With a huff, my sister drops the books she’s holding on a table. “You’ve got to be kidding me. And miss this?” She shoots me a look. “I want all the details. Don’t leave anything out.”
I scoff. “He might not be here to see me.”
“Oh, he’s here to see you,” she says before going to help Mama.
Storm looks around, taking in the madness of a dying empire—I mean, bookshop—and my heart sinks. Good thing I’m not still dating him. He’d probably dump me after seeing this mess.
“Hey,” I say to him. “If you’re here to jump into a book, now’s not a good time.”
He punches his hands into his pockets. “Actually I’m here to see you.”
A book launches off a shelf, flapping its cover as it heads straight for me and Storm. I grab the inventor by the cuff and pull him away just before the book smashes into a case and falls limply to the floor.
“Like I said, now’s not a good time.”
I walk away in a vain attempt to retrieve more books from the floor, but he jumps in front of me. “Look, I was wondering if you’d give me another chance. As you can imagine, I’m not someone who’s used to hearing the word ‘no.’” He chuckles. “I realize that my being out of town contributed to why our relationship fizzled out, but I’m willing to stay here, in Castleview, for a while.”
Storm appears genuinely sincere, and it hurts my heart to say this, but it has to be done. “Storm, I was being honest when I told you that things weren’t working. You being gone had nothing to do with it.”
No, I didn’t tell him that I’m with Devlin. There was no point in hurting him any more than I had to. Why twist the knife after you’ve plunged it in?
And speaking of Devlin, I’m so glad he’s not seeing this. If he witnessed this insanity, I know what he’d do—he’d want to save me, and the only way to save me would be to save my family. But I don’t want that. I want Devlin to marry me because he wants to, not because my family’s magic is broken.
“Blair, I could use you over here,” Mama says, still trying to pull the stuck woman from the book.
“Sorry, Storm, I’ve got to go.”
I move to pass him, but he grabs the sleeve of my shirt. “I promise things will be different this time.”
I exhale a loud breath. I hate hurting people’s feelings. I’d rather hide under a rock than face someone to break up with them. But here we are. “I’m sorry, Storm. We’re better off as friends. I don’t think that we’re a good match.”
He frowns. “Not a good match? We want a lot of the same things.”
Flustered, I reply, “Yes, I know, but there needs to be more.” He’s still holding my sleeve. “Please, let me go.”
“What more does there need to be?” he snaps.
“Chemistry? Love? You name it. I don’t think we’ve got it.”
“But we could.”
Mama looks pained, and I’m beginning to worry. My heart’s fluttering in my throat. I’ve got to help her. Things must be bad with the woman trapped inThe Odyssey.
I try to pull away, but he’s still holding my sleeve. “We’re just not meant to be.”
“Blair!” Mama’s voice has turned all high-pitched. She’s panicking. “I need you now, please!”
I tug the arm that he’s holding tight. “Let me go.”
Storm scowls. “I’ll let you go when you agree to see me again.”
What?Is he joking? Now I’m just pissed off. He might be rich, but he can’t buy me. “No, I’m not going to see you again.”
“Blair!”
“Just one more time,” he begs.
“No.”
