Nonna sighs. “Good heavens. I didn’t realize the talk of the curse had affected your lives so much. Do I believe our family has some unfortunate luck when it comes to dating and relationships? Well, yes, I mean look at my own past. It’s ...” She laughs quietly. “Tumultuouswould be putting it lightly, huh?”
We all laugh.
“However,” she continues. “I don’t want this hanging over your heads and keeping you from being happy like you deserve. I never let it stop me.”
“No, you didn’t, but you’ve had your heart broken how many times?” my mother points out to her.
“Too many to count. But so what? Heartbreak is part of life. You can’t avoid it forever. If you do, you’ll forget to live in the meantime, and what’s the fun in that? We get one shot at this. We need to make the most of it, even if we get hurt in the process. If we get hurt, well, we can always pick ourselves back up, dust off our asses, and get back out there and try again.”
Nonna doesn’t use bad words very often, an indication she means business.
Truthfully, I can understand where she’s coming from. If I had a friend going through this, I would probably tell them the same thing my nonna is, but I don’t have that friend. Iamthat friend.Iam the one whose life has been touched by this.I’mthe one who’s going to get hurt, and dammit, I don’t want to.
I remember my mother’s pain when my father left us. I remember the nights she used to cry alone in her room when she thought I was asleep. I remember that sad look in her eyes and how she didn’t smile for months. How she couldn’t watch anything with romance. And how she would sneer at couples who walked by.
Then she got better. She put herself back out there just like Nonna says to do, and the same thing happened. She lost her spark. She lost herself. She was heartbroken and devastated.
I’m scared that I’m doomed to repeat her life, and I don’t want to.
“And,” Nonna says, reaching forward and grabbing my chin between her thumb and finger, “that includes in business. I know you’re scared of failure. I know you’re afraid it won’t work out because the curse is preventing you from being truly happy, but I believe in you, little one. You need to start believing in yourself as much as you believe in this curse. Cancel the other out.”
Cancel the other out.
She makes it sound so easy, but it’s not. It’s when so much has been stacked against you for so long and you haven’t been happy in years.
No, that’s not entirely true. I’ve been happy lately, and there’s only one reason for that.
Noah.
The only part of hanging out with him I don’t like is lying to Izzy. Everything else is ... well, it’s really damn good. And I don’t just mean because of the orgasms, which there have been quite a few, sometimes multiple in one night. Okay, always more than one in a night.
Sex aside, it’s actually been fun. He makes me laugh, and he makes me feel safe, even when we are just curled up on the couch, watching TV together. I was worried things with him might be awkward, but they haven’t been. I keep waiting for it to happen, for us to wake up one day and realize what we’re doing is totally foolish, but it hasn’t. If anything, the more time we spend together, the more comfortable I get with him. The more it feels like it was meant to happen.
Likewewere meant to happen.
Could I ... could I have dodged it? Could I have beaten the curse? Could Noah and I ... could we work out?
Whoa, whoa. Slow down. You’re being optimistic again, Odette. Don’t let the curse know you’re too happy. It’ll take away everything that brings you joy.
“I hear you, Nonna. I really do. I’ll ... I’ll try.”
My grandmother nods, seeming satisfied with my answer. “Good. That’s all I want. And that goes for both of you.” She gives my mother a stern glare. “Try. Get back out there. Find love again. Find happiness again, even if it is only with yourself. Though I have a suspicion neither of you will end up alone.”
She smiles like she knows something neither of us does, but I don’t question it. I let her keep secrets.
It’s only fair since I’m keeping one too.
And I can’t wait to see him tonight.
I have no idea why, but I’m nervous.
Noah texted me this morning with the simple instructions:Be ready at nine. Wear something warm.
Considering it’s the middle of summer, I am very curious about the “wear something warm” part. I have no idea where he’s taking me so late, but I’m excited to go anyway.
At exactly 8:59, knuckles rap against my front door.
I race toward it, stopping myself at the last second so I don’t seem too eager. I exhale a long breath, then brush my sweaty hands off on the front of my thermal leggings and open the door.
