Inez whooped, then hugged me from behind, nearly choking me. “Brie, this is amazing! See? You make something real, and people feel it.”
For a minute, I was speechless. I thought about all those years of trying to be someone else, trying to make something worth being seen, and it was almost funny that the thing people wanted was the mess I’d always tried to hide.
Lysander watched me, hands folded, smile softer now. “You okay?”
I nodded, tears pricking the corners of my eyes. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m good. Just…” I swallowed. “Thank you.”
He leaned forward, brushing a hair off my cheek. “You deserve it, darling. All of it.”
Inez left to call her abuela about the candle, so I was alone with Lysander. He moved closer to me, close enough that our knees touched.
His voice dropped. “Can I say something strange?”
I raised an eyebrow. “When have you ever not?”
He smiled, then bit his lip. “I know we joke about it, but I really do care about you, Brie. I’m not just your rep, you know?”
I looked away, embarrassed. “I know.”
He took my hand, held it just a second longer than a friend would. “Promise me you’ll let someone take care of you, okay? You don’t have to do this alone.”
The words gutted me a little, but I managed a nod. “I promise.”
He pulled me into a tight hug. I’d never felt the slightest bit awkward with Lysander’s touches, but this one felt… different. More personal somehow. As he let go, I caught a whiff of a familiar scent, but I couldn’t place it. Before I could think about it, he pulled away, suddenly shy. “Okay, enough of that. Let’s go make you famous.”
We finished up the rest of the install by three. The floors were swept, the lighting perfect, the walls pristine. The transformation was almost supernatural—like the gallery had finally woken up and realized what it was supposed to be.
I was hanging the last label when Aspen walked in, carrying a canvas tote and looking like she’d run the entire way from the bakery. Her cheeks were flushed, and Oscar was peeking from her bag, his head swiveling on a tiny neck.
“Hi!” she called, and even Lysander looked happy to see her.
I jogged over and pulled her into a hug. “Did you come to save us from glue poisoning?”
She laughed. “No, but I brought you something.” She rummaged in her tote, then produced a little pouch tied with a yellow ribbon.
“Protection charms,” she whispered, glancing around as if someone might overhear. “You’re supposed to put them under your pillow, but you can carry them in your purse if you need to. They should block out anything trying to get into your head.”
I took the pouch, nearly crying again. “Thank you, Aspen. You are the best.”
Oscar made a tiny cough, then bowed. “I contributed sage advice, as is my duty,” he said, and for a second I thought maybe Lysander heard him, because his eyes flicked to Oscar, then back to Aspen, face unreadable. Which was odd, since only supernaturals could see Oscar.
Aspen glanced at Lysander, then whispered: “If anything changes, call me. I’ll do more research tonight.”
I nodded, squeezingher hand.
After she left, Lysander saw the pouch and pulled it from my hand. “Ooh, let me see!” He emptied the two charms into his hand. They sparkled under the installation lights. “These are beautiful, Brie! I didn’t know Aspen also made jewelry.”
I was so stunned that he had pulled the pouch from my hand that I was almost speechless. I quickly took the charms and placed them back in the pouch and stuffed it in my pocket for safekeeping. “Hey, Mr. Grabby Hands! Yes, she dabbles and doesn’t really want the word to get out since she’s just started playing around. So please keep it to yourself.” I lied.
We walked the gallery floor one last time. He seemed different—quieter, more thoughtful. I wondered if maybe he’d seen something in Aspen that he couldn’t explain, or maybe he just wanted to protect me the way I always protected everyone else.
Either way, I felt lighter. Ready.
At five, Finn pulled up outside in his fancy pickup truck waiting for me, window rolled down. I saw him, and my heart did that stupid somersault again.
Lysander walked me to the door, then, with a sudden rush of bravado, pulled me into another extended hug. He held me tight, then kissed my cheek, his lips lingering just long enough to make my skin tingle.
He and Inez trailed out after we turned out all the lights. I gave one last look at the gallery. We were ready as we’d ever be.
