The suitcase zipped itself closed with a flourish, leaving Mandy staring in amazement at the most efficiently packed luggage she'd ever seen.
Mandy stared at her perfectly packed suitcase, then at the still-giggling Djinn. "I hate you," she said.
Jacinth collapsed onto the bed in heap of colorful fabric, her musical laughter filling the room. "Your face!" she gasped between giggles. "Oh, you should have seen your face!"
"Show off," Mandy muttered, which only sent Jacinth into fresh peals of laughter.
The cats, apparently deciding Jacinth's giggle fit required investigation, climbed onto her stomach. Mozart head-butted her chin while Bach started his determined assault on her bangles. Their antics reduced Jacinth to breathless squeaks of delight as she tried to fend off their attention.
"Help!" Jacinth gasped between giggles. "I'm being attacked by ferocious wild animals!"
Mandy snickered at the sight of both cats thoroughly investigating the giggling Djinn. "Eau de catnip," she stated knowingly.
Jacinth finally managed to sit up, displacing the cats who gave her offended looks before settling nearby to groom themselves.
Glancing at her phone, Mandy groaned when she saw it was nearly 10 PM. "How am I supposed to sleep tonight? My mind's going a million miles an hour."
"Movie night?" Jacinth suggested brightly. "Something light and fun to help you relax?"
"Ooh, actually..." Mandy brightened. "I have some amazing brownies I made yesterday. They're my grandmother's recipe."
"Perfect!" Jacinth's eyes sparkled. "I'll provide the tea and popcorn." She snapped her fingers, and a familiar ornate tea service appeared on the coffee table, along with a large bowlof perfectly popped kernels dusted with what smelled like real butter and sea salt.
Mandy scrolled through her streaming options, bypassing the horror selections with a shudder. "I can't do scary movies. My imagination's too active - I'd be up all night."
"Oh, me neither!" Jacinth settled deeper into the couch. "Though I did watch some romantic comedies with my friends in New York recently. But maybe something with more action?"
"How about True Lies?" Mandy suggested, selecting the movie. "The series, not the movie, but it's got everything - action, comedy, romance - and with Arnold Schwarzenegger in a funny role, and Jamie Lee Curtis as his wife who finds out he's actually a spy, and gets herself recruited, I swear, it's just hilarious."
"I haven't seen that one!" Jacinth's eyes lit up as she reached for the popcorn.
They found it on streaming, and Mandy relaxed into her recliner, Mozart claiming his usual spot on her lap while Bach stretched out next to her knees. The familiar opening scene played out, and she found herself grinning at Jacinth's delighted reactions.
"Oh my goodness!" Jacinth squealed during the horse-and-motorcycle chase scene. "Through the building? Up the elevator?" Her musical laughter filled the room. "This is so ridiculous, I love it!"
They paused between episodes for fresh tea and more brownies. Mandy couldn't remember the last time she'd enjoyed a movie night this much. Jacinth's running commentary added an extra layer of entertainment, especially during the tango scene.
"That poor woman has no idea her husband's a spy!" Jacinth clutched a throw pillow to her chest. "And he's just... oh! The dip! That was smooth!"
Somewhere during the fourth episode, Mandy felt her eyelids growing heavy. The combination of warm tea, comfortable chair, and purring cats worked their magic. She tried to focus on the screen, but her head kept nodding forward.
"Maybe we should call it a night," Jacinth's voice seemed to come from very far away.
"Mmm," Mandy managed, already half-asleep. "Just need to... rest my eyes..."
Chapter
Nineteen
The viewfrom the balcony of Mandy's twelfth-floor hotel room stretched out before her, the Catalina Mountains painted in stunning shades of purple and gold by the setting sun. Even if this all turned out to be some elaborate hallucination - although she knew better by now - she'd still have three days of pure vacation bliss. Room service, a heated pool, the majestic horizon she could admire from her balcony, and absolutely no responsibilities beyond pampering herself.
The room itself was gorgeous, with southwestern-inspired décor in warm earth tones that made her feel instantly at home. She'd already unpacked her suitcase, arranging everything just so - her bubble baths and oils on the tub lip, skin care and makeup lined up precisely on the bathroom counter, her clothes hung neatly in the closet, her laptop set up on the desk overlooking the mountains.
Drawing a deep breath, she turned to face Kieran, who stood patiently at her side, waiting.
"So... how does this work?" The words came out shakier than she intended.
Kieran produced an elegant crystal bottle filled with swirling blue liquid that reminded her of the Mediterranean Sea. Theglass caught the fading sunlight, sending prismatic patterns dancing across the balcony floor.
