I hated how much their reactions touched me. I wanted to keep my distance from these guys, especially because of all the magic flutters and aches stirring in my body… but as much as I denied it to myself, I’d already pinned too much hope on them becoming my friends. I waved my hand. “Of course it’s not his real name, and it doesn’t matter. Marcus is right. How can I work in fashion if I can’t even see the clothes? How can I do runway shows when I can’t see in the dark? It was stupid for me to even consider continuing. But I could have hid it for a bit longer. I could have had the best job of my life, if Ashley hadn’t told Marcus about my eyes.”
“That’s just one fool’s opinion,” Morrie said.
“Onedeadfool,” Heathcliff growled.
“I bet if you sent your resume around to some different fashion houses, you’ll find—”
“I tried. Ashley and Marcus blabbed it to the entire fashion community. He flat-out told me he wouldn’t give me a positive reference. Which is a total dick move, but Ashley was worse. She pretended she did it all out of concern for me. She said she was worried about me after the accident at the show. She just wanted Marcus to know so he couldhelpme. But there was a glint in her eye that I’ve seen too many times before. She planned it as soon as she heard to take me out of the running. The way she was looking at me the night before – it wasn’t envy, it waspity.”
I sighed, scratching Grimalkin under the chin. “That’s my story. Now you know why I hate Ashley and that’s why I’m back in ___field. I’ve spent the last four years of my life working toward a career that’s now out of my reach. I wanted to be a fashion designer since I was eleven. Now…” I shrugged again. “I don’t know who I am without my eyes. I don’t—”
A loud crash sounded downstairs, followed by a low moan, and the thud of the door slamming shut.
“What’s that?”
Grimalkin bolted up, her ears pricked.
“I bet it’s Heathcliff’s homeless friend, looking for a warm place to crash.” Morrie went to the window and drew back the curtains just as a jolt of lightning arced across the sky. “He probably saw Mina enter and realized the shop was unlocked.”
“Well, if you hadn’t left the front door open, he wouldn’t have been able to invite himself in.” Heathcliff glowered.
“You’rethe one who makes him feel welcome in here,” Morrie insisted. “If I owned this place, I’d pay him a wage to work here, earn an honest living,andI’d make him shower.”
“You were the one who invited guests after closing. We never have guests after closing. Now you’ll have to go down and shoo him back outside.”
“I’m not going anywhere near him,” Morrie looked aghast. “Not in my second-favorite waistcoat. He’syoursmelly friend.Yougo.”
I stood up. “I’ll go, if me being here is a problem—”
“Sit your arse down,” Heathcliff boomed from his place at the fireplace. Stunned, I fell back into the seat. “Morrie, get Mina some tea. Can’t you see she’s upset? Quoth, deal with whatever’s going on downstairs. If it’s Earl, he can have the sofa in the Natural History room if he wants to shelter here, as long as he’s gone before opening. If it’s someone else, make them go away without bothering me. I’m not moving – I’ve found the perfect arm groove on the mantle here, and I’m not losing it for anything.”
With a silent nod, the black-haired beauty left his perch and glided down the stairs. Morrie bustled into the kitchen. Heathcliff’s eyes locked on mine.
“You’re better than this place,” he whispered.
“Excuse me?”
“If all else remains, but something or someone you love is annihilated, the universe turns to a mighty stranger. I thought for so long pain like that could ruin the soul, but now I understand torment is not forever.”
Heathcliff’s voice was as gruff as ever, but he spoke as a poet, giving me a glimpse at his own soul. My chest swelled to think a man like him would trust me to see such an intimate side of him. “Thank you,” I whispered. “Right now, I can’t see an end, pun intended. No matter how happy I feel in a moment, I still drag around this heavy weight. I don’t know how to let it go.”
“We all drop our weights on the threshold of this shop. I know you loved Nevermore because of what it meant to you as a girl, and I see you’re already in love again.”
“I didn’t think you were even listening to me.”
“I always listen, Mina.” Heathcliff growled. “I am—”
“Oh, shite!” came a yell from downstairs. “Guys, you’d better come quick.”
“What’s that wanker done now?” It was to-be-determined whether Heathcliff meant the homeless man or Quoth. Probably both. Heathcliff headed for the stairs just as Morrie emerged from the kitchen and extended a hand to me.
I ached to take his hand and feel our skin sizzle together. But it was dangerous, so dangerous right now, with my heart already laid open in front of them all. “I’m fine,” I said, rising to my feet. At the staircase, I slid my hands down the wall and felt for the stair treads with my feet, heading toward the square of light at the bottom.
The first thing I heard was Heathcliff gasp, a sound so utterly out of character it made my stomach tighten in fear. As Morrie emerged on the landing, he swore. Heathcliff turned and waved at me to go back up the stairs.
“It’s not for you to see,” he growled.
“Don’t be so old-fashioned. I’ve seen drunk guys passed out on the floor before—” I peered around Heathcliff’s bulk, and my stomach plunged into my knees.
