Mr. O'Grady's Magic Box Read Online Free PDF

toward the inn and caught sight of his granddad
ambling out to greet him with a large paper bag in his hand.
    "You're late and I bet you're nothing short
of famished. I packed two meals to go."
    "Thanks, Granddad. Reece's asleep in the
front seat, but once I wake him, I'm sure he'll want to eat. I
swear I don't know where he puts it all."
    "A teenage lad's stomach is never full." His
granddad chuckled. "I see you be forgetting that you were the same.
Your mother would tell me she couldn't stock the cupboards fast
enough for you."
    Ian chuckled. "You're right, I do remember
her complaining to Da." He placed the rosebush next to the potted
plant. "Did the reporter you were expecting ever arrive?"
    "Oh aye. She's staying on the second
floor."
    Ian paused and looked at his granddad.
"She?"
    "Didn't I tell you? A pretty lass, if I do
say so myself." His hands jabbed into his pockets as he rocked on
his feet.
    He hadn't told him it was a woman reporter.
His gaze turned toward the upper floor of the inn. For a moment he
thought he caught a glimpse of someone looking out, but it must
have been a trick of the light.
    "She's going to be here until the end of the
week," his granddad offered.
    Good, Ian thought. It would give him a
chance to question her. He couldn't help but wonder what kind of
woman wrote for a paranormal magazine. Probably a social reject
with nothing better to do than chase after Elvis' ghost or
something just as silly.
    "She's a smart one and a real looker," his
granddad said as if he read his mind and wanted to correct his
opinion of the reporter.
    "Is that so?" His granddad tended to
exaggerate and he gave him a leveled-eyed look.
    "Oh aye." He nodded his head. "You'll know
soon enough. I'll introduce you come tomorrow." His hand landed on
his grandson's shoulder. "You go home now and get some shuteye. The
dark circles under your eyes do nothing to flatter you. Don't want
you scaring the poor lass."
    Ian shook his head, his lips twitching at
the corners. "I'm heading home now." He glanced back at the inn,
where the light burned bright in the reporter's room. Good looking
or not, he'd escort her out of the inn if she proved not to
be legit.

Chapter Seven
     
    Aubrey stuffed her notes about the area into
the folder. She wanted to give the readers a complete visual of
this place. Once she incorporated the information into the article,
she'd shoot an email to Loretta and have her take a look at the
rough draft.
    She approached the window and brushed the
curtain aside, glancing outside. The parking lot was full and the
truck she spotted last night was parked in a slot close to the
entrance of the inn. Hmm… did that mean Mr. O'Grady's good-looking
grandson was working today? She wondered if the grandson believed
the magic box found soul mates. It would be interesting to ask him.
Maybe she could finagle a quote from him, too. This brought a smile
to her lips.
    Her research about the inn told her people
made a point to book a room during the Spring Equinox in hopes Mr.
O'Grady would give them a try at the magic box. Only one person
each year found what they were looking for, or so the legend
stated. However, Mr. O'Grady had yet to give her proof to back up
this statement.
    In ancient times, the Celts believed Alban
Eiler, which translated, Light of the Earth, was the holy
time of transition, where nature and life cycles renewed. The
Faeries perhaps thought finding a soul mate was a chance of a
person starting a new life, the next chapter so to speak.
    She leaned forward and peered skyward. The
glass radiated warmth. The weather report she pulled up on the
Internet promised sunny and warm today. "Yep, not a cloud in the
sky. Perfect." If she stayed here much longer, she might have to
relocate; Seattle could be gloomy and wet most of the year.
    She turned away and picked up her carrying
case with her laptop stored safely inside. She slipped the strap
over her shoulder and reached for her papers. Her hand clasped the
book