“It’s different now?”
Those words seemed hard for him to find.
Eventually, Silas said, “Now I seeyou.”
“Okay.” I threw up my hands. “If this is what it takes to convince you I’m all in, let’s do it.”
“At dawn,” he said. “You must rest now.”
“Silas.” I looked up at him, touched a hand to his cheek. If I was going to forget him tomorrow; if I was going to die breaking a curse; if I was going to lose my memory to magic, I needed him to know one thing. “I don’t care what you say. I will never forget you.”
Chapter 10
Dawn came swiftly. Somberly.
The sun crept up, the burning ball normally a welcome guest, a happy reprieve from the darkness of night. Today, the light on the horizon felt too harsh, like it was trying too hard to block out the previous night, to wash away the reminders of the past with the start of a new day.
I didn’t want a new day. I wanted Silas. I wanted magic. I wanted The Isle.
Millie had breakfast waiting for me on a table in the garden when I dragged myself outside just after dawn in another one of the slightly-hippie outfits Millie had stocked in my closet. I’d considered slipping into something that more closely resembled my old life for the occasion, but a subconscious part of me had rebelled.
Also, I’d turned up here in a wedding dress and didn’t exactly have access to my former New-York-Black closet. I was at the mercy of Millie’s whims, and somehow,she’d filled my current closet with dresses and skirts and shorts that were fitting both to me and to island life.
Today, I wore a thin, thigh-length sundress with spaghetti straps tied over my shoulders and little wisteria blooms patterned on the cotton fabric. I’d slipped my feet into comfortable sandals and hadn’t bothered to tie my hair back. My waves had developed a life of their own in the salty air, and they didn’t want to be restrained. I didn’t have the heart to tame them.
If something went wrong, and I was forced to stay in my previous life, just maybe they’d allow me to keep this flower-printed dress. A tiny, rebellious token of my time at Wisteria Cottage.
I wistfully stared out to the azure waters. I played with my circlet ring. I did everything but eat the delicious smelling food that Millie had prepared for me—eggs, bacon, toast with fresh jam. The idea of food curdled my stomach.
“At least have some coffee, Doc,” Millie encouraged. “You’ll need your energy for the travel. You never turn down a good cup of coffee.”
“I am from New York,” I lamented halfheartedly, taking a dainty teacup and lifting it to my lips, sipping dutifully. “Half my genetics are caffeine.”
Millie gave an encouraging nod. A moment later, I felt his shadow arrive. His presence darkened the dawn ofthis new day. I pushed my bistro chair back and launched myself at Millie.
“I don’t want to go,” I told her, clinging tightly to my new friend. “And if something happens to me, just know I appreciate all you’ve done for me.”
“I love you too.” Millie squeezed me back. “We’ll see you again soon. I’m sure of it.”
Then she bustled away, dabbing at her face with an apron. I was pretty sure my parents hadn’t cried when I’d vanished from the face of the earth. I was absolutely positive that Simon hadn’t. At best, he might’ve been livid, but that would’ve meant he cared at all either way. I was pretty sure the only thing Simon would care about was how he looked in front of his friends and family.
“It’s time.”
That’s all it was, two words from Silas. He was dressed in black jeans again, a black V-neck, his arm muscles filling out the shirt in an impressive way. Not to mention his legs. But alas, now was not the time for anatomical admiration.
I stood, thinking it best to just get a move on. After all, I’d be back here in twelve hours. This was nothing more than a blip.
Silas extended a hand, and I grabbed it. He glanced around us, as if looking for something. He must have found it, because he let out a low whistle. The nextsecond, the tugging motion started, and my body felt like it was lurching into a free fall.
The sensation lasted seconds but felt like hours. By the time my feet hit the tiled floor, I felt like I had whiplash and an upset stomach.
I glanced around. Unfortunately, I recognized my surroundings: I was back in my parents’ house. A walk-up brownstone in Park Slope. They’d remodeled last year, and everything was now all white and sleek. So much so that the place didn’t look lived in, even though I was popping in during the middle of the day with no warning. Even several days after their only daughter had supposedly disappeared in the middle of her wedding.
I stood in the kitchen, getting my bearings, wondering exactly what I was supposed to do for the next twelve hours. I wished Silas was stuck here with me. At least he’d make this situation palatable.
Voices echoed from the dining room. I felt like I shouldwantto see my parents. I should want to go and wrap my arms around them, to bask in my mother’s warm, familiar Chanel scent and my father’s happiness at my return. But, spoiler alert: my mother wasn’t warm and my father wouldn’t be particularly happy I was back, especially if my presence interfered with his surgery schedule.
The sound of my father’s voice made me think this was one of the rare days he had off. Was it the weekend already, or had he just taken some time off due to hisdaughter’s disappearance? Maybe the hospital had forced him to take a few days off in light of the complex situation.
