Page 24 of Christmas Past
Ruby gave a thoughtful nod. “Time travel magic is very difficult to control.” She leaned forward, her blue eyes bright with interest…and concern. “What happened, exactly?”
After a brief pause, one in which Seth tilted his head at her, thinking she should be the one to tell the story, Devynn explained about their Christmas visit to 1926, the failed attempts to return home, and the chaotic jumps that had brought them here and now. Ruby listened intently, occasionally asking questions to clarify a particular point here and there, and her pretty features grew increasingly worried as the story progressed.
“That sounds exhausting,” she said when Devynn was done telling the tale. “And possibly dangerous, too. How are you feeling now?”
“Much better,” Devynn replied at once. “All the rest I got last night helped a lot. But I’m still not sure if I can control another jump. It felt like my gift was fighting me, like it had a mind of its own.”
Ruby was quiet for a moment, and a red-lacquered fingernail tapped thoughtfully on the table. “You know,” she said, “I might be able to help with that.”
“How?” Seth asked.
“My prima powers have grown a lot stronger,” she replied. “First from bonding with Patrick, but also because of taking over as head of the clan after Abigail died. Everyone did their best to explain what that was like, but….” The words trailed off, and she gave a small shake of her head. “It’s as if some part of me has become truly alive for the first time in my life. Some days, I feel so full of magic that I’m surprised I don’t start glowing like a lightbulb. Anyway, I think I can lend some of that magical strength to you now. After all, I helped you get back to your own time once before, and I hadn’t even grown fully into my prima powers back then. So I don’t see why I couldn’t do it again.”
Hope cautiously awoke in him, and he glanced over at Devynn, who also looked more excited than he’d seen her in a while. “You think that would work?”
“I think it’s worth trying. The boost from my power should be more than enough to get you home safely.” Ruby paused there before adding with a mischievous smile, “Besides, I have a feeling the twenty-first century is where you belong. You both don’t seem as if you fit in the past anymore.”
Maybe that was the reason for the dissonance he’d been feeling ever since they left the world he’d made his own. “I suppose we’ve been focused on the future.”
“I imagine you have,” Ruby said, blue eyes still twinkling. “Well, when do you want to attempt the jump? I’d recommend waiting until tomorrow — that will give Devynn another day to recover fully. And it would be better to do it from someplace private, away from prying eyes.”
“The bungalow should work,” Seth suggested. “We’re staying there, since it looks as if it’s still empty.”
“It is,” the prima replied. “A few members of the clan have talked about moving in, but nothing’s come of it so far, so we’ve just kept it tidy for whenever someone decides to take it over.” She sipped some iced tea and went on, “Why don’t I go down to the bungalow tomorrow afternoon? Say, around one o’clock? That should give Devynn plenty of time to rest up, and if something goes wrong, we’ll have most of the day to figure out an alternative.”
“That sounds wonderful,” Devynn said. If she was at all worried about attempting another time jump, those fears weren’t reflected in her expression. “Thank you. This means more than you know.”
Ruby smiled at her. “Family helps family. Besides, I want you to be happy, and I can see that your happiness lies in the future, not the past.”
As they all rose from the kitchen table, Arthur spoke up. He’d been quiet this whole time, clearly content to let the adults carry on the conversation, but it seemed he thought he should say something now. Voice diffident, he asked, “Should I tell my dad that you’re here? He might want to see you before you go.”
Seth had been worried his nephew might pose that question. Part of him wanted to see Charles again, to have one more conversation with his brother. But another part of him worried about reopening old wounds, about having to say goodbye all over again…especially since they’d made their peace the last time they’d seen one another.
“Maybe it’s better if you don’t,” he said after a pause he was sure everyone noticed. “We don’t want to disrupt your father’s life any more than we already have.”
Arthur nodded, although he looked a little disappointed. “I understand. But if you change your mind….”
“We’ll let you know,” Seth told him.
Ruby looked over at the boy and smiled. “Arthur, why don’t you go on back to the store? I have a few things I want to talk to your uncle Seth about.”
Although Arthur didn’t look too happy to be excluded in such a way, he also seemed to realize it wasn’t a good idea to argue with his prima. He nodded at her, said a quick goodbye to Seth and Devynn, and then hurried out the front door and down the porch steps.
The three of them lingered on the porch, the scent of roses hanging heavy in the air around them. “Seth, Devynn,” Ruby said, her tone now quiet, almost sober, and not much like her usual ebullient self, “can I give you two some advice?”
He glanced over at Devynn, and she nodded, although her full mouth tightened slightly.
“Of course,” he said.
The prima put a hand on his shoulder. She might have been several years younger than he, but he still felt very much the junior in this conversation. “Don’t let guilt about the past keep you from embracing the future. You and Devynn have found something worth fighting for. Don’t let anything stand in the way of that.”
Seth gazed down at her, then cleared his throat. “How did you get so wise?”
Ruby smiled up at him, the familiar twinkle back in her bright blue eyes. “Being prima teaches you a lot about life. And love, family, home…? They’re not always what you expect them to be. Sometimes you have to create them for yourself.” She glanced over at Devynn and added, “And I think that’s exactly what you two have been doing.” Tone very different, she said, “I’ll see you both tomorrow at one.”
It was a dismissal, if a friendly one. As he and Devynn headed down Paradise Lane, Seth found himself pondering Ruby’s words. She was right, of course. He and Devynn had built a life together in the twenty-first century, had found their place in a time and community where they could be truly themselves. That was their real home now, not the Jerome of 1926 or 1948 or any other time.
“She’s amazing,” Devynn said, echoing his thoughts. “I can see why she led the clan for so many decades.”
