“What’s going on up there today?” Charlie asked, tapping my temple gently with a manicured finger.
We were sitting in the breakroom. I held a cold up of coffee in my hands and stared into the dark depths. “I didn’t sleep well last night.”
It wasn’t a lie. I never slept well, but last night had been for reasons other than the usual. Curled up in bed, my heart hammered dangerously as I attempted to pack everything that’d been unleashed back into the box. If Grayson showed up at the door, I didn’t know what I’d do, and that was a cause for concern, because it meant I wasn’t in control.
“You’re spending a lot of time here, Quen,” she said, pursing her lips. “Be careful you don’t burn yourself out.”
I had to bite the insides of my cheeks to stop myself from admitting the truth to Charlie.
“It’s fine,” I said. “I’m fine. Cass is visiting soon so that’ll be a nice break.”
“Your brother? Is he bringing his fiancée?”
Cassidy got engaged to Sophie last year. She was a sweet woman who knew how to keep my brother in line. It’d stung a little when he made the announcement, but I quickly pushed it aside. Seeing my brother happy meant the world to me.
“Yeah, Sophie will be here,” I confirmed. “Ironing out details for the wedding.”
“So, you’re taking some leave?”
Nodding, I drained the cold brown liquid from the mug and got up from my seat.
“Quen,” Charlie said, looking up at me.
“Mhm?”
“Have you found a plus-one yet?”
I blinked.
No one at this job knew about Ethan. After we’d broken up, I’d methodically removed every photo and post that contained him. A completely clean slate. To everyone here, I didn’t date because I didn’t have the time, but Charlie bringing up the plus-one reminded me of how single I’d be at Cass’s wedding in December.
“Not yet.”
“You know, I could always ask my cousin.”
Most of my morning had been occupied by helping Tyler stock the pub. It would have been done quicker if I was allowed to use my powers, but I’d already pushed my luck and it was better to tread lightly. Instead, I pulled boxes and placed bottles while Tyler threw in the occasional piece of chatter.
Murphy’swas the most interesting place I had stumbled into on earth. It’d given me a chance to speak to and observe mortals at their best and worst. They piled in to celebrate their victories and drown their sorrows. There had been plenty of thoughts to pick through and plenty of decent women to pursue.
And I’d have been successful in my pursuit yesterday afternoon if Scott hadn’t barged her way into my room. Apparently, privacy wasn’t something to be expected in her household.
“I appreciate you helping out when you can,” Tyler said, drawing me from my thoughts.
“It’s no trouble.”
“I didn’t realise you were only part time.”
“Agency work,” I lied smoothly with the prepared story. “We’ll move on once the project is done.”
Tyler nodded and continued to wipe down tables. I tolerated him. Never asked too many questions. He had, what I assumed Erik would call, a balanced relationship. Charlie felt the need to fill the silence, but Tyler was comfortable in it.
As the afternoon wore on, I made my way to the institute for an update with Gareth before my scheduled appointment with Scott.
“And you haven’t come across any issues?” Gareth asked, eyeing me warily.
I leaned back in the chair opposite him, calm and composed.“None that I can recall.”
“Well, Holden has no complaints. Quentin and Charlotte seem pleased with the progress they’re making so far. You’re due to see Hankle soon —”
