shirt, along with his running shoes.

Then he grabbed a Bulls jacket out of the closet and crammed a Cubs baseball cap over his uncombed hair. At the last minute he strapped on his watch. If something had gone wacko with the spell and he changed at a different hour, he'd want to know when that was.

He hoped to h.e.l.l that wouldn't happen. He could be left in a very dicey position if it did. But he'd risk it. He had to get over to Anica's and find out what had happened to her at six this morning.

No doubt looking like a vagrant, he left his condo. A bus that would take him to her street sat at the bus stop a block away. He had to run, but he made it.

The bus was almost empty. Only three other pa.s.sengers shared the ride with him, but he remained standing and held on to the overhead rail, as if sitting would slow the bus. It seemed to take freaking forever, anyway. He kept leaning down and looking out the window, because it had been days since he'd seen the city at this hour of the morning.

Come to think of it, he'd almost never seen the streets of the city at this hour on a Sunday morning. That was his day to sleep in, read the Sunday Trib, meander down to the corner deli for some Danish and coffee, although the coffee there had lost its appeal once he'd tasted Anica's coffee at Wicked Brew.

All those activities seemed too precious and innocent now. He'd been such an arrogant smart-a.s.s, thinking it was just fine for him to manipulate a woman's feelings. When Anica had called him on it, he'd tried to make light of it. He'd even-and this really made him wince-tried to minimize her anger by thinking it could be solved with a kiss.

As the bus neared the stop closest to her building, he pulled the cord to signal the driver and waited impatiently for the bus to slow and the back door to open. Then he leaped down and jogged along the sidewalk. He wanted to run, but that might draw too much attention, especially before dawn. Jogging was normal in the city. Flat-out running usually meant you'd committed a crime.

No lights gleamed in any of the apartment windows. Everyone was probably sound asleep at this hour on a Sunday morning. Too bad. He had to find out for himself what was going on.

Taking the steps at a jog, he leaned on the buzzer. As he waited for her to answer, he ran a hand over his jaw. Man, he needed a shave. What a concept, considering that he hadn't picked up a razor since Monday night.

When she didn't answer his anxiety level hit the roof. He pressed the buzzer again, longer this time, and tried not to imagine a delicate female cat sitting up in her apartment, a cat who couldn't answer the bell.

When she still didn't open the street door or speak into the intercom, he started punching the buzzer in a staccato rhythm. If she didn't come soon, he was calling the police. He'd make up some story that would justify breaking in.

Then he heard her sleepy voice on the intercom and he sagged in delirious relief. She was human.

"Anica, I need to talk to you."

She gasped. "Go away, Jasper! Please, just go away!"

"Anica, I need to see you."

"No! Please leave!"

He couldn't understand the panic in her voice, unless something awful had happened as a result of what she'd signed. He had to get in there somehow. "Listen, did you sign something that said you'd give up your magic?"

No answer. Which was an answer, wasn't it?

"What are you so afraid of, Anica?"

"I . . . just go away. I can't have any contact with you or you might . . . change back!"

That gave him pause, but he was willing to risk anything to see her again and find out what she'd signed.

"I'm not leaving until you open this door and let me come up to talk with you."

"You can't!" She seemed terrified. And she also sounded as if she might be crying.

s.h.i.tfire. He leaned against the wall next to the row of buzzers and tried to think. The door was st.u.r.dy and the lock strong. Not much chance he could break it down. He'd have to use his wits to get inside.

Or Julie. Pushing away from the wall, he studied the list of tenants. Only one Julie. He buzzed her apartment.

Once again, it took three tries before he roused her. "Who is it?" she called through the intercom.

"Julie, it's me, Jasper."

"The cat?"

"I'm a man now, and I'm worried about Anica. I think she gave up her magical powers, or worse, in exchange for me permanently becoming a man. But she won't let me in, so I don't know what's happening. And she sounds scared."

The lock clicked open and Jasper took the stairs two at a time. By the time he got to Julie's door, she'd already opened it. She stood there wearing gla.s.ses, kitten-patterned pajamas, and fuzzy pink slippers. "You think she gave up her magic for you?"

"Yes. Would you go down there and see if she'll let you in? I just need to know she's okay. And if you could, please tell her I paid a lot for her to get her magic back. See if you can get her to test her wand."

"Where will you be?"

"Right down the hall."

"Okay. Let me get my key." She disappeared for a minute and returned carrying a cat-shaped key ring. "Let's go."

Jasper made himself walk at her pace, which in her fuzzy slippers was about twice as slow as he'd prefer. Along the way he decided to fill her in. "See, I signed a contract that I'd stay a cat from six in the morning to six at night, so that she'd get her magic back. If that contract's in effect, I should have changed into a cat at six. I didn't, so I'm worried that the reverse happened and she lost her magic so I could be a man twenty-four/seven. I don't want Anica making that kind of sacrifice."

Julie glanced at him. "Maybe she doesn't want you making one, either."

Jasper blew out an impatient breath. "Right now, I just want to get to the bottom of this. Promises were made, and I want to know if-"

"Gotcha." Julie pointed to a spot by the stairs. "Stay here. I'll signal if you should come in or not."

Jasper wished he didn't have the distinct impression Julie was enjoying this. She probably lived for drama, whereas he wouldn't care if he never had another dramatic thing happen to him. Still, he was grateful that she was willing to help. He propped himself against the wall next to the stairs and prepared to wait.

He couldn't hear what Julie said through the door, but Anica opened it and let her in. He resisted the urge to charge down there and brace the door open before Anica could close it again. That would be another case of the ends justifying the means, and he hoped he'd learned that lesson.

Time stretched out endlessly as he watched the doorway. He clenched and unclenched his hands, resettled his cap on his head about twenty times, and retied the laces on both of his shoes.

After about a hundred years, the door opened and Julie came out. Although the door closed after her, she beckoned him closer.

Julie's eyes were bright with excitement. "Her magic works!"

"It does?" Jasper stared at her. "Then how come I haven't changed into a cat?"

" 'Gift of the Magi.'"

"I don't get it."