Just for a moment, my mind shifts to a time almost four years prior, back when I lived in Boston. There were a group of us from work—me, Marissa, Natalie, Kayla, and Simone—and we all got together for a charcuterie night. We all got tipsy, and Marissa laughed so hard she spit her wine all over the floor.
“At least it’s white wine,”I remember her saying before slugging back the rest of her glass.“So it won’t stain the carpet.”
That was Marissa. Always laughing. Never letting the little annoyances of life get to her.Life’s too short to sweat the small stuff, she liked to say. But I’m sure she never imagined how short her life would actually be.
“If you’re not feeling up to it, that’s okay,” Winter says. Concern furrows her brow. “I just thought it might be a good distraction.”
“No, it’s fine,” I hurry to reply. “It sounds like fun.”
And it does. I really like Winter, Lark, and Rory. I knew them fairly well from seeing them at Blissful Brews—and Rory from her shelter—but living at GMG has given me the opportunity to know them even better. In the four days since the attack at the bar, at least one of them has visited me every day.
Rory came by with her dog, Elmore, and we spent an hour walking through the woods on the property. Lark stopped over with a huge bag of Halloween candy, and we watched a Hallmark Halloween movie—not as good as the Christmas ones, she explained,but still worth watching. And with Winter living just a short walk away, she’s visited the most, whether it’s bringing sandwiches or some Halloween decorations or to ask for my opinion about the newest graphic design project she’s working on.
So a night with all three of them sounds prettygood. And I know darn well that if Marissa were here, she’d tell me to go. That life’s too short not to take every opportunity to enjoy myself.
The only negative to Winter’s plan is that it means I won’t get to see Alec tomorrow night. Since I moved into the cabin, he’s been here every night; bringing dinner to share and staying to watch TV, playingTenebris Veil, and more recently, partaking in lengthy make-out sessions that stop just short of moving to the bedroom. And I’d be lying if I said I haven’t thought aboutnotstopping the next time.
Yes, I know I told Angel that Alec and I were taking things slowly. That we were still figuring things out. But the more time I spend with Alec, the more sure I am about him. The surer I am aboutus.
After all, I’ve known Alec for years. Not in a romantic way, but in plenty of other ways that matter just as much. I know he’s kind. Smart. Loyal. Sensitive, though he doesn’t often let other people see it. And I know he would do anything for the people he cares about.
So maybe I don’t need to take things slowly with Alec. Maybe I should just trust my instincts this time and see where it leads.
Winter gives me an appraising look. Then her lips quirk. “Are you thinking about how you won’t see Alec tomorrow night?”
“What?” My cheeks warm. “No. Of course not.”
She takes a sip of her water before setting theglass back onto the coffee table. “It’s okay if you were. I know I felt like that when I first got together with Enzo. It was like I couldn’t get enough of him.”
“Maybe a little,” I admit. “But I don’t want to become one of those women who only cares about being with her boy—” I stop.IsAlec my boyfriend? Technically, we’ve only been dating for a little over a week. Is it too soon to call him that?
Winter’s smile expands into a wide grin. “Ah, so it’s like that?”
“I don’t know. Maybe?” I take a drink to give myself time to think. “We haven’t been dating long. So, part of me thinks it must be too soon. But the other part…”
“The other part feels ready right now?” Winter gives a knowing nod. “I get it. I wasn’t sure either, especially because everything was so chaotic when we started dating. And with everything that happened with my ex, I thought it made more sense to take things slowly. But with Enzo… it just felt right. Like I knew he was the one I’d been waiting for.”
My heart jumps. “Sometimes I wonder that, too. But then I get scared. I… I didn’t make the best choices with men in the past. Not that I think Alec is a bad choice,” I hurry to add. “But I feel like I should be extra cautious.”
She smiles and pats my hand. “I won’t presume to tell you what to do. But. I will tell you something. I’veknown Alec for a while now. And I’ve never seen him like this before.”
I fold my legs pretzel-style as I change positions on the couch. “Like how?”
“Happy. Really happy. That’s not to say that Alec has been all doom and gloom before. But there’s a light in his eyes that wasn’t there before you two got together.”
My heart makes another ungainly leap. “You think so?”
Winter nods. “I do. And—” She pauses. “Maybe it’s none of my business. But I feel like I’ve seen that light in your eyes, too.”
Winter’s words crash into me with the force of a runaway train.
She’s right. There’s a lightness inside me that’s been missing for years. I feel hopeful again. Happy. Excited for the future.
Well. Assuming we figure out whoever this jerk is who’s trying to kill me.
Because the man Alec caught at Blissful Brews wasn’t the one behind everything. Apparently, Jacob Henning was hired by an anonymous man in a seedy bar in Boston, with five K paid up front and the other twenty-five once Henning provided proof of my death.
So, yeah. That part isn’t great. And we’re still trying to figure out who might want me dead. Alec looked into Marissa’s family, but there’s nothing toindicate their involvement. Same with everyone I knew in Boston. And James’s mother is living in an assisted care facility upstate while she receives treatment for Parkinson’s. So it’s unlikely she has anything to do with it.
